Best African Comedians

Comedy as an aspect of entertainment has seen tremendous growth in Africa over the past few years. In the early part of 2015, the first African comedy awards was launched in Accra, Ghana. And as comedy gains popularity and patronage throughout the continent, it’s setting-up stage and opening doors making it possible for many comedians to take comedy as a career. Some of these trailblazers of African comedy have even gained international stardom, taking over the world comedy stage.

In no particular order, here are some of our favorite comedians who with their audacious jokes and satirical sketches don’t fail to have the crowd in stitches:

Eric Omondi

Eric Omondi is one of the biggest names in the comedy industry in Kenya. In 2006, he met comedian Churchill (Daniel Ndambuki), which become the beginning of Omondi’s rise to fame and success. Just a year after landing the Churchill Live show, he got news that he would star in his own comedy show, Hawayu, on KTN. In March of 2015, BBC ranked him as the 9th funniest man in Africa on a list topped by Trevor Noah and Basketmouth.

 

Basketmouth

Bright Okpocha, better known by his stage name Basketmouth, is one of the leading players in the comedy industry in Nigeria. Over the years, he has organized popular stand-up comedy concerts across the globe including Basketmouth Uncensored, hosted several concerts and headlined shows all over Africa. In Feb 21st 2010, he became the 1st African comedian to host a one-man comedy concert at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo. In 2011, he was approached by MTV Base to host his own show The Big Friday Show; the TV show went on to win the best TV show in 2013. Basketmouth is presently one of the brand ambassadors of one of the leading telecommunication companies in Africa, Globacom; he is also the brand face for Dana Air, a leading Airline company in Nigeria.

 

Kansiime

Dubbed “Africa’s Queen of Comedy”, Anne Kubiryaba Kansiime, popularly known as Anne Kansiime, is a Ugandan award winning comedian, actress and writer. According to sources, in 2007, she began posting some of her sketch comedy skits on YouTube. Since, Anne has become a household name throughout Africa and the rest of the world. She is the owner/host of the Don’t Mess with Kansiime television show on Maisha Magic Channel 161. She is also a brand ambassador for Old mutual Kenya. Among others, Anne is a recipient of the YouTube Silver Play Button 2104 awards and AIRTEL Women of Substance 2014 Awards. Most recently, she was presented with the Nollywood & African People’s Choice Award 2015 in the category of Favorite Comedian.

Trevor Noah

Born in South Africa to a black South African mother and a white European father, Noah has hosted numerous television shows including South Africa’s music, television and film awards, the South Africa’s music and television and film awards, the South African Comedy Festival and two seasons of his own late night show, Tonight with Trevor Noah. He was recently chosen to become the host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Noah was featured on the October 2014 cover of GQ South Africa and has been profiled in Rolling Stone, Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal, and by CNN and NPR’s Talk of the Nation. He was nominated for “Personality of the Year” at the 2014 MTV African Music Awards.

Michael Blackson

A Ghanaian actor and comedian, Michael Blackson has been called one of the most original stand-up comics. Inspired by Eddie Murphy, Blackson began to develop his comedic talent in 1992 in comedy clubs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Blackson’s comedic appeal grew from his involvement with BET’s Comic View series, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at Harlem, and Live in Hollywood. However, it was in a Los Angeles comedy club where Blackson got his big break; he was performing at the Comedy Store where actor/director Ice Cube was in attendance, who after experiencing Blackson’s performance invited the young comic for a reading for the film Next Friday. Thereafter, Blackson released his top-selling sketch comedy CD entitled, Modasucka, Welcome to America. He also made special guest appearances on some of the hottest music videos, stole the stage on P. Diddy’s Bad Boys of Comedy on HBO and starred in a commercial for the Chappelle Show on Comedy Central.

Danile Ndambuki

Better known as Churchill, is a Kenyan comedian. While working in the comedy industry since 1996, Churchill has become one of the most “sought after” comedians in Kenya today. He hosts the comedy TV show Churchill Show on NTV Kenya with live recordings on Thursdays at the Carnivore Restaurant; the show is its fifth edition and currently the number one show in East and Central Africa with a viewership of 11,000,000 Kenyans across the country, according to ratings. An icon of Kenyan comedy, over time he has become a household name. Rated number 14 among Kenya’s 100 most influential people, he has nurtured and created his own characteristic brand of stand-up comedy. CNN recently classified him as one of Africa’s funniest comedians.

Tumi Morake

A South African Comedian, Tumi Morake has steadily grown into one of South Africa’s most sought after comedians, earning the title of South Africa’s “First Lady of Comedy”. Morake’s edgy and unpredictable brand of comedy has earned her a place as a headliner on several stages in line up shows and comedy festivals all over South Africa. She was also the first woman to host Comedy Central Presents on African soil. Morake has been named one of The Free State Province’s icons. Her recent crowning glories were her nomination for Comic of The Year at the 2013 & 2015 Comic’s Choice Awards and the award for Excellence in Comedy at the prestigious Mbokodo Awards for Women In The Arts in 2013.

Agya Koo

Kofi Adu, better known as Agya Koo, is an award-winning actor and comedian from Ghana who has appeared on many Ghanaian movies such as Obaatanpa, Black Star and Ma Trick Wo. He was discovered on a Ghanaian comedy show on GTV (Ghana National Television) at the National Theater in Accra, where he worked as an opening comedian. In July 2008, he was awarded a National Award by then-Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor.