‘Kumawood’ productions are cheap, plentiful ... and surprisingly popular

KUMASI, Ghana — India has its Bollywood and Nigeria, Nollywood. Even New Zealand has a Wellywood.

In Ghana, films made in Kumasi and the surrounding region go by a similar shorthand: Kumawood.

The cultural heart of Ghana is about five hours’ drive from the more cosmopolitan coastal capital, Accra, and it was rivalry between the two that played a key role in developing Kumasi’s burgeoning film industry.

Smarting from a jibe nearly a decade ago, Kumawood defiantly built itself up after a teasing by Accrabased counterparts about not being real filmmakers, producer James Aboagye said.

“At that time, the only producer in Kumasi said that if this is the way they are treating us, we will stay in Kumasi and create Kumawood,” he said.

Four years ago, it wasn’t unusual for Kumawood to churn out up to 12 films a week, on a shoestring budget of only 30,000-50,000 cedi ($6,900-$11,400) each.

That included the filming, as well as the cost of releasing the movie and the production of the DVDs.

But power shortages cut that back to a more modest four — still an astonishing figure considering the months, if not years, it takes to make some Hollywood blockbusters.

Kumasi, Ghana’s second city, is known for its rich, cultural heritage