A plethora of talent was on display December 11 at New York’s Mist Harlem on West 116th Street as SaharaReporters’ very own Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo and Adeola took the stage on their “This America Sef!” tour.
A plethora of talent was on display December 11 at New York’s Mist Harlem on West 116th Street as SaharaReporters’ very own Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo and Adeola took the stage on their “This America Sef!” tour.
The audience was treated to a bevy of frontline performers including an all-male dance group, the A.V.O. Boys (Africa’s Very Own), as well as the female duo, Supreme Dancers. Also, on hand was Lade King, an event planner and founder of No Boundaries No Limit Foundation. The event was emceed by Seun (AKA MC of Life), a Nigerian-born MC, who kept the night’s events rolling with timely and well-paced good humor.
Prizes were also awarded to audience members able to answer questions ranging from details about Dr. Damages and Keeping It Real to current events in Africa. Mrs. Toyosi Phillips distributed the prizes, which included SaharaReporters T-shirts, to the winners.
Musician and lawyer, Laolu, performed a few hits by Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti, as well as an original song. Fungai Maboreke, a Zimbabwean writer, and poet, read a few of his poems to the audience.
The event also saw the comedy stylings of Adesoji Michael, a Nigerian stand-up comedian and radio personality on 107.1 FM.
Then the show really began.
Humble Prince, of the Radio Sahara show “Live With The Humble Prince”, provided the audience with an introduction of Rudolf (aka ‘Dr. Damages’) and the latter took the stage for his first-ever stand-up comedy performance.
Rudolf covered issues ranging from the challenges African immigrants face in America, through his love of New York City, to the phenomenal contributions immigrants make to the vibrancy of the United States.
Not to be outdone, the effervescent Adeola Fayehun, host of SaharaTV’s “Keeping It Real With Adeola,” provided the audience with her own comedy samplings. She joked about the pop singer Adele’s “Nigerian origins”, as well as her interactions at various Nigerian churches in the US.
The event ended with an appearance by Dr. Damages and his assistants Tomato Jos, Fatima Sesay and Adeola. The trio joked amongst themselves and conducted a hilarious interactive segment with the audience.
After the show, fans were able to purchase Rudolf’s latest book, “This American Life Sef,” and take photos with the various performers.