Comedian Michael Kudakwashe appears to have the proverbial nine lives in the cutthroat creative industry after making a comeback as a leading character on the online political satire show, Zambezi News.
By Kennedy Nyavaya
Kudakwashe rose to fame in the early 2000s with perfomances at the now-defunct Book Café in Harare.
He became a household name at the turn of the millennium after featuring in a number of prime-time television shows at the turn of the millennium.
The 42-year-old comedian, popularly known as Michael K, then disappeared from the showbiz scene before making his latest comeback.
He has resurfaced, this time more mature, but still funny as the lively but unproductive “minister of impending projects” on the popular Zambezi News online show.
“It’s basically a character about a boisterous and rumbling politician who is good at doing nothing, which is what a lot of politicians are like,” he told the Standard Style on Thursday.
The fictional character can easily suit the majority of ministers to have sat in the Zimbabwean cabinet in the recent past.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“I actually thought of the character a long time ago although it has now grown beyond what I had imagined,” Michael K said.
“But generally it’s an attempt at showing politicians how they are usually perceived by the people.”
He considers the character a guide to “how not to do politics” and an eye-opener for people not to let politicians take them for a ride all the time.
On Zambezi News, the character makes hyperbolic promises while using verbose jargon in a bid to win support from the electorate.
“Art speaks truth to power and most times we approach serious things by laughing and later think about them, so the minister (of impending projects) exaggerates things a bit to trigger a thought process,” explained Michael K, adding that the character was not confined to Zimbabwean politics.
After realising that the show transcended borders, Germany’s Deutsche Welle (DW) Africa television recently unveiled a slot for the “minister”, an accomplishment that still overwhelms Michael K.
“The character has grown beyond what I imagined and I am still surprised by the DW slot,” said the father of four.
“But as long as the character is appreciated, he will continue with more intriguing skits.”
Meanwhile, Michael K, who was voted Zimbabwe’s funniest person in 2011, is in the process of learning more to feed the next generation of actors through a project he cannot disclose yet.
“I am skilling myself at the moment, learning more about my craft and a time will come when I also want to contribute to the collective growth of the industry, it is coming soon and I do not want it to just pass without making an impact,” he said.
“Our industry is growing and education is also important in this process because creatives are leaders and they have to be equipped as such.”
Michael K, who doubles as a voice-over artiste, is still fine-tuning his digital marketing dream. He urged budding artistes to take comedy seriously.
“Entertaining people is not a joke because it is about making people pay for what they are not going to eat, which is very hard, but if taken seriously it can take someone to the top,” he said.
“I manage to give my family a good life out of it.”
