Omondi has been entertaining since childhood and making
people laugh comes naturally to the young star: “I’ve been into comedy since I
was young - I was the family entertainer at the dinner table. I cannot stand
people [who are] bored or quiet. I’ll do anything and everything to make you
laugh or to get your attention.”
The programme hears how comedy has changed in recent years
and that laughter is now serious business. Omondi explains: “Comedy has really
evolved. I started doing comedy at weddings, in churches. We would be getting
paid through sodas and food. That would be our pay, our contract. Then it
moved to very little money. That’s why I think my heroes are the former
comedians, the older guys, Vitimbi… because they’re our freedom fighters.”
Omondi’s big break came when he appeared on ‘The Churchill
Show’, Kenya’s popular satirical comedy series. After he met the show’s host at
a mentorship event in college, Omondi was scheduled to emcee the show but
impressed Churchill so much that he was given time on the show as a comedian.
Omondi reflects on this time and describes his anticipation for how the
audience would react: “I remember, the first time I walked out [on stage], I
didn’t know how people would receive me. I came out and people were [slow
clapping, thinking] ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ I did my first joke, then my
second… and that was it, the rest is history.”
The young comedian’s fame has only grown since then and at
the beginning of this year, Omondi appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show’.
For Omondi, meeting Fallon was “a dream come true. It shows me that nothing is
impossible.”
CNN hears that Omondi is passionate about comedy: “Number
one, I love my job. Seeing people enjoying my work – that’s where I get my
satisfaction from. When people are happy, I’m happy.” However, it seems Kenyans
are a notoriously tough crowd and this keeps Omondi motivated. He explains:
“Kenyans are very funny, so it’s very hard to crack them up. It’s a challenge.
I thank Kenyans for that, for being a hard rock to crack. It makes you want to
work more and more.”
According to Omondi, comedy is an essential part of society,
particularly when times are tough: “Comedy is powerful because it helps us
express ourselves… We had the elections in Kenya and tensions were high. To
bring humour, it breaks that tension because we laugh at ourselves and how we
behave… Comedy is a mirror, it’s about reflecting society.”
Omondi takes this powerful position very seriously and
believes he has a unique opportunity at a crucial juncture in history: “I
believe Africa is the future. I’m proud to be African at this time in history
because everyone is looking to us for new ideas, the next big thing.” African
Voices’ is sponsored by Globacom Limited.
‘African Voices’ airs Saturday 4th November at
1730 EAT on CNN International.
The show also airs at the following times:
Sunday 5th November at 0130 EAT, 0530 EAT and 2100 EAT
Monday 6th November at 1130 EAT
Tuesday 7th November at 0630 EAT
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