Kansiime pulls record crowd at comedy show

Ugandan comedian Anne Kubiryaba Kansiime once again proved why she is referred to as East Africa’s queen of comedy at a sold-out performance at the Kigali Serena Hotel Saturday night. By 8p.m when Burundian singer Hope Irakoze stepped on stage as the opening act, the venue –out in the large marquee in the Serena gardens – was full to the brim, with all seats taken, forcing many to stand. Kansiime in school uniform on stage. (Fernand Mugisha) Irakoze delivered a powerful act, exploding immediately into a spirited rendition of the 1966 classic, When a man loves a woman, by Percy Sledge, easily drawing the crowd into a sing-along session. Accompanied by members of his band, the former Tusker Project Fame winner claimed his place as a formidable live act, doing justice to other such classics as I feel good, by Dennis Brown, and We are the world, by Michael Jackson. Like Kansiime, Irakoze displayed his appeal among children when he invited a little girl of barely six on stage to sing John Legend’s All of me word for word, acapella-style. Burundi’s Kingigi performs during the show. (Fernand Mugisha) Burundian comedian Kigingi was next on stage, and quickly set the pace for the myriad jokes about his home-country that would soon characterise the evening. With his well-articulated jokes about ordinary Burundian life and the prevailing political situation back home, Kigingi came as the best news for non-English speaking comedy goers. Arthur Nkusi stepped onto stage shortly after 9p.m, clad in a suit, and immediately launched into a circus-like performance that included a few more jokes about Burundi to complement Kigingi’s. Arthur seemed to take his time warming up the crowd, criss-crossing regional borders with his social commentary. Arthur performs on Saturday. (Fernand Mugisha) His jokes about Ugandan life set the mood for the night’s crowning jewel, Anne Kansiime, who arrived on stage at 9:40p.m, clad in a white long sleeved shirt, over suspended white pants, and dancing to Ugandan singer Eddie Kenzo’s Sitya Loss. But not before a mini stampede as adoring fans fought for vantage positions to take pictures of her on their smart phones. Obviously moved by the warm crowd, the comedian revealed she had for the first time visited a Genocide memorial, the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Gisozi, and described her experience as “an eye opener”. She thanked Rwandans for their continued love and support, even against the backdrop of what she had witnessed at the memorial. Kansiime showed her penchant for children when she invited the little girl that had sung All of me back to stage for an encore of the song. A little girl tells Kansiime how she feels about her. (Fernand Mugisha) She proved her versatility on stage as an actor, entertainer, singer and dancer. Her comic toolkit included barbs thrown at her tribe, the Bakiga from Kabale in Southwestern Uganda, and their penchant for Irish potatoes. Kansiime later vacated the stage for Cotilda, another female comedian from Uganda who she credited as the brains behind her popular comedy skits on YouTube. Cotilda then played the suspense game when she announced that a young comedian groomed by Kansiime would be next on stage. Hope sings with a little girl. (Fernand Mugisha) That young comedian would turn out to be Kansiime herself when she returned on stage, clad in school uniform. Kansiime the quarrelsome, bold and loud African woman had turned into the whining little school girl comparing her previous and current Mathematics teachers. The curtains eventually fell at exactly 10:30p.m, and, shortly after, Kansiime posted pictures from the show on her Facebook page accompanied with the caption: “When Jesus says yes, nobody can say no! Thank you Kigali.”

Entertainment

Kansiime pulls record crowd at comedy show