Daliso Chaponda: Not vulgar, just funny

Do you ever take yourself seriously?

Yes I do. The interesting thing is that many comedians off stage aren’t the ones cracking jokes, because off stage you are just observing. It’s almost like being a journalist, you are seeing what people do and then later you turn it into a joke. When I’m not on stage, people often ask: “Are you a comedian?” Because they think I’m going to be cracking jokes all the time. But no, when I’m off, I’m off. 

Are there topics you’re afraid joking about?

Not now, I’ve been a comedian for so long, I started in 2001. But when I started, I used to wonder what’s funny. Now I just think of what I want to make fun of. I write every day, I write for myself and for others. So essentially, no. Everything is funny and you just have to find the angle, even stuff that people think are not funny, like terrorism. You can make it funny, and I make it funny. 

In all those years, what moment sent your career upwards?

The turning point for me was 2007. I had always been a comedian who worked in the country I lived in. The first time I was hired by someone who flew me to another country made me feel like I’d become a professional. I went to Melbourne, Australia, for the Melbourne Comedy Festival and I was like, “You’re going to fly me half way around the world to perform for these people?” I was with comedians more famous than me, like Stephen K Amos — people who I admired. It made me realise this isn’t a hobby. That I can do this as a job because they were treating me like that person I admire. 

Which is the worst audience to perform to?

The toughest crowd to perform to is that of really rich people who feel entitled. I’ve done corporate events at golf clubs for company CEOs. They feel like they are better than you. Part of the way that comedy works is that people feel like you’re the same as them, that the person on stage is talking about problems we all have and we are all equal. For people who feel like they are above you, they wonder what you are doing. It’s a much harder way to get across but I’m starting to learn how. If I walk through the car park and I see a Rolls Royce, I know this is going to be tough. 

Is there such a thing as having your own signature in comedy?

Yes, I tell stories and I’m a little political. There are comedians who do observations and there are those who do slapstick like Mr Bean. 

So you do not shy away from doing racy material?

I don’t, I love it. Everything is funny, sex is funny, and I like talking about things that we are afraid of. In Africa, people don’t like talking about Aids, so I joke about it. People don’t like talking about infidelity. I talk about it; same with homosexuality. What comedy is good at, is bringing up these issues that people don’t want to talk about.

Do you care if people are offended by your jokes?

I never want to offend. I talk about some tough subjects like child molestation, slavery and dictatorship because I feel comedy should take the teeth out of the monsters. Comedy is really good at lightening up everything we are scared of and find horrible. But sometimes you can offend somebody accidentally. When I do, I talk to somebody and change the words. When I first used to talk about people with disabilities, I used a certain word that they found offensive. Somebody came up to me and said he loved the point I was making but asked me not to use the word. So I changed the joke and now I do it without that word. I’ve also called aside white comedians who use the N-word and told them I know they’re not being racist and they’re trying to make a point but by using that word, they are undermining their point.        

What difference is there between the Kenyan and Malawian audience?

The Kenyan audience is easier because they are more familiar with comedy, because you have comedians. Malawi doesn’t have as many but they get excited to be there. But they are more likely to be shocked by what I say. Here you have so many comedians that there is nothing I can say to shock you. 

Do you care about fashion at all?

I really don’t, and I should because often I’m the worst dressed comedian on the show. My fellow comedians are always making fun of me because I look like their accountant while they are all dressed like rappers with gold chains and I’m in a suit or something. But for me, it’s the words, just the words. 

Did anyone ever try to talk you out of comedy?

Yes. My parents... can you imagine their “Straight A” child who they thought was going to be a doctor or a lawyer said, “Forget all that, I’m going to be a comedian”. They thought I’d gone mad. There were interventions and everyone was called. People were crying, saying I was ruining my dream. But then I began doing it and when I started doing really well, they realised, oh, its working. 

Have you ever heard someone steal your jokes?

Yes.

Did you call them out?

No, it’s a constant hassle. The truth is, I just write more jokes. If you’ve got good jokes, people will steal them. But I’m not really bothered because I move on. By the time they are doing my joke, I will be like, “You’re still doing that joke from two years ago? I’m funnier”. It only hurts when they are famous because if someone renowned steals your joke and he is on television, people think it’s their’s. But when a wannabe comedian steals my jokes, it doesn’t bother me.