Three months after selling out the Harare International Conference Centre with Unbothered, Zimbabwean comedian Dillan Chiota is returning to the same stage with a new show, Killing Boredom, bringing a fresh line up of comedians to Harare on 23 October. Presented under the DillanChiotaLive banner, the two hour live comedy show will take place at the HICC’s Jacaranda venue from 7pm, with Chiota joined by Mbongeni Ignatius, Tinotenda Lebogang and Ckanyiso Dat Guy.
The October performance follows Chiota’s July edition of “Unbothered”, which featured Ugandan comedian Dr. Hillary Okello as the headline guest and drew a reported 600 people to the HICC. The show was subsequently described as sold out, marking a significant moment for Chiota’s growing live comedy platform. Rather than simply extending the previous show’s formula, “Killing Boredom’ introduces a different combination of performers and a new chapter in the Unbothered series.
The decision to return to the HICC so quickly also reflects the pace at which Chiota has been developing his live work. His approach has increasingly involved creating and producing his own shows rather than waiting for opportunities to emerge through existing comedy events. That strategy has turned DillanChiotaLive into more than a vehicle for Chiota’s own performances. The platform has increasingly provided a stage for other Zimbabwean comedians, bringing different styles and voices together within the same production. Recent coverage of the platform has highlighted Chiota’s intention to create larger and more frequent opportunities for local stand up comedy.
Mbongeni Ignatius returns to the HICC after serving as host during the July Unbothered performance. His work spans stand up and live comedy, while Tinotenda Lebogang and Ckanyiso Dat Guy bring their own styles to a line up designed around variety. Their inclusion also points to a deliberate feature of Chiota’s productions: giving audiences several different approaches to comedy in one evening rather than relying entirely on a single headliner.
The July show demonstrated the potential of that model. Okello’s performance drew on shared African experiences, including travel, identity, xenophobia and the peculiarities of navigating the continent as an African. Local acts including Mbongeni Ignatius, Lebogang, Ckanyiso Dat Guy and Chipenzi established the atmosphere before the Ugandan comedian took centre stage. Killing Boredom now shifts the focus back to a predominantly Zimbabwean line up, giving the comedians an opportunity to develop their material in front of a large live audience.
For Chiota, that process is becoming an increasingly important part of his own development as a comedian and producer. The success of the July show gave DillanChiotaLive a significant platform, but the challenge of returning to the same venue is to offer audiences something that feels new rather than simply recreating a successful night. The new show therefore arrives with a different set of expectations. Chiota has previously spoken about the importance of building bigger experiences for audiences while creating more space for Zimbabwean comedians to develop their craft.
The title Killing Boredom also gives the October production a simple proposition: an evening built around live comedy, fresh material and a collection of performers with different comedic voices. With the HICC now familiar territory for Chiota, the significance of the October show lies less in the novelty of the venue and more in what the comedian is building around it.
Killing Boredom takes place on 23 October 2026 at the HICC Jacaranda in Harare. Doors open for a 7pm start, with the show scheduled to run for two hours. The show presents another opportunity to test new material, bring fellow comedians to a major stage and continue turning DillanChiotaLive into a recognisable part of Zimbabwe’s growing stand up comedy circuit.
