The craftsmen behind Uganda’s beloved comedy shows

Comedy has become a beloved genre that resonates deeply with Ugandan television audiences; EC and behind the laughter, are three passionate producers who have dedicated their lives to crafting stories that make Ugandans chuckle.

Conrad Lubwama, Steve Ayeny and Hannington Bugingo are the masterminds behind Uganda’s most beloved comedy shows, turning everyday moments into stories that tickle audiences.

In the third episode of MultiChoice Uganda’s Home of Our Stars season 3, the three producers sat down with host Judithiana Namazzi to talk about inspirations behind their shows; how they bring their shows to life and the challenges of putting together a comedy show.

Conrad Lubwama, the producer of Elders Classroom, did not just stumble into comedy; he was practically born into it. At just 10 years old, he was starring in his father Kato Lubwama’s (RIP) show, as Bidugu in a television show, London Shock.

Eight years after London Shock, Kato created Batabangufu and by then, Conrad was old enough to understand what his father was doing.

“I remember he would just come home and tell me to get dressed in my mother’s clothes. My mum would sometimes try to protest but I think he was trying to teach us that art is from the basic things you find around you,” he said.

But growing up, he could not escape the shadow of his father’s fame. At school, teachers treated him like a celebrity because of his playwright/actor/politician/singer father. As he got older, Conrad got more interested in his father’s craft.

“I sought to find out what he was really doing, and then he slowly also started nurturing me into his craft. My love for comedy deepened with time, and when I began to see the financial potential, I knew this could be a career I could take on,” Conrad told Judithiana.

As for Elders Classroom, Conrad said its conception came from a casual drive he was having around town with his late father, when Kato’s shaky English sparked a debate. His son challenged him to go back to school to sharpen his English diction, an idea he (Kato) dismissed.

“We told him to go back to school and he laughed it off that an old man like him couldn’t go back to sit in a classroom. He, however, said it was a good idea for a show we could explore,” Conrad recalls.

That joke became the seed for a successful TV show which he now produces. Sadly, Kato, who died of heart complications in 2023, did not live to see the joke blow up to become a big deal on the screen.

For Steve Ayeny, the producer of Senkyu Boss, Hotel Mara and the drama series Crossroads, his passion for storytelling stems from his background of growing up in a war- torn community where very few homes had the privilege of owning a TV set and the rest had to go to video halls (bidanda) to watch some TV dramas.

As a boy, he and his friends could not always afford the fee; so, one of them would sweep the video hall for a free seat, then return to narrate the film to the others.

“That is how I learned to tell stories, and, in my community, I became the best storyteller,” Ayeny said, his voice tinged with nostalgia.

These roots birthed stories like Senkyu Boss and Hotel Mara with the latter coming from a real- life blunder when Ayeny and his crew checked into an upcountry motel, only to be kicked out at 2am because the motel was only meant for very short stays and guests had to pay per hour.

That, he said, became a story he wanted to tell. Hannington Bugingo, the Fun Factory comedian behind Mizigo Express and Popi, knows the weight of creating laughter. As Sam, his Mizigo Express character, he cannot escape the giggles even in boardrooms.

“I am into art administration where we sit in boardrooms, but sometimes you can be in a meeting and someone bursts out laughing when you are speaking because they are seeing you as Sam, which can be quite challenging when some people don’t take you seriously,” he told Judithiana.

Though comedy is all about fun, the three producers revealed that the genre can be a tightrope because laughter is hard to evoke organically, and one has to observe wherever one is and everything that happens around them, lest they become stale.

“Jokes keep on growing and evolving depending on the circumstances,” Bugingo said. “To get someone who is stressed to laugh at what you are saying is not easy. You tell a joke and even your loved ones cannot laugh at it and you come out hating everyone thinking they don’t like you,” Ayeny added.

“So, imagine putting it on screen; you go through production and post-production and you wait for people to talk about it and then they say you are not funny. It is hard to produce comedy,” Ayeny said.

To the young producers out there wanting to pitch comedy shows, the trio had some advice: just write a good synopsis that you can pitch instead of wasting money shooting pilot projects.

THE HARD WAY

Ayeny learned this the hard way when he excitedly shot 15 pilot projects which were all rejected that he even contemplated leaving the country because he thought his work was not making sense to Ugandans.

But after speaking to Bugingo about his frustrations, he channeled his creative mind to comedy and pitching synopses instead of pilot projects. Bugingo’s advice to upcoming producers is to be creative, and not copy what is already existing on TV.

“Be original and create something authentic because no one will refuse to buy content which is original and authentic.’’

Together, these men paint Kampala’s comedic canvas. Conrad Lubwama’s Elders Classroom brings elders back to school, Ayeny’s Senkyu Boss delivers laughs through the chaotic adventures of two quirky village housekeepers, while Hotel Mara dives into the chaotic fun-filled lives of employees of a Kampala hotel.

Bugingo’s enduring Mizigo Express captures the hilarious lives of tenants and their landlords in a bustling rental community, while Popi delivers side-splitting humour of the lives of a village police station officers and the community they serve.

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