Intrepid entertainer Kagiso Lediga is a jack of all trades: comedian, writer, creative director (for The Phat Joe Show on SABC1) and all-round artistic aspirant.
Born in Pretoria in 1978, this young and talented individual is fresh-faced, quick-thinking and impulsive. In 1995, he quit his hometown to study English and drama at the University of Cape Town. It was while studying that he had his first taste of stand-up comedy, performing during orientation week in 1995. This quickly led to gigs with the Cape Comedy Collective and, crucially, appearing as a ‘new face” at the Smirnoff International Comedy Festival in 1998. ‘It was horrible!” he says, ‘I had three nights, all far apart, and the audience wasn’t feeling me …” This year, however, he was voted audience favourite at the Smirnoff festival held in September, where he had the mandatory stand-up comedy performance time of about eight minutes — not bad progress at all.
Yet, Lediga wants to remain, as he puts it, the ‘peripheral guy” and prefers to be incognito. Gesticulating passionately, he alludes to the fact that any less than this may constitute a threat to his spontaneity and creative impulse. Currently working intensively as co-host on one of South Africa’s biggest shows, The Phat Joe Show, he is not appreciative of the ‘Phat Joe’s sidekick” image he has in the media. ‘I come up with some kick-ass shit for his show!” he insists. And what sets him apart from other black South African entertainers is the fact that his sphere of reference doesn’t hinge solely, or even largely, on ‘the legacy of apartheid”, a phrase so well-worn that it risks meaninglessness.
Sure, a township childhood — poignantly evoked in much of his stand-up material — characterised by poverty, degradation and cold is no barrel of laughs, especially when you’re a little boy and terrified of the dark and the toilets outside. ‘The Nats figured we didn’t want our toilets inside the house,” he drawls, but what does shine through is not ferocious suffering but the indomitable spirit that drives the human condition.
He seems placid because he’s happy, or as he puts it: ‘I strive for peace.” (Kagiso does in fact mean ‘peace”.) His face lights up when talking about the various projects and ideas swishing around in his mind and it’s clear that he sees performance comedy as a means to an end. His final destination? ‘Film,” he declares emphatically. In fact, he quit his studies at the end of his third year in 1998 to pursue his passion. He describers himself as a film fanatic and cites Woody Allen as a huge influence. ‘I’ve just got the DVD of Manhattan — it’s kick-ass!” he enthuses.
In fact, there’s a script in the pipeline telling the story of four guys pulling into Johannesburg late one evening, looking for ‘the ultimate party”. I ask him about the soundtrack for this and he leans forward and says, ‘I’m glad you mentioned this, actually.” The film’s music is neither only local nor only international, he insists. ‘Basically,” he says, ‘if it’s good, if it sounds nice and it suits the scene and mood, I’ll put it in.” The music is about supporting the film’s story and the story is one that he envisages as being reflective of a contemporary South African landscape. The film (as yet unnamed) uses a classic formula reminding us that we all listen to every type of music, read every kind of story, see every kind of film, know every kind of person.
Lediga’s style simply reflects the current spice of South African life (a bit like verismo opera of the late 19th century) by pushing it into a marketable and very public arena. It’s certainly true that he’s got great exposure and an excellent high-profile position for what he wants to do, but he insists he’s no slacker and has a stubborn streak while working. He sums it up by adding, ‘I love money.”
And what advice does he have for aspirant performers out there, I ask. ‘Dedication, commitment and long-term perseverance,” he replies almost immediately. Wise words.
Laugh Out Loud is at the Sandton Convention Centre on November 15 and 16 from 8.30pm, with Mark Banks, Bevan Cullinan, Chris Forrest, Rob Fridjhon, David Kau, Kagiso Lediga, Tshepo Mogale, Riaad Moosa, Stuart Taylor and John Vlismas. Book at Computicket