This past Friday saw another installment of Laff – a- lot comedy showcase at Cresta President hotel in Gaborone. Local comedians performed to a decent sized crowd that seemed to be captivated by the homebrewed jokes the crowd was in stitches for most of the three hour event. The line up was made up of six local acts and one veteran, South African Ronnie Modimola, whose lengthly career started as part of the Pure Monate ensemble cast in the mid 2000s. He obliged the audience with his classic character comedy drawing on the popular “side pocket” to keep the crowd roaring with laughter . The event organizer Gaolathe Kediemetse said, “We bring South African acts to train guys on comedy, not to headline the shows.
We do it to grow the brand”. If Fridays show is anything to go by, Botswana clearly has raw untapped comedic talent. Local acts Goodie the Bad, Brooks and Mawe were some of the acts that delivered outstanding performances that resonate with our culture. Not only are our local comedians really funny but its even more refreshing to have them perform in their native tongues. Stokie, a comedian from Maun, wowed the crowed as he poked fun at Batawana and their accent while Goodie the Bad boasted about being a Mongwato. Gaolathe went on to say “Every month we try to expose new acts from different areas of Botswana.” He also spoke about what they try to achieve with comedy in Botswana. “Its not about making money. We’re trying to grow the genre and expose people to a different form of entertainment. People don’t think Batswana can do stand up and most people don’t even know what it is.”