Trailblazing Zimbabwean stand-up comedian Carl Joshua Ncube is set to represent his country at the Stand Up Africa Comedy Experience to be held at Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg on Friday.
The event will feature some of Africa’s best comedy talent including Nigeria’s Basketmouth and Klint the Drunk, Daliso Chaponda from Malawi, Uganda’s David Kibuuka, as well as South Africa’s Kagiso Lediga and Ndumiso Lindi. Kwaito superstars TKZee and the Naked DJ will perform at the event.
“This is such an awesome privilege. Each hour has its own highlights, meeting awesome names in SA comedy and getting the time to sit down and discuss with them. It has been very busy though, having a documentary crew following us around and the hectic interview schedule. I keep realising just how big and significant this event is,” said Ncube.
Since last year, Ncube has been on a path to prove Zimbabweans still value good laughter and can get the rest of the world to laugh too.
“My comedy has certainly been evolving, improving and changing since I got to SA. The feedback, tips and guidance I get from the comedians here is priceless. It’s good to grow — a bit painful to bear your faults from scrutiny — but it’s the best thing I could ever have done. It’s better to climb from the bottom of a really tall ladder than to be at the top of a very short one,” he said.
Ncube said the aim of his comedy act was to portray a good Zimbabwe to the outside world.
“For a long time, politics has been like a fashion trend in Zimbabwe, but as citizens we’ve our own part to play in influencing a new conversation. I am interested in proving that a comedian can be funny outside the realm of politics. We want to hear about hope and laughter — there’s so much more to Zimbabwe,” he said.
The stand-up comic said part of what he is doing is to give a new picture about the country.
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“If the arts simply focus on politics then we’re doing ourselves a great disservice. We need to focus on love, hope and other issues outside politics. I’m trying to paint a picture of Zimbabwe that our citizens can be proud of.” Ncube’s profile in comedy has grown tremendously.
Before relocating to SA, he staged a number of shows in the country and then went on a world tour that saw him visiting many countries.
