A laugh a minute

He is a comedian, television presenter, an academic, and one of Namibia’s most sought-after MCs. Sam is a multifaceted and talented person. He has made a name for himself in the comedy industry and has made comedy one of his main objectives. He talks to tjil about his journey and his future plans in this field. At the recent Free Your Mind African-themed comedy show, Sam cracked jokes around Africans always late at arriving at places, or achieving their goals on time, and he says “this is because Africans got their things late. For example, they get land late, graduate late or even get jobs late.” He also said although Africans are always late, they are very great.Sam started doing comedy in 2005 in California. Not only does he have a sense of humour when it comes to his comedy but he also a strong academic background to back his comedic skills. He has a degree in Social Sciences from the University of California. “The University of California offered classes in stand-up comedy and we had to perform every week. Stand-up comedy for me is important because I get to say what I want,” he said.Sam uses comedy as a platform to express himself and to highlight issues that take place in society. “Generally in a social, political or economic setting people are controlled and cannot express themselves, but as a comedian, when I am on stage my comedy becomes a true essence of being free,” he says. The comic says he always dares to break barriers and always aims to be a distinct comedian in the country. “When I first did comedy in the country the first platform was Free your Mind and I did my first show wearing only my boxers. It was a different way to do a comedy show and my break into the Namibian comedy industry,” he shares.His preferred mode of communicating his poetry is through commentary and says he does not try to box himself in when it comes to his style. “A lot of my comedy comes from the ability to be conscious and to move us, as a nation, to a better place, and to understand what we are doing as a country,” he says. He believes that there is an interest for comedy for many Namibians and suggests that in order for comedian to be successful at what they do they need to network. “Comedy is accessible in Namibia. Comedy is lucrative and we need to grow it by creating more platforms for comedians to express themselves,” he says. He is believes that comedy will grow in Namibia if many comedians stick to their cultural routes and tap into people who speak vernacular languages. “We need to expand towards indigenous comedy. Doing comedy in English will become saturated but if we do comedy to tap into existing cultural fields in Namibia, it will grow. We need to see comedians do comedy in Oshiwambo, Setswana, Otjiherero and many other languages,” he says.Although comedy is on the rise in the country, Sam is of the opinion that there is not enough done in the arts industry in Namibia. “We do not have enough people advocating for the arts in the country. Arts are what make life beautiful. Whether you wear jewellery, listen to music or have paintings, art is important. If we want to experience more beautiful things in life we need to put more money in art,” he expressed.He advises his fellow comedians to be authentic and true to their art by saying that they should not always strive to be funny. “Comedy is not about being funny; I think it is about telling a story in a humorous way and to make people laugh. People are the ones who consider you funny and sometimes comics try too hard to be funny and sometimes they are not,” he shares.The comedian, who draws inspiration from actor Will Smith and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, says he is passionate about storytelling and says wants look for different mediums to share his stories in the future. “I want to travel and have many experiences so that I can have enough material for my comedy and I will use that to have my own one man show in a year or so. I also want to contribute to other comedy shows and maybe even produce a satire show and just build the comedy industry in Namibia,” he says. For updates on his activities, follow Sam on his social media platforms.June Shimuoshili

A laugh a minute

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-25

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A laugh a minute

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-25

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