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Sh’anesu Gutsa
Arts Correspondent
The Arts Convergence Standup Comedy Night, established by Urban Grooves artistes Leonard Mapfumo and Ngoni Kambarami and creative director Rufaro Kaseke took place at the Genesis Arthouse Cinema in London last Friday.
The well-attended event brought some UK-based talent to the stage, amidst a diverse audience of many nationalities and ethnicities.
In the audience were some Zimbabwean creatives, including Taponeswa Mavunga, the director of Africa at Sony Music UK, Kazz of Indian-Zimbabwean duo BK and Kazz and comedian Munashe Chirisa.
“The whole idea of the Arts Convergence festival is to bring to light the Zimbabwean talent based here,” said Mapfumo.
“Many Zimbabweans are relocating here, and they need to be entertained. They need to know who’s here, so this festival gives a platform to these entertainers.”
Co-hosted by Cody the Rank Marshall and Gift Christopher Nyamuteya, the event introduced Glasgow-based Nico Ndlovu to the stage as the opening act, followed by Scotland-based Sean Reid, whose act included an array of accents to punctuate his delivery.
Mukoma Bidz took to the stage and delivered an act which received a lot of belly laughs.
“I was very nervous before I went on stage because this is my first time performing in front of an audience,” he said.
“I’ve only shared my comedy online, so I really wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and see if I can also entertain people live.
“I’ve received great feedback so far, and King Kandoro also advised me to keep going.”
Mr Lorraine, the only comedienne on the line-up, started her act by telling the crowd she’s called Mr Lorraine because she “sounds like a man”.
Her set was well received and ranged from navigating life as a wife and mother, life as a masculine-sounding woman, and commentary on Zimbabweans’ behaviour on social media.
The Arts Convergence also introduced a Malawian comedian, Eric Mwanza, who started doing comedy in 2019.
“I was nervous as this was my first time performing for a Zimbabwean audience, but I really enjoyed it,” he said.
“I think it’s important for the diaspora to start supporting these types of events and investing in the talent that’s based here in the UK.”
Kazz will perform at the next Arts Convergence event taking place later this year.
“We weren’t sure how people would receive this comedy night, but it was great and now we know what to do and not to do next time. Next year it’ll be a bigger event with comedians from four African nations and counting,” Kaseke told The Herald Arts.
The festival started with a film night, screening an adaptation of Petina Gappah’s “Something Nice from London” on the 1st of July.
The second event was a DJ night at a buzzing club in London headlined by DJ Stavo, followed by a Jazz night with performances by Edith WeUtonga, Tsungai Tsikirai and others.
“We’ll be doing this throughout the year each year, not just in the summer,” said Kaseke.
Popular comedian, King Kandoro, closed the show with a performance that received a standing ovation.
“It was lovely seeing people come to show love,” said Kandoro.
“It’s always great to see your people in a foreign land. That spirit of Ubuntu isn’t something you experience often as an immigrant, which makes it special.”
Kandoro is having his own tour “Family Meeting” in Birmingham, and at the Leicester Square Theatre in the Soho area of London in August.
“I really enjoyed this evening. I was asked to perform, but unfortunately I was on a national tour since March . . . I’ve got some new material that I definitely need an outlet for, so hopefully you’ll see me at the next one,” said Chirisa.
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