Film viewing | 'Ghana’s Electric Dreams'
4 February 2020
WiSER, University of the Witwatersrand
The documentary film Ghana’s Electric Dreams, a unique collaboration between filmmaker R. Lane Clark and historian Stephan F. Miescher, presents the story of the planning and wide-ranging impact of the Akosombo Dam, Ghana’s most ambitious development project. The film takes the viewer on visits to sites affected by this hydroelectric dam and by the broader vision of modernization that it represents. Interviews with Ghanaians, enriched by historical footage, reveal the complexity and contradictions of modernisation. They show how Ghanaians have been living with Akosombo for over fifty years, striving to shape it to their own needs. Recurring themes, including unintended consequences, social inequities, rural/urban divides, and gender differences, underlie this portrait of energy, power, and creativity in this West African country. Multiple viewpoints demonstrate that modernisation remains an unfinished project. The story of Akosombo is at once a subject of national pride, ambivalence, and controversy, as well as of international scholarly interest and debate. The film is organised into six segments, 20 minutes each. They explore issues of energy justice and sustainability, as they unpack the promises and challenges of Akosombo.
For more information on the film, visit: https://ghanaselectricdreams.com/
The documentary film Ghana’s Electric Dreams, a unique collaboration between filmmaker R. Lane Clark and historian Stephan F. Miescher, presents the story of the planning and wide-ranging impact of the Akosombo Dam, Ghana’s most ambitious development project. The film takes the viewer on visits to sites affected by this hydroelectric dam and by the broader vision of modernisation that it represents. Interviews with Ghanaians, enriched by historical footage, reveal the complexity and contradictions of modernisation. They show how Ghanaians have been living with Akosombo for over fifty years, striving to shape it to their own needs. Recurring themes, including unintended consequences, social inequities, rural/urban divides, and gender differences, underlie this portrait of energy, power, and creativity in this West African country. Multiple viewpoints demonstrate that modernisation remains an unfinished project. The story of Akosombo is at once a subject of national pride, ambivalence, and controversy, as well as of international scholarly interest and debate. The film is organised into six segments, 20 minutes each. They explore issues of energy justice and sustainability, as they unpack the promises and challenges of Akosombo.
For more information on the film, visit: https://ghanaselectricdreams.com/