DKB opens up on hate, blacklisting and survival in Ghana’s Comedy Industry

Welcome to another episode of ‘The Real Talk Podcast’ hosted by Elizabeth Essuman and her panelists; and this week, the discussion is with TV presenter, event host and actor, Derick Kobina Bonney, affectionately called ’DKB’; and they talked about everything comedy - the good, the bad, and the very reason why laughter is a tranquilizer as well as an inducer of thoughts. So if you have a weak diaphragm, you may want to consult your doctor before watching this week’s episode.

In this episode, DKB hammered on so many issues, starting with the major reason why Ghana stand-up comedy is lagging behind, and his response was simple, “…the hates from our very own people towards those who bring you laughter and relief and somewhat joy, is really a problem and this cuts across many sectors of entertainment and lifestyle as the case may be in this Ghana as a country. When you hate and talk down on your entertainers, whilst praising foreigners, it will come back to bite you. We see these things everyday.”

“There was a time for straight two years, I was receiving insults, threats and so much more at about every twenty minutes in my DMs. I thank God that I never went into depression. I lost gigs, shows alike, I was blacklisted by an event company in Ghana, amongst other things, for me expressing how I was treated.” The ‘King of Ghana Comedy’, added.

For persons who have the intention to go into comedy, or let’s say have the passion to become a comedian, the former Big Brother Africa (season 7) representative said, “you must have endless source of contents as in jokes, you need to have a top notch leadership and public relations skills, to survive the tides. Also you must be conscious enough to be able to distinguish your stage-life from your personal life.”

Watch the full conversation