Ugandan comedienne and YouTube sensation Anne Kansiime is scheduled to return to Gaborone for yet another night of comedy courtesy of Soul Food Comedy. The comedienne, left the audience in stitches late last year after performing at Molapo Piazza and Thapong Visual Arts Centre respectively. It was the Ugandan’s first time in Botswana and if reviews are anything to go by, she left quite an impression. “Some comedy fans missed out on Anne’s shows last year largely because they were sceptical about her performance on stage,” says Karabo Musa (Soul Food Comedy).
“But thanks to the rave reviews her performance received after the show, we have been inundated with requests to bring her back.” Musa says they called Kansiime in 2014 at a time when they had just decided to promote women comedians in Botswana. “She was just the right person to motivate budding female comedians we have here in Botswana. It is part of our long term plans to ensure big representation of women comedians in the industry.”
Kansiime will be accompanied by another female comedienne and television actress, Celeste Ntuli. The SA actress will also play host to the show, scheduled for Friday October 30th, 2015 at Boipuso Hall. Ntuli first made her mark as one of the Top 10 contestants on the second season of SABC 1’s reality competition series, So You Think You’re Funny in 2009. She first made her debut as one of the main cast members of DSTV’s Mzansi Magic telenovela IsiBaya (which also stars Botswana’s Koketso Mophuting) in 2013. The exposure Ntuli got from the SABC comedy reality series gave her an opportunity to pursue comedy on a full time basis and she has since performed at various popular comedy festivals. On the local front, the end of October show will feature another female Enigma and two male comedians, Tulani Tau and Zimbabwean Gaborone based, Charles. “The show will give our local girl Enigma the exposure she needs,” Musa says. “She is one of the most talented females in the country.”
Musa says the local comedy industry has been growing rapidly over the past few years and has provided an alternative form of entertainment to locals. “People who love comedy and are not particularly fond of music festivals and other forms of entertainment now have an alternative.” Both comedy nights featuring Kansiime last November were sold out and the organisers are optimistic about this year’s attendance. Dubbed ‘Africa’s Queen of Comedy’, Kansiime hosts the ‘Don’t Mess with Kansiime’ television show on Maisha Magic channel on DSTV. She boasts of many awards that include: YouTube Silver Play Button 2015, AIRTEL Women of Substance Awards 2014BEFFTA 2013 (Best Comedian), Lagos International Festival 2013 (Best Actress), Social Media Awards (Favorite Celebrity), and African Social Awards Malaysia (ASAM).
A YouTube sensation and boasting more than 1 million Facebook likes, Kansiime is one of the most celebrated Ugandan actors and comedians. Soul Food Comedy is a growing entertainment company in Botswana and has hosted a dozen successful shows in the last couple of years. The company will also host the Ugandan in Mafikeng on October 31st.
