On Sunday, Kigali was brought to its knees as the first edition of ‘Seka Live’ took place at Kigali Serena Hotel.

The night saw exceptional performances from local and regional stand-up comedians, as they dazzled and thrilled the audience with rib-cracking performances, prompting non-stop laughter and excitement throughout the show.

The event started at 7p.m, as the comedians displayed jokes that blew away the whole audience at Serena’s auditorium. The music, background songs, lighting and sound complimented the comedy performances.

First on stage were aspiring comedians Divin and George Birungi, Musoga and Nakato, who curtain-raised for the main acts of the night.

Upcoming local comedienne Nakato got the audience in giggles when she joked about the relationship between parents and their children, and some journalists who don’t write well-researched stories but instead turn to using sensational headlines to gain readership and more sales.

The evening also featured homeboys from the Comedy Knights Michael Sengazi, John Muyenzi known as Babu and Herve Kimenyi.

There was never a dull moment throughout the whole as laughter and excitement accompanied each and every joke.

However, as expected, the night belonged to the main acts, Rwanda’s now established comedian Arthur Nkusi and Kenyan comic Eric Omondi, who completed an already hilarious evening with a multitude of jokes which left the audience in stitches.

Arthur, commonly known as Rutura emerged on stage on a hover board, the self-balancing scooter, amidst giggles from the crowd.

The radio personality and former Big Brother Africa contestant cracked several jokes that connected well with the Rwandan audience, including a joke about "street life” in Nyamirambo, a Kigali suburb, common with ‘gangsta-like lifestyle’.

When Arthur was done, it was time for Kenyan and continental comedy star Omondi to take the stage. Before he even stepped on the stage, the audience was already screaming out ‘Eric Omondi’.

The Kenyan funny man cracked jokes about his home country, parenting in Ghana, public servants, footballers and situational hypocrisy.

However, most of his jokes were about different aspects of life like social habits, relationships and religious habits. He was later joined on stage by his fellow countryman and comedian Chipukeezy, who said Omondi inspired him to venture into the industry.

Apart from comedy, revelers were entertained by gospel music band Beauty For Ashes, which delivered an amazing performance.

Overall, the event which was organised by Rwanda’s Com Factory was a huge success, leaving patrons asking for more. Arthur Nkusi said the comedy outfit will be organising more shows in the coming months as standup comedy gains ground in Kigali.

The show ended at around 11 pm with a surprise engagement of singer Aisha ‘Ciney’ Uwimana. The rapper said ‘Yes’ to boyfriend Ronald Tumusiime amid ululations. The lovebirds have been dating for four years.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw