Comedian Entertains in Mombasa Last Word Standing Event

Comedians Entertain in Mombasa Last Word Standing Event

Mombasa City has always been a talent hub. Tapping the talent and bringing it to the limelight remains a challenge that has been unresolved. Nevertheless, all is not lost as the youth are taking initiatives to showcase their talent in poetry, spoken word and hip hop.

These youth have been performing under the banner of Last Word Standing (LWS) at the Alliance Francaise Mombasa. This event has become a platform for all emerging poets and spoken word performers to gracefully exercise their talent and reach their full potential in the arts. In turn these young men and women channel their energy to a more resourceful means instead of vices.

The spoken word and poetry enthusiasts that attend the event enjoy the performances and social aspect of Last Word Standing. Billy, a longtime fan said,

“Last Word Standing is a social event where you meet new people from all walks of life who come to either appreciate art or just to socialize. I see this becoming a very powerful movement in Mombasa that can bring a positive impact to coast scene in terms of deterring ill norms such as substance abuse, crime.”

Last Word Standing held their first event in August 2012 at Jahazi Coffee House and due to quick growth in numbers, the event moved to the bigger Alliance Francaise which has become a preferable venue for all things arts and culture in Mombasa.

Last Word Standing has immensely grown over the years and one of its remarkable achievements has been giving young artists exposure. Some of the top hiphop performers from Mombasa such as HustlaJay and Fikrah Teule performers have grown from this event. In this months event, there were performances by comedians and dancers in addition to the usual spoken word artistes.

Apart from the arts, LWS has been actively involved in mobilizing youth for philanthropic missions to inculcate the culture of giving back to society. They have visited Children’s Homes like the Twaayf in Likoni and Ma Fatma in Mikindani among others.

One of the performers. Perlexy had this to say on the impact this event has had to his career.

“LWS is like a maternity hospital where artists are born considering the fact that where I am today is a result of the nurturing I got on this platform. It is an important platform for both up and coming artists in Mombasa.”