“I didn’t want to be a lawyer because it’s too serious and I didn’t want to be a politician because I enjoy telling the truth” – Munya Chawawa [@munyachawawa]

BY Chelsea Mtada

March 19, 2021

British-Zimbabwean Comedian; Munya Chawawa Talks Upbringing, Covid:19, and Plans For His Bright Future

The rise of social media comedy was recently propelled into new heights over the last year, launching the careers of comedians like British-Zimbabwean content creator; Munya Chawawa into the stratosphere. Due to Covid:19 lockdown keeping the masses stuck at home, Chawawa was quick to recognise that at a time where the public was being constantly being bombarded with news of lockdowns, vaccinations, and track and trace. He knew that what the country needed the most at that moment, was to laugh.

Chawawa grew up in Zimbabwe and came to the UK when he was 11. His time in Zimbabwe had a large impact on Chawawa’s way of perceiving himself and says, “I was encouraged to be myself, the school was all about bringing about your inner character – I just felt like the sky was the limit, in terms of who I could be and what I could do”. From public speaking to being a part of debating competitions, Munya quickly realised that “I didn’t want to be a lawyer because it’s too serious and I didn’t want to be a politician because I enjoy telling the truth” so he pursued presenting and comedy as a way to hone in on those early passions.

Chawawa has been creating comedy videos and sketches throughout his 20s. It wasn’t until the Covid Lockdown that began in March 2020, that saw a significant rise of interest in Chawawa’s work. With fear and panic spreading like wildfire all over the country and tinned food, antibacterial gel, and toilet paper quickly becoming a luxury commodity in households. Chawawa tuned into the public psyche as his content became pieces of social commentary regarding how the government and public were handling the national crisis. In this time, Chawawa has now amassed the following of a small country, with over 1 million followers spanning Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and Tik Tok.

We had the opportunity to catch up with Chawawa at the beginning of 2021, check out our interview with the shining star below.