Daliso Chaponda

Daliso Chaponda
Born (1979-11-29) 29 November 1979
Malawi
Nationality Malawian
Occupation Comedian
Years active 2001–present

Daliso Chaponda is an Malawian stand-up comedian. He is best known for placing third in the 11th season of the variety act competition, Britain's Got Talent 2017.

Early life

Chaponda was born in Malawi in 1979. His parents were from Malawi, but had fled the country due to the dictatorship of Hastings Banda. His father George Chaponda worked as a lawyer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, so the family lived in various countries such as Thailand, Australia and Switzerland. His family later returned to Malawi, and George Chaponda was eventually appointed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Education by Bingu wa Mutharika. Daliso Chaponda attended McGill University and Concordia University in Canada, studying computer programming and English literature.[1][2]

Career

Chaponda began his career in 2001 while he was in Canada. To hone his craft, he focused on stand-up clubs and open mic nights. His very first headlining show, Feed This Black Man, was at Concordia University in 2002.[3] In 2006, he moved to the United Kingdom where he opened for other comedians such as John Bishop.[4][5] During this period, he appeared in venues in the United Kingdom, as well as abroad in South Africa and Australia.[5][6] In 2008, he appeared in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe's "Best of the Fest".[7] In 2009, he performed for the first time in Malawi. The same year, he also opened for Canadian comedian Sugar Sammy in Dubai and Jordan.[6][8] In 2012, Chaponda made a joke about the Malawian flag during one of his "Laughrica" shows in Malawi. The government subsequently threatened to arrest him for insulting the flag.[2][1] In 2014, he co-wrote a BBC Radio 4 drama-comedy series inspired by the incident, Sibusiso Mamba's When the Laughter Stops.[9]

In 2017, Chaponda auditioned for the television talent series Britain's Got Talent. Judge Amanda Holden used her "golden buzzer" to help him advance to the semi-finals. Chaponda eventually came third in the competition.[10][11]

As a result of his appearance on Britain's Got Talent, Chaponda signed with BBC Radio 4 to create a new series called Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere. He began his first headlining world tour What the African Said... in February 2018.[9][12]

Influences

Chaponda has said in interviews that he admires many standup comedians, but has been most influenced by humorous authors such as George Bernard Shaw and Roald Dahl.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Aspinall, David (26 September 2013). "From behind bars to behind cameras: Comedian Daliso Chaponda chats ahead of filming DVD at The Lowry". Mancunian Matters.
  2. 1 2 Gregory, Aidan (19 January 2015). "Interview: Daliso Chaponda". The Mancunion.
  3. ↑ Scalia, Robert (28 February 2002). "Creative writing student thrives on standup comedy". Concordia's Thursday Report.
  4. ↑ Docking, Neil (19 May 2014). "John Bishop steps in for Jason Manford at Liverpool Philharmonic event". Liverpool Echo.
  5. 1 2 Skinner, Tim (18 September 2017). "Daliso Chaponda interview". Time Out Dubai.
  6. 1 2 Milozi, Howard (18 October 2016). "Comedian Daliso targets BBC with radio show". The Nation.
  7. ↑ "A man walks into a bar ... ouch!". The Age. 24 March 2008.
  8. ↑ Mallari, Dennis (29 May 2009). "Sammy sugar coats the bitter pill of recession". Emirates 24/7.
  9. 1 2 Taylor, Frances (14 June 2017). "Britain's Got Talent finalist Daliso Chaponda lands BBC Radio 4 show". Radio TImes.
  10. ↑ Mohan, Isabel (4 June 2017). "Britain's Got Talent Final winner: musician Tokio Myers triumphs - just ahead of magician Issy Simpson". The Telegraph.
  11. ↑ "Daliso Chaponda comes third in BGT". Chortle. 3 June 2017.
  12. ↑ "Comedian Daliso Chaponda brings 'laugh-gate' to Malawi". Nyasa Times. 18 September 2017.
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