Interview by Beti Ellerson during FESPACO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 1997 for the African Women in Cinema Project.
You have a unique experience as a filmmaker. You are the daughter of the award-winning filmmaker, Kwaw Ansah. What was it like growing up as a girl in the world of filmmaking in Ghana?
My dad Kwaw Ansah has made several films. He did his first one, Love Brewed in an African Pot, when I was ten years old, I was on the set during the filming, and I have been working on location with him ever since. I was actually production manager on both of his last two films, Harvest at 17 and Crossroads, which is a documentary.
As a kid, my idea of making films came from watching television. I always thought that human beings were behind the television set, so it was a spectacle for me to go on the set and have it explained further. I actually realized that they would have to shoot with a camera, that there was a cameraman, there was a sound person, there were actors, and all. It was during that period that I acquired my interest in filmmaking.
Though while growing up I used to like dancing, right from the beginning I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker. My father advised me that in order to better understand film, I should do my first degree in theater arts before going into cinema. So I had my first degree in theater arts and I majored in directing for the stage.
Could you discuss you evolution into filmmaking? What are some of your interests and goals?
Even before I went to university to have my first degree, I already had problems with the portrayal of women in the African films I watched around me, as well as the African books I read. I found that even though there was an appreciation for what African women did, women were always placed down below.
The one person who motivated me, however, was Ama Ata Aidoo. She writes her books in a manner that elevates women in society, that encourages women. I thought that if I could be motivated by her literature, then as a filmmaker I could also use the film media to educate society and women.
I felt that women needed to be encouraged to have higher self-esteem, to stand boldly and be independent, but at the same time not forget our cultural background, where we come from. For instance in taking on certain responsibilities as career women, some women go to the extreme. They don't want the family responsibilities, they are chasing a career and forgetting the other part of it, the part which is also part of our culture. There must be a balance between culture and family life.
What role do you want to play as a filmmaker?
Even if it takes me twenty or thirty years I know this is what I want to do, I want to be a filmmaker. I want to be a voice for women in Africa, to help build them up, to encourage them. The film media is a powerful media so it is important to teach the younger people, the women who are coming up. It is important to instill hope and encouragement in them right from the beginning before they grow up. So that is the reason for my interest in film.
Where are you now in your film studies?
I finished my first degree and I managed to get accepted in New York University to do my postgraduate in film directing, which is where I wanted to be. Well it’s a bit expensive. I have already completed one year. However, I am taking a year off [1996-97] due to certain problems. And that is where I am now. I came home, and have decided to use my year profitably, to do my research on what I want to shoot for my documentary thesis film.
I have always made sure that my beliefs are shown in my work. Since my time at NYU, I think the two films that I have done reflect this. One film was about being lost in New York City, how an African gets engulfed in the racial and ethnic diversity of the city. The second film was a documentary about the work of Ama Ata Aidoo, a writer from my country who I hold in great esteem, and who I managed to get for two days--though that was still not enough--to talk about her book Changes.
I am now developing a treatment for this book since it will be the subject of my thesis film, whose title is: "Changes: Today's African Career Woman." At the present I am doing research on the various regions of my country--north, south, east and west. I am comparing the differences in environment, settlements, and images of career women.
What are some of the findings of your research?
A main conclusion that I have drawn from my studies is that we women are our own enemies. For instance, it is the husband's sisters who comes to claim all his possessions from his widow. How can we treat a woman in a way that we ourselves do not want to be treated? As women we have a way of convincing men. So if we can hold hands and not go on bickering and biting, but perhaps find in a subtle way how to convince men to accept us for who we are, I think the world will be a better place. We can begin by teaching our young children not to be defiant. We must instill faith and hope in them while they are growing up.
It's been very difficult for me. Because my father was a disciplinarian, I didn't go to a disco until I went to university. And, of course, since it was the first time that I had ever gone to a night club, I went Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. But that's another point, and after a while I stopped.
You stated that your father encouraged you to go into theater arts to better prepare you for cinema. How did your father influence you in your evolution into filmmaking?
I believe in the films that my father does because I think that he elevates women. However, I would want my stories to be told from a woman's point of view. Men can only tell it from their point of view. We can speak for ourselves as women. But we can really speak for ourselves if we make a change, by holding hands together. I can't do it alone, if another woman joins in, and we share ideas, we can make the difference, that is the only way we can effect change.
What have been some of the privileges and drawbacks of being the daughter of a filmmaker?
Being the daughter of a filmmaker, sometimes has its advantages, sometimes there are disadvantages. Sometimes I want to do things by myself. I want to have my own identity and not be referred to as "Kwah Ansah's daughter." Here at FESPACO there are those who don't know my name, Gyasiwa, they refer to me as, Kwah Ansah's daughter. Yes, his name has helped, but I have worked hard to be here, where I am now.
