The second edition of the Kigali International Comedy Festival wound up in Kigali on Saturday night, but did not live up to its billing.

This year, organisers put together a weeklong festival, starting with a school and bar tour from July 22, at which new comedy talent was identified. The best comedians from the two tours were then chosen to curtain raise at the main stage show.

However, instead of the planned two-stage shows (English and French), organisers were forced to settle for only the English show on Saturday night, after some of the foreign comedians for the French show failed to show up.

The duo of Siriki and Souke, from Burkina Faso, were supposed to be the crowning acts for the French show, but they were a no-show.

This led to cancellation of the French show that had been scheduled for Sunday, July 29.

This year, the festival drew a relatively small crowd compared to when it debuted in November last year. Again, the festival returned to its first venue, the Akagera Hall at the Kigali Cultural and Exhibition Village (formerly Camp Kigali), a large venue that also hosted the Legends Alive concert with Yvonne Chaka Chaka just the previous night.

The show kicked off with a Kinyarwanda session, before some of the freshly identified young comedy talent also took their turns on stage.

When the show proper begun, it was soon dominated by Ugandan comedians, beginning with Collins Emeka, whose following among Kigali comedy lovers is growing. Other Ugandan comedians that entertained revelers included Daniel Omara, Okello Okello, and Cotilda, whose entire performance centred around her life as a new mother and wife.

Daliso Chaponda, the Britain’s Got Talent 2017 finalist from Zambia, was the show’s main act, and he did not disappoint. The UK-based comedian of Malawian decent took the longest time on stage and his jokes were well received, although his accent proved a hindrance to many.

Other entertainers on the night included comedian Long John, from Zimbabwe, and Chingliz, from Zambia.

In the end, it was an East African comedy festival at best, not international, but with a bit of an African touch.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw