ARTS / TV
Chinese TV series see rising popularity among viewers in West Africa's Ghana
Once turning on the prime time TV in Ghana, a West African country with over 30 million people, audiences now have plenty of choices to consume their leisure time with various types of shows, among which Chinese dramas are standing out.
Speaking with the Xinhua News Agency in an interview, Han Junyong, country director of Chinese media group StarTimes in Ghana, Chinese TV dramas have gained increasing popularity among viewers in Ghana.
"According to our market research, Ghanaians prefer not only classic dramas featuring China's traditional fairy tales, but modern ones portraying urban life, especially those with comedy and family relationship elements," said Han.
Han's conclusion was echoed by Ebenezer Eshun, a 52-year-old educationist in Ghana, also a big fan of Chinese dramas.
Eshun still remembered the sensational moment when Journey to the West, one of the most popular Chinese dramas in the 1980s, was initially introduced to Ghana over 20 years ago.
"It really captured the hearts of Ghanaians, both young and old. I enjoyed the turns and twists in the story, and also the virtues it espoused, including fortitude and generosity, which inspired many people indeed," said Eshun.
Han told Xinhua that over the years, the company has developed special channels such as Chinese drama and kung fu channels with plenty of shows dubbed in English, in a bid to cater to the fast-growing needs of African viewers.
"There is no doubt that Chinese dramas have offered local viewers a window into Chinese people's lives, and they found it interesting to know that they share many similar thoughts with Chinese in different aspects of social lives," Han said, the TV dramas have played an essential part in the cultural exchange between the two sides.
For Rebecca Obieley Tetteh, a Chinese language lover in Ghana, Chinese dramas hold many useful lessons for Ghana's TV industry.
"TV serials are not all about making people laugh, they should be enlightening and closer to average people's lives," she said.
Speaking with the Xinhua News Agency in an interview, Han Junyong, country director of Chinese media group StarTimes in Ghana, Chinese TV dramas have gained increasing popularity among viewers in Ghana.
"According to our market research, Ghanaians prefer not only classic dramas featuring China's traditional fairy tales, but modern ones portraying urban life, especially those with comedy and family relationship elements," said Han.
Han's conclusion was echoed by Ebenezer Eshun, a 52-year-old educationist in Ghana, also a big fan of Chinese dramas.
Eshun still remembered the sensational moment when Journey to the West, one of the most popular Chinese dramas in the 1980s, was initially introduced to Ghana over 20 years ago.
"It really captured the hearts of Ghanaians, both young and old. I enjoyed the turns and twists in the story, and also the virtues it espoused, including fortitude and generosity, which inspired many people indeed," said Eshun.
Han told Xinhua that over the years, the company has developed special channels such as Chinese drama and kung fu channels with plenty of shows dubbed in English, in a bid to cater to the fast-growing needs of African viewers.
"There is no doubt that Chinese dramas have offered local viewers a window into Chinese people's lives, and they found it interesting to know that they share many similar thoughts with Chinese in different aspects of social lives," Han said, the TV dramas have played an essential part in the cultural exchange between the two sides.
For Rebecca Obieley Tetteh, a Chinese language lover in Ghana, Chinese dramas hold many useful lessons for Ghana's TV industry.
"TV serials are not all about making people laugh, they should be enlightening and closer to average people's lives," she said.
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