Online Reporter
Gift Moyo [email protected]
Fresh from joining Zimbabwean comedy star Learnmore Jonasi on his Whose Lion Is It Anyway? Zimbabwean comedy clubs tour, Bulawayo-based comedian Frank Chirisa is preparing to take his craft across the region on another international tour.
Chirisa is set to perform seven shows in seven days across eSwatini, South Africa and Botswana, in what will be his second stint performing outside Zimbabwe this year.
The young comedian was among the supporting acts on Jonasi’s recent tour, an experience he described as particularly significant given the role the celebrated comic played at the beginning of his own touring journey.
“I loved working with Learnmore. The last Zim tour that he did before he moved to America was my first ever tour that I was a part of in my career as a comedian, so working with him again was a full circle moment for me.
“I love him and what he’s done for Zimbabwean comedy. We now use him as a reference and it’s now okay for us to tell our parents that we want to be comedians. He’ll forever be the greatest Zimbabwean comedian of all time in my books,” he said.
For Chirisa, regional tours have become more than opportunities to perform before new audiences. He believes they have played a crucial role in sharpening his skills and exposing him to some of the continent’s leading comedians.
“I like going to South Africa and Botswana because I never come back the same. I come back as a better comedian because when I’m there, I’m not the top guy, so being around the actual top guys in the comedy industry makes me become better,” he said.
Chirisa’s latest regional run will begin in Mbabane, eSwatini, on August 28 before moving to South Africa, where he is expected to share the stage with Zimbabwean-raised South African comedian Bexta at Monaco.
The tour will then continue through a series of performances before concluding in Gaborone, Botswana, on September 4 as part of the African Problems Are Funny tour.
Having come full circle from being part of Jonasi’s final Zimbabwean tour before the comedy star relocated to the United States to now embarking on his own regional comedy journey, Chirisa is steadily building his profile beyond the country’s borders.
