Gear up for a dose of stereotype-busting entertainment when 4 Cornerz Entertainment presents the nationwide tour of Just Funny Comedy Festival. Featuring Riaad Moosa – aka “the Comedy Doctor” - as well as fellow South African laughter merchant Joey Rasdien, this groundbreaking laughter extravaganza will also star international comedians Azhar Usman, Mo Amer and Preacher Moss.
Dispelling the common Western perception that Muslims do not have a sense of humour, these comedians will be lifting the veil and revealing the humorous truth of what it’s really like to be a Muslim in America – and in South Africa.
Amer, Usman and Moss are the stars of the original Allah Made Me Funny – The Official Muslim COMEDY Tour, which enjoyed great success and spawned a movie. During their South African tour they will poke fun at themselves, their communities, the government, human nature and the tricky predicament of living in post-9/11 America. Instead of sweeping issues under the carpet, they bring them out into the open, resulting in an evening of rollicking good fun that gives audiences of all cultural backgrounds an opportunity to laugh heartily, drop their guard and open their minds.
MC-ing the comedy tour is Riaad Moosa, who has become one of the hottest properties on the local comedy circuit with recent one-man shows such as Strictly Halaal and Riaad Moosa for the Baracka, as well as 3 Wise Men alongside Marc Lottering and Nik Rabinowitz. One of South Africa’s best-known and most versatile comics, Joey Rasdien has recently lent his voice and support to the Scrutinize youth HIV/Aids awareness campaign and animated adverts. He appears frequently on TV, in films such as Bunny Chow and on stages around the country. Azhar Usman was born and raised in Chicago to Muslim immigrant parents from India. Interested in “waging peace through humour”, he performed the first official stand-up show in Egypt’s history, and regularly performs a Jewish-Muslim comedy show with fellow comedian Rabbi Bob Alper, as well as a Hindu-Muslim comedy show with Rajiv Satyal called Make Chai, Not War.
Originally a Palestinian, Mo Amer fled Kuwait with his family during the Gulf War when he was nine years old, eventually settling in Houston, Texas. At the age of 19, he became the first Arab-American refugee to perform overseas for US and coalition troops. Preacher Moss, the tour’s founder, uses humour to engage audiences in contemporary issues facing society, and has written material for the likes of Damon Wayans and George Lopez. This African-American’s comedy tickles the funny bone while challenging the intellect.
The Just Funny Comedy Festival ends its tour in KZN on October 30 and 31 at tghe ICC Durban. Tickets ranging from R160 to R250 booked through Computicket.