…Makwa Sfonyo set to debut comedy stage
MBABANE — The Eswatini Comedy Festival is gearing up for its third edition, returning to the SibaneSami Hotel on September 25, with a powerhouse line-up designed to bridge borders through humour.
Under the compelling banner ‘Africa is coming to Eswatini, One Stage, One Continent, Endless Laughter’, this year’s festival positions the kingdom firmly on the regional cultural map, spotlighting the collaborative future of African stand-up.
What started as a platform to champion local voices has rapidly evolved into an international showcase. The 2026 iteration achieves a rare feat for the local live entertainment circuit by curating a cross-continental roster of heavyheads. Headlining the international contingent are South Africa’s sharp-witted Smowkey and Mbali Gudazi, Namibia’s crowd-favorite Courage, Botswana’s charismatic OD Brooks, Zimbabwe’s theatrical Q Dube and Tanzania’s very own Cleyton Msosa alongside a host of other regional acts.
They will share the spotlight with Eswatini’s finest comedic exports. Festival organiser and veteran comic Dr Shakes leads a vibrant local delegation that features Darren, Mbukiso, Sewakhile and Magongo The Comedian, ensuring the local cadence and contemporary cultural nuances remain at the heart of the evening’s banter.
According to Dr Shakes, the event organiser:
“The Eswatini International Comedy Festival started with a simple question: Why shouldn’t the world know just how funny Eswatini is?
“We have incredible comedians in Eswatini. We have stories, experiences, characters and a unique sense of humour that deserve to be shared beyond our borders. But we realised that while the talent was there, the opportunities to take that talent to the rest of Africa and the world were still limited. We saw a gap, and we decided to do something about it,” he said.
He elaborated that from the beginning the goal was never simply to create another comedy show, they wanted to build a platform that would bring international comedy to Eswatini while creating a pathway for Eswatini comedians to travel, perform and build relationships beyond the kingdom.
“We wanted our comedians to sit at the same tables, share stages and exchange ideas with comedians from across Africa and beyond. And we are beginning to see that vision come to life,” he noted.
Through the growing relationships with comedy festivals and platforms in countries such as Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho and Uganda, they have started creating real opportunities for Swati comedians to take their craft across borders.
Dr Shakes further added that the Eswatini International Comedy Festival is about more than laughter. It is about creating opportunities. It is about putting Eswatini talent on international stages and showing the world that Eswatini has a voice, Eswatini has stories and Eswatini has comedians who deserve to be heard.
For the third edition, the Eswatini International Comedy Festival will welcome nine comedians from across Africa representing South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
What makes this especially exciting is that some of these countries will be represented by more than one comedian ,creating an even richer exchange of different comedic styles, cultures and perspectives.
But while we are bringing Africa to Eswatini, we are not taking the spotlight away from our own talent. “For the first time in a long time, we have female comedians taking their place on the festival stage. We have two women on this year’s line-up, one representing South Africa and, importantly, one representing Eswatini,” he said.
“This year, Makwa Sfonyo makes her festival debut and we are incredibly excited to give her that platform. Her presence represents more than just adding another name to the line-up, it shows that there is space for women to find their voice, build their careers and take their place in Eswatini’s comedy industry,” he added.
The other exciting element is the opportunity we are creating for new and emerging comedians to share a stage with established names.
By bringing together such a diverse array of perspectives under one roof, the festival transcends mere entertainment, acting as a cultural exchange where shared experiences across Southern and East Africa are unpacked through the universal language of satire and storytelling.
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