By Ututjinda James Kavendjaa
Friday, the 8th of March 2024, saw true local comedy take centre stage. Wild and unadulterated.
International Women’s Day is a global celebration that recognises and celebrates women from around the world.
Going on to place a focus on raising awareness on the ongoing struggles of gender equality that women face in today’s world. Sibongile Tshabalala, a renowned storyteller and standup comedian, decided to take this celebration of women a little further by creating a platform where single individuals in their 30s and 40s can unapologetically express their shared perspectives in the mature dating scene. Societal expectations be damned… and they were.
The comedy show was hosted by one of Namibia’s proudest television moments, comedically of course: Jessica Kaimu, better known as “Jessica We Are Live”. She led the proceedings of the evening in a graceful yet entertaining manner, taking the audience on an amusing journey through the adventures preceding her unforgettable blunder on NBC that fateful night that pushed her into the spotlight of the local comedy and culture scene. Her uncanny charm was accompanied by impeccable comic timing and delivery that showed her amazing capability in hosting the attendees of this wild experience.
With an emphasis on highlighting the endangered species of the world of relationships, the evening’s first agent of comedic relief was none other than Xuro Milton as “Oc Ebs”. The alter ego brought the life of a domestic worker to the stage and shared how she navigates relationships with other people, her colleagues, and her employers. What was sure to be one of Xuro’s more thought-provoking performances took an interesting turn as Oc transformed into Xuro Milton himself on stage and dove deeper into the performance by giving the audience a tasteful look into what it means to be a gay man in Namibia looking for a relationship. He explored his dating life and spoke on the difficulty of experiencing genuine relationships in the community by highlighting just how inauthentic most of these relationships are. This was accompanied by his one-of-a-kind comedic style and humorous personality.
The night was followed by a witty personality who is well-known for her controversial yet relatable comedic outlook. The sensational Zita Nghilengwa graced the stage with her romantic misadventures as a single parent who is in search of a good time. And who can fault her? Zita delivered an interesting take on the various characters that one can come into play with when looking for a partner. Her material explored single parents, such as herself, disloyal married individuals, “side pieces”, and divorcés. She spared no one and went on to communicate empathy for the unapologetic need to copulate. Her raw take on what it means to be in your 30s and uncuffed left a mark that will scar the Namibian comedy scene for some time to come, as it should.
It’s standard procedure to have coitus.
Zita Nghilengwa
The final and most important entertainer of this memorable night needs no introduction. Received with a thunderous ovation and astounding love, Sibongile Tshabalala poured the audience with a performance to champion all others. She took everything that she has been through, from her unsuccessful relationships and supporting her loved ones through theirs, to her unabashed perspective on what it means to be an adult who is looking for love. She validated the experiences that members of society carry when they reach a certain age and spoke about how it is more than normal to feel displaced at this stage, as there is huge pressure imposed on people who are 30+ and uncuffed.
What can we say? Climbing 40, I can see the ladder, Sibongile expressed.
Her performance delved into the intricacies of dating as a full-fledged adult and justified the unique mishaps that take place during this time. Her show was an untamed expression of the colourful ordeals that we all go through and allowed people to relate to everything we live through but do not talk about. As a bonus, Sibongile surprised the crowd with male dancers who laced the event with erotic entertainment and excitement. It was a raw display of feral and unfiltered action, exactly what it means to be 30+ and uncuffed.
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