By Admin1
Copyright ghanaiantimes
Nearly 400 individuals and organisations have called for the cancellation of the Israeli Film Festival sched-uled to take place at the Silverbird Cinema, in Accra this September.
The campaigners argued that hosting the festival amounts to endorsing genocide and apartheid amid the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
In a public statement signed by a wide array of academics, artists, journalists, civil society leaders, and grassroots organisations, and shared with The Ghanaian Times in Accra on Monday, the group de-manded that Silverbird immediately withdraw from the event and that all sponsors pull out.
They described the festival as “an attempt to whitewash genocide and apartheid through culture and propaganda.”
The campaign is part of a broad-er national movement in solidarity with Palestine and a global wave of outrage at what they termed Israel’s “genocidal ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, where, according to Israeli admissions cited by the group, more than 200,000 Palestinians, about 10 percent of the population have been killed through bombing, sniper attacks, and the deliberate withholding of food supplies.
The campaigners argued that Ghana’s long tradition of anti-im-perialist solidarity with liberation struggles made it unacceptable for the country to provide a platform for Israel.
“It is breathtaking hypocrisy that Silverbird, having just screened the anti-apartheid film Comrade Tambo’s London Recruits on 7 September, now seeks to celebrate the ‘culture’ of today’s worst apart-heid state,” the statement said.
Among the leading figures back-ing the call are veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr., former CHRAJ Commissioner Emile Short, film-maker Nii Kwate Owoo, academics such as Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Prof. Takyiwaa Manuh, and Dr Sylvia Bawa, artist Wanlov Kubolor, and Democracy Hub leader Oliver Barker-Vormawor.
Others include media freedom advocate Kwame Karikari, visual artist Bright Ackwerh, trade union-ist Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, Pan-Af-ricanist Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, and health economist Chris Atim.
They join grassroots organ-isations such as the Economic Fighters League, All-Africa Peo-ple’s Revolutionary Party, Socialist Movement of Ghana, Rastafari Council, Justice and Freedom 4 Palestine, Feminist groups, and international solidarity networks.
The coalition announced plans to picket Silverbird Cinema during the festival and urged the public to join the peaceful protests.
They further warned that if sponsors refused to withdraw, boycotts would be launched against companies and institutions backing the event.
Sponsors cited include SAF STL Amandi Foundation, Kempinski Hotel, Rolider, Sienna Services, EON, and the University of Media, Arts and Communications (UniMac), whose involvement, they said, was particularly “disgraceful” given the systematic destruction of education and cultural life in Gaza.
“UniMac is a state university funded by the Ghanaian people. Its support for this festival is a terrible abuse of public trust.
We urge Vice Chancellor Prof. Eric Opoku-Mensah to reverse this dishonourable decision and instead honour the values of education, democracy, and cultural freedom,” the statement read.
The campaigners insisted that hosting the festival is tantamount to complicity in crimes against humanity.
From September 16, the coali-tion said it would mount peaceful pickets at Silverbird Cinema and escalate actions if the festival proceeds.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
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