“AS an advertising agent, I used to follow many comedians with the intention of creating adverts from their jokes,” stand-up comedian Simba Kakora proudly says as he narrates his journey in the arts industry. While he envied Michael Jackson’s acts and mimicked them for fun on the streets, Kakora was getting his inspiration from the musician. “After high school in 2006, I went to undertake an internship at an advertising agency as a copywriter and graphic designer. It was around that time that I got exposed to a wide range of stand-up comedy shows,” he said. Today, Kakora, who is affectionately known as The Comic King, tries to imitate some of Jackson’s dances as he gets on stage. “Michael Jackson is my inspiration and after his death, I thought of honouring him through mimicking some of his acts on stage as I ventured into comedy. “I base my themes mainly on the burning social issues of the day, but I don’t link myself to politics.” To him, The Zimbabwe-Germany Society has played a vital role in moulding his career. “Though we have a number of people and organisations that we as comedians can mention as our saviours, the Zimbabwe-German Society has been very vital and the awards they have been giving are an inspiration to us.” Kakora is cofounder of the Simuka Comedy and has performed at Book Café’s Open Mic nights, The Mannenberg’s monthly Mashoko/Magamba event and at Reps Theatre as part of the line-up of comics who performed at the Zimbabwe Comedy Festival. He has performed alongside Zimbabwe’s legendary comedians, Edgar Langeveldt, Michael K and Carl Joshua Ncube, whom he said have been vital in his career.
