Ghanaian actor and brand influencer Mikki Osei Berko has strongly criticized the overwhelming presence of foreign telenovelas on local television, describing the practice as “criminal.”
He believes the dominance of imported content is stifling Ghana’s creative industry and robbing local actors, directors, and producers of opportunities.
“I think the telenovelas shown on TV lately are criminal. Because we are not telling our own stories, but they get to bring them into the country.
“It’s like importing dead chickens into the country while we have lands where we can construct poultry farms that would provide better nutrition, economic benefits, and employment… And that is what we are doing to our arts,” he said.
Speaking in an interview with Elsie Lamar on Talkertainment on GhanaWebTV, Osei Berko called for accountability from television executives, arguing that prioritizing foreign productions over Ghanaian content is detrimental to the economy.
“I think executives of television stations that show these programmes should be arrested for doing that because they are killing the economy,” he said.
The actor further pointed out that paying foreign actors and directors while local talents remain unemployed is unjust.
He urged media houses to prioritize Ghanaian content, emphasizing that local productions contribute not just to the entertainment industry but to the broader economic development of the country.
“We need to be heard because it is damaging, and we need to make reforms. Media houses should be made to show Ghanaian content instead of foreign content; it is a must, and it is one of these things that I will fight for when I get the opportunity. Because even if we don’t benefit, the future and the country should benefit from it,” he added.
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