Review: Basketmouth Plays to His Strength in Showmax Original, ‘Ghana Jollof’

Basketmouth, born Bright Okpocha, is one of the greatest to ever do it when it comes to standup comedy in Nigeria. A struggling music career accidentally led to comedy and acting and he has been on a roll since the 90s.  After dominating the entertainment scene for several years, he decided to return to switch things up last year by combining the three things he loves; comedy, acting and his first love — music.

Towards the end of the year, he created a comedy show called Papa Benji. The web series, which revolves around a pepper soup joint owner with characters inspired by his late parents, was an instant hit. The show was accompanied by a well-received highlife soundtrack album called Yabasi.

After his successful first attempt, Basketmouth is back with a new project which also happens to be a Showmax Original titled Ghana Jollof. The new show follows the lives of two young Nigerians, Jasper (Funnybone) and Romanus (Akah Nnani), who decide to move to Ghana in search of greener pastures. The cast includes both Nigerian and Ghanaian actors.

Talking about the comedy series, Basketmouth says: “I’ve always wanted to create something that would be a collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana, and Ghana Jollof is a realisation of that dream. From the cast to the crew, everyone gave of themselves to create a show deserving to be Showmax’s first comedy-drama from West Africa. We all can’t wait for the fans to see what we’ve cooked up.”

First Look Review

Culture Custodian got a sneak peek at the first episode set to hit the streaming service on Friday, 22 October 2021. Here is what we think:

The comedy series kicks off with a first-time meeting between Nnamdi (Uzor Arukwe), Jasper (Funnybone), Kweku (James Gardiner) and Romanus (Akah Nnani) as students and roommates at the University of Lagos. What ensues is hilariousness as we see these characters try to one-up each other with everyone trying to prove why they are the most impressive.

There is some romance and drama to spice things up with Kweku who is stubbornly in love despite the warning signs and advice from his friends. By the end, all four characters have gotten close enough for Jasper and Romanus to decide to relocate to Ghana in search of jobs and a better life. 

Watching it brought a nostalgic feeling of our time in the university and the kinds of people you come across there. You can expect to relate to at least one character from Nnamdi, who makes looking good his business to school dropout Romanus who goes around squatting with his friends. Underneath the comedy, the first episode touches on internet fraud (yahoo yahoo), the different faces of the Nigerian youth, homelessness, and love.

Like he did with Papa Benji, Basketmouth plays to his strength by creating a funny yet totally relatable show that will have you laughing as you recognise yourself or someone you know in the characters. We can’t wait to see what happens in subsequent episodes, executive produced by Basketmouth and directed by AMVCA nominee Diji Aderogba.

Ghana Jollof will be available for streaming on Showmax with new episodes dropping every Friday from 22 October 2021.