Clemento Suarez, a Ghanaian comedian, has urged President Akufo-Addo to fulfill the NPP’s platform pledge to construct regional theaters across the country.
The comedian highlighted that the lack of theatres in the regions, particularly when it comes to securing locations for film premieres and stage shows, is one of the obstacles to the sector’s growth.
Clemento Suarez made the clarion call when he spoke with Graphic Showbiz regarding how the lack of theaters in the areas has affected the creative industry over the years.
According to him, it was a great relief when the ruling NPP announced in their 2016 manifesto that they would construct regional theatres, but little has been accomplished to yet.
“In the NPP’s 2016 and 2020 manifestos, the President vowed to build regional theatres, but to date, nothing has been done. Mr. President, we are waiting,” he added.
Checks by Graphic Showbiz found that the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku Mantey, indicated in November 2021 that the Eastern Regional Theatre had been completed, with the Ashanti Regional Theatre due to be finished by the end of 2022.
Aside from this, Clemento Suarez discussed the state of comedy in the country, stating, “From 2019 to the present, we have increased by 30% and we are still climbing.”
He explained that the public’s backing will assure the expansion of comedy in the country.
Clemento Suarez, when discussing his professional accomplishments, stated that receiving the Emmy Award for Entertainment Man of the Year in 2020 was one of his proudest moments. “Being in the same category as Sarkodie and Stonebwoy, I was ecstatic to take first place.”
“Aside from receiving prizes, my greatest accomplishment has been paving the road for my juniors to make a living from stage acting and comedy. “I get fulfillment in making people happy, not only by making them laugh,” he remarked.
Clemento Suarez stated, in reference to his attitude towards his work as a comic, that he examined the effect his actions would have on people.
“I question myself what message I am conveying, what effect it will have on the audience, and how realistic it can be to real-life events. Once I am convinced, I immediately deliver,” he explained.
Thankfully, none of Clemento Suarez’s performances have been brutally criticized, as has been the case for some of his peers.
When I was a student at the University of Ghana, I used to do stand-up comedy, and a professor asked me to be in a play that I refused, so he declared war on me, but it didn’t effect me.
Regarding how he would respond to heckling, the comic said that he has a guiding philosophy.
“I believe that those that criticize you are industry professionals who are well-versed in industry issues and are far ahead of you, therefore I have no problem if they criticize me. I accept their feedback in good faith.”
“On the other hand, I won’t even go to the level of those individuals who have no business criticizing my work since they don’t matter to me,” he remarked.
He closed by urging the nation’s youth to remain modest in all their interactions if they wished to succeed in life.