• O.B Amponsah says the actions of some predecessors have not helped the profession
• Unlike back in the day where comedians did not place value on themselves, the current crop, he says, are changing the narrative
• The stand-up comedian says comedy in Ghana is now lucrative
Popular Ghanaian comedian, OB Amponsah has established that some of his predecessors set very low standards with regards to making money from their craft.
According to him, such people have made it difficult for present-day acts to be well-paid by big brands who usually book them for services.
“Some of our predecessors sold themselves cheap. I won’t mention names. If a company contacts any of us, I mean the new comedians for a deal and we disclose our price to them, they compare it with what our predecessors charged and tell us to cut it down. They have set very low standards and we cannot go beyond it despite several efforts. But I think we have been able to do something about that. Some brands now agree to pay us more and that’s good news,” he told Zionfelix in an interview.
OB however noted that to an extent he understands the reasons for the actions of the pioneer comedians adding that:
“For the likes of David Oscar, Foster Romanus and so on, their struggle was largely centered on gaining grounds for the Ghanaian comedy industry and not much about money. They built that foundation for us. We took over from there and now, we’re trying to make a business from it.”
Asked whether comedy in Ghana is lucrative, he said;
“There is money in it. Lots of money, don’t be deceived. If not for the COVID-19 like by now I have made more money than I have now.”
Watch the video below