“Comedy was a big part of me accepting and loving myself. I learned to not take myself so seriously, not sweat the small stuff. Poking fun at myself has actually helped me grow more into myself. I feel lighter and unburdened, and it’s all because I got on stage and stripped myself bare.”
The current reigning queen of comedy, after last year winning the best female comedian of the year at the Last Comic Standing Competition, Sibongile Tshabalala, a Poet, Blogger, Radio Personality and Comedian is about to hold her own one woman comedy show where she’ll be challenging stereotypes and showcasing how the talent of female comedians. 99fms MYD Art sat down with the reigning queen of comedy to talk about comedy, values and worthiness.
99FM’s MYD Art asked:
How did you come to be a comedian?
“Through Poetry, I was performing at Spoken Word when Slick from the management at Free Your Mind, spotted me and asked if I could try the comedy scene.” Says Sibo, who you would easily think is born for comedy given her natural ability to add a laugh into every encounter.
What do you think it takes to be a great comedian?
“A keen sense of Observation.” Sibo explains that to be a comedian you need to “Take in everything, from headline news, to everyday life with all its different facets, studying it with great detail. From the great moments to the mundane ones, observe, experience and see it all.”
What has been your biggest learning in your journey as a female comedian?
“That I’m worthy. I was very self-conscious as a teen, I hated my body, hated my complexion, hated myself for a while. Slowly but surely I began to love myself. Comedy was a big part of me accepting and loving myself. I learned to not take myself so seriously, not sweat the small stuff. Poking fun at myself has actually helped me grow more into myself. I feel lighter and unburdened, and it’s all because I got on stage, stripped myself bare and shared my insecurities using humor. Comedy is therapeutic that way.”
You are about to put on a one woman comedy show, what inspired you to do this?
“I was watching a documentary and it had these two little girls speaking of how life is better as a man, how they wished they were born male. It broke my heart. I want to uplift other young woman, to say that you can make it as a woman. Comedy is still a male dominated industry and if I can kick-ass (excuses my French) in it, it goes to show we can kick-ass in any industry.”
What are your personal values in life?
“My faith is the foundation of all my personal values. So first and foremost Love and obedience to God is what I strive to live by. Then of course, loving, forgiving, being reliable and positive, it’s really important to me to stay positive and optimistic.”
How important do you think it is for a person to be aware of their own personal values and why?
“Personal values act like a compass; they keep you on course. When you know who you are and what you stand for you won’t be stringed about in whatever direction people, or circumstances or situations want to pull you. You’ll have a clear course, and even through the hard times, you won’t compromise, or take shortcuts.”
Sibongile Tshabalala is also a radio presenter at 99fm, you can catch her between 10 and 2 weekdays on Hitsville. She is also a regular on the local poetry scene and blogger for both WhatsOnNamibian and her own personal blog.
You can catch her at her one woman comedy show on the 3rd of September at the Warehouse theatre. For more information take a look here : Watch Youtube #Silolala Show or Coming Soon #Sibolala
You’ll also find her on Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sibolala or have a look at her blog here : Sibo’s Blog
