Arts Views with Thabani H Moyo
EVERYONE who shows up at a comedy show wants to have a good laugh.
AS Ntando Van Moyo walks on stage he knows that it is not an easy task to make people laugh. He knows that his audience is made of people in different states of mind.
Sometimes Ntando the comic can feel it after throwing three lines that he has not touched the right cord and fears that he will miss the punch line.
Comedians are smart, specific and know that the audience has come to view the world through their eyes.
Arts View this week engaged Moyo the comic in an attempt to find out his take on comedy and being a comedian.
For Moyo comedy is a social commentary and every time comedians get on stage their audiences know that they have something to say that they feel so passionate about and have a strong attitude towards that will be reflected through their material.
Comedy is a reaction about social challenges and realties. Those who have watched Moyo are aware that his jokes are sometimes not comfortable and are laced with political ideologies. And Moyo will be playing his role as an artist and a comedian.
“Comedy is a social commentary that makes people laugh … it educates and makes people see things in a different perspectives without being confrontational,” ascertains Van Moyo.
For Ntando comedy is meant to make people feel comfortable in their own skins and discomforts. Comedy brings out thoughts that people harbour but don’t want to say out openly.
Comedy addresses current issues that people face and interact with on a daily issues. It is evident to all that newsmakers in Zimbabwe are prominent people and some of these are politicians.
So it is by no accident that most of Moyo’s content is tainted with politics. “Politics is comedy. Comedy challenges politics. It addresses some political issues in a satirical way, in a soft way that is not violent and confrontational,” he chuckles.
Serious comedians cannot avoid political stuff and that is not because they want to be confrontational.
“I like being relevant. In Zimbabwe politics is relevant to everyone. It is like a politician with so many kids and thinks four are not his. It’s absurd. People have to learn to talk about these things without being violent. In actual fact, comedy must be part of national healing. I like creating a platform for national engagement and national healing through comedy,” he said.
Ntando is a born comic. Absurdity, wittiness and open mindedness are some of his qualities that keeps him strong in his chosen craft.
From being an absurd public speaker who left his listeners nursing cracked ribs Ntando graduated into being an M.C for events.
As an M.C he will sometimes become the focus of the event with his jokes. It was Munya Goba who was working for Radio Dialogue at the time who gave Van Moyo to make business out his absurdity. Later Ntando met Edgar who was then the top Zimbabwean comedian and he encouraged him to go on with his dream of being a comedian.
However for Ntando taking professional comedy was not premeditated, it came as natural talent.
It was not an easy road to be recognised as a comedian. At the time there were no spaces for comedians to work and showcase their craft. Ntando and colleagues found themselves begging event organisers to be included in programs for nothing.
“Comedy had no space. We had to beg event organisers to accommodate us. We did our first formal shows at Intwasa and Ibumba Festival,” reminiscences Moyo. Ntando and other like mind comics had to face the challenge head on and UMahlekisa Comedy Club was born.
UMahlekisa Comedy club is made of many members who include Nomsa Diana, Mandla the Comic, Dalu The Comic, Marshal The General among others. UMahlekisa has worked in collaboration with other comedy clubs in the country and in the region.
“Most comedians are where they are today via Radio Dialogue. We have guys like Long John who had their comedy skills horned by the club,” boasts Ntando.
UMahlekisa Comedy Club besides grooming comedians it has also influenced the sprouting of other comedy clubs as they have seen the template working.
Amid the Coronavirus period Ntando and other comedians have been negatively and positively affected.
“We have lost earnings as comedians since there are no live events happening. But for some who have been in the sector for a while they get invited to some online gigs. Covid-19 has in a way forced us to fast forward some of our plans. Online shows like Mandla and Ntando Show and The Take Down with Q Dube are some of the ideas that we always had and Covid has forced us to work on them now,” he said.
Asked what plans lay ahead for UMahlekisa Comedy Club Ntando did not mince his words.
“We are planning to make money out of our perceived drunkenness. We have Vodka, Whisky and Brandy Comedy platform in the pipeline,” he says with a chuckle.
Ntando is a football fanatic who has had to endure the agony of watching his team Arsenal picking a lot of goals in the nets in the past seasons.
He is also an ardent Bosso fan. He is a family man and likes to keep to himself as he scans through his surroundings for inspiration for his next joke.
