The local comedy industry is making strides to show development in the industry with each show in the year 2013. Comedy for the Nation of Botswana (COFONABO), also known as the Laff-A-Lot crew, have so far managed to host Pule (birth name, Nicholas Welch) at their previous show at Khwest. They have also been invited to open for top South African act Riaad Moosa at Gaborone International Conference Centre. The Laff-A-Lot crew hosted their first ever sold out night at Cresta President Hotel where they invited South African comedians Thapelo ‘Shampoo’ Seemise and Mashabela Galane.
The Laff-A-Lot crew is back to continue presenting fresh and innovative concepts with their tour. According to Media Liaison Officer for Laff-A-Lot, Gaolathe Kediemetse, “Having produced several top notch comedy events in Gaborone, it was only natural to continue showing growth through taking comedy to other areas outside Gaborone. This will be the time for our comedians to showcase their prowess and display the skills and knowledge acquired during workshops by invited SA guests at previous shows”.
The tour kicks off in Palapye on 31st May at Cresta Botsalo Hotel. It will then proceed to Selibe Phikwe on 1st June at Cresta Bosele Hotel. The Grand Finale will be held in Gaborone at Cresta President Hotel on 7th June where invited comedians will be veteran Roni Modimola and newcomer Tshekedi Monyemore. The Laff A Lot Comedy Tour is sponsored by Cresta Hotels.
This will be the 3rd time Laff-A-Lot is taking comedians on the road having started in 2011. The headliners for the tour are top Botswana comedians Bafana ‘Ribcracker’ Letsatsi and Modiri ‘Mod’ Keseabetswe. The tour will feature 1st runner up from the 2012 President’s Day competitions Shigah ‘Stokie’ Sendimbah, 2nd runner up Oefile ‘Mawee’ Mokgware and top 10 finalist Shima ‘Jerusalema’ Nnanaakoko. Goodwill ‘Goodie the Badd’ Tlokwe will also be on the lineup while Paphani ‘Paps’ Masilila (former Yarona FM presenter) will be the host.
Shigah ‘Stokie’ Sendimbah is young man from Maun who has been involved in the comedy industry since 2010. He performed during the 2nd Laff-A-Lot Comedy tour. He has also been featured at Comedy Sundays hosted at Khwest. His style of comedy is observational comedy as he pokes fun at everyday life, often by inflating the importance of trivial things or by observing the silliness of something that society accepts as normal. The talented comedian is also an aspiring actor and has scripted a couple of comedy dramas awaiting production. His counterpart Oefile ‘Mawee’ Mokgware hails from Gabane. He was also part of the 2nd tour and has performed at such events as the Yarona FM Valentine’s Day event and opened for top SA comic Barry Hilton.
“We have had tremendous support at our past shows from both the public and the media alike, even managing our 1st sold out show. We promise a scorcher of a tour with this production and we promise to surpass all the previous tours as we have a fresh and funny lineup”, says Kediemetse, who is also the event coordinator. “The main aim really is to spread awareness about standup comedy as an alternative form of entertainment that is abundant in Botswana. But the ultimate goal is help comedians turn their talent in to a livelihood”.
According to Laff-A-Lot Secretary General, Chidzani Mololwane, the aim of the tour is to inspire and motivate more comedians to work hard so as to create a professional comedy sector in Botswana. “Over the years that we have been involved in the President’s Day Arts Competitions, we realized that there is a greater need for comedy shows in the country. There is plenty of talent out there and audiences react positively, but the problem is the competition comes once a year, and there is nothing else to help these comedians hone their skills, hence a tour of this nature.”
