Daliso Chaponda, one of the top stand-up comedians will be recording his one man show at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) between April 30 and May 3.
This will effectively be the first international one man comedy show to be recorded in Zimbabwe.
The stand-up comedy show called Chaponda – Barely Legal is set to headline a number of exciting comedy shows at this year’s installment of HIFA- Switch On. Stand-up comedians at a certain stage in their careers will record a specific show called a One Man show which is the equivalent of an album in music terms.
A one man show is sold or screened on channels like Comedy Central. Some notable one man shows are Trevor Noah’s “Daywalker” which propelled the South African to the heights he has achieved in African comedy around the world. The production is also being directed by Zimbabwean TV producer/stand-up comedian Carl Joshua Ncube .
Ncube says the move is a great endorsement of the stand-up comedy audience in Zimbabwe.
Recording a one man show in Zimbabwe is yet another way of contributing to the marketing of Zimbabwe as a destination for event tourism just like HIFA has done successfully so far, he said. Chaponda has received many great reviews for his performances at HIFA. He left audiences in Harare in stitches and won over a legion of fans in his 2011 HIFA performance.
Daliso Chaponda BIO
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Chaponda began his comedy career in Canada with the acclaimed one man show ‘Feed This Black Man’. Following this, he began honing his craft in comedy clubs across Canada
Before leaving Canada he appeared in the 2005 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival. He then moved to England where he appears in comedy clubs and theatres across the UK.
In 2011 Chaponda grew frustrated with the fact that he was better known outside Africa than so he began a project called ‘Laughrica’. The very first show of Laughrica was at the 2011 Hifa festival.
In addition to stand-up comedy, Chaponda is also a prolific fiction writer. He has also published science fiction, murder mysteries, and comedy. His radio play ‘When the Laughter Stops’ about comedians in Africa has just been aired on BBC Radio 4.
TV Appearances: Showtime Arabia Presents (UAE), Live at Jongleurs (UK), The World Stands Up (UK), Good News Week (Australia), Trans Canada Comedy Trail (Canada), Live at Parkers (South Africa)
Festival Appearances: Melbourne Comedy Festival, Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, Cape Town Comedy Festival, HIFA festival, Edinburgh Festival, Greenbelt Festival,
REVIEWS
It takes a special kind of act to work on both sides of the Atlantic (as well as across Africa), but it seems an easy transition as he compels the crowd with his socially insightful comedy. -News and Star, ENGLAND
One of the finest, funniest and most fair-minded comic commentators on race and post-colonial integration that I have seen – Three Weeks, SCOTLAND Full of extravagant gestures and impassioned speeches. He inspires whoops and cheers from his watchers. Highly recommended – BBC Tees, ENGLAND
A stand up comedian with raw Eddie Murphy confidence, cheek and super-polished style -Nerve, ENGLAND
‘His act is an exhilerating tour de farce’ – Adelaide Now, AUSTRALIA – The Agency
