Post-Coloniality: Projection of Ghana In Video-Films

The rise of the mainstream video industry has been significant towards socio-cultural and economic development in Ghana; however, this study will not focus on the impacts of the video industry of Ghana. This article primarily examines the image construction of Ghana in video-films. Over the past few years, videofilms in Post-colonial Ghana have often been critiqued by film scholars and critics for reinforcing superstitious beliefs and instigating backward tendencies that derail national development. Normative scholarships have critically explored the visuality of Ghanaian video-films and their themes. Nonetheless, these normative scholarships have often overlooked the nexus between the Ghanaian society and video texts. It is against this scholarly gap that this study engages the meta-question of how video-films project Ghana in their texts. This article will engage a critical textual reading of a few popular films from the Pentecostal and Occult genres to contextualize the ideological sub-texts and the image construction of Ghana in these selected video-films. I argue that major ‘postmodern’ thematic concerns in Ghanaian video-films considerably denigrate and malign Ghana’s image, as well as neglect issues of national interests.

Video Films in Nursing and Midwifery Teaching – Statistical Study of Dependence

The paper presents educational videos as an interactive method of teaching nursing and midwifery students. As a part of the methods of online education, educational videos transform the learning content into a practical necessity for the formation ofstudents' professional competencies in the considered medical specialties. Correlation analysis identifies the degree of coherence between the observed features: "training with video films" and "professional competencies formation". Using x2statistics, it is decided whether the relationship between two nominal variables is statistically significant and how the strength of the relationship i.e., the extent of the effect, is valued using the coefficients Phi and Cramer’s V. The statistical processing of the performed didactic experiment proves a "strong" correlation between the studied features.

SIGNIFICANCE OF USING VIDEO FILMS IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The article deals with the importance of using video films in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). In this article, it is described that videos helps students to memorize new words or a new topic during the classes. Descriptive methods analyses are used in this article. The article gives information about the advantages and disadvantages of using different methods in the process of teaching EFL. Also, in the article, it is described that video materials in the classroom can help to solve several problems and form a stable positive motivation of students in the learning process. KEY WORDS: English as a foreign language, Karakalpak language, approach, videos, films, teaching, learning.

Female Representation in Select Films of Frank Rajah Arase: Evidence of Male Chauvinist Tendencies in the Ghanaian Film Culture

There has been constant resonance of feminine image misrepresentation in most narratives since the (re)invention of video-films in Nigeria, Ghana, and indeed across the African continent. In spite of the binary struggle between the (presumed) chauvinist filmmakers and their feminist counterparts, masculinity always (re)emerges in new forms or topoi to dominate femininity. Consequently, there seems to be a paradigm shift on the (mis)representation of women that reinforces Laura Mulvey’s sexual voyeuristic objectification of the feminine gender as reflected in near-nude costumes as well as sexually larded scenes that are common sights in African films, particularly those from Ghana. Employing the historical-analytic and observation methods, this article examines three selected films: The Maid I Hired (2010), Why Did I Get Married? (2007) and To Love a Prince (2014) by Frank Rajah Arase (FRA), an African filmmaker of Benin (Edo) extraction who largely operates in the Diaspora, to foreground and highlight the voyeuristic imprints in Ghanaian films (Ghallywood), which tend to demean the feminine gender in the context of African culture that hegemonizes the male folk.

A CONFLUENCE OF POLITICAL ECONOMY AND AUDIENCE SELECTIVITY ON HAUSA VIDEO FILM PREFERENCES AMONG THE YOUTH OF KAWO AND UNGUWAN DOSA AREAS OF KADUNA METROPOLIS

This paper studies the preferences of the content and genres of Hausa video films through a quantitative survey of young people selected from Kawo and Unguwan Dosa areas of Kaduna metropolis using quota, simple random and convenience sampling techniques. Semi-structured questionnaires were self-administered to a sample of 200 but only 189 were valid. The findings reveal that despite the incessant criticism of the Hausa film industry over its dependence on romantic genres, it was the most preferred among the respondents. Other factors such as the song and dance numbers were also a major attraction for viewership among the youth alongside love for popular actors and their dressing followed by the appeal of advertised film trailers. This paper concludes that the audience members are not as passive as assumed and that the market domination of films with romantic content is both to satisfy audience demand and also make profit. It is observed that over-exposure to certain genres/contents during socialization may have contributed to youth perception and preference. The paper recommends that film producers should strategically utilize the most preferred genres and actors to address important social challenges and also promote positive aspects of the indigenous Hausa culture.

Sex Sells! Could Sex Scenes in Ghanaian Video Films be used to Market Culture through Costume?

Film, although one of the youngest art forms, influences societies due to its unique way of interacting with the viewer. Film directors employ different tropes in conveying messages to audiences. One of such tropes is costume. “Sex sells” is a popular expression in advertising and marketing communications. The purpose of this study is to offer a new perspective on how sex scenes in films could be used to project aspects of a country’s culture. Riding on this popular expression, we argue that sex scenes in a Ghanaian video film could be a strong fulcrum to expose aspects of the rich Ghanaian culture to the world. We submit that by paying particular attention to the mise-en-scene of costume used during sex scenes, directors could lure film lovers into appreciating the kinds of fabric as well as style used by characters in a film. Through the case study method, we reviewed literature on mise-en-scene of costume in film, and its ability to convey underlying messages to the viewer. The literature review serves as the basis of our argument, where we propose how to ride on costume in sex scenes to project and market the richness of Ghanaian culture regarding clothing/costume in sex scenes in films. In this regard, we have been able to problematize a new way of thinking about sex scenes in films, especially regarding sex scene costume as a unique selling proposition and its contribution to marketing a country’s culture to the viewing public. This study contributes to policy in the entertainment industry in terms of portrayal of sex scenes in Ghanaian video films while ensuring cultural adaptability and growth.