Stand-up comedian Genesis says Ghanaian comedians are more talented and creative compared to Nigerians.
According to him, Nigerian comedies are full of insults and lack creativity. He said this during an interview with Max Morning Dew in Accra on Friday.
Genesis clarified his point of view by stating that if a Nigerian comedian were given a 30-minute slot to perform, he would spend 20 minutes insulting customers one by one and 10 minutes telling just two jokes.
“But in Ghana, it is not like that you go straight to the point to introduce your jokes buzz upon buzz upon buzz. A Ghanaian comedian will use those 30 minutes to drop about 10 jokes, so Ghanaians are creative and talented,” he said.
However, the comedian observed that the challenge the industry was facing was the limited market and charged the government and various stakeholders to fund the sector.
He also said most Ghanaians were emotional when it came to the contents of the comedy, unlike Nigerians, who could joke about social, political, and religious issues as well as prominent figures in their country.
Genesis stated that threats were occasionally made against him and other Ghanaian comedians because of some of the jokes they told during shows. He also claimed that Ghanaians should start thinking critically instead of emotionally.
“We need to wake up from that state where we begin to question everything,” he stated.
Genesis, however, was impressed by how Ghanaians were embracing comedy and declared that it was one of the fastest-growing industries.
“It is one of the strongest industries in Ghana. A few years ago, we struggled to get gigs and all of that. Nobody believes in comedy, but the persistence and commitment of some of our colleagues in the industry have pushed the industry forward, and today we can say it is a thriving industry.
Though there’s still room for lots of growth, lots of improvement, but so far so good, now I can say it’s beginning to pay off,” he added.
Genesis, therefore, advised colleagues to stay united and desist from attacking each other for the industry to develop.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Joyceline Natally Cudjoe
