Tomorrow is New Year. This is the last piece in 2015 and so you might as well enjoy it. The good things and the bad ones that happened this year will all be left when we move on to 2016 by midnight. It is around this time of the year that we try to review the things that happened in the year.
In keeping with that tradition therefore, we shall in the next few weeks be looking at some of the things that happened this year and how good, bad or ugly they were. There are some we shall just comment on and others we shall give our candid opinion and let the chips fall where they may.
We can start by getting out of the way a review of the just ended comedy shows in Accra. There are two of them actually and I had the privilege of attending both. The first was the Night of 1021 Laughs and Music organised by Charterhouse and the other was the Eddie Kadi Live in Accra organised by Akwaaba UK.
If there was any particular expectations going into these two shows, it was about how the Ghanaians on the bill would perform. Especially on the Night of 1,000 Laughs series where it has become an unwritten rule that those who excelled on that stage go on to become Ghanaian comedy icons.
On Saturday, at the Accra International Conference Centre, patrons arrived in their numbers (as usual, of course) at the MTN sponsored event to basically laugh and go home.
For me, and I believe many, it is always not so much about the music as much as the performance of the comics.
There were three Ghanaians on the bill: Foster Romanus, Khemikal and OB along with four Nigerians namely Osama, Funny Bone, Acapella and Gordons. Of course there was the small side issue of Bisa Kdei and Becca, the supposed lovebirds performing on the night.
However, we came to be challenged by the trio of Ghanaian comedians. I missed the first act by OB because I had to appear on a television show before going to the AICC, but I was told that he delivered a good performance.
I was however privileged to have seen Foster perform many times as co-host and Khemikal also come on to deliver good jokes many in the audience identified with. The two of them latched onto the simplest things to deliver good jokes that got the audience in stiches.
Foster especially was ruthless. Some of his jokes were borderline savagery on some of the popular people in the entertainment scene. For example, his jokes about Bisa being a Mafia Boss and Stonebwoy’s performance on stage were pure savagery, but impressive nuggets for the excited audience.
The fact is that the Ghanaian contigent on the bill all lived above expectations, reminiscent of when Funny Face and recently DKB utilised the opportunity given them on that stage to become the comedic juggernauts they have become.
Foster, OB and Khemikal, per what they did on Saturday night have elevated themselves above many of their compatriots and colleagues who are still trying to tell us that Ghanaian comedy has come along way and the players in that field need to be given their due recognition.
Osama, Funny Bone, Acapella and Gordons did their best to make us laugh as well. Gordons for instance was at his best again. Some of his jokes were rehashed but he knows how to make even those funny.
Osama also repeated a few and even felt offended that people would say comedians repeat jokes when they don’t say that about musicians.
The other two also did well, especially Acapella, who I gave a standing ovation to at the end of his performance.
On Tuesday, Akwaaba UK had another comedy show at the Movenpick Hotel. The headline act was London-based Congolese comedian, Eddie Kadi with the supporting act being Foster, OB and Khemikal once again. Also coming along were Jacinta and DKB himself.
Bismark the Joke who co-hosted the show lived up to the billing perfectly. His trumped up cluelessness was oozing on the night and knowing who his audience was he made jokes that sat perfectly well with them.
I missed the first act once again, thankfully it wasn’t OB this time. When OB and Khemikal had performed, I wasn’t too sure if they would perform as well as they did three days or so earlier. OB was simple, he delivered his jokes perfectly and he was gone.
Khemical once again came to the party and did similar things to what he did on Saturday, though this time shorter. Foster needs no introduction as he has shown again and again that he has arrived on the big stage (forget that he forgot some of his jokes). DKB was cool and dare I say, suave. He is the king now and he lived up to his status.
Eddie Kadi was okay for me. I have watched him perform here not too long ago and most of the jokes were repetition of what he did earlier. He got the house laughing throughout though and that’s what really matters.
On a whole, all comedians and comedienne did well. However, if comedy show will be part of the annual Akwaaba events, they have to reduce the number of music performances to ensure it doesn’t stay too late into the night.
Judging from the two shows, I have no doubt in my mind that the Ghanaian comedian community has arrived. They have found whatever was missing in their act that made the Nigerians dominate for so long a time.
I think the time will come, not too far in the future, when on the Night of 1000 Laughs series there will be no Nigerian comedian. All the comedians on the bill will be Ghanaian. Can I dare Charterhouse to do that at the next installment of the series? Yes I dare them and I think that I won’t be disappointed.
Congrats to Foster, Khemikal, OB, Jacinta and DKB as well as those yet to show up as these ones have for keeping the comedy dream even when many doubted them. Let’s see more of them on the big stages in 2016.
