The President of the The Foundation of Concerned Arts Professionals (FOCAP), Kojo Preko Dankwa, has commended the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for putting together an effective campaign for the creative arts in a build-up to the December 7, 2024 election.

In this article below, he outlines reasons for giving the NDC plaudits in this regard:

Ghana has never seen such an effective, attractive, far-reaching, and properly organised Creatives Campaign like the one rolled out by the NDC prior to the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Election.

For a better understanding of my claim, let me begin from 1992 when Ghana's democracy was birthed; most creatives at the time did not get involve in political campaigns, the few who tried did that behind-the-scenes to conceal their political colours, however, the narrative began to change gradually each political season. Creatives became bold enough to show their faces on political platforms, composed campaign songs for political parties, and openly endorsed political parties and presidential candidates.

All these individual efforts empowered creatives who believed in the ideologies and Creative Art Manifestos of one political party or the other to come together as industry players to campaign for their preferred political parties.

The involvement of industry players in politics got even more interesting when creatives started coming together to form small political groups for the purpose of campaigning for their preferred political parties during elections. Soon, the support for political parties by creative individuals and groups became a norm and did not raise eyebrows anymore.

In this 2024 election year, something unusual happened; creatives' support for the National Democratic Congress hit the industry like a storm. Every industry player felt it. The campaign was overly infectious; it captivated the industry in a subtle manner.

As a creative and media practitioner, I monitored the NDC's Creatives Campaign critically because it was quite infections and imposing.

I dare say that they (NDC) employed the best campaign strategies that deviously enveloped the creative industry in a way that we have never seen before in Ghana's political history.

Below are the few strategies the NDC used to besiege the Creative Industry for its support;

(1) The NDC Creatives campaign started quietly with grassroot mobilization of Creatives in the 16 regions of Ghana, this strategy saw creatives busily mobilizing fellow creatives and talents in their respective regions to rally votes for H.E John Dramani Mahama and the NDC, something no creative individual or group has ever done for any political party in the history of Ghana.

(2) The Creatives Campaign worked with Industry Associations like MUSIGA, GHAMRO, ARSOG, Ghana Actors Guild, Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG), Ghana Concert Party Union, Ghana Modeling Association, Ghana Dance Association, Ghana Hair Dressers Association, Ghana Seamstress Association, Distributers and Marketers Association, Crew Association of Ghana, Royal Women in Cinema Ghana among others, because these are not political groups, the NDC used highly respected & celebrated Creatives in their party to appeal to the conscience of these industry associations to partake in Creative Industry events organised by the NDC. This was evident in John Mahama's meeting with Creatives at AH Hotel.

(3) The Creative Campaign again identified itself with other Creative Splinter Groups already clamouring for the come back of John Dramani Mahama and encouraged them to do more. These groups include; Big 5 Stars of Kumawood for NDC, Creatives for NDC, Unique Actors for NDC, etc., by this act of inclusivity, the Creatives Campaign got the splinter groups to stage their own campaigns from anywhere in the country for a Nationwide Campaign.

(4) The NDC Creative Campaign liaised with the NDC's Inter-party and Civil Society Relations led by Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor to organise an Industry Stakeholder Engagement with candidate John Dramani Mahama at AH HOTEL in East Legon to share ideas on the Creative Economy policies that creatives would like to see in the NDC Manifesto. This meeting saw the leadership of all industry associations and Creative Splinter Groups in attendance to foster unity and inclusivity. After this meeting, NDC took over every industry discussion (on and off air) due to the superior policy ideas shared by H.E. John Dramani Mahama.

(5) The Creatives Campaign Team found varied ways to train their mobilized creatives in the 16 regions on 'Communication Skills' so they can speak in their local dialect on the NDC's Creative Manifesto in their respective regions when the Manifesto is launched. The other members were trained on social media publications to help propagate the creative campaign online. This strategy also helped in making the Creative Campaign a nationwide venture.

