Langelihle Dube, [email protected]
For comedian Dumisani “Maforty” Ndlovu, questions about marriage, children and personal milestones have become a familiar part of life. Rather than continue answering them outside the stage, he has found a way to turn them into comedy.
His planned one-man show, Watching My Weight, was intended to address such questions through humour. However, the idea has since evolved into “Watching My Weight: The Roast of Maforty,” which will feature at the fifth edition of the KwaNtuthu Comedy Festival in Bulawayo on October 29.
The festival board proposed that Maforty take the hot seat, giving friends, family and fellow creatives an opportunity to poke fun at his life and personality.
The panel brings together people from different parts of MaForty’s life. His best friend, Cruz, and younger sister, Nokuthaba Ndlovu, popularly known as MaTwenty, were suggested by the festival board to be part of the roast.
Award-winning Zimpapers journalist Bongani Ndlovu and musician Msiz’Kay were his personal choices, while pharmacist Lyton volunteered to participate. Don Milo will represent festival partner ByoPodcast.
The mix is intended to give the roast different perspectives, with panellists drawing on their experiences of Maforty both on and off stage. Their familiarity with him also creates room for jokes that go beyond his public persona.
The roast will see Maforty surrender some control over his material as the panellists draw on their personal and professional relationships with him.
The format is a departure from his usual performances, although his own experiences have long been central to his comedy.
In a recent interview, Maforty explained that the concept originated from his responses to questions about marriage and having children. He said he had decided to incorporate material from a script he had written under the same title into the roast, using comedy to express his approach to personal expectations.
“Being in the hot seat was the KwaNtuthu board’s idea. I was hoping to have my one-man show titled Watching My Weight as a comic way of responding to questions about when I am getting married, having children, and so on.
“I know for a fact the roast will live to billing. Those that have followed me know that my comedy has always been my life and experiences, so the audiences have always been laughing at my life and
I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.
Beyond the jokes and personal revelations, the festival is also adapting to the realities of staging a major arts event in a challenging financial environment.
MaForty revealed that some sponsors and partners withdrew at the last minute, while some schools failed to meet deadlines, forcing organisers to trim the programme and reduce the number of participating schools.
Rather than abandon the event, the team has opted to restructure the festival and introduce new experiences while working within its budget.
“For this year’s festival, we have decreased the number of schools that used to grace the festival on separate occasions. We are introducing an outdoor event, as well as other exciting events.
“We restructured our festival so as to be in line with our budget. We experienced last-minute cancellations from our partners and sponsors, and some schools failed to meet our deadlines, resulting in them being dropped from the programme. But we will stage the festival, and I know it will be top-notch,” he said.
As KwaNtuthu Comedy Festival celebrates five editions, MaForty is betting on fresh ideas, familiar faces and a willingness to laugh at himself to keep audiences coming back for more.
