The African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) has officially apologized to guests that attended the 9^th edition of the annual awards in Bayelsa, Nigeria last month. A delegation, led by Tony Anih, Director of Administration for AMAA made the apology at a press conference and stakeholders meeting in Accra.  Mr Anih said that this year’s award ceremony, which has been largely described as the most taxing yet due to several logistical challenges , was faced with many hiccups and frustrations for guests from all over the world and apologized particularly to the Ghanaian delegation for what led to sessions of media reporting that the Ghanaian delegation was ‘stranded’ in Nigeria. Mr Tony Anih explained that it was not deliberate and that the difficulties were as a result of AMAA not having full control over the organization of the award due to sponsorship from the Bayelsa State Government. He therefore called for more support from corporate bodies across Africa towards the organization and hosting of the ceremony. He explained that this year’s event saw independent participation from international media including the BBC, CNN and others from Australia and Japan.  This he explained highlights the importance of the AMAA in creating international presence for African cinema; and called for support from within Africa within the vision of selling Africa to the world. Actress, Lydia Forson, who won Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2010 AMAA, gave a speech about attending the Award ceremony in the past 4 years and shared the benefits that she has accrued from her affiliation with the awards. She cited movie roles across the continent and her recent participation in South Africa soapie, Scandal as examples. Rhoda Mandaza, AMAA South Africa, also spoke about the need for Africa’s creative industry to unite.  There was also a stakeholder’s discussion on the state of the creative industry within Ghana and how to link it with the rest of Africa. Participating in the forum were Nollywood producer – Frank Dallas, Ken Addy – Ghana Cinematograph Exhibition Board of Control, Leonora Buckman- Women In Performing Arts (WIPA), and veteran actress Dzifa Glipkoe. ]]>