Daliso Chaponda

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Daliso Chaponda
Born (1979-11-29) 29 November 1979 (age 45)
Lusaka, Zambia [1]
Nationality Malawian and British
Education McGill University
Concordia University (BA)
Years active2001–present
Parent(s) George Chaponda
Website dalisochaponda.com

Daliso Chaponda (born 29 November 1979) is a Zambian-born Malawian stand-up comedian currently residing in the United Kingdom. In 2017, he became a finalist in the variety show Britain's Got Talent , finishing third overall. In 2018, he launched a BBC Radio 4 series Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere. [2]

Contents

Early life

Chaponda was born in Zambia in 1979 and spent several years between multiple African countries before going to Malawi at the age of 11. [3] His parents were from Malawi, but had fled the country due to the dictatorship of Hastings Banda. His father George Chaponda worked as a lawyer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, so the family lived in various countries such as Thailand, Australia and Switzerland. His family later returned to Malawi, and George Chaponda was eventually appointed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Education by Bingu wa Mutharika.

Daliso Chaponda attended Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa, and went on to further education at McGill University, followed by Concordia University in Canada, where he initially studied computer programming before switching to English literature. [4] [5]

Career

Chaponda began his comedy career in 2001 while he was in Canada. To hone his craft, he focused on stand-up clubs and open mic nights. His first headlining show, Feed This Black Man, was at Concordia University in 2002. [6] In 2006, he moved to the United Kingdom where he opened for other comedians such as John Bishop. [7] [8] During that time, he appeared in venues in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia. [8] [9]

In 2008, he appeared in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe's "Best of the Fest". [10] In 2009, he performed for the first time in Malawi. The same year, he also opened for Canadian comedian Sugar Sammy in Dubai and Jordan. [9] [11] In 2012, Chaponda made a joke about the Malawian flag during one of his "Laughrica" shows in Malawi. The government subsequently threatened to arrest him for insulting the flag. [5] [4] In 2014, he co-wrote a BBC Radio 4 drama-comedy series inspired by the incident, Sibusiso Mamba's When the Laughter Stops. [12]

In 2017, Chaponda auditioned for the television talent series Britain's Got Talent . Judge Amanda Holden used her "golden buzzer" to help him advance to the semi-finals. Chaponda eventually came third in the competition. [13] [14]

As a result of his appearance on Britain's Got Talent, Chaponda signed with BBC Radio 4 to create a new series called Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere, begun in 2018, totalling by 2021 twelve half-hour episodes, rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2022. [15] He began his first headlining world tour What the African Said... in February 2018. [12] [16]

Chaponda has appeared in three episodes of QI . [17]

In November 2023, Chaponda appeared as a Dictionary Corner guest on the television game show Countdown .

In January 2025 he appeared on, and won, an episode of Celebrity Mastermind. [18]

Influences

Chaponda has said in interviews that he admires many standup comedians, but has been most influenced by humorous authors such as George Bernard Shaw and Roald Dahl. [4]

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References

  1. ↑ Daliso Chaponda [@dalisochaponda] (January 28, 2023). "Lusaka" (Tweet). Retrieved January 28, 2023– via Twitter.
  2. ↑ "Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere", BBC Radio 4, retrieved October 23, 2019
  3. ↑ "People to People Podcast ep1". www.scotland-malawipartnership.org. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Aspinall, David (September 26, 2013). "From behind bars to behind cameras: Comedian Daliso Chaponda chats ahead of filming DVD at The Lowry". Mancunian Matters.
  5. 1 2 Gregory, Aidan (January 19, 2015). "Interview: Daliso Chaponda". The Mancunion. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  6. ↑ Scalia, Robert (February 28, 2002). "Creative writing student thrives on standup comedy". Concordia's Thursday Report.
  7. ↑ Docking, Neil (May 19, 2014). "John Bishop steps in for Jason Manford at Liverpool Philharmonic event". Liverpool Echo.
  8. 1 2 Skinner, Tim (September 18, 2017). "Daliso Chaponda interview". Time Out Dubai.
  9. 1 2 Milozi, Howard (October 18, 2016). "Comedian Daliso targets BBC with radio show". The Nation.
  10. ↑ "A man walks into a bar ... ouch!". The Age. March 24, 2008.
  11. ↑ Mallari, Dennis (May 29, 2009). "Sammy sugar coats the bitter pill of recession". Emirates 24/7.
  12. 1 2 Taylor, Frances (June 14, 2017). "Britain's Got Talent finalist Daliso Chaponda lands BBC Radio 4 show". Radio Times.
  13. ↑ Mohan, Isabel (June 4, 2017). "Britain's Got Talent Final winner: musician Tokio Myers triumphs - just ahead of magician Issy Simpson". The Telegraph.
  14. ↑ "Daliso Chaponda comes third in BGT". Chortle. June 3, 2017.
  15. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere - Episode guide".
  16. ↑ "Comedian Daliso Chaponda brings 'laugh-gate' to Malawi". Nyasa Times. September 18, 2017.
  17. ↑ "BBC Two - QI, Series S, Secrets, Spies & Sleuths". BBC. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Celebrity Mastermind". BBC. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
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