Two United Kingdom based Ghanaian creative artists, Comfort Arthur and Poetra Asantewa, have produced a short malaria advocacy film titled ‘The Underestimated Villain’.
The film, launched in Accra on Wednesday, followed the adventures of the dangerous Anopheles mosquito as she preys on her victims.
Ms Arthur, an award-winning British-born Ghanaian animator, illustrator and visual artist, directed the film, while Ms Asantewa, known for her intriguing poetry and spoken word artistry, wrote the screenplay.
Speaking on the inspiration behind the film during its launch, Ms Arthur said, “I wanted to use this opportunity to discuss the issue of malaria in a unique, entertaining and easy-to-perceive way that children and adults alike could understand.”
She said her team commissioned Ms Asantewa to develop a poem interpreting facts about malaria and its impact on the local community.
According to her, Ms Asantewa created an engaging tale that explored failures in human behaviour that allowed the Anopheles mosquito to attack causing them to have malaria.
Ms Arthur said the film presents malaria prevention and treatment information that the public already has access to in a new light, intended to drive positive action.
She said “a combination of witty dialogue, sarcasm and hard facts is distilled into the five-minute script based on Asantewa’s piece.”
Commenting on the impact of the poem on the film’s creative direction, Ms Arthur added, “As a director, I was interested in the mocking tones portrayed in the piece and wanted the protagonist to be seen as an unstoppable villain that was popular and famous.
“We wanted to lighten up the subject by adding a touch of dark humour this way”
‘The Underestimated Villain’ is part of a trio of malaria animations commissioned by UK charity, Comic Relief, and global healthcare company, GSK, through their ‘Fighting Malaria On Screen’ initiative.’
BY KWEKU GYASI ESSEL
