Ghanaian female pencil artist Aewura Adjoa, nicknamed Aewura Arts, has called on the government to do more to support the arts industry, particularly those in the drawing space.

In an interview on The Career Trail programme, aired on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, she said the level of government support for the arts does not compare to the attention given to sectors such as film and football.

She noted that while there are visible efforts to support the movie and football industries, artists often have to rely on their own efforts to build sustainable careers.

“There's no substantial evidence that the government is actually supporting or pushing the arts industry like they do with the movies and, you know, the football. You know, there's effort into, though you can see there's a visible effort. But with the arts industry, if you're not pushing yourself, you won't get far,” she said.

According to Aewura Arts, the lack of support also influences how parents view careers in the arts, with many reluctant to encourage their children to pursue them.

“So parents don't also see the need to push their children or encourage their children to dive into the arts industry. And so that's a major problem I think they should look into,” she explained.

She believes the government could introduce more initiatives, including national arts festivals, to give creatives greater visibility and create opportunities for those in the industry.

“You know, there are arts festivals; those are individual creative festivals. They are not organized by the government. So with that, I think the government can do better,” she concluded.