The Black Star Experience Secretariat has announced a major comedy festival to herald Ghana’s 70th Independence anniversary celebration.

The festival is christened ‘Black Star Comedy Experience,’ and is slated for January 2, 2027, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

The event, being organised in partnership with L’extase Limited and It’s Live Entertainment, is on the theme: ‘You’re Ghana Laugh.’

Speaking at the official launch last Thursday (September 24) at the Black Star Experience Secretariat, the Coordinator, Mr Rex Owusu Marfo, said the January 2 date was significant as it sets the tone for the 70th anniversary celebrations.

According to him, the comedy experience was part of deliberate efforts to support and elevate Ghana’s comedy industry.

“The Black Star Comedy Experience is not just a comedy show; it is a celebration of wit, storytelling, and cultural commentary,” Mr Marfo said.

He explained that the show was curated to showcase both established heavyweights and emerging stars from Ghana, Africa, and the diaspora.

The programme, he said, would have three segments: The Rising Stars, The Feature Acts, and The Host.

The Rising Stars segment will spotlight two promising local comedians, while The Feature Acts will feature seven established acts with different comedic styles. The Host segment will be led by a household name delivering interim jokes and smooth transitions.

Headliners for the night include Ghana’s Lekzy DeComic and Foster Romanus, UK-based stars Eddie Kadi, Slim and Kojo Anim, as well as Nigeria’s Klint Da Drunk, together with Parrot Mouth.

Mr Marfo said the Black Star Comedy Experience was created to fill a void in the market for high-quality, culturally relevant Ghanaian and African diasporan comedy for a global audience, while serving as a vehicle to push Ghanaian talents to wider markets.

He added that the inclusion of international acts will allow Ghanaian comedians to interact with their counterparts from outside and be exposed to different styles and audiences.

The event promises a night of non-stop laughter and high-energy entertainment as Ghana begins its journey to 70.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme 

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Ghanaian musician Sista Afia has raised concerns over how road construction is done in Ghana.

The singer took to social media to pose what she described as a genuine question to contractors, especially those working on roads.

She questioned why it appears that when a road is being worked on, all lanes are destroyed at once, leaving motorists with no usable lane, instead of working on one lane at a time.

Sista Afia wrote, “Contractors, I have a genuine question for you, especially those working on roads in Ghana. Why is it that whenever a road is being worked on, it sometimes feels like all the lanes have to be destroyed at once before we get even one lane to use? If it’s a three-lane road, wouldn’t it make more sense to work on one lane at a time, while leaving the others open for motorists to use?.”

The “Asuoden” hitmaker admitted she is not a contractor and there might be technical reasons for the approach, but noted that from a road user’s perspective, completely blocking or damaging all lanes at once creates heavy traffic and inconvenience.

“I’m not a contractor, so maybe there’s a technical reason why things are done this way that I don’t understand. But from a road user’s perspective, completely blocking or damaging all the lanes at once creates so much traffic and inconvenience. Wouldn’t working on one lane at a time, where possible, allow construction to continue while still giving people a usable road? Maybe there’s something I’m missing. Contractors, please educate me,” she added.

Her post has since sparked conversations online, with many road users agreeing with her while others attempt to explain the engineering process behind such construction methods.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme