In recent times, the mass media in Ghana have come under heavy attack for what is often considered to be their suffocating antisocial content. Cultural nationalists in Ghana have expressed their aversion to the hegemonic representation of Western and other non-Ghanaian cultures, much to the detriment of local ones. However, there are a few mass media programmes that attempt to promote aspects of Ghanaian culture. Using Ghana's most beautiful (GMB), a reality show produced by a privately-owned Ghanaian television channel, TV3, this paper attempts a critique of the representational motives of the programme vis-à-vis the nexus of foreign content and locally relevant ones. The paper undertakes an analysis of the 2013 edition of the programme and argues that, whilst GMB can be commended for offering a fair playing field for all the contestants in the show, it still exhibits traits of cultural hegemony and consumerism.

The increase in advertisements for newly produced films in Ghana is a testament that the Ghanaian film industry has become one of the fastest growing businesses in the country. Contemporary film producers or directors have continued the tradition of their forebears in the use of various traditional visual elements of communication, particularly the use of costumes. Costumes are powerful visual elements employed in film productions for effective characterization and to offer vital narrative cues to viewers. While acknowledging that costumiers have the freedom to express themselves in constructing costumes, both for utilitarian and aesthetic purposes, it is equally important for such artistic expressions to be accompanied by some responsibilities to social norms. Employing a qualitative approach and relying on purposive sampling to sample two Ghanaian video films, this study relied on content analysis to explore how costumes have been used in films. Anchored on the theory of representation, the study contributes to the ongoing debate on the ways in which costumes are used in video film productions. The findings revealed that some costumiers in the third historical phase of film making in Ghana have not articulated their artistic freedoms and equal responsibilities associated with costuming films. This calls for regular in-service training and workshops for costumiers.