Mr Ibu - the man who made Africa laugh - BBC News

Nigerian comic actor John Okafor could make people erupt into laughter without even opening his mouth.

14 hours agocommentsCommentsShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Mr Ibu/InstagramImage caption, Despite his ability to make others laugh, John Okafor did not enjoy domestic happinessBy Mansur AbubakarBBC News, KanoSuch was the comic genius of Nigerian actor John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, that he often didn't even need to open his mouth to make people laugh.

"I was chosen to play a doctor in a film one time and when I came to the set dressed as one, even without saying anything, all the crew just burst out laughing," he recalled.

His death at the age of 62 has left family, friends and fans of Nigeria's film industry Nollywood across Africa in mourning.

He burst onto the scene in 2004 with the movie Mr Ibu, which tells the story of the eponymous single father and his son as they journey through life, getting into a series of tricky, and hilarious, predicaments."His facial expressions and his body were his biggest selling points," film director Babangida Bangis told the BBC, contrasting him to most comic actors who use words to make people laugh.

"Mr Ibu was different as he doesn't even have to talk to elicit laughter, as his face just like Mr Bean [Rowan Atkinson] will do the trick," he said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-68467903

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