The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo
USA-based comic Alfred Kainga and South African-based Long John, seem to be making waves on the international radar with their names popping up on the nominees list of the Savanna Comics Choice Awards.
Both comedians are up for the Savanna Pan-African Comic Of The Year Award, a gong which is given to a comic or comedy duo working outside South Africa who has done outstanding work to contribute to the elevation of comedy on the continent and globally.
The local boys will be battling it out with continental heavyweights including Anne Kansiime from Uganda, Nigeria’s Basket Mouth and Chingliz from Zambia.
The ceremony which is running under the theme, “Funny Money” takes place on September 7 at The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City.
Speaking from his base in the USA, Alfred Kainga said he was excited to have been nominated for such a prestigious award.
“I have been doing comedy for 14 years and to finally be nominated for a major African comic award is huge as it is shows that people back home are finally paying attention to my work,” said Kainga.
“Knowing that this award has been won by some of the biggest names in the game including Basket Mouth and Trevor Noah gives me the feeling that I am heading in the right direction.”
Kainga started doing comedy on the Dallas comedy scene in 2006 and turned professional in 2010 after he caught the eye of club owners and managers.
Being a finalist in shows such as the Funniest Comic in Texas and the popular Shaq All-Star Comedy Competition led to bigger performances in big clubs like The Improvs.
He has been featured on Kevin Hart’s “Hart of the City” which shows on Comedy Central, one of the leading television channels in that particular genre.
Meanwhile, Long John, who rose through the ranks of the Simuka Comedy Club in 2012, has been making a mark on the international comedy scene.
The comic has performed at numerous major shows and festivals across the continent, sharing the stage with the likes of Barry Hilton, Loyiso Gola, Riaad Moosa and Basket Mouth to mention just a few.
Kainga and Long John are not the first Zimbabweans to be nominated for this particular award with Carl Joshua Ncube also making it to the nominees list during last year’s edition.
