Comedy Knights will be holding shows online for free, in order to keep people entertained during the lockdown.

"We want to entertain and play our part as artists during this pandemic,” John Muyenzi Jr., also known as Babou told The New Times.

The team is comprised of Michael Sengazi, Herve Kimenyi, John Muyenzi Jr., George Birungi, and Prince Nshizirungu. But they also have new faces in their team, "you will be seeing them in the coming shows.”

He explained that the idea of having their shows online started within their WhatsApp group, in a casual chat. "We were wondering how we are going to do our things and, because we cannot organise shows and invite people physically to attend, it doesn’t mean we cannot reach lovers of comedy or art in general. 

"Everyone is at home, let’s find something to take off our mind the worrying and just laugh a little bit and it’s a very good time to connect.”

Their first show was held on April 15, and was hosted by Prince Nshizirungu. "Only one comedian can host it. Other comedians help by commenting and being part of the live,” said Babou.

Birungi followed on April 16, then Muyenzi on April 17 and Sengazi the next day.

The shows will be held from Monday to Friday. "When we started, we wanted it to just be this week, but then our fans are telling us to please keep on. We will keep it going for as long as possible,” he added.

More about the Comedy Knights

Popular for weekly shows, Comedy Knights was the first comedy company in the country, which started operating in October 2010.  "We have given a hand to other comedians, and we have worked with many others, like the Day makers. We have been around for a while, 10 years down the road, and we are not stopping,” explained Babou. 

Arthur Nkusi for instance, is a product of Comedy Knights and one of the founders.

Its members, however, took some time off. "From 2018, we decided to take some time offto help and promote young talents; young local comedians by training them.  We have an organisation called Rwanda Comedy Club (RCC) and, we are about to get a status from RGB.

They have already started helping young comedians, especially with their content. They are also trying to connect overseas. Kimenyi was in France, at the beginning of the year, and was also hosted Marrakech.

The team had also planned to travel more, and take our comedians abroad before the pandemic.

Despite the challenges during the lockdown, the Internet has been an active platform for people in the entertainment industry. "We need to have a show but we cannot. We have to go with the guidelines. And there’s a lot of people online, it is a platform that we have to reach to our fans.

"Maybe we will think of other stuff in the coming days, like radio and TV, but it normally costs a bit to go there, you need a camera, and other things. But online, you can just use your phone and create content,” said Babou.

You can watch their comedy, live on Instagram @ComedyKnightsrw.