A Norfolk comedian who found fame for his lockdown social media parodies is set for a change of tone as he talks about life in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe.
Munya Chawawa, 29, who grew up in Framingham Pigot near Norwich, found fame for characters such as chef Jonny Oliver and a posh drill rapper called Unknown P, but now he will present How To Survive A Dictator, a documentary on Mugabe's years in charge of the African country.
Chawawa was born in Derby in 1992 and spent his childhood in Zimbabwe before moving to Norfolk where his comedy career - which has seen him nominated for a MOBO Award - began.
When filming the programme, things got off to a heated start, his bags were packed and flights were booked, but then he found out he had been banned by the Zimbabwean government and his filming visas were cancelled.
So instead he decided to travel to South Africa to speak to Mugabe’s friends, family, victims and henchmen.
Chawawa said: "I love Zimbabwe. It’s so pivotal to who I am - almost like a blueprint to my personality.
"I never fully understood why I had to leave and this documentary, for me, was a chance to uncover that.
"But let me tell you it’s an emotional rollercoaster, especially after I found out my filming visa was rejected.
"But in true sneaky, satirist style - we managed to tell the story another way and I can’t wait for people to see it.”
The series uses interviews, archive footage and even comedy sketches to help viewers understand the story as it tries to document the man behind the dictatorship.
Chawawa, who attended Notre Dame High School in Norwich, meets with Mugabe’s nephews, his former friend Wilf, who fell out with Mugabe after a massacre of 20,000 civilians, his spiritual advisor and some of his victims.
Finally, he goes head-to-head with a Mugabe ally accused of brutal violence and intimidation.
How To Survive A Dictator will air on Channel 4 at 10pm on Thursday, November 3.
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