Details are emerging about how US comedian Dave Chapelle held a private show in Kenya in 2024.
Creator, director, and producer Eric Lu Savali revealed in a new interview that Chapelle’s team had been keeping an eye on him and his work for a long time.
“They were like, ‘We’ve been watching, we’ve been listening,’ and they had spoken to various people, saying, ‘We’re trying to do this. Who’s the person to speak to?’ They have an entire dossier.”
Eric told the YouTube channel Financially Incorrect that he faced pressure once news emerged of his presence.
Eric revealed behind-the-scenes stories of bringing Dave Chappelle to Nairobi, dealing with bribery and corruption, and surviving a terrifying kidnapping.
How did Eric manage to get Dave Chapelle to Kenya? “I think when I started stand-up comedy years back, I wrote in my joke book, ‘In 1978, the greatest comedian of the previous generation came to Nairobi but never got to perform. Would it not be amazing for the greatest comedian of our generation to come to Nairobi and perform here?'”
Eric explained, “The dream was always there to try and get Dave to perform in Nairobi. So, I sent out emails, DMs, calls, and everything. But nothing ever came back.”
He revealed that he reached out to almost everyone, knowing Chapelle is not very active on social media: “I sent his wife, Elaine, a message—every single person I could think of. Then this year, 2024, there are things I can and cannot talk about because there’s an NDA in place.”
Eric recounted the moment things changed: “I can just say, at one point, one night in April or May, I was getting ready for bed, and my phone rang. I heard a voice, ‘Yo, how you doing? Listen, we are coming to Nairobi, this and that. Can we play the Vineyard?’ I’m like, what? They were like, ‘My people will get in touch or whatever.'”
Initially, Eric thought it was a prank: “Dave was on the phone, but I was like, someone is pranking me. He just started talking; he was like, ‘Yo, is this Eric?'”
Chapelle’s team later contacted him, leaving Eric puzzled about the venue Dave mentioned: “What is this Vineyard you’re talking about? This is how thorough his people are—they started sending me pictures and details about us.”
Eric revealed that bringing Dave Chapelle to Kenya required significant preparation: “They were like, we want something small, something intimate, and we kept pushing. Then his people said, let’s set something up.”
While many Kenyans believed the performance was impromptu, Eric dismissed this rumour: “No, those people are thorough. They don’t do anything impromptu. We had loads of time. We had to get trained on what to expect, on what to set up, bagging and tagging.”
Only a handful of people knew Chapelle would visit Kenya. “It’s just that we kept it under wraps. It’s just brilliant; he came, and we had an amazing show.”
Eric described his encounter with the legendary comedian: “He is humble and down to earth.”
After his time in Kenya, Chapelle continued his African tour in Rwanda and Senegal. Reflecting on the experience, Eric said: “It was one of the most, I think, special moments of my life. Dave Chapelle is all the way here,” motioning with his hand to the top.
Eric also shared details of their ongoing friendship: “Sometimes he’s just checking in, like, ‘Yo, how are you doing? How’s things going? How’s the baby? How’s the wife.’ It’s amazing that someone can be that open and kind.”
While Eric couldn’t specify how long it took to bring Chapelle to Kenya due to an NDA, he hinted at the extensive preparations: “I cannot say; even some of what I’ve said, I don’t think I should say it. But there was more than enough time for us to get all the licenses, support, and bookings.”
When asked if Chapelle came for monetary reasons, Eric said: “No, I don’t think Dave does things for money.”
Tickets, priced at $50, sold out rapidly. Eric explained: “We did not anticipate the tickets would sell out. We wanted this to be accessible to people, so that was a decision we made very consciously.”
by MAUREEN WARUINGE
