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We need to fill up 'all male dominated spaces’ – Tumi Morake

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Some of the comedians who took to the stage at the Kings and Queens Comedy Show on Friday. Picture: Supplied
Some of the comedians who took to the stage at the Kings and Queens Comedy Show on Friday. Picture: Supplied

The Kings & Queens of Comedy show held at Emperors Palace on Friday night was nothing short of rib-tickling and exhilarating, with acts including Nina Hastie, Celeste Ntuli and Angel Blythe Campey, who had the audience in stitches.

Show host Tumi Morake dished out jokes and pearls of wisdom at the event that saw female comedians showcase their talent for the Women’s Day edition.

Speaking to City Press on the night, the award-winning comedian and actress emphasised the importance of women claiming their space in the industry by telling their own stories.

“We need to fill up every space that is called predominantly male dominated. I feel that when there are a lot of male comedians speaking you have those [men] who claim to be speaking on our behalf, but no one can speak on our behalf. We need to get to the point where women can just be comedians, not women comedians,” she said.

Morake also acknowledged the growing number of women now venturing into the industry, which made it far more difficult to select who would be performing at the event.

“Unlike before, there is a big pool of female comedians to pick from. So what we did was balance it out in terms of style, in terms of content,” Morake said.

Tracey-Lee Oliver was one of the comedians audience members could not get enough of, with her expectedly hilarious yet different take on comedy.

Oliver says she is influenced by various shows including Saturday Night Live and Mad TV, which combine singing, acting and comedy.

“I was always just fascinated by that. You know, different actors being able to do that. So I decided that I would do that too because I started out in the industry as a singer and actress, but then the comedy bug kind of bit me...” she explained.

The Grabouw-born comedian acknowledged and appreciated the support she has received over the past four years.

She told City Press: “The reception has been good, the person who actually told me that I could do comedy was Jason Goliath. I owe it all to him when it comes to starting out in the industry.”

The only male comedian who made an appearance at the show and received praises for his work in the industry was veteran Marc Lottering. His performance was not only outstanding but highly anticipated.

On Lottering, Morake said: “It is nice to have a comic on stage and even if he is male, his maleness is not a thing on stage, its Marc who is on stage. That is the important thing for us as women.”


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