Chris Hesse’s film legacy takes centre stage at UniMAC-IFT

UniMAC-IFT will screen historic footage of Ghana’s independence and early nationhood on 30th October, highlighting veteran cinematographer Rev. Dr Chris Hesse’s efforts to preserve the country’s audiovisual heritage.

Ghana’s history has survived in books, monuments and the memories of those who lived through its defining moments. Yet another record of the nation’s past, one capable of bringing its political struggles, cultural expressions and national ambitions vividly back to life, remains vulnerable: the films that captured Ghana as it emerged from colonial rule.

For veteran cinematographer Rev. Dr Chris Hesse, preserving these moving images has become a defining part of his legacy. His work safeguarding footage associated with Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, has helped keep alive a visual record of the country’s formative years, at a time when the survival of historical film collections has become an urgent cultural concern.

That legacy will come into focus on Friday, 30 October, when the University of Media, Arts and Communication’s Institute of Film and Television (UniMAC-IFT), in partnership with the UNESCO Ghana Office, screens historic films to mark the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.

The event, to be held at the institute’s television studio, will feature footage documenting Ghana’s independence celebrations, the inauguration of the First Republican Parliament, the opening of Tema Harbour and Nkrumah’s international engagements. Head of the UNESCO Office in Ghana, H.E. Edmond Moukala, is expected to deliver the keynote address, while Hesse will attend as special guest of honour.

The screening offers more than an opportunity to revisit historical events. It raises a fundamental question about who preserves a nation’s visual memory, how that memory is protected and whether future generations will have meaningful access to it.

Among the films scheduled for screening are Freedom for Ghana, The Inauguration of the First Republican Parliament, Ghana National Anthem, Progress at Akosombo, Industrial Development in Ghana and Roots of Highlife. The programme also includes Africa Reborn: Birth of the OAU and footage of Nkrumah’s overseas visits.

Collectively, the films document a country defining its political identity, developing its infrastructure and establishing relationships across a newly independent Africa and the wider world. They also offer researchers, educators, filmmakers and younger audiences access to original images that can deepen their understanding of events often encountered only through written accounts.

The significance of such records becomes clearer when their vulnerability is considered. Many historic productions were recorded on celluloid film, a medium susceptible to deterioration when exposed to unsuitable storage conditions. Preserving these materials requires specialised handling, appropriate environmental conditions, technical expertise and, increasingly, digitisation to facilitate access and support long-term preservation.

Hesse’s archive illustrates both the value of preservation and the consequences of leaving it to chance. His collection contains more than 1,000 reels of footage documenting Ghana’s independence era and the wider African liberation movement. The story of these recordings has gained renewed attention through The Eyes of Ghana, a documentary directed by filmmaker Ben Proudfoot that follows Hesse’s efforts to preserve and bring this historical material to wider audiences.

The concern extends beyond whether the reels physically survive. Historical footage must also be properly identified, catalogued, documented and made accessible under appropriate copyright and licensing arrangements. Without these systems, valuable recordings can remain effectively invisible, even when they have escaped physical destruction.

For Ghana, that represents a cultural and educational loss. Footage of political ceremonies can help historians examine the country’s early institutions, while recordings of infrastructure projects can illuminate changing development priorities. Music and cultural performances preserve aspects of social life that written documents may not fully convey.

The importance of protecting these records also connects with Ghana’s broader efforts to safeguard its cultural heritage. In December 2025, UNESCO inscribed highlife music and dance on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising a tradition whose rhythms, lyrics and performances reflect Ghanaian life and identity.

Preserving audiovisual records can complement such efforts by retaining the images and sounds through which cultural practices, artistic traditions and historical experiences have been expressed and transmitted.

The potential benefits also reach the creative economy. Properly preserved and accessible archives can support documentary production, historical films, educational programming and exhibitions. With clear access and licensing frameworks, they can also create opportunities for collaboration between archivists, researchers and contemporary filmmakers seeking to tell Ghanaian stories through authentic historical material.

The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, observed annually on 27 October, draws attention to the need to safeguard films, sound recordings, radio broadcasts and other audiovisual documents. This year’s screening, themed “Your Window to the World”, will bring that international message into a Ghanaian context, connecting the preservation of historical records with the responsibility to make them available to the public.

For UniMAC-IFT, the event is an opportunity to place audiovisual preservation at the centre of conversations about film education and the future of Ghana’s screen industries. It also provides a platform to consider how institutions can work with professionals and other stakeholders to protect collections that hold national significance.

Ultimately, Hesse’s legacy poses a challenge that extends beyond one cinematographer or one collection of films. His work demonstrates the value of preserving history, but it also raises questions about the institutional support, resources and long-term planning needed to ensure that the responsibility does not rest on individual commitment alone.

When the historic footage returns to the screen in Accra, audiences will see more than images of a country’s past. They will encounter evidence of the ambitions, struggles and cultural expressions that helped shape modern Ghana.

Whether those images remain available for future generations will depend on what the country does to preserve them today.