By Ernest Nutsugah
Accra, July 17, GNA – A Gerald Nyarko Mensah stage play titled “Ayorkumi”, premiered last Saturday at Alliance Francaise in Accra with positive feedback from patrons.
It was put together by Gene Fusion House and directed by Kobina Hagan, with a cast and crew of about 40 members.
Following its massive endorsement, organisers intend to screen the production at other venues beyond Accra.
Speaking after the premiere, Mr Mensah said the enthralling production, which blends music, dance, and poetry, sought to enlighten the public on aspects of Ghanaian and African history.
“Most of our history is not found in textbooks so we want to concentrate on the less-told angels,”he stated, and described the play, as a “robust story,” deserving corporate support.
Set in the pre-colonial era, “Ayorkumi” (Shea Butter Vendor) tells the story of a baby princess whose mother was captured on a market day during a raid.
According to the plot, “the mother was killed but the baby was given to salt traders from the south, just before the mother died.
“It was revealed that the baby was of royal ancestry and would grow up to be a fighter and liberator. She was called Ayorkumi and grew up to manifest those qualities bestowed on her at birth,” the writer narrated.
Highlighting support for the performing arts, Mr Mensah called for the establishment of additional venues for professional theater in the medium and long term, due to growing public interest in stage plays.
He observed that many auditoriums in the country posed some performance limitations as they were not “originally designed” for theatre.
“Apart from the National Theatre, performance venues are extremely limited…The halls are usually built for conferences and the stage sizes are small.
“It is unfortunate when you are in a performance and your engineers have to struggle to balance out the sound levels…There is too much echo and people are not getting the best output because the building was not originally designed for such kind of events,” he noted.
Notwithstanding, the Export Trade Specialist said performers would continue to use the spaces available but more state-of-the-art facilities should be constructed in future.
He praised the youth for patronising stage plays and other performing arts, saying the momentum should be sustained while stakeholders committed more resources to the growth of the industry.
GNA