COMEDY is no laughing matter to comedian Simbarashe Kakora, hard work pays off and Kakora, who broke on to the scene by merely taking chances, is finally starting to see the spotlight at the end of the tunnel.
By Entertainment Reporter
He is basking in the glory of winning the National Arts Merit Awards for the outstanding comedian in spoken word at the previous edition of the NAMAs that were held in February.
Popularly known as the Comic King in comedy circles, Kakora has every reason to smile and is set to embark on his debut South African tour next month. The last time Kakora performed in South Africa was during a one-off comedy night at Parkers Comedy Club.
However, this time he will be going for a series of gigs in and around Cape Town at JouMase and Parkers comedy clubs in Johannesburg. The tour is a Desiree McKie and Joe Parkers initiative, the respective owners of the two comedy venues where Kakora is set to perform.
“My dream has finally come true and I am thrilled and honoured to represent the comedy fraternity during this tour. Amazing to note is the fact that this will be my first tour and I really can’t wait to embark on this adventure,” he said.
This tour could prove to be a milestone in Kakora’s career that might see him follow in or even surpass the footsteps of now critically-acclaimed comedian Carl Joshua Ncube.
To all those in the know, Ncube is now highly regarded and has travelled extensively touring the United States, Germany, France and most countries in the region.
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Despite the fortunes Kakora is now enjoying, it remains a fact that all this fame just didn’t materialise overnight, but is a result of hard work and ambition. In an interview with NewsDay, Kakora recollected the events leading to the blossoming of his career.
“Virtually unknown, I made my first proclamation on the comedy panorama by chance. I had always engaged in public speaking during my years at high school, but I was yet to make a mark on the professional scene.
“One day, I took a chance and performed during the open mic sessions that were held at the old Book Café and since then it became a habit. This paved the way for my first real set titled The Rib Cracker hence this astonishing adventure marked the beginning of a career that merely started out of taking chances,” Kakora recalls.
To all those who have been closely following proceedings, the way he hilariously made the crowd laugh their lungs out that night made it known that he had surely come to stay.
Since then, Kakora has been working to make the best out of his newly-found passion in his quest to reach the next level.
Meanwhile, Kakora said the award he recently won at NAMA was only a starting point and a spur that would push him to work harder.
“I always dreamt of getting special recognition and winning this award, but I was not sure I would walk away the winner this year.
“For me, this is only the start. It pushes me to work harder hence it has set a clear vision of where I am really going,” he said.
However, Kakora lamented inadequate support from the corporate sector to assist this growing industry.
“As comedians, we still need a lot of support from the corporate sector for the industry to flourish. There is a lot of unrecognised talent and there is a lot that needs to be done to match the standards of the world in comedy,” he said.
