Comedian Waris wants to put Ghana Comedy on the World stage

Born Abdul Waris Umaru, with the stage name of Comedian Waris, the ever rising Ghanaian comic-personality says he intends to work harder to put Ghana on the top of the global comedy map.

He says although over the years he has made a significant impact with his work as a comedian, he intends to put in more effort to perfect his craft and raise higher the flag of Ghana.

​”​For now Ghana comedy is doing well, when it comes to providing high-quality materials. I have had a good impact too myself, but sometimes I think it’s not enough, we need to overdo it, which is why I am still looking forward to the future of making a bigger impacts to put Ghana comedy on the map,”​ Comedian Waris made this known in an exclusive interview with Cheif Editor of TheAfricanDream.net Oral Ofori in a chat on the Clubhouse platform.

Some Ghanaian comedians admired by Waris and tips for beginners

On the subject of Ghanaian comedians, Waris says he admires acts like OB​ ​Amposah, Jacinta, and other upcoming comedians in the comedy space​, ​pointing out that he takes notice of their craft and their style and even learns from them. The comedian says although he believes in being supportive of his colleagues in the industry, he usually does that out of goodwill with no expectations in mind.

Read also: “For now I want to be the best me I can be first” – Comedian Waris of Ghana

As he explained to Mr. Ofori, ​”​Sometimes you meet people in your career and you feel like these guys are my friends, you try to get them deals and try to put them on other platforms, as a result you sometimes expect them to do something to pay you back and all that​,” Waris said and he further explained that “​I however feel that as an artist sometimes complaining and expectations destroys you. People do not expect you to complain and when you keep expectations too high then that is when you feel bad and you feel like you need to complain because your expectations were not met. For beginners in the comedy industry I say to them that the attitude of not expecting anything for doing my job is what is really helping me​.”​

For Waris it’s all about passionately putting in your 200% by giving it your utmost best, and eventually your work will definitely speak for you soon.

The road to becoming a comedian

Narrating how he ventured into comedy, Waris stated that he used to be a scriptwriter for various comedy shows in Ghana until he braced the odds ​when given​ a ​shot as ​a comedian.​​​​ His first big stage audience was in 2015 at the Lifeline Comedy Show at the Accra Mall in Ghana.

He described the crowd that day as a massive audience that almost made him doubted his ability to get them to smile owing to the fact that he was extremely nervous. ​”​It happened that after a time, I ​decided to just try ​one of the scripts​ I wrote for others ​to​ see​ what happened, and then​ it worked out​ well to my surprise that day.”

Comedian Waris says although he has been nervous a few times on stage, being confident on stage was something that was mastered over time.

​”​Be​ing​ nervous is part of the comedy act, when you are doing the show and you are not nervous, it sometimes does not show you are ready for it. ​Confidence​ on the stage is something we all win over time but being nervous I realized is something that is going to be part of you as an artist​.“

More than just laughs

He says although he has ventured into music and acting, he does not hope to let those divert him from being a standup comedian as comedy is a calling through which he was hopeful of continuing to positively impact society with. For him it is beyond merely putting smiles on the faces of people through comedy, he also dabbles in charity work and is a social activist too.

Get more updates on his verified Instagram page where he has over a quarter of a million followers under the name @comedianwaris, and ​listen to his full interview with Oral Ofori of TheAfricanDream.net below.

​Written by Mavis Okyere