Some popular Ghanaian comedians/ skitmakers
A GhanaWeb Feature by Alfred Kumah
The emergence of social media has given comedy in Ghana a new direction over the past few years.
The days when comedians had to solely rely on traditional media and live performances for their jokes to be heard are long gone.
These days, Ghanaian comedians are able to showcase their creativity, entertain millions of people, and even kickstart their careers with the help of platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.
This new age of social media has been effectively explored by comedians like Dr. Likee, SDK, ‘Made in Ghana’, Ben South, and others to engage with a larger audience and promote Ghanaian comedy.
Instead of traditional stand-up comedy, many of these comedians now focus on short, engaging skits and relatable content.
These short-sketch comedies are ideal for the fast-paced nature of social media, allowing their audience to consume humour in less than three minutes.
Comedians like SDK have perfected the technique of telling stories with short, catchy food-related content that is humorous, and occasionally, he adds in stuff about current happenings in politics.
Ben South and ‘Made in Ghana’, among others, create contents that talk about relationships, daily life, and societal trends, which makes their comedy appealing to younger audiences.
In the past, succeeding in the comedy industry in Ghana required appearing on TV or securing live performance gigs.
However, today, social media has eliminated these barriers, allowing up-and-coming comedians to gain recognition without relying on stand-up performances or traditional media.
Now, with a smartphone, creativity, and consistency, these comedians have built audiences online for themselves.
Young comedians who would have struggled to make a name for themselves now have direct access to millions of potential fans simply by posting content on social media.
Social media has also helped these Ghanaian comedians transcend geographical boundaries.
Also, previously, Ghanaian comedy was largely confined to local audiences, but today, content created in Ghana can reach people in Nigeria, the UK, the US, and other parts of the world within minutes.
Ghanaian comedians have successfully leveraged social media platforms to push their content internationally, leading to collaborations with notable figures in the industry, including well-known African comedians like Nasty Blaq and Sydney Talker.
AK/EB
