Munya Chawawa says he witnessed more racism in six weeks in UK city than in his entire life

Comedian and social media star Munya Chawawa has revealed how what should have been a career highlight turned into a deeply troubling experience after witnessing what he described as extraordinary levels of racism and homophobia.

Sussex World reported how the 33-year-old satirist said he encountered more prejudice during six weeks performing in the cathedral city of Chichester, West Sussex, than he had experienced throughout his entire life.

Chawawa, who was making his major theatre debut playing Bottom in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, spoke out in an emotional Instagram video after the production ended.

"For some of us, Chichester was a real struggle," he said.

"I don't know if I have witnessed and or experienced as much racism, xenophobia and homophobia as I saw in those six weeks.

"I think I saw more in those six weeks than I have actually seen across my entire lifetime, which is just an insane concept."

Friends followed and schoolchildren racially abused

Chawawa described a disturbing series of incidents involving fellow performers, friends and visitors to the city.

He claimed students from the BRIT School who attended the production were subjected to racist abuse shouted from a passing car, while another visitor was called a racial slur by a boy riding a bicycle.

In another incident, friends who had travelled to watch the show were allegedly followed back to their hotel by a group chanting "dirty" at them.

Even a trip to Brighton offered no escape, he said, with members of his mixed group confronted by men calling them "migrants".

"It was just utterly abysmal," he said.

The comedian's comments follow an incident in which a fellow cast member was chased and verbally abused in Chichester city centre, forcing the cancellation of a performance after the audience had already taken their seats.

Sussex Police are treating the incident as a homophobic hate crime. A 16-year-old boy was arrested and subsequently released on bail pending further enquiries.

Chichester Festival Theatre described the attack as "appallingly abusive" and said the actor and wider company had been left extremely shaken.

'This hatred is like a cancer'

Chawawa warned that the abuse he witnessed reflected a wider problem in British society, suggesting that a constant stream of hateful rhetoric was influencing people's behaviour.

"This hatred, it's like a cancer. It spreads," he said.

He argued that hostility was no longer directed at one particular group but at anyone perceived as different because of their background, race or sexuality.

However, he ended his reflections on a more hopeful note, describing a conversation with a Romanian taxi driver who worked as a mental health nurse and believed most people were fundamentally good.

The encounter, he said, had reminded him that compassion could still prevail.

Chawawa urged people not to remain silent when confronted with prejudice, calling on them to challenge hatred, hold those in power accountable and make their voices heard.

His comments prompted a response from West Sussex councillor Izabela Mayne, who said his experiences were "genuinely heartbreaking".

She said Chichester was home to many welcoming and compassionate people, but added that this did not diminish what the performers had experienced.

"Nobody should ever be made to feel unwelcome because of who they are, where they come from or whom they love," she said.

Born in Derby and raised partly in Zimbabwe, Chawawa moved to Norfolk with his family aged 11. He has previously spoken about the racism and bullying he experienced at school, including classmates making offensive assumptions about his African background. In a 2023 Guardian interview, he revealed that bullies destroyed a model he had made celebrating Zimbabwe and mocked him for taking pride in his heritage.

The comedian has since made race and identity central themes of his work, including his documentary series Race Around Britain, which explored the experiences of Black people across the UK. He rose to fame through viral political sketches and comedy characters before appearing on Taskmaster and receiving two BAFTA nominations for his documentary work.