HARARE – Funnyman Long John has been announced as a category winner of the Steve Harvey Stand Up Spotlight Competition.
The Zimbabwean, real name Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, entered the competition with a five-minute video of his appearance at the Goliath Comedy Club in South Africa.
From hundreds of entries, Long John was announced as the People’s Choice Award winner – by Steve Harvey himself.
In a tweet on Friday, United States comedy legend Harvey said: “Thank you to all who participated in the Steve Harvey Stand Up Spotlight Competition! The People’s Choice Award Winner is Long John @long_john_ who joined the competition from Zimbabwe! Congratulations man, you were funny, animated, and have great stage presence keep it up champ!”
Long John tickled his audience with jokes about his home village in Chimanimani. Tackling the important subject of diamond riches spirited away with little benefit to locals, John told his audience that they had not entirely been left without benefit – a US$1 million traffic light had been installed in the village (which they absolutely don’t need because they use donkey-drawn carts, but which some locals see as something of a wonder which has kept them distracted from the theft of their minerals).
The comedian also joked about the poor mobile phone reception in Chimanimani – common in many rural areas in Zimbabwe. You have to climb a mountain to get a reception, he said, but once at the top of the mountain, you may as well just shout to get the attention of a neighbour you wanted to talk to on the other side of the valley.
Like any good comedian, Long John had a porn joke – they can’t catch a break in Chimanimani because of buffering owing to a slow internet connection, which always happens just after the unduly lengthy introductions, and just before the action is about to start.
The recognition by Harvey and US audiences is a major breakthrough for Long John, who has become a major draw on the South African comedy circuit.
“I’m just a village boy from Chimanimani and my peculiar story has thrilled my audience always, creating curiosity within my audience who have no clue that there is such a place,” he said in one interview last year.
Long John revealed that he is working on global material for his one-man show, The Village Boy.
“It’s time I shared my story with a much wider audience,” he said.
You have, Long John!
WATCH: Long John’s entry for the Steve Harvey Stand Up Spotlight Competition
