Is Kao Denero A Government Advocate or The Entertainment Ambassador

The general populace of the Sierra Leone Film Industry took to social media advocating for the enactment of their film policy which they have been pushing for since 2013, during the regime of former President Ernest Bai Koroma. 

President Julious Madaa Bio came to power with a promise for the sector. Filmmakers were with high hopes since the First Lady, Fatima Bio was a film actor. But it is certain that the hopes have dashed away. According to our sources, key leading filmmakers have tried several times to have an appointment with the first lady, but she has deliberately turned them down several times as they asked.

Filmmaking is amongst the topmost respected sectors in the entertainment industry, and it stands out far more than music. Except in Africa, especially Sierra Leone where people who don’t understand consider music first whenever the word entertainment is mentioned

For people who do not know, in countries like Nigeria, music is but a component under their film industry and the film industry helped to uplift and sell their music before it could go across the unlimited boundaries. We have seen where the first lady invited foreign artists to a national event.

How Does the Sierra Leone Government and Politicians See Sierra Leone Film Industry?

The Sierra Leone Government and Politicians See Sierra Leone Film Industry as mediocracy. In 2016, some young filmmakers, amongst which our dear late sister, Martha Millicent Macaulay whose screen name was Martha Sesay, brought some Chinese Film Investors to make films in Sierra Leone; only to be told later that they were no longer interested in filmmaking after they visited the state house.

From observation, now again, the President Madaa Bio led government is not taking tangible steps to promote Sierra Leone. It could be seen in his actions and that of the first lady’s. it is very interesting to note that the

How Does Kao Denero Come in Between?

No doubt Kao Denero is from Sierra Leone like all the filmmakers. But it is very evident from the unfolding situations that he has no respect for the Sierra Leone Film Industry, according to a good number of Sierra Leone filmmakers. Even though he knows that the film industry houses highly intelligent professionals with huge percentage of the leadership carrying high academic backgrounds and profiles in society. 

He was forced to reselect more filmmakers to be part of his board after he made a list of his own people as executives of his board after his selection by the government. Some months later, Mr. Brima Abdulai Sheriff and Late Martha Millicent Macaulay resigned because of the ambassador’s inability to coordinate affairs maturely.  

On the 11th of March 2022 he threw spanners in the outcry of the Sierra Leone Filmmakers in order to distract their campaign against the government for policy enactment by again posting on his Facebook page that he is organizing a film festival.

Did he involve the Sierra Leone Filmmakers?

According to our sources, he did but only a circle of members of the Sierra Leone Film Council who deliberately failed to inform their general membership. It looks like they tried to invite the Sierra Leone Film Guild but failed because they did not meet some criteria for the full involvement of all filmmakers.

From what we observed, it is as if the entertainment ambassador was trying to please his masters that appointed him for the position because the outcry of filmmakers is showing that they need the film policy more than any other film activity, and they are not willing to be down for much.

Where is the Film Policy?

From our investigation, our sources confirmed to us that the film policy is now at the advanced stage, and it is with the Ministry of Information and Communications – Government of Sierra Leone.

Even though the team of ten people who were chosen from both the Sierra Leone Film Council and the Sierra Leone Film Industry Labour and Marketing Guild, by filmmakers failed to communicate back to their members. However, according to our investigation, it seems there was a standoff between Film Council and Film Guild at some point for the addition of a phrase that could give some leverage to film council, even though it is not clear.