By: Ashiadey Dotse
Coordinator of the Black Star Experience Secretariat, Rex Owusu Marfo, says the Black Star Comedy Experience will provide Ghanaian comedians with platforms to build sustainable careers and take their talents to international audiences.
According to him, the initiative, which is slated for January 2, 2027, will use live shows, recordings, digital audio and international showcases to transform Ghana’s comedy talent into a viable creative industry.
Mr Owusu Marfo made the remarks at the launch of the Comedyon Thursday, September 24, 2026.
Speaking at the launch on Thursday, September 24, 2026, he said the initiative would help address the long-standing challenges faced by comedians, particularly the lack of infrastructure, business structures and access to international markets.
“For too long, our comedians have had talent without infrastructure, gifts without a global stage. The Blackstar Comedy Experience changes that,” he said.
“It gives our comedians the platform through live shows, recordings, digital audio, and international showcases, it turns raw talent into sustainable careers. It turns our laughter into export,” he added.
Mr Owusu Marfo said comedy would form part of the audio pillar of the wider Black Star Experience, which rests on seven pillars: film, audio, food, aesthetics, style, literature and heritage.
He explained that comedy was an important form of storytelling and reflected Ghana’s culture, identity and way of life.
“Comedy is the tradition alive and well. It is the audio pillar at its most powerful, intimate, immediate, and unforgettable,” he said.
The Coordinator said the project was not only about entertainment but also about creating jobs and opportunities for young people in the creative economy.
“Let us be clear: this is not just about entertainment. This is about jobs. This is about creative economy. This is about young Ghanaians building futures out of their wit and their voices,” he stated.
Mr Owusu Marfo said the Black Star Comedy Experience would be developed as a 365-day commitment rather than a one-off event.
He said the initiative would also seek to create the business structures needed to support comedians, including booking agents, venues and funding opportunities.
“Comedy or a comedian is like a musician. You are the talent. What about the business around you? It takes a business structure to market a talent,” he said.
“There is nothing that stops Ghana from packaging our comedians and exporting them. You need a proper structure that can do that, and these are some of the things that we will use our masterclasses to do,” he added.
Mr Owusu Marfo disclosed that the initiative would eventually be extended beyond Ghana, beginning with the United Kingdom, as part of efforts to introduce Ghanaian comedians to international markets.
“This is just the beginning, and it is going to be an annual thing. And we don’t intend to just do it in Ghana,” he said.
He said organisers would engage booking agents and other industry players to help take Ghanaian comedy to audiences across the world.
“We’ll be talking to booking agents, we’ll be talking to people who will help us export our comedians around the globe,” he added.
Mr Owusu Marfo also called for greater support from the government and corporate sector to develop the creative industry.
He said sponsorship remained a major challenge for events in Ghana and stressed the need for the government to support the sector instead of leaving creative initiatives entirely to private sponsors.
“As a coordinator of the Blackstar Experience, I’m going to insist with my government that we have to meet the sponsor halfway because charity begins at home,” he said.
The Black Star Comedy Experience is expected to form part of activities marking Ghana’s 70th independence anniversary celebrations in 2027.
