To celebrate their first birthday on the 8th of November, Passive Stance hosted a stand-up comedy night at 107 Media, complete with vendors and slam poetry, to raise funds for aid to Palestine.  

In a year, Passive Stance, established and run by the incredible Imaan Shah, has successfully raised over R100k. These donations have been sent to organisations and charities like South African Healthcare Workers for Palestine, Peace Charity and the Africa Muslims Agency. From the comedy night alone, for which the tickets were a mere R48, R12k was raised. 

Upon arrival, volunteers handed out freshly cut slices of watermelon, sugared watermelon gummies and Lotus Biscoff biscuits. You were immediately welcomed into a community where all were safe, and your presence was appreciated. 

A few hours before the show started, guests were welcomed to buy food and items from the vendors; a percentage of the proceeds from all purchases were donated. Jewellery, keffiyehs, badges, fridge magnets, along with homecooked food were available for purchase, all at a marked-down price. 

A few hours before the show started, guests were welcomed to buy food and items from the vendors; a percentage of the proceeds from all purchases were donated. Jewellery, keffiyehs, badges, fridge magnets, along with homecooked food were available for purchase, all at a marked-down price. 

The show began with three poetic performances: readings of famous poems or performances by a debut poet. Finally, Luke Green-Thompson showcased his incredible slam-poetry skills with an original poem entitled ‘Americans are Aliens’.

Then, it was time for the comedy. Passive Stance managed to pull through with some excellent comedians, despite some last-minute cancellations — including the emcee. Kenwyn Davids, who took over as emcee, was an incredible host, and every break between acts was guaranteed to be hysterical. 

The line-up was as diverse as the audience and featured some Cape Town fan favourites, like Daniele du Plessis and Chuma-Sande Bentele. The show also debuted the blooming comedian Aadila Mahomed. The show was headlined by the hilarious Jaryd Pillay; if you missed out on his incredible set, you can see his stand-up every Friday at Ground Culture Café! 

The Pal-e-Stance comedy night served as an essential reminder that brilliant comedy echoes from the belly of Cape Town, and we must do what we can to support it.

Passive Stance originally aimed to raise R10k through the Pal-e-Stance event, but they managed to go above and beyond that goal, achieving a massive donation of R16k. Passive Stance is definitely the place to look out for future incredible events for good.