LEARNMORE JONASI | PHOTO COURTESY AVAIL COMEDY

Before Learnmore Jonasi could begin his stand-up career, he needed his neighbors to understand that stand-up comedy is a real thing.

In his native Zimbabwe, he says, people weren’t particularly familiar with the art form at the time he began performing. “I was one of the first-generation comedians in my country,” he says. “You had to kind of explain the concept to people … It was tough because you had to convince people that work so hard to feed their families to buy tickets [just] to laugh.”

Jonasi, who is now based in Pittsburgh, became a success — but not an overnight one. After first taking the mic in 2010, he worked his way from room to room across a continent, performing throughout Africa for the next 12 years.

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“It took so much time,” he says, “doing a lot of free shows — pop-up shows in different bars,” for example. Those gigs were often difficult, but he says they “kind of made me a stronger comedian because I would [have to] perform after a DJ, or after dancers.”

Little by little, the stages got better — and, he says, the global breakthrough of South African-born comedian Trevor Noah made more Africans aware of stand-up. By the end of the decade, he was twice named Zimbabwe’s Outstanding Comedian, winning a pair of National Arts Merit Awards. In 2019, he won the Savanna Pan-African Comic Of The Year Award, a prestigious South African honor.

And then: Why not move to Pittsburgh?

He was contacted by the growing Steel City Arts Foundation during the early days of the pandemic; they offered him a residency. “For me, it’s mostly the sense of community. The Arts Foundation [comics] are now people that I call family and friends.”

Still, there were changes. His success in Africa had translated to big stages and name recognition; in Pittsburgh, he began as an unknown. “I thought I had made a mistake,” Jonasi says. “I was coming from a place where comedy is now booming … [I went from] performing for 5,000 people every month to performing for five comedians at an open mic.”

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Gradually, he started to score gigs at the Pittsburgh Improv and for local comedy bookers, including Slapsticks Productions. He performed headlining sets at Arcade Comedy Theater and later taught budding stand-up students there — a rewarding experience, he says. “I’ve seen people that I’ve taught stand-up comedy there; they’re still doing it today and some are getting paid now.”

Validating though classes and regional gigs can be, they’re a far cry from winning awards that span a continent — so Jonasi agreed to again compete on a larger stage. The producers of the NBC competition show “America’s Got Talent” reached out — which itself was an achievement. “Normally, you go and audition and go through this whole process,” he says. “As soon as they saw one of the tapes I did in Africa, they said, ‘No, we need you right now. You’re perfect for the competition.’”

He was hesitant at first. “It [can be] career suicide; that show is not really meant for stand-up comedy,” he explains. “You’re performing after musical acts [and] bands; the stage is huge … On TV, for the world to see; if you do bad, your career is over right there.” He also felt an obligation to represent his homeland for an American audience. “I’m coming from a different country, so whether I like it or not, I’m representing somebody in Zimbabwe,” he adds. “I went onstage with all of that in mind.”

If he was burdened by all of that pressure, it didn’t show. His first performance as part of the 19th season of “America’s Got Talent” was enthusiastic and hilarious, greeted with roars of laughter from the crowd and approving nods from the judges. Jonasi advanced through several rounds of competition, making it to the final round and placing among the top five competitors.

As a result, he says, “people are coming to shows. Every weekend, I’m in a new city. Tomorrow, I’m in Atlanta; this weekend, I’m in Charlotte … I get to see the rest of America.”

Even as he tours the country, he keeps Pittsburgh as his American home. “This is where I come to refresh and restart,” he says. “I sit in a park randomly, or in a coffee shop, and I write my stuff.

“I’m so inspired to keep going.”