VIDEO: Talented Thenjiwe using comedy balm to soothe the pain
Pretoria has many talents including popular female comedians. Rekord caught up with Thenjiwe Moseley about her journey on stage.
There’s a powerful legion of South African comics dominating the comedy scene.
One of these gems include Pretoria’s own Thenjiwe Moseley from Theresa Park.
Rekord caught up with the talented comedian to hear what her story is all about.
Like with any successful performer, Thenjiwe draws inspiration for her work from the inside.
“I use comedy to tell the story of my pain and to address social injustices. My jokes come from real life situations. I just highlight them and enhance them with my sense of humour,” said Thenjiwe.
“I am very fortunate to come from a country with such a brilliant sense of humour. We get through on a daily basis by laughing at our pain.
“Growing up in KwaMashu [KZN] I did not even know we were poor because that’s all I knew. Our lifestyle was normal until I saw how many of us were living together and now when I talk about my experiences so many people can relate and we laugh at ourselves,” she told Rekord.
Stand-up comedy has never before had such a powerful place on stage in South Africa. Although slowly changing, comedy was for the longest time perceived to be a male-dominated industry.
“My gender should not matter when it comes to what I do as a profession. Funny how they give different names to different genders in comedy but they do not do the same with doctors and lawyers.”
The Kings and Queens of Comedy: Women’s Day Edition on 9 August is something to be very excited about.
“It’s an amazing line-up of brilliant comedians representing our rainbow nation. Each and every comedian is not just hilarious but has an interesting story to share. The show is guaranteed to be a night of quality entertainment.”
Talking about what excited her the most, Thenjiwe explained that being able to work with some of the industry’s biggest names, was an honour.
“Blu Blood entertainment host the best shows. They are always professional and always manage to have an amazing audience that is there for the pure enjoyment of comedy,” she said.
“I am looking forward to everything about the show, from being backstage with the brilliant comics that are in the line-up, because we are on the road so much we don’t get to see each other a lot, to being on stage performing. I recently returned from a tour in Australia (it was my first time in Australia) and oh do I have some stories to share.”
Thenjiwe is a proud Pretorian, relishing in the rich culture that the city has to offer.
“The reason I live in Pretoria was to live near my ancestors’ wildest dreams. As a young girl my grandfather used to tell me stories about the horrible treatment he received in Pretoria, so I wanted to achieve what he thought was impossible, to live the life he fought for,” she said.
Since moving here I have actually fallen in love with the place. I love the Jacaranda trees and I love how peaceful it is (especially compared to Johannesburg).”
She explained that she gets stage fright all the time, but is happy to say that until now, she hasn’t experienced any embarrassing moments. She loves stand-up comedy in our country and feel that the industry can only expand and grow from here on out.
“Stand-up comedy provides the healing we need as a country. As comedians we are the voice of the people. We address the issues that everyone is thinking about but scared to talk about. We have no fear of losing our job by addressing the issues that we face as a nation, we are the voice of the nation.”
One of the biggest challenges in the industry can be attributed to travelling and the constant distance between you as a comic and your family.
“Being on the road is a big challenge, especially as I have a family. It’s hard to spend so much time away from my son. Also keeping it fresh and providing new material… the worst is people expecting us to be funny all the time, even at funerals, it makes me wish I was a boxer,” she told Rekord.
Thenjiwe Moseley will be on stage at the Kings and Queens of Comedy: Women’s Day Edition on 9 August, at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg.
If you would like to see Thenjiwe Moseley and many other talents on stage, be sure to get your tickets here: https://www.emperorspalace.com/Promotions/Whats-On/By/Comedy/kings-and-queens-of-comedy
Watch the video of Thenjiwe on stage here:
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