Okala could’ve reaped more from comedy – Papa Shamo

The late ‘Bishop’ Bob Okala did not reap his due from comedy because he did not nurture his talent from infancy, fellow comedian Papa Shamo has said.

Bob Okala died at dawn on Sunday March 13, 2016 at the Koforidua Government Hospital in the Eastern Region. He was rushed there after collapsing on stage while performing at a programme at the Jubilee Park at Koforidua.

Okala, privately known as Samuel Kwadwo Buabeng, became an icon of the Key Soap Concert Party in the ’90s and a household name in Ghana for his hilarious performances.

But Papa Shamo, speaking with Accra100.5FM during Okala’s funeral service on Saturday June 11 at the Arts Centre, Accra, said the late entertainer, like most other Ghanaians, realised his gift only later in adulthood, and would have reached even greater heights had the discovery come earlier.

“It appears we do not realise our talents early enough; often we discover them too late in life. If Okala had known his gift from infancy, he may have been in the limelight for much longer. But when the talent became obvious and he was reaping from it, death laid its hands on him,” he said.

“So, I will urge youth who walk about not knowing what to do with their time to do their best to find out what their talents are and develop them to their advantage.”

Nonetheless, Papa Shamo said Okala “has played his part, so, God give him rest”.