GH comedy still not there yet—David Oscar
GHANA’s comedy industry has made great strides in the last few years with our comedians raising their standards and getting international gigs.
In spite of the gains made, comedian turned musician, David Oscar, says Ghanaian comedy is still not there yet, and that the Nigerians still rule.
“Our guys here are doing very well but the Nigerians have the upper hand because of their large population. The Nigerian comedians are exposed and charge huge amounts of money for a performance unlike our comedians in Ghana.
“Our comedians might be funnier than the Nigerians comedians but in terms of exposure and how much they earn, our comedians cannot be compared to them,” he told Graphic Showbiz on Monday, April 20.
According to David Oscar, Nigerian comedians such as Basketmouth and Gordons live expensive lifestyles but the same cannot be said of our comedians.
“If O.B Amponsah were to be a Nigerian, he would be earning five times what they are earning. Nigerians are willing to pay any amount to see their comedians crack their ribs but here in Ghana when you charge GH¢300 for a show they will say it is too much. We are growing but we are not there yet,” he said.
He pleaded with corporate bodies to invest hugely in comedy if we want to get to the top.
“We find it difficult getting sponsorship for comedy events and this shows how we are not prepared to invest in comedy but the corporate entities in Nigeria support their comedy shows.
“In fact, when it comes to content, our comedians are doing very well and can match up to any comedian outside the country. It is just the support they need,” he said.
Asked who his favourite Ghanaian comedian is, David Oscar said he would choose Augustin Dennis.
“Augustin Dennis might not be popular in the Ghanaian space but he is the best. I will choose him over any GH comedian, the guy is something else but it is just unfortunate too many are sabotaging him,” he said.
Apart from Augustin Dennis, David Oscar also chose Funny Face as his second-best comedian.
David Oscar has been in the comedy industry for about a decade. In 2006, while he was studying at the University of Ghana, Legon, he was voted Best Comedy Icon when he participated in the comedy reality series, Stars of the Future, organised by Charterhouse Ghana.
He hosted the Laugh a Minute show with DKB on then Viasat 1. For some reasons he put his comedy career on hold in 2014 and decided to pursue music full time, choosing to do Reggae.