Phaladi steals Koch�s thunder

Amanda Dichabe | Tuesday March 31, 2015 14:35

Phenyo affectionately known as Master did not have to try hard to make the audience laugh their heads off. He started his performance on a high note. He came up on stage dressed in His Excellency’s favourite casual wear, cowboy hat and a sleeveless Khaki blazer. Master brought non-stop laughter, amazing the crowd as he replicated the President’s physical appearance and voice.

He left the audience begging for more of his presentation of current affairs, ranging from economic, political to entertainment stories.

Other locally acclaimed stand-up comedians did not disappoint. Top female comedian Kelekwang ‘Rekunde’ Mophaleng of Maun wowed the audience as she took a swipe at her homegirl, former 400-meter world champion, Amantle Montsho’s masculinity.

Rekunde performed alongside Bafana ‘Ribcraker’ Letsatsi, Odirille Brooks, Oefile ‘Mawee’ Mokgware and Mapuru ‘Curu’ Makara from Lesotho and Peter Royston of Zimbabwe.

The man who pulled crowds, Conrad Koch, saw dust as the talented local comedians redefined stand-up comedy.  However, Koch beat the clock to regain his reputation and brought out a new female ventriloquist ‘Duck’ who made the audience raise their eyebrows.

Meanwhile, the Heavyweight Comedy Festival (HICOFEST) in association with the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture held a workshop last Friday.  The workshop aimed to empower local comedians on ventriloquism, which is still not that popular in Botswana. 

One of the organisers, Gaolatlhe Kediemetse, said they intend to see standup comedy and ventriloquism in Botswana grow and also contribute positively to the lives of comedians.  This is so to ensure that they are able to make a living from comedy like elsewhere in the world. 

“The comedy industry in Botswana is definitely growing, we managed to sell out more than 300 tickets out of the 400 tickets that we made,” he said. Kediemetse also said they saw an increase in attendance from the previous years.