Shoko Festival, Zimbabwe’s biggest and longest running urban culture festival, is proud to announce a stellar line up for its Shoko Comedy Night that includes South Africa-based comedian Farhan Esat, Zim comedy veteran Michael K, Bulawayo’s MaForty as well as rising stars King Kandoro and Tinaye.
The innovative show entitled ‘Comrade Fatso Presents Coups, Elections & Bullet Trains’ will be hosted by the daring Comrade Fatso and will be taking place at Reps Theatre in Belgravia Harare on Friday 28th September 2018. The show promises to present an extremely unique comedy experience to a Zimbabwean audience as it will include stand up comedians, comedy interviews, improv comedy, a mini-game show, and unexpected surprises for attendees.
The comedy extravaganza will also give audiences a space to laugh at the crazy events of the last year in Zimbabwe as comedians poke fun at politics, society and recent national events. Shoko Festival 2018 will run from the 28th to the 30th of September in multiple venues across Harare and Chitungwiza.
About Farhan Esat
The headline act of the Shoko Festival opening night is South Africa-based comedian, Farhan Esat, who will head up a powerful line up of comedians at Shoko Comedy Night set for REPS Theatre on 28th September.
A regular on the South African comedy circuit, Esat made his debut appearance in stand-up comedy in 2012 and developed into a professional in 2014. His star quickly rose as he earned a nomination for the Best New Comer of the Year at the South Africa Comics Choice Awards 2015 and 2016.
Demonstrating his global appeal, Esat was also a semi-finalist in the Montreux International Comedy Competition (Switzerland) in 2014 and 2015. He has opened shows for comedy heavyweights like Riaad Moosa and Anne Kansime and was recently invited to perform at South Africa’s highly-rated Kings & Queens of Comedy show. Farhan Esat brings in tons of local experience too having performed during the ‘Feel Good Zimbabwe Tour’ (2014) and the Anne Kansime show in 2016.
Esat looks set to bring a top notch comedy act to Shoko 2018 and to show local crowds why he has built such a name in South African comedy.
About Michael K
Michael Kudakwashe, stage name Michael K, is one of Zimbabwe’s most celebrated comedians. He has been performing on the comedy circuit since 2000. His resume includes performing on acclaimed local television comedy, Waiters and the South African plays by Athol Fugard titled Sizwe Bantu is Dead and The Island.
He also appeared in The Guests in 2004 together with Victor Mavedzenge and Shepard Gonera. He later went on to feature in local productions like Studio 263, Getto Fallers, Avenues and Rainbow Towers Comedy Festival and has performed in the New York production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys.
He is an award winning entertainer, having been selected the Funniest Man in Zimbabwe in 2011, in the same year he joined Zambezi News, a local comic series together with Comrade Fatso aka Samm Farai Monro, Outspoken aka Tongai Makawa.
As part of Zambezi News, he toured Europe extensively notably in Belgium and Germany Michael is not new to the Shoko Stage, having performed there memorably in 2017 as part of Zambezi News.
About MaForty-40
Born Dumisani Ndlovu and known by the stage name, MaForty-40, the comedy act from Bulawayo brings a breath of fresh air to the local comedy scene. Having made his debut in 2015 with the viral ZimAsset 2 million joke.
MaForty–40 is taking local comedy to a new level, creatively exploring issues which affect daily life. A rising force in the comic circuit, MaForty-40 is an award-winning comedian, having scooped the Outstanding New Comer Award at the 2018 Bulawayo Arts Awards.
He has shared the stage with fellow comedian Nceku and has toured the country, staging memorable shows in his hometown Bulawayo, Gweru, Hwange and Victoria Falls. He is making his first appearance at Shoko Festival 2018 having won the Top Comedian competition at Shoko 2017.
About Sadza in The Morning
Fronted by Mukudzei ‘King’ Kandoro, Sadza in the Morning is a comic act which has been on the local scene since 2017. Known by the moniker, The People’s Podcast, Sadza in the Morning addresses different concerns using creative imagination. Some of the dope productions include ‘Zim Hip Hop vs Zim Dancehall, Tinoridza Bhosvo Isu!, Omunye Phezu KoMunye (2017) and Sadza in The Morning Awards (2018). Having performed their debut at Shoko 2017, Sadza in The Morning is set to bring cutting edge comic acts to Shoko 2018 and fans can expect new and exciting doses of the best medicine: laughter!
About Comrade Fatso (The Host)
Samm Farai Monro AKA Comrade Fatso is Zimbabwe’s trailblazing political satirist and a popular comedian. Comrade Fatso founded Magamba TV, one of the country’s leading producers of political satire and comedy TV shows, and he is the co-creator of the internationally acclaimed Zambezi News satire show and the weekly political news show The Week. Zambezi News has been broadcast by DSTV to over 2 million households in the SADC region while The Week reached over 1 million cumulative views on Facebook for 2017 alone.
Comrade Fatso’s satirical work has been highlighted and featured on CNN, the BBC, Channel 4 (UK) and The Guardian to name a few. Comrade Fatso is seen as one of Zimbabwe’s pioneering comedians who uses his humour to deal with Zimbabwe’s complex social and political issues.
Through his organization Magamba Network, Fatso launched one of Harare’s premier stand up comedy events, the Bang Bang Comedy Club in 2011. Meanwhile he and his Zambezi News team have been invited to take their rip-roaring live comedy show on tour around the world including the UK, Germany, Sweden, South Africa, Mauritius, Belgium and Swaziland.
Shoko Festival Director, Comrade Fatso promised a hugely entertaining Shoko Comedy Night. ‘Shoko Comedy Night is always highly anticipated each year by our amazing audiences and this year we’re presenting something very different. Its not just a stand-up comedy show – it’s a full-on comedy experience. It’s going to be like a comic opera! We’ve been through a lot over the last year as Zimbabweans and that’s why we chose the theme ‘Coups, Elections & Bullet Trains’ so that we can actually take the time to laugh at all the madness.
The way we’ve structure the show is beautifully anarchic too: from rip-roaring stand up comedy to funny interviews with Sadza in The Morning, from comedy game shows to surprise guests. I also hear the Minister of Impending Projects may be making an appearance. We want to stretch the realm of what’s possible in a comedy show and to push ourselves to our creative limits. We also look forward to having a hilarious time with the audience.”
About Shoko Festival Comedy Night
Shoko Festival is Zimbabwe’s most popular and longest running urban culture festival. Over the years the festival has been a major promoter of Zimbabwean comedy and has provided a platform for comedians and spoken word artists to perform.
This year Shoko festival will host the Shoko Comedy Night which will feature a number of comic performances. Since its inception Shoko Festival has hosted comic acts like Loyiso Gola (SA), John Vlismas (SA), Clive Chigubhu, Mpho Popps, Gonyeti, Mandla Da Comedian, Tinaye, and Q Dube (MC). Donovan Goliath, Tol ASS Mo, and Chester have added an international flair to the comedy night in past years. Shoko Festival is Zimbabwe’s longest running festival of urban culture and is a production of Magamba Network.
