Ghanaian actress and film producer Selassie Ibrahim has criticized local television stations for their growing reliance on old foreign telenovelas dubbed in Twi, arguing that the trend is crippling the local film industry.

Speaking in a recent interview, Ibrahim lamented that many broadcasters are unwilling to invest in fresh, locally produced content, choosing instead to import decades-old Spanish soap operas and simply dub them into local languages.

“They destroyed the industry, these telenovelers,” she said. “They will go and collect it and speak Twi, dub it in Twi. Because we could equally do that. Why won’t we produce the same content and speak Twi? They won’t give it to you because they feel you will spend more.”

According to her, that mindset and excuse that new Ghanaian productions are too expensive should not be a barrier. She suggested that producers could collaborate to ease the financial burden.

“Fresh movies are expensive, of course, so we can come to an agreement—two or three producers come together and produce like 200 episodes in Twi,” she explained.

However, Ibrahim believes TV stations deliberately avoid such partnerships, opting instead for cheaper, outdated telenovelas from abroad.

“But no,” she stressed, “they prefer going to Spain to buy Spanish ones that are 20–30 years old and come and dub them in Twi, which is very upsetting.”

Ibrahim’s comments add to a long-running conversation about the sustainability of Ghana’s film industry and the role broadcasters play in either supporting or undermining local creative talent.

Many industry players have echoed similar concerns, urging media houses to prioritize original Ghanaian content to help revive the sector.

Sompaonline.com/Derrick Djan