Watch 20 Ghana by filmmaker Ebeneza Blanche

What’s the last time you felt out of your comfort zone when working? What were the results of this? 

This was before I entered into making fashion films. So I applied for an internship when I first got to Amsterdam at Hearst and when I got there I remember my boss was showing me around and it was kind awkward because I asked him ‘Well the building everything’s amazing there’s no black people here, I’m like the only black guy in the whole building’ and he said ‘yeah looks like it’ and you could tell he was a little bit embarrassed but it was was it was for me. It was just important that I sort of integrated into that environment and just did me and made some meaningful relationships during the internship and it worked out fine. 

Why did you choose this medium to capture your videos of Ghana? 

Super 8 is a very organic medium. It’s a traditional way of filming and it goes back to the 1970s where parents used to buy it because it was consumer-friendly. The price was affordable during that time because cameras were so expensive and it was pretty much like a middle-class sport. So it creates this whole new warm feeling, the whole retro film to it is well, I so shot on Super 8 it kind of felt like the images that come out very light, nostalgic, and what I wanted to do with 20 Ghana was just capture Ghana in its essence were you see it for what it is. For what it is I do believe and gone quiet hi it’s past you to make it look of dancing and stuff because is quiet harsh with the sun and Super 8 embraces that so I really wanted to use that as my advantage and I felt like Super 8 was the best format to capture 20 Ghana in.

What are you hoping we the viewer will take away from 20 Ghana? 

I want people to be aware that Ghana is actually a really pretty place, it’s fun, it’s got its own character. It’s a nice country. I wanted to show the people that it’s got its own culture, you’ve got kids trying to do their own little business and starting things for themselves and building on that and having a successful career in what they do.

What are your favourite places in Ghana?

Dome Pillar 2 is actually a place where my mother ran a restaurant called Holland Spot so I use to hang out  there after school. It’s deep in the local parts of Accra, the main city. You actually get to see a neighbourhood of people that are very well connected to each other. Being able to grow in such a place showed me a whole different part of Ghana that felt very warm. The second place that I really like is my mother’s hometown, she lives in Takoradi, Secondi, people speak Fanti over there. It’s a very nice town and everything is close by the beach side. My mother’s home is 2 mins walk from the beach. I feel like it has a very laid back approach to life over there. It’s very nice, it’s a big transition from the UK and The Netherlands.

What is your hope for the future of the world, given all the uncertainties at a time like this? What gets you excited about the future? 

Things are about to change, I feel like a lot of people are raising awareness in the right direction and I’m very excited by that? 

How important is it to you that there is meaning behind the images/scenes you capture, do you believe in art as being a tool for change?

Yes I think it’s very important. I believe that entertainment, art, whatever format it is, I believe it’s a medium where you can raise awareness and think it’s important for people of colour right now to make meaningful art that raises awareness. I think it’s really important for people of colour because we’ve been represented so badly in the media. I think that so the future generation can have a different mindset about people of colour especially.