Before The Wedding Bells, A Word To Ghana’s Creative Youth

Many young creatives operate in an environment where jobs are irregular, income is unpredictable, contracts are scarce, and payment delays are common.

A musician may have a hit song today and struggle to book gigs tomorrow. An actor may spend months without landing a major role. A filmmaker may complete a project and wait endlessly to recoup their investment due to piracy and inadequate distribution systems.

In such circumstances, marriage should not be approached merely because society expects it.

Marriage is not an award for reaching a certain age. Neither is it a social certificate proving adulthood. It is a serious commitment that requires emotional readiness and financial responsibility.

Unfortunately, some young creatives find themselves under intense pressure to marry before they have developed sustainable careers, acquired additional skills, or established reliable sources of income.

They enter marriage with dreams but without a practical plan for meeting the everyday demands of family life. The result is often frustration.

The same creative energy that should be invested in building careers is diverted into worrying about rent, school fees, utility bills, healthcare costs, and other family obligations.

Financial stress begins to affect relationships. Talented individuals become discouraged. Creative ambitions are abandoned in the struggle for survival.

This reality does not mean creatives should avoid marriage altogether. Far from it. Rather, it is a call for preparation.

The young filmmaker should focus on mastering the craft while building a business model that can generate consistent income.

The musician should seek multiple revenue streams rather than relying solely on performances.

The actor should develop complementary skills that can provide financial stability between productions.

The writer, designer, and content creator should continuously improve their expertise and create opportunities that can sustain them financially.

Marriage thrives best when both partners enter it with a reasonable level of stability and a clear understanding of their responsibilities.

The unfortunate truth is that love alone cannot sustain a household. Passion cannot pay rent. Talent alone cannot settle utility bills. Dreams, however beautiful, cannot replace financial planning.

For Ghana’s creative youth, the wiser path may sometimes be to spend a few more years building a career, developing skills, securing investments, creating sustainable businesses, and establishing a dependable income stream before taking on the responsibilities of marriage.

Parents, religious leaders, and society at large must also appreciate the unique challenges faced by young creatives. Instead of pressuring them to marry quickly, they should encourage them to strengthen their professional foundations first.

A successful marriage is not measured by how early it begins but by how well it endures, therefore there is dignity in taking the time to prepare.

For the young creative artist, the message is simple, Build your craft. Develop your skills. Secure your livelihood. Create stability. Then, when the time comes to marry, you will not merely be celebrating a wedding day. You will be laying the foundation for a home that can withstand life’s storms and flourish for generations to come.

SOCRATE SAFO SPEAKS

I dedicate this piece to The Counselor George Lutterodt

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: The author, Socrate Safo is a Ghanaian Film Director and culture advocate. He worked as a Creative Arts director at the National Commission on Culture