On August 5th, a brighter side of African culture will emerge from behind tears of laughter at AFRIKOMEDI. No, it’s not just a charming play on words, but a student-funded evening that will feature the wit of five talented local comedians.
Headlining the event are two comics who focus on a variety of issues including race, student life experiences, and social boundaries. First to headline the event is Vancouver native Ryan Mutama, a comedian who tackles the awkwardly avoided questions regarding African American culture.
Mutama is followed by Gavin Matts, a graduate of film production at VFS and a regular at the Comedy Mix downtown. Matts has also performed at the 2014 Pemberton Music Festival.
The show is also a platform for encouraging young stand-up comics, and will feature several comedy acts performed by SFU students: Virginia Ukpabi, Benjamin Manishimwe, and Mufaro Mbudzi.
The Peak caught up with AFRIKOMEDI host Ally Baharoon to ask what audiences could expect from the jovial evening. “You get to learn more about Africa in a way that isn’t really widely understood,” he said. “We don’t have talking lions as pets, Ebola is not a major town [. . .] the point of comedy is to push comfort zones and boundaries.”
For those of you who feel like outsiders to the world of African culture, asking questions about the subject can feel awkward, thus they are avoided altogether. If that is the case, this show is right up your alley. You can leave all of your worries and awkward feelings at the door.
It’s not very often that comedy events are hosted at SFU. There are trivia nights and workshops galore, yet very few comedic acts; take this chance to catch one before the long wait for the next one.
AFRIKOMEDI’s “evening of a thousand laughs” comes to SFU Burnaby on August 5. The event will be held in Shrum Science Centre 9200. Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets are $5.00.
