05 May 2016

Kgosi Motsamai Kgosi of Kutamogoree has advised youth from the village who embarked on stand-up comedy to avoid profanities.

The four comedians are only men aged between 20 and 24 years and they go by the stage name Koti na Papa.

Kgosi Kgosi urged them to execute their work in a way that will not tarnish their image or make their audience lose interest in them, citing respect when they relay their messages.

“Stand-up comedy is one of the arts that can expose one to greater heights and it is one of the means that people use to earn a living. 

It is imperative that you too step up your game and execute your work in an acceptable manner. 

Refrain from the use of provoking language as this will only make people lose interest in you,” he said.

He also advised them to refrain from copying and presenting other people’s work as theirs, but rather to strive to stand unique and come up with fresh innovative concepts.

Also, he said they should ask for relevant assistance from those who have been in the industry before them. 

Kgosi Kgosi said though stand comedy is mostly about rib cracking acts, it is relevant that artists portray them in an appealing manner.

“We know that some comedians always dress up their own way, especially during performances to grab the attention and lure in more audience. 

But some have a tendency to dress so untidy. There is nothing wrong to wear items such as old rags during performance but they should be clean and presentable,” he said.

In a general view, Kgosi Kgosi criticised some of the artists from different entities who only show up when there are competitions to be held and only disappear after such competitions.

“A good number of artists fail to keep up their pace, some only re-surface when there are competitions, especially the President’s Day Arts and Music competitions and only disappear after such. 

It shows some are into this as a way to only make quick cash and what hurts most is that some even fail to use their cash prize in a wise manner,” he said.

For his part, the co-founder of Doti na Papa group,  Uyapo Khuwa said their journey as comedians started way back in 2011.

He said they said they started performing on voluntary basis during social gatherings and since then they have gained much exposure.

Khuwa said in 2014, they took part in My African Dream national competitions and scooped the first prize on comedians’ senior category.

He said though they have been in the industry for a while, lack of sponsorship is one of the major challenges that delayed them to release their debut album.

“We have just released our debut album entitled Di yellow bone last month after a long struggle with monetary issues. 

Preparations to launch the album next month are under way,” he said.

Khuwa said their album has various messages, especially on several social ills such as the dangers of multiple sex partners, alcohol abuse and others. Ends