Ghanaian filmmaker and visual storyteller, Nana Kofi Asihene has highlighted the growing opportunities for collaboration between Anglophone and Francophone creatives within Africa.
Speaking on Episode 2 of Franco Vybz with Rev Erskine, Nana Kofi Asihene noted that the language differences that have traditionally made cross-border collaborations more difficult are gradually becoming less of a limitation.
According to him, technological advancements in language and communication have made it practically easy to interact with partners from the francophone countries.
He said, “The language barrier for Anglophone – Francophone collaborations has been lowered.”
Despite these advancements he noted that there is still more room for exploration of possible ways to enhance understanding of not just the languages but the values and in-depth messages partners carry.
Asihene calls for increased interaction between creatives from English- and French-speaking African countries to create room for filmmakers and other industry players to work together and share ideas across linguistic and cultural boundaries. “I think that we can surpass this barrier by actively collaborating and actively working together to figure the ways of doing things and to figure out how these two cultures can work together.”
The conversation formed part of the second episode of FrancoVybz, hosted by award-winning broadcaster Rev Erskine. The podcast seeks to examine the cultural, creative and professional connections between Ghana and the Francophone world, while creating a platform for discovery and exchange among young audiences.
FrancoVybz airs on all YFM Ghana stations every Saturdays (Y107.9FM in Accra at 3:30pm; Y102.5FM in Kumasi & Y97.9FM in Takoradi at 5:30pm) with repeats on Wednesdays at 10pm.
Episodes are also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Audiomack under the name FrancoVybz.