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Tonderai Zvimba, Showbiz Reporter
SOME years back one would not pass by Egodini bus terminus, eRenkini bus terminus or some busy street in Bulawayo’s CBD without their attention being drawn to some street performers.

These people would be surrounded by a group of spectators who would be either bursting into laughter or astonished by what they are looking at. However, nowadays you hardly find such individuals. Most probably you might find a preacher or a self-styled prophet surrounded by people listening to the Word of God.

Street theatre, popularised by the likes of Freddy Manjalima better known as Kapfupi, standup comedy by the likes of Omkhula, magicians and men who do tight rope walking — all these forms of entertainment seem to have vanished into thin air.

In the early 2000s, Kapfupi, who is an actor, comedian and singer, was one of the people who popularised street theatre in Zimbabwe. He caught the attention of the national broadcaster ZTV resulting in the street theatre comedy drama being aired on the TV station. Kapfupi alongside co-stars like Charles Milisi aka Marabha became popular among many Zimbabweans.

This period saw many theatre groups mushrooming on the streets in several cities around the country. Some did comedy, others tackled social issues such as rape, HIV/Aids and step parents who abused their children.

Another remarkable street standup comic was the duo of Omkhula who emerged in the City of Kings in the early 2000s.

Omkhula were mostly found cracking people’s ribs at hyper active areas like Egodini terminus and at TM Hyper, now known as Pick ‘n’ Pay.

The group made jokes about current affairs, public figures and could even make fun of people in the audience who threw money at them after cracking a few jokes.

The comedians quickly became overnight sensations and some of their clips spread virally through the Bluetooth sharing service, which has become unpopular as a result of the fast changing technology these days.

A few years after the group became popular, they saw themselves migrating to neighbouring South Africa where they are still pursuing street comedy.

Some street performers who perform outside of comedy and acting also emerged. These include Wasu who amazed many with his unique skills such as walking on a very thin wire and doing tricks with a beer bottle. This man was very clever when it came to making sure people paid to watch him as he would tease them with one trick and would then demand that people buy a certain number of his CDs before he continued entertaining them.

During those days many pickpockets took advantage of the crowds gathering around these performers and would steal mobile phones, money and anything they managed to nick.

The prevalence of the Internet and social media among Zimbabweans nowadays has seen many talented individuals shunning the streets to showcase their talents online, on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. These individuals can easily monetise their content online and are also cashing in through endorsement deals.

Most of the folks who were popular during the street performing craze have failed to gain clout online.

The likes of Kapfupi and Omkhula post videos online here and there but it seems a new crop of stars has proved to be dominant on these platforms. These include Bhutisi and Kheda, Madam Boss, Comic Pastor and Mai Titi who have become famous and are making good money from their craft.

Kapfupi recently featured in Mai Titi’s video which has been doing rounds on social media with some people saying they are a great combination.

Through such collaborations, the likes of Kapfupi can make a great return and dominate online platforms.