ZIMBABWE-born and US-based comedian, Alfred Kainga, showed off his talent at his debut homecoming show last Friday at Reps Theatre in Harare.
His performance showed that Zimbabwe has got talent and it was an assurance that he is raising the country’s flag high.
Together with other comedians, Kainga delivered a flawless performance to a sold-out show.
Kainga, from Murehwa, but who grew up in Mbare, showed he is among the most-gifted stand-up comedians in the world.
His performance, not so deep but powerful, left many in stitches as he tackled local and international issues affecting people
His message, mainly on the social interaction of people, left many in stitches.
His performance, a fusion of funny facial expression and gestures, highlighted the natural flow of his talent.
Kainga’s performance was flawless to the extent of making one understand how US popular comedian Kevin Hart selected him to take part in the filming of the comedy series Hart of the City.
One can also take Kainga’s performance as a revelation of his life experiences.
Of importance in his comedy is a refreshing shift from political controversy that local comedians like to focus on.
For his fellow Zimbabweans, Kainga ridiculed how opinion leaders, including radio presenters, were at the forefront of imitating foreigners’ accents.
Joking and laughing at human folly, Kainga talked about how Zimbabwe did not need any foreign visitors ‘since they are imitated here’.
His comedy, shaped by satire, also tackled different economic and socials issues affecting Zimbabweans at home and abroad.
Through comedy, he shows that being in the US does not mean one is making money.
He says he started making money two years ago while the past 15 years had been difficult.
“A lot of people, when they go overseas, will not tell you they are broke but I am here to tell you I was broke and I started making money two years ago,” said Kainga.
“I was so broke that I could go for grocery window shopping.”
Kainga talked about his weight which ballooned because of by the junk food in the US.
“I heard someone whispering, ‘pamwe ndezvekuAmerica asi kuzosimba so zvanyanya,” he said.
“I used to look good when I left the country.
“I used to weigh 46kg, never went to the gym because I used to walk everywhere, everyday – then I went to America and started eating everything, driving and eating.”
Although he left many in stitches, Kainga managed to use his one-hour performance talking about important issues that help in parenting.
He stressed the importance of raising children the African way, insisting he would raise his children the way he was raised.
Despite being away from home for more than 15 years, Kainga used comedy to talk about experiences of living in his home suburb of Mbare.
He is also a product of Prince Edward School’s arts and culture unit.
He has shared the stage with a number of comic gurus Eddie Griffin and Tony Roberts, among others.
Through comedy, Kainga has become one of the best comedians in the world.
As a comedian, he has managed to use stand-up comedy as an opportunity to have a positive impact on an audience’s understandings and misconception about major social issues.
His capabilities thus make him the voice of both Africa and the US.
He has worked on major stages and elite comedy clubs across the US, World Famous Laugh Factory in Los Angeles and many others.
He was also described by comedian Kevin Hart as the IT factor during a comedy Central Television programme, Hart of the City.
Other comedians who graced Kainga’s homecoming show included Q Dube Siziba, Long John and Tinaye Wayne.