FROM small town Zwelitsha in the Eastern Cape, to roaming the streets and performing on stages in London in the UK, stand-up comedian, Ndumiso Lindi has taken s taking his one-man show to the world.
Lindi, Also known as “The Roosta”, Lindi start ed his professional comedy career in 2006 and since then has performed on stages at various comedy festivals and events.
He has appeared in shows including Some of his appearances include The Vodacom Funny Festival in Cape Town, David Kau’s Blacks Only Comedy Show, Nan do’s Comedy Festival, and The 46664 It’s No Joke Comedy Show, to Bafunny Bafunny and The Real Heavyweights Comedy Jam. He has also been part of the 99% Xhosa and 99% Zulu comedy shows. Comedy Shows.
The East Cape-born funny man says he is comfortable performing in English and Xhosa and that his knack for comedy comes from those around him. “I was never a class clown – it’s just that I’ve always been surrounded by humorous people. From my family to the friends I hung out with in my school days,” he said.
The saying, “you are the company you keep”, certainly played in Lindi’s favour aft er his comedy career afforded him the opportunity to work with the likes of Riaad Moosa, David Kau, Loyiso Gola, Barry Hilton, Dave Levinsohn and , BasketMouth from Nigeria. He has also shared the stage with international acts such as Mark Curry, or Mr Cooper, Pablo Francisco, “the gangsta of comedy” Capone and UK act Andrew Maxwell from the UK.
Last year, Lindi took a leap of faith and launched his first one-man show in Johannesburg. The show came about after he per formed a show, then titled, Here I Stand in a small room in Cape Town. His inspiration for this show came from what he called “the most free person out there ....the woman with calamine on her face” and soon the show evolved into a full one-man show, called Colour Mine. Since then the show has toured South Africa, other parts of Africa and, more recently, London.
“The show is about celebrating our nation’s heritage and the Colour Mine is a play on the word calamine as a metaphor basically saying accept me for who I am and don’t judge me by the colour of my skin. ‘
“If we, as South Africans, could all put on that cream and all be one colour, there would be fewer problems in our country because the problems wouldn’t be driven by race,” he said. “The sooner we realise we’re different and we do things differently the better we’re going to get along. That is what this show is about; laughing at each other without putting blame on a specific race.”
The show has received a great response both locally and internationally and Lindi is now planning to bring it even closer to home.
Colour Mine will be staged at the Venue@Hemingways next month and Lindi hopes to receive the same, if not a better, response on his home ground than else where else.
“I’m not a motivational speaker or philosopher..... I’m just a comedian who wants to make people laugh and have a good time; that’s the aim,” he said.
“I can’t as someone born in the Eastern Cape, travel the world and not bring my work to my people,” he said. “My.... my journey would not be complete.” —
Roosta set to strut his funny stuff in EL
Lindi, Also known as “The Roosta”, Lindi start ed his professional comedy career in 2006 and since then has performed on stages at various comedy festivals and events.
He has appeared in shows including Some of his appearances include The Vodacom Funny Festival in Cape Town, David Kau’s Blacks Only Comedy Show, Nan do’s Comedy Festival, and The 46664 It’s No Joke Comedy Show, to Bafunny Bafunny and The Real Heavyweights Comedy Jam. He has also been part of the 99% Xhosa and 99% Zulu comedy shows. Comedy Shows.
The East Cape-born funny man says he is comfortable performing in English and Xhosa and that his knack for comedy comes from those around him. “I was never a class clown – it’s just that I’ve always been surrounded by humorous people. From my family to the friends I hung out with in my school days,” he said.
The saying, “you are the company you keep”, certainly played in Lindi’s favour aft er his comedy career afforded him the opportunity to work with the likes of Riaad Moosa, David Kau, Loyiso Gola, Barry Hilton, Dave Levinsohn and , BasketMouth from Nigeria. He has also shared the stage with international acts such as Mark Curry, or Mr Cooper, Pablo Francisco, “the gangsta of comedy” Capone and UK act Andrew Maxwell from the UK.
Last year, Lindi took a leap of faith and launched his first one-man show in Johannesburg. The show came about after he per formed a show, then titled, Here I Stand in a small room in Cape Town. His inspiration for this show came from what he called “the most free person out there ....the woman with calamine on her face” and soon the show evolved into a full one-man show, called Colour Mine. Since then the show has toured South Africa, other parts of Africa and, more recently, London.
“The show is about celebrating our nation’s heritage and the Colour Mine is a play on the word calamine as a metaphor basically saying accept me for who I am and don’t judge me by the colour of my skin. ‘
“If we, as South Africans, could all put on that cream and all be one colour, there would be fewer problems in our country because the problems wouldn’t be driven by race,” he said. “The sooner we realise we’re different and we do things differently the better we’re going to get along. That is what this show is about; laughing at each other without putting blame on a specific race.”
The show has received a great response both locally and internationally and Lindi is now planning to bring it even closer to home.
Colour Mine will be staged at the Venue@Hemingways next month and Lindi hopes to receive the same, if not a better, response on his home ground than else where else.
“I’m not a motivational speaker or philosopher..... I’m just a comedian who wants to make people laugh and have a good time; that’s the aim,” he said.
“I can’t as someone born in the Eastern Cape, travel the world and not bring my work to my people,” he said. “My.... my journey would not be complete.” —
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