D’Juni brings Jokes, Fame Can Follow
By Ngonidzashe Chikandiwa
FAME may be the currency of the entertainment industry, but for comedian D’Juni, laughter has always been worth more.
This Saturday, September 12, the comedian will take to the stage at the Zimbabwe Academy of Music in Bulawayo for a show whose title sounds almost like a disclaimer, “I’m Not Famous, I’m Funny.”
But behind the cheeky title is a deeply personal reflection on D’Juni’s journey, his relationship with comedy and the things people pursue in search of fulfilment.
The show, promises an evening of comedy, but D’Juni says audiences should look beyond the punchlines.
“I think the title, I’m Not Famous, I’m Funny,is a bit of a nod at the self-reflection I’ve done over the past couple of years. I have just tucked it underneath laughter,” he said.
“On the surface, the show is comedy. But I’ve never really told a joke because I wanted to be an influencer.”
With his characteristic humour, D’Juni jokes that the kind of influence he would really like to achieve on stage is rather less conventional.
“The most influence I would want to have on stage is having someone really beautiful throw their bra on stage like they did with rock stars back in the day. Maybe that’s why Iam in comedy. Just chasing that one moment,” he joked.
Yet, beneath the laughter is a comedian who appears increasingly interested in the question of why people pursue the things they pursue.
For D’Juni, comedy has never simply been about getting people to laugh. It has been a means of finding people, particularly during periods when he himself felt like an outsider.
Having lived in different countries and attended different schools, he has repeatedly found himself entering unfamiliar environments where he knew very few people. In those moments, humour became his way in.
That experience has informed his understanding of what makes people laugh.
“That’s really what I hope people take away. Not just that they saw a funny comedian, but that maybe somewhere in the laughter they recognised something about themselves too,” he said.
The Dillan Chiota hosted show, will also have killer comics Brandon Mbofana and Tapiwa Harinangoni, in opening acts. While Ble Mutandwa, CEO of Umahlekisa has keys to stage management.
For one night in Bulawayo, D’Juni may not have the fame. But he intends to have the laughter and perhaps leave his audience questioning what, beyond the laughter, really matters.
