A Night of Comedy and the Archbishop

    I have encountered so much during my first few weeks in Cape Town. Through my experiences, I have developed an awareness of the diversity and the vibrant culture that exists here. In a developing country with eleven national languages and a nickname of "A Rainbow Nation," South Africa allows one to witness and learn about various issues and experience great diversity, especially in Cape Town. I believe that one event that a few students and I attended really gave us an interesting perspective on the diversity and the livelihood that Cape Town offers. The event we attended was a comedy show, showcasing a performance by the Nobel Peace Prize winner and  iconic figure, Desmond Tutu. By just hearing his name in affiliation with this event, I believe most of us were eager to attend. Luckily, we were able to shake the Archbishop's hand and share a few words with him before the performance began.

   While having an encounter with Desmond Tutu remains as enormous highlight of my trip, the entirety of the show stands out in my mind as such a valuable experience while in Cape Town. The show showcased several comedians from around South Africa and each brought their own humorous yet enlightening perspectives on issues that continue to affect this nation. Hearing their perspectives around important issues was extremely interesting. We heard jokes over political leaders, culture, and the different regions. While some jokes were told in Afrikaans or Xhosa, I could follow their skits and recognize the humor. The performers were all very different and each skit enlightened me about the city and the lifestyles I would be encountering.

    One more special detail about this night which makes this performance even more memorable for me remains that I was able to go on stage several times during the show. As our group sat in the front row of the audience, we were very susceptible for audience participation, and I was even selected by the MC as a flower girl of sorts. Whenever the MC introduced himself, I ran on stage to bring him flowers, and I must add that this MC was quite full of himself! Going on stage was pretty exciting and remains just an added bonus to this wonderful night.