Rail Park Mall to host comedy night

The audience at Rail Park Mall Food Court area will on March 21 witness Botswana and South Africa’s most funny stand-up comedians. They will be treated to hilarity and great silliness from a variety of comics at the first ever comedy show to be held at the Rail Park Mall. The show promises fireworks as Rail Park is located in the heart of the city.
The headliners for the upcoming show are Botswana’s heavyweight Bafana ‘Ribcracker’ Letsatsi from the Laff-A-Lot crew and top South African comedian Pule (birth name, Nicholas Welch).
Pule, who according to his biography, is affectionately known as “the black comic trapped in a white skin”, was born in the afternoon when it was raining very hard.
According to Pule, he is just “I-awuthiyasekasi” (a guy from the township) who speaks IsiCamtho (Tsotsitaal), Zulu, Setswana and English ÔÇô and he is also learning French and Japanese.
“I am a linguist and also involved in the study of languages,” the comic explains in a more serious tone.
Pule refers to himself as a s’khothane and says he is all about iKasi style (loosely translated as a home-brewed, original kind of style).
But how did Nicholas Welch become Pule?
“I was doing shows at Wits University and featured on a DVD called Strictly Vernac in 2009. The DVD was big on the underground scene and people bootlegged it and just blew up.”
Pule has since been touring all over South Africa with his particular brand of kasi-oriented humour.
He has filled the stand-up slot in three episodes of Laugh Out Loud for Mzansi Magic, was the headline act at 2012 State Theatre Comedy Nights and has performed at the popular 99% Zulu Comedy Show and Mahikeng Comedy Jam.
He was the host of the South African Hip-Hop Awards 2012 and 2013 (broadcast on e-TV) and featured at the National Arts Festival (Grahamstown) and appeared in the SABC1 drama series Tempy Pushas as the character “Marlon”.
He recently performed at the December 16th celebrations and Nelson Mandela statue unveiling at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, attended by President Zuma, Deputy President Motlanthe and the Minister of Arts and Culture, Paul Mashatile, and was also Programme Director for the Day of Reconciliation Cultural Programme 2013.
Overseas he performed in France: Paris, Lyon and Nancy, at the Festival D’Avignon.
Pule was the featured comedian at the Oude Meester Ekurhuleni Comes Alive Jazz event at the Birchwood Hotel, opening for the likes of Judith Sephuma and has closed a show featuring Jonas Gwangwa.
The event is slated for Friday 21 March 2014 at 7pm. The upcoming show includes a performance by another South African comedian Skim Sa Mapantsula, whose comedy exploits, has taken him to corporate events, comedy shows and club gigs all over.
His material ranges from his personal life experiences, being born and bred in the township with mapantsula and his religious upbringing. The supporting acts for the show include Oefile ‘Mawee’ Mokgware from Gabane and Desire Itani from Francistown.
“In realisation that the Food court area lacks night activity; we came up with a solution to have a night activity that will keep the customers at the food court area entertained and also lure customers to the Food court area. For the first event, we will host a standup comedy night featuring well known International performers as well as our very own local comedy giants,” says Kagiso Taicu Makole from Rail Park.
“The main aim really is to spread awareness about our Food court as well as standup comedy as an alternative form of entertainment that is abundant in Botswana. But the ultimate goal is to also help local comedians turn their talent in to a livelihood.”