Comedian Frank Chirisa is set to make his international debut at the O Mokae Comedy Festival in Gaborone, Botswana, on May 31.
The festival will feature Gaborone Comedy Club heavyweights Jonny Pula, Triccs, Bambino, Boldiwn Bals, as well as Zambia's Smoke and South African-based Tsitsi Chiumya, co-host of the Popcorn and Chill Podcast with Mpho Popps.
Chirisa anticipates positive outcomes from the gig.
"My feeling is that this will bring awareness and attention to Bulawayo comedians who haven't been getting much international recognition," he told Standard Style.
"Comedy is mostly about relationships more than it is about the talent. Comedians and promoters work with people they trust, so I'm aiming at fostering serious relationships across Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Botswana. It is not just for my sake; it's for other comedians as well."
This marks Chirisa’s fourth visit to Botswana. The show will be held at the Cresta Hotel in Gaborone, where he plans to dedicate most of his time to performing jokes.
"I want to explore telling jokes outside of Zimbabwe as I get ready for my upcoming tour, 'Thoughts I Didn't Ask For'," he explained.
"I want to use a different approach in working on the jokes for my upcoming one-man show. The goal is to spend as much time with comedians outside Zimbabwe and learn from them so that if we go on a World Tour, the production will be universally appreciated and relatable."
The comedian credits his Gaborone colleague for facilitating his appearance on the festival lineup.
"I was just invited after I went and killed the last show at Cresta in March this year, which got me a standing ovation," Chirisa said.
"Jonny Pula came to me afterwards and told me that the next time I come to Botswana it would be a festival, not just small shows. I am glad because my audience in Botswana is also growing, and I'm considering doing my one-man show there sometime."
