By: Lucy Mawufemor Kpeglo
Ghanaian comedian OB Amponsah shares his journey to becoming the winner of the Ultimate Comic Challenge held at the Idiot Box Comedy Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.A., beating over 90 comedians from across the globe to claim the top spot.
Speaking during an interview on the ‘GTV Breakfast Show’, the celebrated comedian shared his journey leading up to the victory. OB revealed that after hosting a successful comedy show in Ghana, he felt the urge to push his boundaries and explore opportunities beyond the country. This decision took him to North Carolina, where he discovered the comedy challenge and decided to participate.
“After doing my 10th year anniversary at Bukom Boxing Arena, I said how about I challenge myself and try different environment so I traveled to North Carolina. While I was here, I saw that there was a competition opened at the idiot box comedy club and the entry for the competition was I think 25 dollars and I was like why don’t I enter and test my comedy,” he said.
He explained that the competition was a huge test of his career, stating that he did not expect to reach the final stage due to some challenges like the language barrier. Despite these challenges, he had to adapt by translating his jokes into English so the audience could fully appreciate them. He then rose through the ranks, eventually taking the top spot at the competition.
“It was the ultimate test of my career. I sincerely didn’t think I will make it to the finals because most of my jokes have to be converted from the Twi punchline to the English punchline and usually when you do that it doesn’t really sound funny as it was when it was in Twi and so I had a lot of doubt but while I started progressing from round one I had the white audience and even the black Americans will say you are really funny,” he shared.
He advised other comedians who find themselves doing comedy in another country to learn to observe and bring out relatable jokes that will resonate with the audience. He also emphasized the need to learn accents.
“You have to be able to observe something and make a joke out of it and secondly when you are performing in another man’s land the problem is the ascent. If you are able to get past the ascent, people are able to understand your jokes quickly.”he mentioned
He expressed his gratitude and appreciation while stressing that the win is not just for enjoyment but also means more is expected of him. He said he needs to do more because many rising comedians will be looking up to him.
“I’m enjoying it and part of me also feels like there’s more to do. I can see myself as an inspiration for the young comedians,” he added.
