Funny man Oabile finds career in comedy
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Sunday August 20, 2023 06:00
Due to his funny nature, the former St Joseph’s College School student has now found himself pursuing comedy as a career. His decision to be a stand-up comedian was inspired by his love for renowned stand-up comedians he grew up adoring, the likes of Jonny Pula and Triccs who always perform stand-up on their pages on Facebook.
Even though he completed his BGCSE last year, the young comedian told Arts & Culture that he started his career in comedy last year around February while doing Form Five.
“Comedy made me look at the world in a different way, creative way. It made me make jokes out of my pain, which gives me joy and confidence. The first comedian to watch performing stand-up comedy is Vhalloyd and the most inspiration comes from Jonny Pula, Triccs, Bambino and Boldwin Bals all being members of the Gaborone Comedy Club. I do stand-up comedy most of the time and skits videos but I am more funny live not in videos,” he explained.
Furthermore, he explained that also being a member of the Gaborone Comedy Club, he receives so much support from fellow members which also motivates him to work even harder. He added that in 2022, he got position 2 in the National Arts Festival, which was a highlight achievement as it was his first time to partake in the competitions.
His vision is to be a high-standard creative in the next few years. He said he is willing to make a stand-up comedy tour for junior and senior schools around Botswana in order to uplift the reputation of stand-up comedy in the country.
Oabile also pointed out that as a stand-up comedian, sometimes he spends sleepless nights writing jokes. He said being a stand up comedian is challenging because during shows, there are hecklers in the audience, as such he must have the skills to deal with such a crowd and not get distracted. “I have not achieved much with it but with the little I have earned, I bought myself clothes since I am being raised by a single parent. With the little money I made, I helped my mom by buying myself clothes and that made her a lot happy because she is struggling to support us as a single parent. Apart from comedy, I play football,” he said.
The young rib cracker expressed his immense love for his mother and thanked her for supporting him from day one. He added that she was his number one fan. Phetso explained that he makes a lot of jokes about his mother because he loves her so much.
“I really love my mother. May God keep her alive so that she can see my success.
My mom supported me while I was doing drama even when I was playing football she even bought me soccer boots. My mom is my everything; I really love her. I see myself as the greatest comedian in the world. With the talent I have, I will go up high. I want to do gigs internationally and nationally. I do not want to rest. I want to be fully booked Monday to Sunday since I will be doing my thing, what I love the most,” he said.