Kigali residents and those living in its outskirts have come to know that twice a month, every Thursday, they cannot miss out on GEN-Z Comedy.
These are humor-packed events organized by the renowned comedian, Ndaruhutse Merci, popularly known as Fally Merci, in this industry. They have gained widespread recognition and attracted a large audience.
GEN-Z Comedy happens twice a month, on the second and last Thursday of the month, bringing together young and talented comedians who have demonstrated extraordinary skills and talent.
Fally Merci launched these events in March 2022, aiming to gather together gifted comedians from different parts of the country.
Comedians who have received this news have been attending the events, initially taking place at Art Rwanda Ubuhanzi in Rugando, starting with a small audience, and now anyone who didn’t purchase a ticket early watches on YouTube.
Fally Merci stated that he got the idea to start GEN-Z Comedy during the Covid-19 pandemic, after seeing the problem of unutilized talent in this age group.
He says, “I used to say, wherever I am, that every event, whether it is organized by Rutura or Kibonke, they should first look for young comedians to see if they have talent and give them a chance.”
“I mean, these people need someone to look out for them. That was the idea, let’s gather people who like these things, meet and talk, I will look for them from different places and train them.”
Art Rwanda is the genesis of GEN-Z Comedy
Fally Merci is one of the talents who won in the first category of Art Rwanda Ubuhanzi, a competition organized by Imbuto Foundation to uncover the talents of Rwandans.
He began showcasing his comedic talent in 2017, supported by Nkusi Arthur, who gave him a platform in his activities such as Seka Live and other platforms that made him known.
When Art Rwanda Ubuhanzi started, he participated and even ended up winning. Merci says that the idea of doing GEN-Z Comedy originated from the knowledge he gained from this competition.
He says, “I won’t lie, Art Rwanda Ubuhanzi is what gave me the ideas I use. We did training, they taught us how nothing is impossible, but how you do it.”
“We were in training, I asked said someone if I am a comedian and if I could do a business out of it. He said it was funny, he said there is no reason why I would not do a business. Art Rwanda Ubuhanzi gave me the skills to prepare a project and resilience.”
GEN-Z Comedy is a treasure trove of comedy
Each significant comedy event organized in Kigali would hardly exist without the comedians operating under GEN-Z, including the likes of Muhinde, Adimin, Kadudu, and others who thrill the crowd.
Currently, GEN-Z Comedy boasts 75 comedians, Fally Merci states that they have become a treasure trove of comedy as event organizers go there in search of comedians.
He says, “Anyone planning an event right now would have no problem finding comedians, even if they are from abroad. This is the first thing I wanted to offer my fellow comedians.”
He goes on to say that this is also what makes them see the benefits of comedy, as some think there is no money in it.
He says, “Comedy brings profit, it can make you rich, but you have to do it well.”
Many girls dream of performing on the stage of GEN-Z
On the first day, GEN-Z started, only seven tickets were sold, and the rest of the attendees were comedians who came to support their colleagues without reservation.
At that time, he was operating at Art Rwanda Ubuhanzi, but now due to the increasing number of people, he has moved to Mundi Center, showing impressive growth.
Fally Merci says that where they came from is impressive, but the journey is just beginning because there are many goals they want to achieve.
He says, “Our goal is to do comedy until it sustains a person, that’s when we will have done a lot, and make Rwandans love what we do, you see how people love music, I want it that way, people, thousands of them sitting in the Arena, and we entertain them.”
“On my side, I want to empower girls in comedy, so far we have only two, and those we started with have left, I want those who are there to be known as we know Rusine, they are thrilled by these things. Another thing I want to do is message-oriented comedy.”
Fally Merci, following the journey of GEN-Z, encourages the youth not to fear starting with the ideas they have, to start from where they are, and not rush to seek the benefits of the moment.
