KSM unveils 'Afia Siriboe'

Celebrated satirist and actor reputed to be Ghana’s ‘King of Comedy’, KSM, has explained why ‘Afia Siriboe’ is his favourite character and that he would be returning her to the theatre on December 25 this year in a comedy show called ‘Dead Goat Wahala’.

“Afia Siriboe has remained my favourite character. She sells out, fills the seats and brings in the cash. The public also love her and she’s the favourite of many. I don’t really know why but I think there is something unique about her the people love to see.

“I wanted to bring out another character this Christmas but the team settled on ‘Afia Siriboe’ to play ‘Dead Goat Wahala’; and believe me, it is a script you would love. It would be a vintage performance full of humour and political wit,” KSM, officially known as Kweku Sintim-Misa, disclosed during an interaction with journalists this week.

The character ‘Afia Siriboe’ is a 60-year-old urban Ghanaian mother with an overdose of humour and wits. She is portrayed as a highly confident African woman with a good sense of ‘trendy’ fashion and as someone very current in social and national issues.

This year would be the third time KSM is appearing on stage as ‘Afia Siriboe’ though the previous two acts had entirely different scripts. This time the hilarious character would be looking at contemporary Ghana—the country’s youth, culture, religion and politics.

The character became a national favourite and the talk of the town when she appeared as Afia, the Founder and Flagbearer of the Nokofio Party. This was Afia’s hit show.

The highly respected actor said his annual 25th December stand-up comedies and solo drama performances are not only meant to entertain but also to point out societal ills and influence positive attitudes.

“I try to talk about the wrong things we do in society so we change our ways. Most times, people get the joke but hardly change. I also try my best not to offend people even when I am talking a joke about them and they are in the auditorium. I have invited people to entertain and not to offend them and this comes with a lot of preparation and professional tact,” KSM added.

‘Dead Goat Wahala’ would be staged twice—in the afternoon and then evening—at the National Theatre on Christmas day and KSM said rehearsals were in full swing.