Stand-up comedian, Daliso Chaponda, on 29 April made history by becoming the first Malawian act to audition for Britain’s Got Talent (BGT), UK’s television hit talent show.

Stand-up comedian, Daliso Chaponda, on 29 April made history by becoming the first Malawian act to audition for Britain’s Got Talent (BGT), UK’s television hit talent show. Daliso’s comedy routine on the night earned him a spot in this year’s BGT semi-final scheduled for 21 to 25 May. Aged 37, Daliso who is based in Manchester, stepped on the world stage dressed in a pair of jeans and brown top. The panel of judges could not help but wonder why the Malawian looked so excited. However his moment came when he began explaining how his parents reacted when he decided to pursue a career as an entertainment when his brother is a medical doctor. Son to Malawi’s former minister of Agriculture, George Chaponda, Daliso began his set by joking about his single life. The comedian, who started performing in Canada 17 years ago first performed in Malawi last year at the BICC in Lilongwe on 25 April, went on to make fun of how he was tempted during his past life as a house cleaner. However, Daliso saved the best for last, when he poked fun at the credit crunch of 2008. Daliso’s jokes had the audience roaring in laughter and earned him a standing ovation. But the audience went a step further with a chant, urging the judges to “Hit the gold”. One of the late night TV show’s judges Amanda Holden could not do otherwise but oblige when she hit her Golden Buzzer, thereby guaranteeing Daliso, who moved to the UK from SA a decade ago, a place in the semi-final stage of the 2017 Britain’s Got Talent alongside previous Golden Buzzer recipients Sarah Ikumu and Just Us.. Just two of the sought-after spots are now left, with David and hosts Ant and Dec yet to reveal their picks. Holden, and her fellow judges, Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams went on to describe Daliso as “original”, “a comedy superstar” and “incredibly likeable. A video of Daliso performance on Saturday has received over 2.5 million hits on BGT’s official YouTube channel. Daliso’s semi-final spot in the British contest is a complete contrast from his deportation by the Canadian authorities at the expiry of his VISA in 2015 this was after he mounted a comical campaign not to be deported in his 2004 “Don’t Let Them Deport Me” skit. If the Malawian goes beyond the semi-final who will get to perform in front of the queen at the 2017 BGT finale set for 27 May. In addition to stand-up, Daliso, is a fiction writer. In 2002 the Malawian was a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the future contest and in 2005 he was nominated for the P&E Award for Online Writing. In February this year, Daliso took to Facebook where he expressed worry over what the actor branded as toxic direct messages from Malawi as a result of his father’s involvement in the Zambia-Malawi maize procurement scandal. He further revealed that he has stopped visiting his inbox because of the insults levelled against him. What remains to be seen is whether or not the son of an alleged villain will be celebrated as a hero in his home country after his recent exploit in the UK.

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