( CNN ) -- Armed with big grins and risque humor , South African standup comedians Nik Rabinowitz and Tats Nkonzo take to the stage at Cape Town 's Baxter Theater . `` We would like to dedicate this song to all the black people in the audience -- I can only see one , '' says Rabinowitz . `` I see three of us tonight , '' quickly adds Nkonzo , with the audience bursting into laughter . Over the next hour , the two South African comedians -- one white , one black -- will deliver their own brand of comedy , using an arsenal of jokes to stir up stigmas and stereotypes in a nation striving to come to terms with its racist past . `` In this country a lot of us do use comedy to confront various things and challenge certain ideas and it is just the tip of the iceberg , '' award-winning Rabinowitz said before the show . `` We do need to poke our fingers in certain places and say , 'well , this is still going on , ' and I think particularly around Africa we need to do that -- and we do , '' he added . See also : Master storyteller brings folk tales to life . From race and religion jokes to polygamy gags and political spoofs , Rabinowitz and Nkonzo are using satire to help South Africans accept uncomfortable truths -- and the jokes go a long way . `` I have a polygamy gag where I talk about , I wonder what love songs a polygamist sings to their wives , because there are no love songs that cater to polygamists , '' said Nkonzo , a rising star in South Africa 's comedy circuit , who often incorporates music and singing to his performance . `` I had to sit down and go how do I say what I want to say , so then that 's how the music thing came and then I go on the whole spiel about they do n't have any love songs to sing to their wives and then people laugh -- I win , they win . `` You know this song ; you 're like a dream come true , just want to be with you , you know it 's plain to see , that you 're the one for me ... four ... five , if ever your work is done , then I 'll get another one . '' See also : South African ballet dancer confounds racial stereotypes . Having a similar approach to comedy makes Rabinowitz and Nkonzo work well together , but the two artists found their calling in different ways . A much-loved impersonator , Rabinowitz has a loyal fan base from all around South Africa . Besides taking to the stage , he also has a regular slot on local radio with his own political satire show . His comedy career started after he joined a theater company traveling around Africa in his post-university years . Rabinowitz says visiting different countries across Africa helped him enrich his understanding of the continent , as well as pick up different cultural elements that he still uses in his act . `` I spent time in Kenya as well -- they do an interesting thing there where they mix up their ' L 's ' and their ' R 's ' in Kenya , so they would say things like , 'we know all about Mr Zuma , your plesident ' and we 'd say , 'What do you know about him ? ' 'And they 'd say , 'We know he 's got a big erection coming up this year , ' and we say , 'Yes , that 's true , ' '' said Rabinowitz , reciting one of the jokes in his act . In his latest show , he shares the stage with up-and-coming Nkonzo , who started his career three years ago after taking part in a reality TV show for comics . See also : Comedy , mystery and post-apartheid fallout : The best of African film . Nkonzo , who often appears on stage with a guitar , said that all of his comedy comes after serious thinking . The challenge , he explains , is to communicate whatever he wants to say but also be funny . `` Comedy is very much hiding hilarity in the humor -- I 'm saying what I want to say and you 're accepting it and we kind of both win . I feel like I have n't cheated myself , I 've told you what I need to say , I 've given you your laughs and yet I 've left you with something . That 's the tension for me . '' Rabinowitz and Nkonzo see themselves as the watchdogs of society in South Africa , pointing fingers and exposing the absurdity of the rigid mindset . `` And we have to do it in the light way , '' said Nkonzo . `` If there 's an army , that 's our post -- there are the president and the law makers and you know , whatevers , we are the comedy wing . '' Teo Kermeliotis contributed to this report .
Nik Rabinowitz and Chris Nkonzo are two South African stand - up comedians . They are using laughter to help people accept uncomfortable truths . Politics , religion , polygamy and well - known celebrities are all included in their comedy .