Gifted Ghanaian stand-up comedian and optometrist, OB Amponsah, has attributed the success of Ghanaian comedy to two of the industry greats, Foster Romanus and David Oscar.
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Speaking about Ghana comedy and the success it has chalked so far, he said, “Our predecessors started the agenda to make standup comedy loud in Ghana.”
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Attributing this success to David Oscar and Foster Romanus, he narrated how the duo used their win at the Stars of The Future reality show to put Ghana comedy on the map.
“The two placed 1st and 2nd at Stars of The Future and got the chance to perform at the 1000 laughs as part of the package. That was how the barrier was broken for Ghanaian comedians. These 2 performed a solid skit with the chance they got. They performed together and it was very funny and that is how it all started,” he told Happy98.9FM’s Doctar Cann on Ayekoo After Drive show.
He explained that they struggled to be recognized as Ghanaian comedians as Nigerians dominated the scene back then. “It was a fight to gain recognition. The truth is that they were funny but Ghanaians were used to Nigerian comedians and expected the two to speak and act like them.”
Because Nigerians are naturally funny, it took a while for Ghanaians to accept Ghanaian comedy. This was after the two had suffered insults and boos from Ghanaians, he indicated.
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According to OB Amponsah, the struggles of Foster Romanus and David Oscar shaped the new generation of comedians. “We learnt from their mistakes and bettered ourselves.”