Early this year, renowned comedian Japhet Mazimpaka, known for the comedy concept ‘Bigomba Guhinduka’ (alongside Etienne Iryamukuru), performed in Nigeria, a show he says came with many experiences and lessons.
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Dubbed ‘Stupid Experience’, Mazimpaka told The New Times that doing the show opened various doors for him, including an upcoming show in Kenya on March 31.
"Following my first solo show which was successful, I got the opportunity to perform on a bigger stage which was a first for me since I started this career. I also got to meet other big names in comedy in Africa like Kenny Blaq,” he said.
Mazimpaka pointed out that he learnt a lot during his time there, which opened his mind, career-wise.
"People loved my performance, which showed me my worth. I used to underestimate myself and thought my career had limits, but Nigeria made me believe that I’m able and capable to do a lot more than I thought.”
The comedy industry in Nigeria is so advanced, people put a lot of effort into it and do it daily like any other business, he noted.
"In our own industry, we have to wait for people to organise big shows for us to perform, but we need to work hard and organise our own small shows to get ourselves out there and closer to our fans as often as possible,” he explained.
"We need to learn to do comedy as a business, not just because we have talent or it is a hobby,” he noted.
Regarding the business side of comedy, sponsors, and investors are there, he pointed out, but comedians need to reinvent themselves and build remarkable brands, arguing that sponsors are attracted to creative personalities.
"As comedians, we need to pay keen attention to how we portray ourselves and make sure the brand we create is strong enough to attract people to work with us or invest in us,” he added.
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Going forward, Mazimpaka plans to thrill comedy fans with performances they have never seen before and get them to understand what good stand-up comedy looks like. The content he is working on will be in English and hopefully, out before the end of May.
As for the reason behind his solo shows lately yet he has always shared the stage with Iryamukuru (aka Etienne 5K), Mazimpaka said the duo agreed on trying other ventures outside ‘Bigomba Guhinduka’ and ‘Muhamagare’.
"I used to be more of a stand-up comedian and he’s more into acting comedy, so we teamed up, but we can also do individual projects as our art directs us,” he explained.