Tamale Movie Industry is 30-years-old

The movie industry in Tamale in the Northern Region, known as Tally-Wood has chalked thirty years.

This follows an impressive performance put up by movie producers, actors and actresses over the last three decades.

The multi-million dollar industry, over the aforementioned period, has offered unquantified opportunities for industry players and brought out powerful names hitherto unknown publicly.

Many school drop outs have also secured jobs and made acting as their profession where they earn decent income for living.

"The industry has inextricably succeeded in creating diverse opportunities for the industry players such as jobs, travelling abroad, engagement of the right stakeholders among others", One Pioneer said.

Alhaji Abdul Rashid, one of the pioneer actors in the Northern Movie Industry who made this known in an interview said the first shooting of a movie in Tamale occurred on 10th of June 1989 when the first Dagbani movie was acted.

The positive outcome of the first movie subsequently gave birth to an industry that has since supported countless families and opened many doors for people hitherto struggling to make a living.

Alhaji Abdul Rashid who has combined acting and radio programming said he has so far worked with Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) for twenty three (23) years and the movie industry for thirty (30). He said he has been on radio Savannah adding value to quality radio.

He disclosed this in an interview on Sagani Television, a Tamale-based television station on Sunday evening being hosted by popular northern comedian, Aumar Janda.

He said the Tamale movie industry has been part of Ghana Actors Guild, Movie Producers Association, among other notable bodies championing the interest of industry players.

According to him, acting has no colour, does not discriminate, knows no tribe, creed, but offers countless opportunities for people with the passion of acting and promoting creative art in general.

Alhaji BBC revealed that he got an opportunity to travel abroad for the first time through acting. " We actually went to do drama, and it was an exciting moment for some us"

Alhaji Abdul Rashid who is known in the movie industry in Tamale as Alhaji BBC is among the pioneer actors in the north.

He went to United Primary School known popularly in Tamale as Kulikuli School in 1970 and later proceeded to Zogbeli Middle School, and Tamale Senior High School (Tamasco) where he met Vice President Dr. Mahmudu Bawumia.

According to him, the two of them were all part of the drama club in the school which gave birth to his acting career.

He said though he went into teaching as a pupil teacher, he later joined acting and subsequently radio broadcasting and has since twenty three years been with Radio Savannah, the GBC branch in Tamale.