A broad coalition of nearly 400 individuals and organisations has called for the immediate cancellation of the Israeli Film Festival, scheduled to run from September 16-20 at the Silverbird Cinema, Accra Mall.
In a detailed public statement released on Monday, September 15, the campaigners described the event as a “Zionist propaganda festival” designed to launder Israel’s image in the midst of what they call an ongoing genocide in Gaza.
They argue that Ghana, with its strong anti-imperialist legacy, should not allow its cultural institutions and public spaces to be used to legitimise apartheid and ethnic cleansing.
The statement highlighted reports that over 200,000 Palestinians — about 10 percent of Gaza’s population — have been killed in Israeli military operations through bombing, sniper fire, and the deliberate withholding of food and other essential supplies.
“Providing a platform for Israel’s propaganda is equivalent to endorsing genocide,” the campaign declared, adding that history will hold accountable those who side with occupation and apartheid.
The release has drawn endorsement from a wide spectrum of Ghanaian society.
Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr., former CHRAJ Commissioner Emile Short, renowned filmmaker Nii Kwate Owoo, and academics such as Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Dzodzi Tsikata, Audrey Gadzekpo, Prof. Takyiwaa Manuh, and Yao Graham are among the leading signatories.
They are joined by social justice campaigners including Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Hardi Yakubu, Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, Chris Atim, Bright Ackwerh, and popular artiste Wanlov Kubolor.
The coalition’s support base extends across grassroots movements, professional associations, student networks, and faith-based organisations.
More than 30 groups, including the Economic Fighters League, All-Africa People’s Revolutionary Party, Humanists Association of Ghana, Democracy Hub, feminist collectives, the Socialist Movement of Ghana, and the Palestine Solidarity Committee, have publicly declared their backing.
The statement also singled out the sponsors of the festival, warning that any institution complicit in hosting the event will face boycotts.
Named among the sponsors are Kempinski Hotel, SAF STL Amandi Foundation, Rolider, Sienna Services, EON, and the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMac).
The campaigners expressed particular outrage at UniMac’s involvement, stressing that as a publicly funded university, it has no justification for aligning itself with what they describe as apartheid propaganda.
“It is breathtaking hypocrisy,” the coalition argued, “that Silverbird, which only days ago screened the anti-apartheid film Comrade Tambo’s London Recruits, is now platforming the culture of today’s worst apartheid state.”
As part of their call to action, the campaigners announced plans to picket outside Silverbird throughout the duration of the festival.
They urged the Ghanaian public to support their protest, boycott the sponsors, and amplify solidarity with Palestine across all media and community spaces.
“Ghana has always stood on the side of the oppressed,” the statement concluded. “
Today we must stand with Palestine. Cancel this festival. Withdraw your sponsorship. The people are watching. History will judge.”
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
