Ghana has no shortage of comedy talent, but what many of them don't have is a way to make a living from it.
And that is what the recently launched Black Star Comedy Experience wants to change by building a proper business and performance structure around the country's comedy scene. Speaking at the launch, the Coordinator of the Black Star Experience Secretariat, Rex Owusu Marfo, popularly known as Rex Omar, said the plan goes beyond handing comedians a stage.
It is meant to help them build lasting careers and get their work in front of audiences outside Ghana.
“For too long, our comedians have had talent without infrastructure, gifts without a global stage. The Black Star Comedy Experience changes that.
“It gives our comedians the platform through live shows, recordings, digital audio and international showcases. It turns raw talent into sustainable careers. It turns our laughter into export,” he added.
Scheduled for January 2, 2027, the initiative will feature live shows, recordings, digital audio and international showcases, with organisers planning masterclasses to equip comedians with knowledge about the business side of the industry.
According to Rex Omar, having talent alone is not enough to build a successful comedy career. He said comedians needed the right structures such as booking agents, venues, funding opportunities, among others.
“A comedian is like a musician. You are the talent. What about the business around you? It takes a business structure to market a talent.
“There is nothing that stops Ghana from packaging our comedians and exporting them. You need a proper structure that can do that and these are some of the things that we will use our masterclasses to do,” he added.
He said comedy would form part of the audio pillar of the wider Black Star Experience, which covers film, audio, food, aesthetics, style, literature and heritage.
For Rex Omar, comedy is not merely about making people laugh but also a powerful means through which Ghanaians tell their stories and express their culture and identity.
“Comedy is the tradition alive and well. It is the audio pillar at its most powerful, intimate, immediate and unforgettable,” he said.
He further described the initiative as an economic opportunity for young creatives.
“Let us be clear: this is not just about entertainment. This is also about jobs. This is about the creative economy. This is about young Ghanaians building their future out of their wit and their voices,” he stated.
He disclosed that the United Kingdom was expected to be one of the first international destinations.
“We’ll be talking to booking agents; we’ll be talking to people who will help us export our comedians around the globe, industry players who will connect our comedians with audiences abroad.
“This is just the beginning and it is going to be an annual thing. And we don’t intend to just do it in Ghana,” he disclosed.
