Ghanaian comedian David Oscar Dogbe has revealed that he went through depression few years ago when he faced challenges in his comedy career.
According to him, the situation he went through was the reason he ventured into music.
“I went through depression for about a month and it was quite surprising to me because I am a happy person. I am an open-hearted person. I do not think evil about somebody but unfortunately it happened to me,” he said.
“Then I got to understand that this is what happens to people and then sometimes you hear that somebody is dead without knowing what really killed them,” he added.
He was jilted by his girlfriend when it got to the crunch
Speaking to Jessica Opare-Saforo on the Traffic Avenue on Citi 97.3 FM, the comedian cum musician said he even lost his girlfriend during that period.
“I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t think, and there was no one to even confide in. Look, I lost my woman because of this. Because during those days I was going through a lot. I didn’t know what to do. I needed time to gather my thoughts, put things in perspective,” he stated.
Asked what exactly could have been the reason he was jilted by his girlfriend he said he didn’t know whether she realized he was in that state but staying out of job may have contributed to it.
“Her excuse was that I stopped everything, that I said I was not doing comedy again,” he disclosed.
David also added that he felt like at that point in time that the lady was somebody he could rely on financially because he didn’t have any job and didn’t know where the next meal was coming from.
He added that the woman told her money was hers and not for him.
His friends left him when his fortunes waned
According to David there came a time when he was sidelined and neglected because of his tendentious nature.
He had been very vocal in the fight for Ghanaian comedy to own a better place in the arts industry; a situation which earned him a lot of enemies.
He said the people he laid his career for, later got better opportunities but forgot about him. Nobody among his friends picked the phone to call him and find out how he was doing.
“I thought I had friends in these people and one day I realized that wasn’t the case at all. You couldn’t even ask for help. That was the state in which I was,” he noted.
This was at a time when he was seriously criticised by some people that he was not funny.
David explained that all these were factors that led to the depression he got into few years ago after his comedy career had taken a nosedive.
The depression pushed him into music
David Oscar who has now released a couple of reggae songs said the transition from comedy to music was not smooth.
“When I recovered from that situation, I recovered with this [music]. I spent my time discovering myself before I could step out with anything arts. It was painful but I went through it,” he further stated.
Even though initially he came out to say he had abandoned comedy for good, the former ‘Laugh a Minute’ host said he has resumed comedy and has even organized a couple of music and comedy shows.
He has songs like ‘Monalisa,’ ‘Legal Tender,’ ‘Get there One Day,’ ‘Never Chat Dem’ and ‘Rasta Love.’
David Oscar, a graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Ghana has starred in movies like ‘Peep,’ ‘Tenant,’ among others.
He also hosted shows on Viasat 1 TV, Atlantis Radio, Vision FM and XFM.