A short film amplifying voices from Ghana’s creative scene

‘Stories of Visa Inequality’, - these stories reveal the impact of restrictive visa policies on creatives, featuring the lived experiences of Oroko Radio’s residents. As the global creative sector gears up for another year of festivals, exhibitions and conferences, ‘Stories of Visa Inequality’ sheds light on an often-overlooked issue: the systemic barriers that prevent talented artists from sharing their creative voices on the world stage.

This short film explores how restrictive visa regimes stifle cultural exchange, limit economic opportunities and reinforce inequalities within the creative industry. It challenges policymakers and industry leaders to rethink outdated visa policies, explore tangible solutions and elevate this critical conversation far beyond the screen. Many Ghanaian creatives, often working as freelancers or in the gig economy, face unique hurdles when applying for visas. Requirements like 'proof of funds' or stable employment are difficult to meet in non-traditional career paths, where income may fluctuate or come from multiple, often informal sources. These realities highlight the mismatch between rigid visa systems and the dynamic nature of the creative economy.

The project was shot and produced in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana – directed by Douglas Opoku, Founder of PRJCT Kumasi and with creative production by Jinan Vyent, Head of Community Operations at Oroko Radio. It highlights the stories of multifaceted creatives, featuring artist, cultural producer and curator Efia Serwah; DJ and artist B. Frvnkie; and Douglas Opoku himself, who is also a curator, facilitator, art director and event producer. Efia Serwah says: “It’s not to say that clients, brands or organisations aren’t inviting you or don’t want your perspective. Whoever is in charge of deciding whether you getto go into a country or not - they make it incredibly difficult, as someone who maybe does not have a stable form of income or who isn't necessarily employed by someone else, to be able to travel back and forth.” B. Frvnkie says: “We even get discouraged to re-apply, and perhaps give up on our goals and dreams as creatives.”

These stories are part of a larger body of work, building on analysis by LAGO Collective in collaboration with Information Designer, Federica Fragapane and Research Scientist Otho Mantegazza, that exposes visa regimes as deeply unequal. The organisation reviewed rejection rates in 2023, based on the latest official dataset released by the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission (Schengen) and Home Office (UK). Findings reveal that rejection rates of short-term visitor visas are disproportionately high for low and middle-income countries. African countries are amongst those impacted the most, with rejection rates as high as 40-50% for countries like Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria. Douglas Opoku says: “For us to tackle visa inequality, cultural organisations and creatives can help by spreading awareness of the issue, lobbying governments to change policy and also share information that will help people with their applications.”

• Methodology note on the data  

• Data is sourced from the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission (Schengen) and Home Office (UK). GDP per capita values are estimated based on publicly available data by the World Bank. We use the “GDP per capita, at purchasing power parity (current international $)” indicator as a basic measurement indicating average wealth per nation. To divide the countries into three consecutive and equally sized groups of rejection rates and of GDP, we split those two variables into three quantiles, each containing data for 50 countries. The full dataset used in this project is available on the LAGO Collective website. For further information, or to reference this analysis, please acknowledge Marta Foresti, Founder of LAGO Collective & Visiting Senior Fellow at ODI, and Otho Mantegazza, Research Scientist and Data Analyst. 

• About LAGO Collective: LAGO Collective is a research and creative collective on migration, culture and the arts based in London, UK. Learn more at https://www.lagocollective.org/

• About PRJCT Kumasi: PRJCT Kumasi is a not-for-profit multidisciplinary creative collective based out of Kumasi, Ghana. The organisation aims to spotlight and nurture homegrown creatives from the Ashanti region and showcase their talents to the world. Learn more at @prjct.kumasi  

Credits  

• Cast: Efia Serwah, B. Frvnkie and Douglas Opoku  

• Director: Douglas Opoku 

• Executive Producer: Marta Foresti and Kenji Maghoma 

• Creative Producer: Jinan Vyent  

• DOP: Kwabena Sekyi-Djan 

• Editor: Douglas Opoku and Dennis Andrews Obeng 

• Assistant Editor: Jinan Vyent 

• Gaffer: Nana Akua Poku 

• BTS: Daviah Kwakye Asiamah and Dennis Andrews Obeng 

• Voiceover: Douglas Opoku  

• Sound Design: Felix Mwitah 

• Logistics: Albert Andam 

• Special Thanks: Tasha Cobbinah, Palm Moments and Casa Nostra Restaurant