Former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey
Former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey, has addressed the controversy surrounding comments made by the Member of Parliament of Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, during the vetting of Deputy Minister Designate for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo.
In an interview on Joy FM on March 1, 2025, Okraku-Mantey suggested that reactions to the comments by Habib Iddrisu have been overblown.
Okraku-Mantey observed that during the vetting, there appeared to be a rapport between Iddrisu and Dumelo, noting their eye contact and body language. He explained that their interaction might have been taken out of context by the public.
“I think that the creative industry is becoming oversensitive. If you watch the video very well, you can see the eye contact between Habib and John. The two of them were having fun. After Habib’s statement, what was the body language of John? You can go watch the video again, which tells you that they have some rapport.
“I don’t know Habib as much as I know John. But with the eyes, body language and the contact that they were giving to each other, you could tell that they are talking about something that we have taken out of context,” he said.
He also highlighted that individuals in the creative sector, having faced longstanding stereotypes, are naturally sensitive to comments that might undermine their profession.
“Can we blame the creative industry? Like Gomashie said, when she was in school, they used to call them dondologists. So for her, she’s waiting for the slightest thing to react. It’s only natural that people who have been treated like this for a long time, react this way when you try to touch a nerve,” he added.
Okraku-Mantey urged artistes to position themselves in a manner that commands respect for their work, stating that media platforms should be used responsibly to shape public perception.
“But how have we positioned the creative industry? Listen to radio and TV, especially the Akan channels. People are insulting; people are talking raw. That’s what I went to say a few weeks ago and it became an issue. So the creative people must position themselves such that ‘if you don’t respect me, respect my work.
“You have microphones. Any perception, any image, any position you want to use your media houses to do for the art, you can do it. How are we using our microphones?” he said.
The controversy arose when Habib Iddrisu advised John Dumelo to ‘be serious’ and not to treat his new role as he would in the movie industry.
This remark was perceived by many in the creative arts community as condescending and disrespectful.
ID/EK
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Meanwhile, watch how D-Black reacted to Tolon MP’s demeaning ‘movie industry’ remark