LONG gone are the days of comical street theatre plays which put some of the country’s best comedians in the spotlight, helping them amass a large fan base on the entertainment market.
BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA
A new international witty style in the form of stand-up comedy has dawned the local market much to the gratification of comedy lovers. This new phenomenon is characterised by mostly solo acts where an individual uses word-of-mouth to regale the audience.
Local stand-up comedian Simbarashe Kakora is currently making waves on the cyber space addressing social issues not only in Zimbabwe, but the whole world through online streaming of his videos weekly.
“Simba the Comic King”, as he is popularly known, said in an interview that comedy can be used to effectively communicate messages to cover social loopholes.
“Comedy disseminates information in a clever and discreet way as it provokes thought among the audience.
“We usually do not plan the lessons we teach in our episodes, but it is in postproduction that we realise the impact and moral lessons we have taught,” he said.
The comedian, who boasts a wide global reach ever since he premiered his weekly episode shows on YouTube in October last year, said his work does not only target the local market, but rather international as well.
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“The whole idea is not necessarily to make comedy for the local people only, but we are trying to create global content which other foreign cultures can relate to as well.
“We have touched on a lot of social issues and we are currently working on our next episode which will touch on the discrimination Zimbabweans face in South Africa,” said Kakora who was recently ranked second on an online list of Zimbabwe’s top 10 comedians in 2014.
The award-winning Kakora has featured other local comedians in his past shows and tonight his 2011 partnership with NAMA nominee Doc Vikela will be rekindled.
The duo’s Simuka Comedy show featuring Long John and Seb Desel which is dubbed Fifty Shades of Laughter is expected to leave the crowd in stitches at the Book Café.
