Daliso Chaponda

Daliso Chaponda was born in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1979. His early life involved living in multiple African countries before moving to Malawi at age 11. His parents, originally from Malawi, had sought refuge from the dictatorship of Hastings Banda. His father, George Chaponda, worked as a lawyer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which led the family to reside in various countries including Thailand, Australia, and Switzerland. After returning to Malawi, his father was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Education. Chaponda attended Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa. He later pursued higher education at McGill University and Concordia University in Canada, initially studying computer programming before transitioning to English literature.

Chaponda started his comedy career in 2001 in Canada, developing his skills through stand-up clubs and open mic nights. His first headlining performance, “Feed This Black Man”, took place at Concordia University in 2002. In 2006, he relocated to the United Kingdom, where he began opening for established comedians like John Bishop. During this period, he performed in venues across the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia. A key milestone occurred in 2008 with his appearance in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s “Best of the Fest”. He performed in Malawi for the first time in 2009 and also opened for Canadian comedian Sugar Sammy in Dubai and Jordan that same year.

In 2012, a joke Chaponda made about the Malawian flag during a “Laughrica” show in Malawi resulted in threats of arrest for insulting the flag. This incident later inspired him to co-write “When the Laughter Stops”, a BBC Radio 4 drama-comedy series in 2014. His career saw a significant turning point in 2017 when he auditioned for “Britain’s Got Talent.” Judge Amanda Holden advanced him to the semi-finals with her “golden buzzer”; he ultimately finished third in the competition. Following this, in 2018, he signed with BBC Radio 4 for his own series, “Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere,” which aired twelve half-hour episodes by 2021 and was rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2022. He also launched his first headlining world tour, “What the African Said…”, in February 2018. Chaponda has also appeared in six episodes of “QI” and as a Dictionary Corner guest on “Countdown” in November 2023. In January 2025, he won an episode of “Celebrity Mastermind,” and in April 2025, he featured in the BBC Two series “Pilgrimage, The Road through the Alps.”