For so many years now several entertainment analysts and critics in the country have openly raved and rattled over certain short falls in the industry ranging from the leadership bodies, piracy, payola and other quandaries but the least have been said so far, about entertainment halls, recreational centers and our cinemas Where people go to relax, have fun and release stress after a hard days work is given less attention.

It is very sad to know that a nation with a population of over twenty million people, ten regions and two hundred and thirty constituencies in this 21st centaury presently has only one standard theater. The National Theater is the only venue specifically built to take care of entertainment activities like musical concerts, theater performances, and arts exhibitions and premiering of movies. For over a decade the National Theater has truly serve the purpose for which it was established amidst countless problems.

Aside the fact that it was constructed on an earth quake zone, the thousand five hundred sitting capacity National Theater charges well over forty million cedis per night. This discourages individual organizers and has become a place only for the rich. The only possible alternative is the Accra International Conference center but as the name suggests, this was meant for international conferences like the just ended AU summit and high profile programs but not for entertainment events and again both venues are in Accra leaving the other nine regions with nothing.

As well, the Accra International Conference Center (AICC) was also built at an earth quake prone area. High charges for both venues also limit the number of people who get access to use these two most prestigious entertainment in-door venues in the country. The entertainment industry in Ghana was stripped naked when the national Theater was closed for almost year. The fact about us not having a State Of The Art Theater has been with us for years. Almost all the major events in this country take place at the National Theater or the A.I.C.C and nobody seem to be barbered even when both venues are often over booked.

Cinema halls have become virtually non-existent since almost every cinema hall over the country has been turned into Churches, prayer halls and for other commercial purposes either than the very reason why these cinemas were established. This has rendered the cinema system absolute helpless. As any cinema house owner will always tell you that people no more patronize their services as cinema houses, so they will rather lease it or rent it out for churches or individuals who are ready to offer huge sums of money for their venue than to let it go waste.

Movie producers have also ignored the cinema system for sometime now and they attribute this to the absence of cinema halls. Apart from a few surviving once who still exist in the shadows uncertainty, most people have folded up. So who is responsible to ensure that at least every region has one national theater which will generate revenue for government and promote our local arts and entertainment? Should people march on the street and demonstrate before the appropriate quarters will listen? Do we even care about recreation or are we becoming boring by ticking of the clock? Lets all consider what the nation stands to loose without enough accessible entertainment venues and movie cinemas as a people. A word to the wise…