Fast rising comedian, Benji D’ Joke, on Wednesday called for a proper structure of the comedy industry so that the stakeholders could operate under an umbrella.
Benji D’ Joke whose real name is Benjamin Onwume said that would grant them recognition from the government and its agencies.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the industry had not been accorded same opportunity to thrive as Nollywood practitioners got on a platter of gold.
He said: “The actors have the Actors Guild of Nigeria, the musicians have the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria but the `comedians do not have an association of theirs.
“We should have had one long time ago.
“So, if comedians want support from government, it is going to be hard for us to go about it.
“We don’t have a recognised body; that is something that we have to work on, if we are looking to progress.”
He advised comedians to put their house in order so that they could always speak with one voice and get recognition from government.
He said that comedians would achieve better when they speak as a group rather than as individuals.
Benji D’ Joke said that the comedy sector was different from other genres in the entertainment industry saying individual comedians could perform without the assistance of anybody.
He said: “A comedian only needs one microphone unlike musicians that need a band and a DJ before he can entertainment his audience.
“So, when a man knows that he can run his show all alone, he will not see the need to gather a group of people, or join with a group of people to do something.
“This is one of the problems that comedians are having.”
He advised other comedians to come together and form an association where they could operate better.
NAN reports that Benji D’ Joke has been in the industry for eight years following his phenomenal performance in the AY Open Mic Talent Show in 2010 which he won.
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