Dickson Zizinga’s life story is the true definition of the saying that ‘the harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph’ because, from his humble beginnings, Zizinga is now among Uganda’s most celebrated comedians and actors.
In the world of comedy, there are those who make us laugh, and then there are those who leave us in stitches. Zizinga, a star of comedy acting, falls squarely into the latter category.
With a unique blend of wit, charm, and relatable humour, Zizinga has become a sensation, captivating audiences across Uganda.
Zizinga’s journey to comedy and acting stardom is an open book, one would dramatically say is doing what God sent him to do because his journey has no gambling jargon. Zizinga started acting right from his childhood while at Kangulumila Nursery and Primary School. So from his childhood little boy Zizinga discovered his passion and started making people laugh.
He started by entertaining family, and friends, performing at local talent shows, and by and by his comedic prowess began to shine. In 1997 Zizinga began his professional journey under the wings of veteran theatre practitioner Christopher Mukiibi.
Taking Acting and Comedy as a full-time job
Zizinga’s turning point came when decided to take the plunge and pursue comedy and acting as a full-time career. Leaving behind other stable jobs, he embarked on a journey filled with uncertainty, rejection, and late-night open mics.
According to him although he was undeterred, he relentlessly honed his craft and learned from every performance and this has helped him alot to become an outstanding actor and comedian. Through acting, Zizinga has met friends who have become his family.
Since honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom, Zizinga affirms that the friends has met in his journey have been good and as a way of streamlining professionally their work from forgery and duplications in 2010 they formed a group called Fun Factory.
According to Zizinga, Fun Factory created a sense of belonging to him and it became a great encouragement that is embedded in his heart. He adds that Fun Factory has streamlined relevance as far as acting and comedy are concerned in Uganda.
When Fun Factory was birthed in 2010, Dickson Zizinga was entrusted with two roles, a board member and creative director. 13 years on, he thinks that understanding each other and the group’s challenges have been solved because the glue that has stuck them together no matter what.
“We looked at those things that cause companies to collapse. What leads to the collapse of a company is mostly money and greed. We all have equal shares. So, this has really helped us to move together as an independent entity,” Zizinga explains.
In the world of acting, and entertainment, we have witnessed many groups forming and collapsing due to mistrust as a major factor, however, according to Zizinga one of the pillars that have kept Fun Factory moving despite the waves of the economy and other uncertainties is trust, respect and the spirit of brotherhood. To him, the Fun Factory’s outfit is different because it is more of a family than a company.
“All the ladies in the group are my sisters, and the gentlemen are my brothers. We ensure equal measure and fairness to all the members because what leads to the collapse of groups is greed and possessiveness. The company can always move forward with or without me,” the founding member observes.
The Comedy and Acting Phenomenon
According to him, what has set them apart from other comedians and actors is their ability to tackle a wide range of topics with humour that is both insightful and universally relatable. From everyday annoyances to societal quirks, Zizinga and his group have mastered the art of transforming the mundane into comedic gold.
Their signature style of play has acted as their advertorial billboard and the group has been able to travel across the world on the wings of Comedy and Acting.
His most memorable moment was when Theatre Factory (later changed to Fun Factory) was invited to be part of the Pan African Festival in 2009. “It was the first time I got on the plane to go and act. The second was meeting the president but these days meeting the president is no longer a big deal, however, in my family, I am still the only one who has faced him physically, so I count it as a big moment,” he explains.
However, Zizinga is not irked by the pay some places in Uganda give to actors and comedians as compared to other parts of Africa
“When you go to Nigeria, the comedians there are rated in million dollars. I saw a Nigerian ranked by Forbes. In Uganda, there is no one who has made one million dollars from acting. We are underpaid, yet we do great work. People are delighted to see us but have no idea we survive on katogo for beans and cassava,” Zizinga says, affording himself a chuckle.
Despite the low pay and other series uncertainties in the world of acting and comedy, Zizinga does not regret being an actor because by doing it wholeheartedly, he has harvested physical proceeds.
“I bought a Mercedes Benz from acting and it’s not the first. I have boarded planes because of my acting. Acting has taken me to the state house. It has earned me money to enable me to build a house. Acting has made me build a family house in the village. I can even show you pictures.”
Because of his style of play, Zizinga has been able to get promotion projects and currently is the GOTV ambassador as well as Omo washing powder.
One would be correctly wrong not to give a standing ovation to this unique breed of actors who have shown Ugandans of this generation that comedy is not about speaking profanities but can also be educative and informative and at the same time enjoyable.
Therefore, in a move to celebrate their 20 years of comedy and acting, the Fun Factory group has organized a grand show called ‘The Big Sunday’ that will take place at the Kampala Serena Hotel on 1st October and tickets go from Shs 120,000 for Platinum, Shs 200,000 for Gold and Shs 2.5m for a table. One can obtain the quickest ticket via the link https://qkt.io/TheBigSunday
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