Ghana’s creative economy is standing at a critical inflection point, yet the silence from leadership is becoming deafening. For years, stakeholders have called for structures that preserve, celebrate, and project the legacy of our music and film industries. But let’s be brutally honest.
We are losing the battle against cultural erosion because we have refused to build the very institutions that safeguard national memory.
I have spoken about this repeatedly, not as a distant commentator, but as an industry professional with deep visibility into how cultural ecosystems thrive globally. I have driven this message on radio, on television, in ministerial conversations, across governments. The feedback has been the same. Meanwhile, our cultural history continues slipping through our fingers.
I recently walked into the Hip-Hop Museum in Brooklyn, New York, and what I encountered there shifted something in me. The level of archival intelligence, the documentation culture, and the respect given to their creative icons were stunning.
The museum presents a full, immersive timeline of American hip-hop — from the early street battles to global domination. And everything is preserved with curatorial precision.
I saw original outfits worn by legends like Tupac, Biggie, Missy Elliott, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, and Run-DMC. I saw the performance jackets, the stage boots, the iconic bandanas, the handwritten lyrics, the turntables that shaped an entire movement, and the photography that captured each era.
These weren’t just artifacts; they were history, meticulously protected, and translated into a visitor experience that educates, inspires, and preserves the cultural DNA of a people.
I stood there thinking: If the Americans can do this for hip-hop, what excuse does Ghana have?
Because our story is just as powerful. Our legends are just as influential. Our cultural footprint is just as deep. Yet we act as if documenting our own creative legacy is a favor rather than an obligation.
I raised this on the radio, on television, and at stakeholder forums. I have made the case over and over that Ghana can replicate this. A Ghana Music Museum, a Film Museum, and a proper national documentation framework. Yet here we are, still asking for what basic cultural infrastructure should be.
While institutions hesitate, some of us continue doing the work alone.
I have donated major artworks to individuals, and to the Ghana National Museum, I created the Art’s Legendary Wall of Fame, and I have documented icons like Efo Kojo Mawugbe, Prof. Emeritus Kwabena Nketia, Joachim Awule Lartey (Joe Lartey) Mr. Mawuli Semevor, Prof. Emeritus Kojo Safo Kantanka and just recently a renowned Ghanaian cinematographer Kofi Asante, but this responsibility is bigger than one artist.
The Art’s Legendary Wall of Fame, my ongoing initiative, follows the same blueprint, celebrating, documenting, and immortalizing the giants whose work defines Ghana’s creative heritage.
On Saturday November 16, I donated a major portrait of Mr. Kofi Asante AKA (Andeamo), the legendary cinematographer, as the recipient of The Arts Legendary Wall of Fame’s 2025 recognitions. This was not merely an award; it was documentation and must be displayed at the museum, not in his home. It was curation. It was preservation. It was the work that cultural institutions should be leading, yet creatives are forced to shoulder the cost and responsibility.
The real question is simple:
Why must individual artists do government work?
How can a country with such rich music and film legacy have no permanent home for its creative history? Where are the archived costumes of our Highlife legends? Where are the original scripts from our pioneering filmmakers? Where are the stage props, instruments, manuscripts, behind-the-scenes photography, classic reels, and production artifacts? Where is the research center for creative scholars and students? Where is the curated experience for tourists?
A nation that fails to document its creative history weakens its bargaining power on the global stage.
We do not need more conferences.
We do not need more promises.
We need infrastructure, research systems, funding, policy alignment, and execution.
Two assets must be delivered without delay:
- The Ghana Music Industry Museum
- The Ghana Film Industry Museum
These institutions will not only preserve; they will create new value, new jobs, new markets, new educational pipelines, and new cultural exports. They will position Ghana as a serious player in global creative economics.
If leadership is genuinely committed to the creative economy, the time to act is now. Not tomorrow. Not after elections. Not after another committee meeting.
As the Pan African Art Ambassador, I will continue pushing this agenda with the same conviction I bring to my work because the only thing I am a slave to is my passion. Ghana’s creative memory must not be allowed to die. Not under our watch.
By: Amb. Prince Kojo-Hilton
