The name King Kandoro has become synonymous with Zimbabwean comedy. Whether you're a fan of the genre in the form of stand-up, YouTube shows, podcasts or late-night style satire. Kandoro has simply become inescapable. Chances are you see Kandoro a lot more than some of your relatives, something he alluded to at the first Reps show of his latest special.
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Properganda is an hour+ long dive into nostalgia, juxtaposed with the current state of affairs. While still very much relatable, it's inherently personal, it's King Kandoro's Properganda. An experience he shares with a large segment of Zimbabwe's millennial population.
When fans kept hounding him for the return of his Properganda current affairs show, King Kandoro replied that at best what he could do was to bring Properganda to the people. I was instantly intrigued by the idea and a while after that the Properganda World Tour was announced.
Shot by Tino Nyandoro
While it's a brilliant current affairs show, with insightful and sober-minded reflections on Zimbabwe's state of affairs (Now and in the past), I have always loved Properganda for the ingenuity of its name. A double entendre that's not only a play on words but languages. Propaganda in one meaning and the right skin in the other. A reflection on Zimbabwe's historical past and its present.
The demeanour and calculated reflections that have made his show a success are what he brings to his latest performance, with a more than generous helping of humour. The show takes on propaganda in all its different forms. The state propaganda of the past as scripted by Jonathan Moyo, the state propaganda of the present as scripted by Nick Mangwana and the propaganda against women as scripted by Shadaya.
While at its core comedy, the show took on different forms as it went on. At a certain point, it felt like a Pub Choir, and as a millennial who knew the songs and the propaganda they instilled, those were my favourite moments.
Although Properganda is born from the show, it still has the distinct DNA of a King Kandoro special. Conspiracy Theories make an appearance and so does that running joke about CIOs, but you don't need to have watched his previous specials to understand it.
The execution of punchlines and the gestures to the audience that bring out ringing laughter without a word said have now become second nature to Kandoro. Properganda sees him at his best in spinning comedic tales, which makes the title more than fitting.
Friday's show was kicked off by an impeccable showcase of improv and crowd engagement from Tinashe ThisIsIt, a talented comic who gets better every time and this was followed by a coalescing of comedy, music and theatre from Probeatz.
Nijo (Nigel Tha Slick Pastor) made an appearance straight from the airport ("I'm coming from Chicago" - Nijo) to welcome Kandoro to the stage and the King walked out to the sounds of Tanto Wavie, a background of smoke and an embrace of equal parts applause and noise as he spread his arms out (like Jude Bellingham after scoring for Madrid) to take everything in.
Properganda! A dive into the not-too-distant past, a reflection on the present and overall a discussion on the ties that bind us. As a millennial Zimbabwean, I not only laughed but saw my story being told on stage.
Greedysouth rating: 8.3/10
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