Barbara Oteng Gyasi
Photographers in Ghana will, for the first time, have a platform to officially celebrate and honour the contribution of photographers to the development of the country.
Dubbed ‘Grand Pixels Photography Awards’ the platform will annually identify and publicly reward outstanding photographers who have contributed to the growth of the country’s photography industry.
The maiden edition, which is being organised by Remex Ghana Limited and the Association of Professional Photographers (APPG), will take place in Accra on December 7, 2019.
One of the country’s veteran photographers, James Barnor, who is also the first Ghanaian photographer to produce colour photographs, will be honoured with an award.
Explaining the rationale behind the awards, the awards coordinator, Derrick Edwards, stated in a press statement that the awards ceremony is being organised to create a much needed platform for all stakeholders in the photography industry to network and share ideas as to how they can improve as individual entities and also an industry.
As part of the event, educational workshop will be organised to upgrade the skills of amateur photographers and filmmakers.
Speakers at the workshop will share their knowledge and experience with amateur photographers and individuals who desire to build a career in the photography profession.
Mr. Edwards said photography as an art has cultural dimensions which encompass various aspects of life that reinforces people’s appreciation of life and promotes a sense of unity and friendship.
He commended the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Creative Arts for its effort to uplift Ghana’s image through programmes that project the cultural heritage and historical monuments of Ghana to the rest of the world.
He, however, urged the ministry to take a critical look at the photography industry and institute measures that will protect indigenous photography and film works.
“A lot has been accomplished by our forebears and it’s up to us to protect and sustain the rich information they’ve gathered through photography,” he said.