Episode 41
October 30 , 2018
41. Daliso Chaponda; Malawian Comedian on Life in Exile, Anti-Apartheid Education in Swaziland, Hair Touching in Thailand and Britain’s Got Talent
The son of political refugees, Malawian Comedian Daliso Chaponda had a truly fascinating upbringing in exile in Kenya, Somalia, Swaziland, Thailand, Bangladesh, Austria and Switzerland following his UN Diplomat father. Returning to Malawi was a culture shock as were the sexually liberated comedians in Canada who inspired him! He came third on Britain’s Got Talent and says Simon Cowell is a actually a really nice guy.
On this episode we cover:
Being on the move from birth
His Malawian refugee parents
Born in Zambia, living in Kenya, Somalia
Growing up as an ‘exile baby’
His jarring return to homeland of Malawi
Lack of human rights in Malawi
Lack of freedom of speech in Malawi
His political refugee father
His parents working as teachers, doctors
His father joining the UN and working for The UN Refugee Agency
Malawi’s benevolent dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda
His family home being tapped
Amnesty International badges
The family of four boys and two girls
Living in Kenya, Somalia, Swaziland, Thailand, Bangladesh, Austria and Switzerland
Going to boarding school in Swaziland
Having magical times living in Thailand
People touching his hair
The Australian guy who used the ‘n word’
Learning not to take anything at face value
Being approached by security in Singapore
Magical mall food courts in the Ambassador Hotel in Bangkok
Being the cool kid at school due to Thai bootlegging
How Swaziland is a peaceful place of Polygamy
How attending an anti-apartheid, experimental protest school changed him
How his fellow pupils are now working in politics or NGOs
The life of a diplomat’s son
Wanting to be a writer but forced into computer programming
Eddie Murphy’s Raw
Canada’s liberal comedy scene, talking about sex, drugs and more
Being instantly addicted to stand up comedy
Canada’s culture shock sexual liberation and freezing cold
Moving to London
Why he went onto Britain’s Got Talent
Not expecting to do as well as he did
Feeling like he’d stepped into the TV screen in front of
Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams
Being part of the Britain’s Got Talent family
Warm-up comedian Ian Royce (previous Big Travel Podcast guest)
Using his African roots in his comedy
If this is poverty where is Bono and Unicef?
Zadie Smith White Teeth about having no fat poor people in Bangladesh
British humour and sarcasm – mocking friends!
The different styles of humour of comedians like Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle
Michael McIntyre
Visiting Rwanda for Rwanda Comedy Festival
How Rwanda has bounced back from the genocide
The brilliant street-cleaning community building plan in Rwanda
How we should do that elsewhere!
Working as a journalist in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia
Angry spiritual healers and AIDS
Fiji’s faith healers
Lisa’s granddad and shrunken skulls!
How the goats always get slaughtered
Tethering up your turkey for Christmas
Being threatened with prison for his joke about the Malawian president
Getting his Dad in trouble
The absurd angry messages he gets from trolls
Getting into trouble for joking about a prophet in Zimbabwe
