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You wouldn’t think that fleeing from the brutal African dictator, Robert Mugabe, to find sanctuary in Wales, while encountering casual racism on the way, would be fertile ground for comedy, but that’s exactly what Tadiwa Mahlunge manages to achieve in his latest show at the 20th annual Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
The award-winning comedian delved into his background and recent family history, recounting many a fond anecdote of his mother, a lawyer, and his scholarly younger sister, the brains of the younger Mahlunge generation. Due to his mother’s profession, Tadiwa’s family was forced to flee persecution from Zimbabwe’s brutal dictator Robert Mugabe when he was only 6, a move he refers to as “classic Mugabe – vintage Mugabe”.
Some of Mahlunge’s previous distinctions include appearances on BBC2 and Comedy Central, a spot on the 2022 Pleasance Comedy Reserve at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and a nomination for Best New Show at the 2023 Leicester Comedy Festival.
The City Comedy Club, which hosts “the biggest pool of up-and-coming comedy talent in the UK” and features big names such as Esther Manito and Jack Whitehall, has referred to Mahlunge as one of their “most exciting acts”.
Running from the 15th of March to the 2nd of April, the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, which sees performers from all over the world flock to the ‘dear green place’, is now in full swing. The festival has seen the likes of comedy powerhouses such as Zoe Lyons, Maisie Adams, Russell Howard, and Omid Djalili.
Living up to the festival’s reputation, Welsh-Zimbabwean comedian Tadiwa Mahlunge’s performance at the cosy Gilchrist Postgraduate Club last Tuesday, which was the first of two, was acerbic and witty, if not slightly graphic. The variety of a ‘Work in Progress’ show can often be more beguiling; interactions with audiences feel that bit more natural. Comedians rely on our reactions to determine whether jokes will make it into the next show or be scrapped. There is a modicum of confidence entrusted in us modest spectators.
Other focal points of his act included his upbringing in Wales, his devoutly Christian family, experiences of casual racism, and past relationships (including falling in love with his therapist), the usual.
With such organic deliveries, you would almost believe his show was unscripted. He rightfully so mocked the blandness of ‘British’ cuisine and self-deprecatingly disparaged his ‘day job’ as a software engineer and his previous career as a “greedy corporate slut” in the finance sector.
Tadiwa will be showcasing Inhibition Exhibition at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and will be performing at Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker Two from the 2nd to the 27th of August at 9.25pm.
Tadiwa’s next WIP show is on the 22nd of April at the Cambridge Comedy Festival.
