This is our chance…. now make us laugh
The MTN sponsored and Charterhouse organised 1000 series laughs and music bi-annual show is without a doubt very big and it is on that stage that we have not had any of our own trying to crack our ribs for such a long time.
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Considering that two of these shows are held in a year, there must have been about eight of such shows since the last Ghanaian comedian showed up to perform and since then we have had none showing up to rub shoulders with the kings of comedy.
It has most often been a combination of the big names and emerging names of Nigerian comedy including the likes of Gordons, Basket Mouth, Klint the Drunk, Bash, Okey Bakassi, Akpororo, Helen Paul just to name a few.
Even more painful to take is the fact that there have even been Congolese and Ugandan comedians respectively showing up on one particular night during our very long fallow period on the biggest comedy stage!
The last time a Ghanaian comedian was on that stage, it was Funny Face. He was such an amazing performer that night, as you can see here, and it could be argued that it was that which set him up to the heights of comedy he found himself afterwards.
As to be expected, the local comedians have criticised the organisers Charterhouse for not giving them the opportunity and have similarly flayed entertainment pundits for writing them off and thereby creating the impression among the public, though erroneous in their view, that there were no good comedians in Ghana.
Not just to prove that there still were very good comedians in the country, but also to make a living out of their trade some very prominent ones like David Oscar, Foster, DKB et all have been organising their own comedy shows across the country.
For instance DKB, the former Big Brother Africa housemate has been organising his own comedy shows in some of the tertiary institutions to make the students laugh and also perhaps to sell his trade to them.
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It did not come as a surprise therefore when we started seeing the commercials for the next in the series of the 1000 laughs and music that DKB was on the list of the comedians selected to perform on the night.
Some have argued that besides Funny Face, in the past when some local comedians had been given the opportunity, they could not live up to the expectations and that’s perhaps the reason Charterhouse’s producers have not been too cozy with the idea.
DKB will come up against four other comedians who know their business very much and therefore a lot would be expected of him on the night. His jokes must be top notch to get the audience laughing throughout his performance.
Not only is it very necessary for DKB to make a name for himself on the night, but he would have to bear the cross for the entire industry, most importantly. This is because how he performs on the night will in no small way open the door or completely shut it in the face of both he and his colleague comedians to such big comedy gigs.
Indeed, DKB can argue that he had performed at the MNet organised Comedy Club and excelled and so what is the big deal about a local comedy show dubbed A Nite of 1018 Laughs & Music?
However, it is an open secret that it is the stage on which every Ghanaian comedian worth his salt would love to mount, hence the importance that he excels!
Also mounting the stage on the night are Bovi, Okey Bakassi, Funny Bone and Dan D’Humorous. Maybe apart from Dan D’Humorous all the others are familiar to Ghanaians who attend such shows and can therefore verify that they know their comedy.
On the music side the organisers have chosen a mix of old age and youth.
Highlife stalwart, Nana Tuffour, will come on stage to perform some of his well-known highlife tunes, Akwaboah will continue his new found mojo that draws audience to his performances and Noella Wiyalaa, the Vodafone Icons winner and ever growing female artiste, will bring her game to the show.
Come August 2, 2014, the Accra International Conference Centre will be the venue where those who love to laugh and can afford it, will congregate for A Nite of 1018 Laughs & Music.
This article was first published under the title: “Nite of 1018 Laughs: DKB must make a case for local comedy” on the writer’s blog: www.francisdoku.com.