It’s easy to lose friends in this business and that’s sad. The risk is always looming.
But if one must lose friends, let it be because one told the truth to the best of their knowledge. Sometimes the voice of a friend may sound like opposition. But a true friend stays in your corner nomakanjani!
The right posture to assume with the media is to take it all in one’s stride and make the necessary changes.
I am referring to Intwasa Arts Festival Extra comedy night show held last Friday at the Bulawayo Theatre. The show drew a motley contingent of folk young and old.
Place the accent on young. Normally, that is good thing for a showbiz event to reel families in. In this case, however, it went horribly wrong for the organisers.
More importantly it went wrong for comics. Babongile was in his usual element witty and funny in places. He showcased his song Stameta which was quite hilarious.
But he was also “scandalous”. His jokes bordered on the lewd and downright troubling especially when told in the presence of under-age kids.
Other comics from Elando, Ntando and Q delivered what may well be classified as adult jokes. X-Rated. Ntando, the originator of Umahlekisa Comedy Club unleashed a surprisingly expletive-riddled set.
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In some places the jokes were filthy. It reminded me of Tupac and Dr Dre who addressed women using the B word in their gangster rap.
It had flashes of Eddie Murphy cussing and swearing as a 23-year-old upstart comic hungry for fame in Hollywood on his way to the top of the comedy world in that ’80s era before the magic waned.
Others have tried to follow in his footsteps riding this already tired donkey. How far can one coast on vulgarity?
Chris Rock on the other hand, is rather toned down. He can be funny without being too raw. I liked Will Smith and Steve Harvey’s brand of humour. Trevor Noah is also funny and yes sometimes he turns on the “dirty”.
My taste in humour is not universal obviously. But I can tell you that the Intwasa Xtra comedy night was not for kids. The poster should have been marked X-rated. Alas, some folks were understandably not amused because they could not watch the show as a family.
I met Sikhonjwa later in the week and he did concede that the poster should have had advance notice of the show’s scandalous intent.
I must say that I did laugh very hard at some of the jokes. Clive Chigubu closed the show and one could see that he is recovering quickly.
The comics told their jokes mainly in English. I believe they are preparing themselves to explore other markets. It worked, but sometimes it didn’t.
There was a girl in the audience who kept raising her legs and even acrobatically clapping with her feet! I marvelled at the antic.
It added the sauce to an already spicy evening of adult jokes!
Whats the buzz ? Tomorrow night Miss Environment will take place in Bulawayo. A guy called Briaton called me to give the story. I imagine that the show will be interesting for all followers of female beauty.
In the end whatever title they give the contests, it comes down to women’s beauty as the ultimate prize. Society does not seem to get enough of it.
I won’t mention the current saga over the Miss Zimbabwe crown. Three young dreamers have occupied the coveted spot in less than one year namely Thabiso Phiri, Catherine Makaya and now Tendai Hunda.
Mirror mirror. . . Women are objectified in these shindigs.
Are they not complicit though? I do not hate such contests, but maybe one should not be too taken by them. I mean the girls may not seriously believe they are more beautiful than all the others. There is always one more femme fatale.
Parting shot The 16 days of activism against violence on women began earlier in the week. The hope is that brother artists may lend their voices to the fight against the despicable, cowardly and dastardly practice of thugging on the women folk.
If you are such great boxers or warriors, try join the anti-ISIL troops in the Middle East and see just how vicious you are. Spare sisters the thunder of your misplaced wrath and do something progressive.
