[ 2013-12-19 ]

Funny Face — Still ‘swagging’ on
Three years may seem a short time in the career of
an artist but for stand-up comedians, whose
lifespan on stage has been known to be the
shortest among the lot, the survival and growth
of GH comedian Funny Face, has been phenomenal.

“I know I’ve got to re-invent myself very
often to stay funny else I will be out and dry
telling the same jokes and presenting them the
same way to my audiences”, Funny Face told
Showbiz in response to a question about how he
stays on top of his game.

When he made his debut appearance on the Night of
1010 Laughs series back in 2010, many patrons
present were marvelled at his sheer creativity and
were happy that at last, Ghana could also boast of
a reputable stand-up comedian.

Three years down the line, Funny Face is happy
with himself and is thankful to all the people who
spend money to come and see him perform. He
conceded that while he maintains a lot of his
fans, there are others whom he may have lost but
he insisists that he is still the “Swaggon
Papa”.

“Who says I am no longer funny and not popular
anymore? Maybe, that person has not been following
my exploits in recent times. Check my social
network following then you would know what I am
talking of.

“ I have over 76,000 followers and I am
following over 50,000 people on Twitter. I have
over 290,000 like hits on my Facebook page and
that is no small feat to chalk.

“The wide and good feedback I am getting from
the recent Vodafone advert is even a testimony
that I am not fading at all. I am still that
‘Swaggon Papa’ and have not lost any bit of my
funny nature” he said.

He said as one who is constantly in the public
eyes, it is important to “lie low” sometimes
to sort out private issues and that is what he has
been doing for some time now, a reason he is not
being actively involved in public activities.

“As I am talking to you now, my crew including
my event outfit, the Swagon Entertainment is
working tirelessly on my projects which will kick
start early next year.

“ We have put together a Funny fun festival for
my fans in Kumasi early next year. I will also
embark on educational tour to inspire students and
I have made customised wristbands and T-Shirts
inscribed with inspirational words to serve the
purpose.

“I have a TV comedy show in the pipeline as well
and working towards my own stand-up comedy show so
it is not as if I am idle but I am working on my
projects which need much of my time and attention.
The reason behind my absence from the public scene
in recent times” he stated.

Even though many Ghanaians have lauded the comic
prowess of Nigerian comedians, Funny Face is more
than convinced that Ghana has the best of
comedians.

“Ghanaian comedians are the best because they
are always natural and flow easily with their
jokes. I know what I am talking of because I have
met many of them.

“ We have lamented about not having great
standup comedians in the country not because we do
not have them but the platform and the lack of
exposure has contributed to inability to unearth
these talents.

“Hopefully, my stand –up comedy scheduled for
next year will bring on board some of these
talents and then Ghanaians would know what we
have”.

Real name, Benson Nana Yaw Oduro Boateng, Funny
Face hails from Kwahu Abetifi and had his
breakthrough to comedy when he appeared on Night
of 1010 Laughs series, his first and biggest
comedy platform.

He later had a stint with music when he
collaborated with Castro to produce Sweet Banana.

Source - Daily Graphic

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