Last leg of HICOFEST comedy festival lives up to expectation

The second and final lap of the Major Moves Heavy 5th annual Weights International Comedy Festival (HICOFEST) held on Friday evening at Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino was a feast of laughter.

The MC of the evening was none other than Clive Chighubu from Zimbabwe, who did a splendid job. The Barack Obama look-alike had the crowd rolling on the floor with his witty sense of humor, poking fun at his home country Zimbabwe and himself.

The first half of the acts were rudely interrupted by a random drunk man who not only ruffled a few feathers in the audience but also made some of the comedians on stage fumble and forget their lines. The security personnel of the hotel eventually whisked him out of the venue and the comedy show continued.
The first half finished with a performance by Fredi Lilius from Finland who had a bit of a hard time putting smiles on the faces of the crowd. Some people in the audience remarked that they struggled to hear him because of his Finnish accent. Others quipped that maybe he did not understand what kind of jokes Batswana found funny.

While the first half of the show was a bit slow, the second half was quite hilarious as the audience laughed endlessly and the look of bewilderment that had covered their faces earlier had vanished.

Tšepo “Masapo” Mpiti of Lesotho, had a grip command of his performance, despite the return of the drunken man who made many in the crowd uncomfortable. Mpiti ignored him and continued to make the audience break into fits of laughter. The English lecturer, who moonlights as a comedian, had the audience eating from the palm of his hand with his easy flow of jokes delivered in both English and Sotho. Mduduzi “Mdura” Dlamini of Swaziland also tickled the audience with his witty jokes.

The headliner for the night, Rich Lyon from the USA, was a notable hit with the crowd. His jokes were relatable and most people in the audience laughed loudly. Lyon did not fumble nor did he appear to have any difficulty with getting the crowd to respond to him positively.  
At the end of the show, all the performers took to the stage for a group bow, as the audience applauded and cheered them.