(6) After the NDC's campaign launch in Tamale, the Creatives Campaign began touring the regions with the following campaign tools; (a)Retail Campaign, (b)Community Engagement, and (c)Mini Rally. Their targeted as stated in their various social media posts was to visit all the 16 regions with the Creative Campaign messages of the NDC but were able to visit 12 regions. This is novel, an unprecedented record. No Creatives Campaign under any political party has toured 12 regions of the country to campaign, with audio-visual and pictorial evidence all over social media.

(7) The Creatives Campaign Team travelled from Accra to Kumasi back and forth as they collaborate with the Presidential Campaign Secretariat in both Kumasi and Accra to increase the votes of the NDC in both regions, especially in Kumasi Eg: The Creatives Campaign brought together the ace actors in the Kumawood Industry like Kala Kumasi, Michael Afrane, Nana Yeboah, Adanko etc. and initiated days of intense radio tours with them to convince electorates in the Ashanti Region to vote for the NDC.

(8) The Kumasi Presidential Campaign Secretariat, in conjunction with the Creatives Campaign, again staged a night campaign at Asafo VIP station with celebrities from both Accra and Kumasi to rally votes for the NDC. There was a video that circulated as evidence of the Asafo VIP station night campaign with celebrities like Rex Omar, KOD, Listowell, Michael Afrane, Kala Kumasi, Nana YeboahAdanko etc.

(10) Series of campaign adverts and voter education videos were produced starring celebrated actors to sell John Mahama's campaign messages.

(11) The Creative Campaign put together a Communication Team which included Rex Omar, Baba Sadiq, KOD, Abeiku Santana, Ola Michael, Dzifa Agbetepey, Kada Faisel, Edward Boafo Owusu, Oswald Okaitei, Samira Abdul-Azeez etc. This team carved out the Creative Economy policies from the main NDC Manifesto as the NDC's Creative Art Manifesto for swift accessibility. The Communication Team also churned out several infographics that simplified the NDC's Creative Manifesto to the general public. The above-mentioned communicators deliberately appeared on entertainment shows as guests, hosts and pundits, etc, to market the NDC' Creative Economy policies.

(12) In my opinion, the smartest and most effective strategy the NDC's Creative Campaign adopted was to align and allow other creative individuals and groupings to initiate their own campaign Programs to help the NDC win power. This made the Creative Campaign widespread and dominant in the industry and on social media.

(13) The climax of the Creatives Campaign was dubbed CREATIVE CONNECT with H.E. John Dramani Mahama as the Special Guest of Honour. This event held at the Great Hall, KNUST, Kumasi saw over 2000 industry players (including celebrities) in attendance, the Creative Manifesto ideas shared at AH HOTEL was finalized and presented back the Creative Industry by John Dramani Mahama as his official campaign promise for the Creative Economy. For nearly 3 weeks, traditional media, bloggers, vloggers, and various entertainment shows were still discussing the impact of the CREATIVE CONNECT event. All of these efforts translated into votes from the Creative Industry to the NDC candidate H.E. John Dramani Mahama.

(14) On Election Day, the Creatives Campaign Team, did not stand aloof, they monitored the elections of six Constituencies in the Greater Accra Region namely; Shai-Osu Doku, Ayawaso North, Madina, Adentan, Amasaman and Dome Kwabenya constituencies, they were mandated by the Presidential Campaign Secretariat of the NDC in Accra to execute this job.

With the above twelve (12) solid points I gathered while monitoring the Creatives Campaign of the NDC this year, I say again emphatically and unequivocally that the NDC's 2024 Creatives Campaign is one that has NEVER been witnessed in Ghana's political history. Anyone who thinks otherwise should tell me which Creative Group has ever toured 12 regions of Ghana to rally industry votes for any political.

I have read on several portals that REX OMAR led this hard working Creative Campaign Team, I just want to let him know that, the job he has done [with his team] will make politicians and successive governments appreciate the role of creatives in national discourse.

Kudos to Rex Omar and the Creatives Campaign.

KOJO PREKO DANKWA,
FOCAP President.