WATCH: It’s no joke, Eddie Griffin loves Mzansi

Raw and real, American comedian Eddie Griffin, flew into South Africa to make his fans laugh at the Savanna/ Showmax Laugh Africa Comedy Festival.

He spoke to The Citizen about his comedic journey, stage act, and why Mzansi is special to him.

“I came to South Africa 27 years ago to shoot a movie named Blast, and I stayed for three months and now I’m back to bring comedy to the people,” he says.

“The country has always had a special place in my heart. I love South Africans because they are all so beautiful and nice.”

The comedy festival had sold out shows on each of the days. While he’s happy to be the headliner for the first Laugh Africa Comedy Festival, Griffin says that “it’s for the motherland”.

The 55-year-old Griffin has been on the comedy scene for over 25 years and has acted in numerous movies, including Armageddon and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.

He has a large filmography of live stand-up comedy shows, and TV and video music appearances, doing stand-up comedy and satire since 1989.

As his career has grown, so too has the industry of laughs evolved.

A large part of that is the censorship of comedians, a topic that is being discussed extensively on social media, where people who make audiences laugh can mostly freely have their say.

The sold-out Savanna Showmax Laugh Africa Comedy Festival isn’t just about the big names.

Over 50 comedians entertain across three diverse genres – English, Vernacular, and Afrikaans.

The festival was a melting pot of styles and experiences with local favourites like Tumi Morake, Alfred Adriaan, Mashabela Galane, Chris Mapane, and many more.

Audiences lined up to enjoy their favourite comedians live. Griffin doesn’t tailor his comedy set for the country where he is performing.

The audience receives the full Eddie experience every place he performs.

“You gonna get it the same way you get it in America,” he says. “I change nothing. People are people, and the problem over here will eventually be the problems over there – because America is just like that.”

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His advice to comedians who don’t get laughs?

“The audience will let you know if you ain’t funny, you’ll know if you can’t book a gig just stop it,” he says in jest. While explaining that the only way is perseverance – do or die, he adds: “I was homeless for the first three months.

“When I left home from Kansas City to Los Angeles, I just kept at it”.

He does admit that if you do stand up against the Hollywood system, you get fewer jobs, reiterating that comedians now need to be more creative.

“We need to do more shows like Laugh Out Loud, then stream it online and that’s where you generate revenue, including merchandise and other things, and gain a bigger audience.

“People don’t watch TV like they used to, and the movie scene is carried by streaming, which is where people prefer to go for content.

We have to move out of the dinosaur era and into the future,” he says. Griffin says this is not only affecting stand-up comedy.

He feels like the music industry is taking a turn because of streaming and people not buying CDs. Being a father – he has 12 children – is one of Griffin’s most rewarding experiences.

He is a very busy man, yet he makes time to take his children to extramural activities. “I had my first kid at the age of 16, and have been working hard ever since,” he says. “I have four grown kids and three in college, and I’m active in my kids’ lives.”

Those who couldn’t attend the show can see it on Showmax.