Simuka Comedy…Is No Laughing Matter

PATIENCE MUSA

The funny business is relatively a new comer in the arts and entertainment industry, one that has been growing from strength to strength through the years.

This rapid growth has been mostly due to the focused key players who are serious about the ‘funny’ business.

One of the major players is the 10-year old Simuka Comedy.

Victor Mpofu AKA Doc Vikela and Simba Kakora AKA Simba The Comic, at the time were up and coming in the sector.

The two were passionate and excited about their craft and also frustrated by the lack of ‘systems’, few comedy spots and events.

They realised the need to create their own platforms instead of having to wait for promoters or venues themselves to create Stand-up comedy events.

The two wanted more too, more than just an interlude between live music performances, open mic events and stand-up comedy events.

Their main objective according to Doc Vikela was for “Simuka to become a flagship comedy company with a dedicated comedy platform for performing stand-up comedians”.

To date Simuka has created over 20 active comedians the likes of Comic Pastor, Boss Kedah, Gonyeti, Kadem The Comic, Maggie, and Munya Guramatunhu.

For most of us Simuka Comedy is not new, we have cackled, forwarded, liked and rolled on the floor in laughter at their hilarious skits. Little is known however as to how it all started.

Simuka comedy is subdivided into three main divisions—the academy and talent agency, Simuka TV and Simuka Unzwe (recording studio).

The Academy and talent agency is tailored to groom complete beginners or circuit regulars – the art of comedy. Skanyiso Mlambo AKA Skanyiso That Guy a comedian himself is in charge of the division, which handles 20 students every semester.

Currently the division has been temporarily shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The division will however be relaunching soon and those groomed at the academy are then tapped into the various Simuka Comedy projects- as extra talent, actors,  master of ceremony, voice over work and any other inhouse projects. At the end of the year they graduate.

Simuka TV encompasses all the Simuka content- Vakuru, Special Class, Mukoma Tonde Patown, The Simuka Sketch and Chimurenga Files published through Youtube and Facebook. Lisa Gutu an actress and writer is the project officer who has experience in theatre and television. She has been introducing theatre to the academy and this year she made it possible for the company to submit a piece on world theatre day.

Wencelacy Katuka aka Kadem The Comic is operations and finance director of the company and, Doc Vikela is the creative executive director. Also a part of the team is Louis Napata a comedian in his own right who is the marketing director based in the Netherlands. The team is small and efficient.

The Recording studio is the third division aptly named Simuka Unzwe which is a work in progress. It’s used to create radio dramas and audio content at the moment and will create podcasts and comedy albums, in the very near future. The studio is run by Memory Kazuru, who is also a comedian and actress.

Simuka Comedy is made up of risk takers, a group of valiant creatives who above all are dream chasers.  They have known each other and worked together since 2015 sharing a common passion for comedy and the zeal to put in the necessary work required of them.

The team meets every morning, brainstorming and planning each day with calculated precision. Rehearsals, planning of shoots and shoots follow as content is produced every day and immediately uploaded.

In its true form Simuka Comedy is all about stand-up comedy and so promotes and runs a stand-up comedy circuit all over the country. The operations and finance director’s main thrust is to bring comedy to Zimbabweans everywhere, and plans are under way to turn that into reality. Stand-up comedy remains the company’s core business and Simuka Comedy also works with various brands in marketing and awareness campaigns.

Every year, the group finds a way of reaching larger crowds. In November last year, the annual Simuka Comedy Festival was launched. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the inaugural festival was virtual and over three days.

The first day which is a Friday is an all women, Saturday is a ‘satire day’- audience can enjoy satire in every form, Sunday is a general day with academy students also participating. Last year, comedians from Zimbabwe, the region and beyond took participation.

Doc Vikela said this year’s festival “will be even bigger, we have already started to plan and we will be releasing some information end of the month”.  

Comedy has come a long way from Safirio Madzikatire’s stage antics, Kapfupi’s street shenanigans to Edgar Langeveldt’s side splitting Book Café episodes.

“Comedians have a poetic license to talk about everything, things that others cannot explore. We chose the name Simuka a direct translation meaning stand-up comedy.

In Christianity names have power. The name says even in the face of adversity continue to rise. Humour and satire comedy has a place in Zimbabwe and Simuka will ensure it continues to rise,” Doc Vikela.