Get ready for some serious laughs this September, as Showmax rolls out 13 brand-new stand-up comedy specials. Featuring some of the biggest names in South African comedy, the lineup includes Sifiso Nene, winner of the Joe Mafela Award and Best Solo Show at the 2024 Savanna Comics Choice Awards. The comedy specials will also showcase previous Comedian of the Year winners Skhumba Hlope and Tumi Morake, alongside the queen of Zulu comedy, Celeste Ntuli. Other comedy giants like Alfred Adriaan, Chantall Jaxx, Chris Mapane, Conrad Koch, and more are set to bring their A-game.
Reported by Showmax Stories, these specials, which were recorded live at The Laugh Africa Comedy Festival (LACF), will be available to stream from Friday, 20 September 2024. The festival also hosted The Showmax Roast of Minnie Dlamini, making it a must-see for comedy fans.
In an exclusive chat, Sifiso Nene shares his experience performing at LACF and his thoughts on the comedy industry.
Nene praised the festival’s concept and execution:
“I appreciated the idea behind the entire concept and how it was executed – everything from the actual live festival to the stand-up episodes now being available to stream on Showmax. It’s rare to see local comedy content being executed and packaged like this; it encourages comedians to bring their A-game on stage.”
For Nene, the inclusion of global comedy legend Eddie Griffin as the headline act was a game-changer for South African comedy. “Having a legend such as Eddie Griffin as the headline performer was huge for South African comedy. I can only hope that such festivals will change people’s mindset so they realise that it is worthy of funding and putting it out there,” he said.
Despite the success of events like LACF, Nene shared his frustrations with the lack of support for comedy as an art form:
“The biggest challenge is that comedy isn’t considered an art form that is worth funding. People in high places still don’t understand comedy or that it’s an art form that has monetary potential and value.” He expressed concern that while other art forms receive government support, comedy is often treated as a “by-the-way” form of entertainment.
Nene believes comedy has the power to address uncomfortable social issues:
“Our job as comedians is to talk about and make light of the uncomfortable subjects and social issues that people are afraid to discuss.”
When asked about topics that should be off-limits in comedy, Nene believes nothing is off-limits:
“It all depends on how you approach each situation that you turn into a joke so that even if you are talking about a sensitive subject, people still find the humour in your delivery, rather than feel offended.”
Nene finds comedic inspiration in everyday life, even in unexpected places like hospitals:
“Inspiration is everywhere for me. I don’t have an inspiration limit. My job is to be in the know, and that’s what people will experience with my episode.”
He also shared that testing new material happens at small live shows called “club gigs,” where comedians can gauge audience reactions before performing on larger stages.
According to Nene, what makes a great comedian is originality and relatability:
“Even if you may talk about one subject as comedians, your take should always be different from everyone else. Be unique and find your style.”
For anyone on the fence about tuning in, Nene insists that the Laugh Africa comedy specials are some of the best work South African comedy has to offer:
“It’s some of the best work that you’ll ever see from the South African comedy industry!”
Prepare for a laughter-filled binge as Showmax delivers top-tier comedy straight from the Laugh Africa Comedy Festival!