When I came to FESPACO two years ago [1995], I wrote beforehand to ask if I could come as a film student because I wanted to work and learn. I offered my services to help during the festival. But yet, it was agreed that I could come because I am Kwaw Ansah's daughter! Of course, there are times when it opens doors for me, but as I said, sometimes I cannot be myself.
Does he allow you to have this independence that you are demanding?
Well, because he is strict and believes in traditional values, sometimes there can be a conflict of interest. He thinks of me not only as a modern person, but a feminist who is too aggressive. He is a bit conservative and thinks that I should take my time. Of course, since he is from the old tradition and I am for the new tradition, sometimes it is not always easy to find a common ground because my ideas are often viewed as too radical. Maybe this comes from the fact that there is a generational difference, he is from a different time. Nonetheless, we do attempt to work out a compromise. But I must say that he has supported me in a lot of the things I have done, and so there have been many advantages as well.
You said that you have worked on your father's film productions, and of course, as you stated, there are some differences between you, but could you imagine co-directing with him?
Well, I could imagine, but there will be fireworks! Of course, it would probably happen with anybody that I am close to, because with creativity everyone has her or his own way. And if you don't find a common balance there is definitely going to be a conflict. There are people at home who I would never work with because there are fireworks. Of course there are various reasons for these conflicts, some may contradict what they say, or they are very complex, or some are set in their ways.
With my dad and me, I work on all his productions but even then we have our differences, believe me. One of the main problems I have with him is that he still sees me as his little girl. And sometimes I would expect him to not think of me as his daughter and deal with me as any other person. Yet, on the other hand, he is tough and he does not pamper me. While I was brought up to be no-nonsense, he expects me to be mild when dealing with other people. And that is where the conflict of interests comes. But yes, I think we can do a good job together, and of course, there are going to be fireworks!
Would you say that you were raised to be a filmmaker?
In some ways I think my father raised me to be what I wanted to be, and he has supported me immensely. For instance, he saw my interest in acting. So, I act and do voice-overs in my country, and images of me are seen on billboards and calendars, and on television advertisements. I'm not sure if my father cares too much for seeing me on television all the time. However, I enjoy acting, acting is a hobby, though it is not what I want to do as a profession.
When I told my father that I wanted to be a filmmaker--I don't know, maybe he thought about the harsh realities of being a filmmaker--though he did not try to stop me, he tried to make me see how difficult it was in the film world for him as a man, and how much more it would be for me as a woman. Perhaps that is why he encouraged me to go into the theater world first, so that when I entered film I would understand it much better. That is how he started, so he thought that was the best way to go about it. It may or may not have been the best way, but I did enjoy my theater days.
You talked earlier about Ama Ata Aidoo and your interest in adapting her work to film. Could you expound on your plans to make a film adaptation of her book?
I gave Ama Ata Aidoo my proposal which presented some of the ideas that I share with her on her novel, Changes. It is a work that I would like to make into a film, and I've talked to her about my interest. She told me that if I would pay her she would write the screenplay for me. However, I would like to write it myself, because there are certain cinematic aspects that I want to develop myself.
The novel deals with all the thematic issues that I want to address. I already talked about some of the points, such as women's bickering and biting, not supporting each other, envying each other. I also want to look at the extreme ways that women handle situations, from going all out, to sitting and being content. The book brings out situations such as the misconceptions men have about women, and men's attitudes towards women's independence, and so on.
As I said, I've already started my documentary on the book, Changes. And I would like this to lead to a feature film. I am beginning with a documentary because it is less costly.
I would like the work that I do in school to reflect on what I think of the world as a filmmaker and what I want to contribute to African societies, to the world, and to women in general. And, I will return to what I have been saying all along, I strongly think that women need to work a lot harder on working together rather than apart.
How about your connections with other African women filmmakers, is there an effort to come together to share ideas, to work together?
I am very interested in connecting with women filmmakers. I have met some and have discussed my thoughts on how I feel we should work together. But as I said, we women as women can be our own downfall, we must push harder.
I am prepared to go as far as I can. For instance, I interviewed Anne Mungai from Kenya yesterday and I discovered that she is shooting a film. When she read my proposal she said that it was similar to something that she was working on. She invited me to come to work on the set during the shooting of her next film. I would do anything to work on the set, so I am going to make arrangements to work with her.
That is why I am at FESPACO this time, so that I can make contacts with the women filmmakers, to talk with them, interview them, find out what is going on, get contact numbers so that we can communicate with each other. It is important that we work collaboratively so that we can achieve the objectives that we are talking about. There has to be less jealousy, bickering, and complaining about this and that which is not going well. We must begin to think more about ourselves collectively. We cannot achieve this individually. It is only if we go in this direction that we will succeed, that we will evolve.
When I say collectively, when making our films, we as African women filmmakers, should be prepared to go on a continental basis to work with women from Ghana, from Nigeria, all over, bringing our ideas together, working together.
