Vusumuzi Dube
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
ARTISTES in Bulawayo and around Zimbabwe are coming together, with benefit events already lined-up, in a bid to rescue comedian Clive Chigubu, whose fight against a debilitating strain of cancer has been hampered by financial challenges.
Chigubu was last year diagnosed with Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a type of cancer that has left him bedridden.
DLBCL is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), a cancer of the lymphatic system which develops when the body makes abnormal B lymphocytes. These lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell that normally help to fight infections.
According to a medical journal, Cancer Research UK, DLBCL grows quickly and treatment should start soon after diagnosis, something which is yet to happen in Chigubu’s case.
Instead of watching from the sidelines as one of their own struggles, artistes have decided to take the bull by the horns and start initiatives to raise funds for Chigubu’s treatment.
On Friday, Umahlekisa Comedy Club will host its inaugural Trade Fair Laughs gig, with part of the proceeds from that event set to be donated to Chigubu.
In addition, two shows are set to be held between 13 and 14 May in Harare and Bulawayo, featuring all available Zimbabwean comedians. Moto Republic will provide the venue in Harare with fellow funnyman MaForty pledging to secure the Bulawayo Music Academy for the City of Kings’ leg of the comedy extravaganza.
Other initiatives are in various stages of development.
Online Reporter