STAND UP AFRICA PROMISES LAUGHS AT EMPERORS

Get ready for a night of laughter and hilarity when some of this continent’s brightest and funniest comedians take to the Emperor’s Palace stage next month in the not-to-be-missed Stand Up Africa, presented by Metro FM Comedy Experience.

The first ever event of its kind on the African continent, this fantastic comedy fest brings together big name acts such as Nigeria’s Basketmouth and Klint the Drunk; Daliso Chaponda from Malawi; Uganda’s David Kibuuka; Carl Joshua Ncube from Zimbabwe as well as South Africa’s Kagiso Lediga and Ndumiso Lindi.

Also guaranteed to get the crowd on their feet is a special performance by iconic kwaito band TKZee while the Naked DJ will also rock the party at Stand up Africa on Friday, November 4 at Emperor’s Palace.

Hosting the show will be pioneering comedian Kagiso Lediga – one of the country’s most celebrated comedians both on stage and screen.  Most recently, he entertained us with the award winning “CEO of Nandos” ad campaign, was the “DJ On Fire” in the Savanna commercials and hit the road with the record breaking Bafunny Bafunny Comedy Tour late last year.  He was also on the first instalment of the Metro Comedy Experience earlier this year but has spent most of the year producing etv’s groundbreaking satirical news show – Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola and movie Blitz Patrollie that hits the big screen early 2012.

David Kibuuka is the most successful comedian to have come out of Kampala via Krugersdorp and Fourways. This Honours in Finance graduate first hit the comedy scene as part of the iconic sketch tv series the Pure Monate Show. He has been on tv with Laugh Out Loud, Font & Sons and now as the outrageous correspondent on Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola. In a bizarre twist of fate, he is also now managing hit band Jozi and you can follow his adventures on the reality series with the band called Jozi Moving In The City every Monday on SABC 1.  A celebral assassin, he is also regarded as one of the finest comedy writers in South Africa.

Daliso Chaponda hails from Malawi and maintains that he is not related to Madonna’s son David Banda. Daliso pursued a career in comedy but it was when he found himself touring Canada with his acclaimed one-man show Feed This Black Man when he realized that he had officially made it. As his stock rose, Daliso became a fully fledged international comic performing at festivals and shows all over the world. Recently he opened for Sugar Sammy's World Tour in Dubai, Jordan and eight cities in Canada. Some will remember him performing at the Nandos Comedy Festival a few years ago to rave reviews – now he is back! 

Popular comedian, musician and actor Afametuna Klint Igwemma, aka Klint The Drunk, was discovered as an act in Night of a Thousand Laffs and has since become a household name in Nigeria’s comedy industry. He has been involved in ground breaking shows in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Togo as well as in Europe and Asia. A distinct and novel act that combines performance art and stand up, Klint is an absolute must see and adds his very unique brand of comedy to this very impressive line up.

Basketmouth, born Bright Okpocha, has been performing for over 20 years and is now warguably regarded as Africa’s most talented comedian. From winning awards, headlining shows, hosting television programmes – in Nigeria, on the continent and abraod – Basketmouth has become a global phenomenon. Such is his pedigree that he will be performing alongside comedy icon Cedric the Entertainer later this year. He is no stranger to South Africa having headlined Blacks Only a few years back. Definitely one of Africa’s finest, audiences are in for a treat.

Carl Joshua Ncube is a graphic designer, animator, activist for local music and producer of the Zimbabwe Music Awards. However, it is with stand-up comedy that his real passion lies. He recently embarked on his Stand Up Comedy World Tour with one of his objectives being to educate the world about the real Zimbabwe from the mind of a social commentator. Recently interviewed by CNN about his background and craft, Carl is making waves on a global scale. His angle is not only entertaining but somewhat introspective. 

Ndumiso Lindi first tried out stand-up comedy in 2004 during the Vodacom Comedy Campus Tour and realised he had found what he wanted to do in life. His talent was confirmed when he won the Comedy All Stars Comedy Challenge later that year. Ndumiso moved on to doing all the biggest shows on the comedy calendar such as Blacks Only, Vodacom Funny Festival, Nandos Comedy Festival and Bafunny Bafunny to name a few. Today, a bona fide comedy heavyweight – Ndumiso can be found entertaining audiences all over the country as he builds up towards his first one man show “Here I Stand” which he will do in 2012.  

This mouthwatering treat will be topped off with a special performance by one of South Africa’s most iconic and celebrated bands. After a prolonged absence on the music scene – TKZEE are back and many will remember them performing at the opening of the FIFA World Cup last year.