Guest Feature: OB Amponsah & Clemento Suarez, The Right Spices In The Flavour Room #3MusicAwards20

The third edition of the 3Music Awards came off last night, May 2, 2020 at the Fantasy Dome in Accra. The event was forced to go virtual due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As difficult as it seemed from the onset on the part of organizers, what we saw yesterday was nothing short of excellence bar a few technical hitches. For a virtual event, the amazing stage setup, sound, lighting and everything that come with it was stupendous to say the least.

The postmortem of major controversies which surrounds these award schemes seems to have died down this time due to the inch perfect execution of everything from A to Z.

We may have been denied the elegance of the red carpet, the tongue wagging super hero outfits, the expectational braggadocio from artistes and a teeming vibrant physical fanatic audience, but yesterday’s event was nothing short of entertainment due to the excellent performances from some artistes and the presence of two professional “idiots”, comedians OB Amponsah and Clemento Suarez.

Their roles on the stage last night was to add a touch of a rib cracking experience to an enthusiastic virtual audience who were glued to their TV sets and mobile phones, and these two delivered aplomb with some nonchalance and verve.

“We know how to create and reward hit songs, what we do not know is bringing back dead fans”, this paraphrased quote from “His Excellency Dr. OB Amponsah” and Clemento Suarez’s supposed “interpre-acting” of who Naa Ashorkor was, was perhaps enough to warrant these two any pay cheques they had demanded on the night.

OB, having shaved every strand of hair on his head and face to get him the closest Nana Addo-look possible and Clemento Suarez acting as his “interpre-actor” got the most disinterested viewer in the mood with their well-rehearsed “State of the Creative Arts Address” and their introduction of Jay Foley and Naa Ashorkor as MCs, was perhaps one of the most iconic moments of what was a historic night.

Clemento Suarez in his signatory “Konkonte ne Abenkwan” school attire demonstrated why he is gradually rising to be a house-hold name in the showbiz space as he and OB spiced the whole show up with their unique and “nonfa” comment reading “Flavour Room” sessions.

This was a show of two creative geniuses coming together to add the needed colour and shine to an already lit night of innovation and smartness from Mr. Sadiq Abdullai and his 3Music team. If I had my own way, I would have asked that DopeNation’s plaque as the Best Group of the Year be dedicated to these two comedians who didn’t only brought smiles to our faces but also gave further proof that GH comedy had come a long way worth celebrating.

The ease of their deliveries, the naturalness to their jokes, the telepathy and chemistry between them was enough to tempt any “dosted” investor to push these two into forming a comic group.

It is one thing cracking it in front of a live audience and another putting people in stitches virtually, but both OB Amponsah and Clemento Suarez did this to the amazement of the many people who laughed out loud on social media. The duo seems to have horned their crafts and shaped themselves up to be masters of the comedy game in Ghana. Put them everywhere and they’ll deliver.

They did their already burgeoning reputation a lot of good last night and they indeed lifted the flag of Ghana comedy high up for it to be visible enough to their doubters and investors to pay attention to a growing industry like theirs.

Gone should be the days when people said “GH comedians are not funny”. These two together with their colleagues have time and again proven that given the platform, they can do exceedingly, abundantly above more than we can ever think or imagine.

Their performances yesterday also strengthened the argument that creative arts players like musicians and event organizers should find ways to leverage on comedians to sell their products. They have shown over the years that they can do the job and do it well and OB together with Clemento were enough case studies with their performances yesterday.

The challenge has been thrown with the pace set. 3Music Awards has shown the way in Ghana for the VGMAs to follow. If they ever need any flavoring when cooking their events, OB Amponsah, Clemento Suarez and the other brilliant Ghanaian comedians are the right spices to “buy”. They can do it! Just give them the platform!

Writer: Qwesi Nabila Zakariah (@qwesi_nabila)