How we made stand-up comedy very attractive in Ghana – Jacinta

Ghanaian comedian Jacinta Ocansey has revealed that making stand-up comedy a serious profession in Ghana was difficult when she started, but she believes comedians like herself have helped change the business.

Jacinta said she started comedy as a hobby while she was a teenager before deciding to make it a full-time profession after completing university.

She said she made that decision around 2016 or 2017, at a time when comedy was not widely treated as a serious business in Ghana.

“I decided that instead of just doing this thing for fun, for enjoyment, make it a business, earn money from it,” she said on Joy Prime.

According to Jacinta, the early years were difficult because the industry did not have the level of corporate interest it has today.

She said comedians have since worked to make stand-up comedy more attractive and financially viable, with companies now willing to listen to proposals and support comedy projects.

“Thanks to people like me, let me blow my trumpet a little. We’ve been able to make standup comedy in Ghana very attractive, very lucrative,” she said.

Jacinta said corporate Ghana now pays attention to comedians and is more willing to support their shows.

“We can send our proposals to companies, to individuals, and they even want to listen,” she said.

She said the progress has made her happy because comedy can now be treated as a profession rather than something people do only for entertainment.