First, it was Nairobi with Nairobi Laugh Bar; then Dar Es Salaam followed suit with The Punchline. Now, Kampala is about to get its first full-time comedy club – Laughing Maraboustork – thanks to the works of comedians Timothy Nyanzi, Cotilda Inapo, Hilary Okello and Okello.
The comedy club, which is a brainchild of Timothy Nyanzi is set to launch officially in March at Donel’s Bistro and Lounge along Ntinda Road.
“This is a mutual partnership between us and the establishment,” said Timothy in a phone conversation with Comedy Culture.
“The strategic location of Donel’s and its commitment to top notch service made it an attractive spot for us to set up our operations.”
While an outsider visiting Uganda may get the impression that the English comedy scene is in its early stages, that wouldn’t be further from what’s actually the case. Those who understand the ins and outs of the Ugandan comedy landscape will tell you that the emergence of a full-time comedy club was long overdue.
When Kenyans were getting mesmerized by the then-novel Churchill Show, comedy in Uganda was in full swing, with the likes of Salvador tearing up stages both nationally and internationally; that was one of the earliest waves. Then came a second wave, and a third one – this is the wave in which the coiners of Laughing Maraboustork belong.
Platforms such as Funny Bunny, and The Comedy Black Friday run by Don Andre and Okello Okello respectively are holding down the English comedy scene currently. But a new crop of even younger and hungrier comedians who have been under the mentorship of Timothy for some time now are set to be the biggest beneficiaries of the comedy club seeing as apart from stand-up, Laughing Maraboustork will also have within its structure a comedy school as well as an agency that will engage in production, marketing, advertising etc. which are all geared towards making the comedy craft financially feasible.
“One of our main goals is to reclaim the lost glory of the English comedy scene.” Added Timothy.
“The comedy club will not only benefit comedians based in Uganda but will also enable traveling comedians to have a performance venue for up to three nights in a row.”
Asked about what the financial implications of setting up and running the comedy club would be, Timothy quipped that it’s going to cost them an arm and two legs; sounds costly, but if the success of Nairobi Laugh Bar and The Punchline is anything to go by, that would be a fairly small price to pay for Laughing Maraboustork.
