Why David Oscar ‘abandoned’ Ghana for Germany
Popular Ghanaian actor turned musician, David Oscar Dogbe has given his reasons for leaving Ghana for Germany.
Speaking to Doreen Avio on Hitz FM on November 10, David Oscar explained that he left because he felt that Ghana was not an “enabling environment” for him and other individuals in the creative arts industry.
According to him, his art and craft were not being appreciated enough in Ghana. Hence, his flight from Ghana to Germany.
“I like that space very much because I have experienced a level of appreciation for my type of art,” said Oscar. “It would boil down to the level of maturity in that system.
“I was looking for a more enabling environment. In my case, I was looking for a certain space where I would be able to apply my value. I didn’t feel I was being appreciated enough,” he added.
To buttress his point, the stand-up comedian recounted a story where he was paid 400 Euros for turning up for an audition in Europe, an amount he claimed he would not have earned in Ghana despite being involved in multiple productions.
“I auditioned for a stage play; I got the call and I travelled to Switzerland for the audition,” he said. “I didn’t get the role, but just for turning up for the audition, I got €400. You live in a system where you do a production of 13 episodes and you wouldn’t even earn a quarter of that. And sometimes you’re owed for 2 years and over before you get your pay.”
David Oscar Dogbe advised up-and-coming creatives in the Ghanaian space to leave the country for a better and more appreciative space in another country if they do not feel appreciated enough.
“There are a lot of young Ghanaian creatives who might share my story. If you get to a point where you feel your space is not enabling enough, I don’t think there’s any reason for you to keep living there. If you feel that you can’t make it in that space, then please make a move,” he said.
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