“I’ve been chasing my salary for five years and never got paid.” —Socrates Sappho, former creative art director

Veteran filmmaker and former creative arts director of the National Council of Culture, Socrates Saffo, has revealed that he did not receive any salary during his five years at the institution.

Speaking on Peace FM on August 17, Saffo expressed his dissatisfaction with unpaid work and shared similar experiences with musicians Nicholas Omane Acheampong and Isaiah Kwadwo Ampong. Both musicians had previously complained that they were ignored by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) despite their support for the party.

“I was appointed to the National Cultural Commission. When I arrived there, I saw an abandoned place. None of the staff were in their offices because the building had become a death trap. So I went in and fixed up the whole place and made it safe. I did a lot of projects in creative arts with my own money because there was no money. There wasn’t even a computer in the commission.”

I was trying to get my salary back while I was working there, but I never got a penny. I am still trying to get my salary back and I even took it to the Labour Commission. I have never been paid in five years, not even for a month,” he shared.