Arusha is slowly but surely becoming an attractive destination for Kenyan comedians who are looking to tour outside the country.
This month alone, three comedians from Kenya have performed in the Safari Capital of Tanzania with at least three more planning to tour the city next year.
With a Nairobi-Dar Es Salaam pipeline already well established, some people would argue that it was only a matter of time before comedians began to look at Arusha as the next stomping grounds as far as East African comedy is concerned – and they would be right.
But here is what makes Arusha a viable market for comedy.
The City is a major international diplomatic hub. Apart from being the capital of the East African Community, Arusha hosts the African Court of the African Union as well as a branch of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. Comedy has always been an entertainment option for diplomats working in a foreign country.
Arusha boasts a diverse population consisting of indigenous Africans, Arab-Tanzanians, Indian-Tanzanians, as well as small European and North American minority populations. This multicultural nature of the region would for sure make it appealing to a touring comedian
But perhaps, one reason why Arusha would be such an attractive destination for a Kenyan comedian is its relatively short distance from Nairobi – only four hours away by bus – compared to other East African cities like Dar Es Salaam and Kampala which would see a comedian be on transit for anywhere between 12 and 16 hours by bus.
Lastly, there is already an established comedy scene in Arusha, with outfits such as Punchline, Tanzania and Comedy 255 putting together regular showcases. The existence of a thriving scene in any city or town is always music to the ears of a traveling comedian as it usually means they won’t have to organize a show from scratch once they get there, but could instead liaise with the local comedians as it was the case with Bashir Halaiki who performed there recently.
In conclusion, while it’s still early days, if recent developments as far as Nairobi comedians traveling to Arusha are anything to go by, the city has a real shot at becoming the next East African comedy hotspot.
