3 years ago
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It all began with her hilarious cheating bra video that she posted in May that turned Wazi Kunene into an overnight TikTok sensation.
The ever-so-funny comedian has been engulfing social media with her hilarious skits, some of which have gone viral, solidifying her name as one of the best content creators to follow on the short-clip platform.
Her popularity on social media gained her more recognition in the comedy scene resulting in her securing a spot as one of the comedians on the Goliath Tour line-up, which took place on November 29 to December 4 at the Theatre on the Square, Sandton, Johannesburg.
“This year has been good to me. I’ve been doing comedy every other night since the country opened up and lockdown restrictions were lifted. I’ve also been on tour doing my bioscope titled Dawn for most of the year, but one of the highlights has to be being a part of the Goliaths’ 10 -year celebration,” says the 30-year-old.
“I was quite chuffed being one of the dope a** comics to make it on their line-up to celebrate the Goliath brothers’ 10 years of comedy.”
Kunene is a children’s literature writer for Oxford University Press and moonlights as a stand-up comedy in her spare time. In the time she went viral earlier this year, she has had her hands full by not only making people laugh but she also wrote a children’s play for the Joburg Theatre.
“I am a storyteller, be it through my jokes or literature… I have some story to tell. Being able to interact and engage with a live audience has reassured my craft.
“One thing that people don’t know is that my live comedy is vastly different from the jokes I make on social media. When I am live with an audience before me, I touch on trending topics, current affairs or things I think need to be spoken about.”
As much as a video can go viral, Kunene admitted that social media prominence doesn’t usually translate to physical ticket sales but she was glad to see her “solid” supporters coming in numbers to most of her shows.
“The reception I’ve received for my live shows has been overwhelming but in the good sense because these are actual people who bought tickets and not just likes on a particular video I’ve posted on social media. I tend to have quite a diverse crowd at my comedy shows and I am truly humbled by the amount of support I’ve received from people,” Kunene adds.
While she is pretty impressed with the year she’s had, Kunene explains that one of her lows was her attempt at growing her audience who can witness and relate to her craft.
Another low she had was her jokes not being fully received or comprehended by a larger audience as some of the topics she touches on are sensitive and not the norm in society.
“Sometimes being a woman comic, there’s usually not a lot of trust from corporates who tend to believe a woman comedian cannot carry through a four-hour event… also when a woman says a joke that tends to be insensitive, people tend to be applauded by it more than when a man says it.”
The risqué stand-up comedienne added that being a female comedian is quite difficult and challenging hence there are quite a few of them in the country.
She explains that although comedy is mainly a male-dominated space, women should also strive to be as aggressive with their sustenance and relevancy once they have broken through… “because I believe, there are a lot of opportunities for all genders”.
“This year has taught me to heal from things and let them go because the longer you hang on them, the slower your progress to what you’re trying to achieve,” says the comedian from Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
“What I hope for next year is to continue to do comedy, be in the streets and stages as much as possible… I just plan to go in as hard as I can.”
seemelam@arena.africa
English (US)