The Sunday News
Mbongeni Msimanga, Sunday Leisure Correspondent
THE appreciation of comedy as an art genre in the country has seen the emergence of artistes who have placed themselves well into the genre hitherto it being referred to as foreign with names such as Bill Cosby, Mr Bean, Robin Williams making it to the list.
Yes, not everyone has the ability to tell a joke that can make people roll in laughter but as the genre gets popular, Zimbabweans have grown fond of the art.
Although the growth of comedy in the country can be attributed to a few individuals who carried the dream and the vision not all of them remained popular, but they are marvelling as their vision was taken up, sanctified and made a dream come true by fellow artistes who had the talent but nowhere to display it.
Those who think they had the talent even went as far as leaving their professions to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and it was laughable at first but now the genre is claiming its ground among other art genres and sometimes going to the extent of overshadowing music depending of course on who is performing.
This period saw the emergence of the self-styled “doctor” of Zimbabwe’s stand-up comedy, Victor “Doc Vikela” Mpofu.
With nothing but hope, Doc Vikela’s vision was that his act would one day provide comic relief to people as he made a bold decision and dumped his career in human resources and teaching for the then less known performing arts career.
He, however, found the going smooth in the arts industry and probably subscribed to what famous South African comedian Trevor Noah once said that “in order to succeed your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure”.
In an interview with Sunday Leisure, Doc Vikela said his parents wanted him to go to school, have a decent education that would land him a white collar job.
But he had other ideas as he was quick to realise that he was destined to entertain people with his hilarious jokes and gave up on all other professions to focus on his career as a stand-up comedian.
“When we were growing up all what our parents wanted us to do was to go to school and get a job that usually pays at the end of the month. I was not happy with both my jobs as I had studied human resources and I had also worked as a relief teacher,” said the comedian.
Doc Vikela recalls that during the early stages of life he realised that he had the potential to excel in comedy as he was always surrounded by other pupils at school who were interested in the jokes he would be telling.
“I realised my potential when I was 15 years of age and I was always caught on the wrong side of the school rules as wherever I was people would be laughing even in class. This is when I discovered that I had the potential to excel in comedy. I could also address people confidently,” he said.
Doc Vikela said he has so far managed to buy a car because of comedy, something he said he failed to do when he was doing an office job.
“I never thought I could buy a car because of comedy. I failed to do that when I was employed and had an office job, but my efforts in the arts industry have actually contributed to my welfare. It just shows how much I have pushed boundaries and it is paying now,” said the comedian.
He said he completed his Advanced Level studies at Mkoba 3 High School in Gweru but failed to further his studies due to “various difficulties” and he went into temporary teaching before doing a Diploma in Human Resources Management.
Doc Vikela then moved to Harare in 2006 and started working for Reflections Paper Products as a salesman before being promoted to be branch manager from where he went back to temporary teaching.
In 2009, he quit his teaching job for theatre, an endeavour which saw him performing at the 2009 edition of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa).
In 2012, Doc Vikela received an award from the Zimbabwe German Society as the most improved performer when they were honouring consistent performers.
The comedian was also recognised in the comedy industry as he was nominated for the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) for the Outstanding Comedian award several times.
He has performed at major comedy events in the country which include the Zimbabwe Comedy Festival, Sunday Night Live, The Bang Bang Comedy Club and The Dons of Comedy, among others. He has also performed at the Jou Ma Se Comedy Club in South Africa.
