We are a nation that laughs at everything from dumsor to politics, and that natural gift has quietly built a thriving comedy industry. They became the country’s first organised comedy circuit and trained generations of performers who later dominated television, theatre and film. The rise of stand-up comedyAlthough comedy had flourished in theatre for decades, stand-up comedy emerged as its own discipline through pioneers such as Fritz Baffour. He transformed stand-up comedy into a commercial enterprise by producing professional live shows that attracted paying audiences, corporate sponsorship and national attention. A new generation takes the stageThe past decade has seen Ghanaian comedy evolve into one of the country’s fastest-growing creative sectors.