adminBongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
ZIMBABWEAN comedians say they are not keen to produce and share their video clips on social media as their form of comedy is only suitable for the stage. Comedians the world over have been using social media site Facebook to share hilarious video clips that they would have shot in their home countries. This has seen them expanding their fan base and reaching out to an even wider audience.
An example is Ugandan female comedian Anne-Kansiime whose hilarious video clips have gone viral on social networks.
Kansime shares her video clips on Facebook page Kansiime Anne/Entertainer which has close to 400,000 followers. She has proven to be popular with her videos that are about love, infidelity and relationships between married couples among other issues. On average they are shared 400 times on Facebook.
Comedian Q The Boss has tried to do the same but has two video clips to his name. On one of them he will be giving some friendly advice to the organisers of the John Legend show in November saying sungura and Zim dancehall artistes should not perform at that show. The hilarious video clip has been shared on various social media.
On the other clip, Q The Boss jumped onto the Zvirikufaya bandwagon with his own video.
With the coming of social networks, one would have thought local comedians were going to take advantage and flood the networks with their material, especially considering that a few people attend their shows in Zimbabwe. But alas, that is not the case as the comedians are reluctant.
If one shares a hilarious video on social networks, people will naturally like it and share it with their friends. This could prove an advantage to the comedian as people will be keen to watch him/her perform.
Anne-Kansiime has realised the fruits of this as she has performed in Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and the United Kingdom after being spotted on social networks.
Some Zimbabwean comedians said they are concerned about video quality that is why they are not keen on shooting the videos.
One of the country’s finest comedians, Carl Joshua Ncube said shooting videos for their comedy shows did not have monetary returns, hence his decision not to.
“Producing videos is not for me as I prefer to be on stage and do my comedy. These videos do not have a monetary return so it’s more of making a name for yourself as a comedian,” he said.
Ncube said Kansiime was very popular because her type of comedy, sketch comedy, was popular in her home country.
“She (Kansiime) has been around for a while but she only became popular now. Her form of comedy is big in her home country because people come and watch such comedy. Her type of comedy is the same as our very own Kapfupi,” he said.
Fellow comedian and Umahlekisa Comedy director Ntando Van Moyo said most of his material was for the stage hence his decision not to shoot any short satirical clips.
“Shooting short satirical clips is a good way to market oneself but personally I am not for that strategy now. I am very particular about footage quality so once I get someone who can do a proper job, I might have a change of mind,” said Van Moyo.
First lady of Bulawayo comedy, Nomusa Muleya (Nomusa D) said she needed to polish up her act before she can record for social media.
She said she was working on video clips with Van Moyo, but they would release them once they are satisfied with the quality.
Another comedian Clive Chigubu was of a different opinion saying Zimbabwean comedians were lagging behind in terms of using social media to grow their careers.
He said he was working flat out on comical clips that he would share on social media soon.
“Social media is very efficient as videos go viral easily if they are funny and appeal to the masses.
“As comedians, we have not used this opportunity afforded by social media fully to get our names out there so that we are known by people,” said Chigubu.
He said people did not care about the quality of the videos but were only concerned about the content.
“Videos that go viral are just funny. Whether they are recorded by a high definition camera or a phone, if the video is funny it will make the rounds on social media,” said Chigubu.
The usage of social media affords comedians a lot of opportunities.
Zvinhu Zvirikufaya is a clear example of the power of social media in marketing oneself. Most people who recorded Zvinhu Zvirikufaya clips are now popular in different circles, both locally and internationally showing that comedians could promote themselves through recording their own funny clips.
Online Reporter