Curtains will come down on the inaugural Simuka Comedy Festival today after a marathon of captivating and wide-ranging comic shows, starring local and international jesters, presented through their online platforms since Friday.
By Kennedy Nyavaya
Running under the theme Rise Again — Simuka Futi — Phakama Futhi, the fiesta marked a decade’s celebrations for Simuka, one of the country’s leading comedy clubs.
In an interview with Standard Style, Simuka Comedy co-founder Victor Mpofu, aka Doc Vikela, said the festival represents a step into the future where comedy will grow immensely.
“This is the right time for comedy to grow and there should be a base as well as roots so we as Simuka are creating it. Over the years we have been grooming people and all of them are investing their talents back into the club, so with this festival we are saying let us grow and build a bigger space together,” he said.
The award-winning funnyman also said that they were taking the opportunity to re-evaluate their efforts from the past in a bid to secure a more professional as well as profitable future.
“One part that we can look at as a low in our journey is how lots of talent from our comedy club is good and has following but it does not translate to significant financial value,” he said.
“Those are some of the reasons we have always wanted to create a local circuit that will help us sell comedy as an acceptable art form that can even strike lucrative deals with corporates. We are also on a mission to professionalise the art so we can realise its full potential.”
- 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
A variety of programmes, including 11 episodes of stand-up comedy series Simuka Phakama video skits, comedy sketches, online comedy workshops and symposiums, were streamed live on Simuka Comedy’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
According to Doc Vikela, they had decided to host an online version after realising that even with Covid-19 restrictions in effect, comedy still plays an integral part in keeping people entertained.
“Comedy is the shock absorber that everyone is looking for at the moment in Zimbabwe and so it is very necessary in our society because it breaks down some of the complex issues we face as a nation,” said Doc Vikela.
“When you look around all the troubles ordinary people face, especially with Covid-19 in the picture, you will see that we are sitting on a serious hazard of mental issues and that is what comedy is there to correct.”
Meanwhile, the fete was broken down into three days with Friday being Farai-Day, dedicated to female comedians. Yesterday was Satire-Day and today is dubbed Sunny-Day in what has turned out to be a mixed bag of satirical content.
