The Maravi Post

BLANTYRE—UK-based comedian Daliso Chaponda did his thing at Robins Park in Blantyre over the weekend, poking fun at the Malawi Censorship Board (MCB) which wanted to keep him to the straight and narrow.
 
Looking sharp in a designer suit, he said he was told two MCB officials would attend the show--free of charge! Yes, that one had the audience laughing out loud.
 
Daliso, son to Education Minister George Chaponda, drew more tears of laughter when he talked about love homosexuality, religion, Africa, donor aid, stripping of women as well as the forex and fuel shortages.

Now and then, he asked the audience if he was offending anyone and to which he got a thunderous ‘No!”.

Moved by the audience, Chaponda talked of how his father always wanted him to do his best. Getting 7As and 2B’s wasn’t good enough to his father.

“I am proud of my father because he is a hard worker,” he said, adding that when he read in the UK papers that Malawi wasn’t doing well he told his father, the cabinet minister, that wasn’t applying himself to make Malawi better. Ouch!
 
If there was anyone who didn’t like his jokes, said Daliso, it wasn’t his fault but Satan’s. That was in apparent reference to Pres Bingu wa Mutharika’s comments which were taken by some to mean that Satan had a role in Malawi’s current economic hardships and not the leadership.

He joked about what would happen if Malawi had its own Big Brother show. He said Vice President Joyce Banda would be evicted and the second week a British envoy would be booted out.

For political reasons, Banda was kicked out of the ruling party and Malawi expelled a British high commissioner to the country.  

On presidential aspirant Atupele Muluzi, he said he was like a rapper who was too eager to release an album before 2014.

On the controversial issue of changing the national flag, Daliso Malawi “changed the flag from the rising sun to a full sun because we have developed but with the current economic hardships we should replace it with an eclipse.”

“I didn’t make a mistake to come and watch this guy he is so talented. He is got such a funny way of commenting on issues,” said Chikondi Namate, a doctor.

Christina Gondwe a teacher from Limbe agreed. “I wish we could have more of such things. This will help to forget the problems we are facing in a little bit. I give him a standing ovation,” she said.

The comic himself said he was overwhelmed with the support he received in both Lilongwe and Blantyre.

“People should expect more shows this is just the beginning. These are just jokes and the aim is not to offend anyone but move away from hectic work and be entertained.”
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