Mufaro Mbudzi is a Vancouver-based entrepreneur who deeply values connection — and comedy is a great way to bring people together. But it has also brought him closer to himself.
"I'm like in love with stand-up," he tells V.I.A. in a phone interview. "I just love telling stories."
The Zimbabwe-born comic feels at home on a stage and has been telling jokes to crowds for years. When he moved to Canada he went to school at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and started telling jokes on campus at the Highland Pub for free.
Mbudzi has come a long way since his university days. Aside from headlining his shows, he also arranges a monthly "Writer's Room" for emerging comics and people interested in the craft to try out the funny bone in front of a live audience. That may sound intimidating — and it is — but his team works to make the environment welcoming.
"It isn't what you'd expect," he notes. "It is really fun. It's not like the traditional ones where you are waiting for hours. It's more of a hub where people can express themselves freely."
Mbudzi also blends stand-up comedy events with an unusual twist: meditation. After tensions rise, people come together in an exercise of "letting go" through quieting their minds and detaching from their egos.
Getting people 'to connect with their higher self through meditation'
The 28-year-old says he discovered mediation over the COVID-19 pandemic when he was forced to spend time in isolation.
"I started the [Scheduled Meditation] brand because I stopped smoking weed. I used weed and alcohol [when I would] spend time with people," he explains.
While he's an occasional drinker, the pandemic-fuelled sabbatical from substances allowed him to "have a clear stream of consciousness" where he could detach from the world and create, Mbudzi said.
Described as "a comedy, fashion, and wellness brand," Scheduled Meditation offers safe spaces for audiences and comedians. It has featured sober events, parties, and guided meditations at the end of comedy nights.
As the brand evolved, Mbudzi drew inspiration from fashion and decided to create a clothing collection. His brand was showcased as part of Vancouver Fashion Week, followed by Toronto's biggest fashion week, Fashion Art Toronto.
"The concept behind the brand has always been to allow people a chance to connect with their higher self through meditation, which, as an extension of ourselves, can be in the form of stand-up comedy, pursuing our passions, or any art form that makes us more open to our subconscious nudges," he notes.
He'll be performing at the Just for Laughs Vancouver comedy festival on Saturday (Feb. 24) at the Red Room. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m.
Have a look at Mbudzi's 2023 JFL Vancouver event. The show also held a meditation for over 150 people.
