“There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you,.and there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.”
Much of a conundrum as this quote may present, Greenstone Hill resident Mr Chris Mapane had a grasp of what it meant, and his life story to the top bears testament to that.
Mapane, now a stand-up comedian, did not let his failing engineering at Wits get him down.
Coming from the small town of Vieljoenskroon in the Free State, Chris did not even know it was possible to make a living out of comedy.
Like his peers from his village, Chris made his way to Johannesburg to pursue his tertiary studies so that he could be the provider of the family.
Little did know that his life was to take a different turn, in a way uniquely different from his friends and what his family expected.
By default, pretty much, Chris landed into comedy. After dropping out of Wits, he had limited choices and he was disappointed in himself.
It appeared as though his purpose for coming to Johannesburg had been defeated.
“I did not leave engineering for comedy. I stayed at home for six months, wondering what I could do with my life,” he said.
One night of watching stand-up comedy with a visiting friend changed his mindset.
“My friend, Thabang, asked me why I don’t try stand up comedy. He said I was funny and that I could do it. I did not believe in it that much, but I started attending underground comedy and built my way up,” said Chris.
Not having had much luck with engineering, Chris was afraid of failing a second time.
“I had to make sure. You see, I understood that I had to work on the material first before I could present it. I took my time working in underground comedy and under difficult situations; sometimes you don’t have money to survive,” said Chris.
While he started performing in 2006, his big break came in 2008 when was given a slot on YFM.
“When these things happen you start believing in yourself more, that you are part of the game. I performed at my first festival in 2008, alongside big names such as Kagiso Lediga, and Joey Rasdien. Comedy is not like soccer, where you take a long time before playing alongside the big stars. In comedy you can literally meet the stars of the industry on the first day of work,” he said.
Having now performed with the kingpins of the industry, Chris’ confidence was at a high.
Doors started opening and he was invited to perform at one of the biggest comedy shows, Blacks Only, in 2008, where he performed alongside seasoned comedians such as David Kau.
Then he was a mentor at the same show in 2009.
But what sets Chris apart from the pack is his ability to make jokes with sense, jokes that find appeal across a variety of audiences.
“The ability to maintain his identity, as a Mosotho from the Free State, even when performing to a crowd that does not speak the language, is important,” he said.
“You see, as much as we would like to think we are different, we are the same. There are many things common to all of us,” said Chris.
“There is a great difference between being a comedian and clowning. The reason people laugh at the things we say is because they also know it, they just never thought about it the way we do,” said Chris. “Having a broad general knowledge makes it easy to engage with a variety of audiences. Comedy is observation and social commentary really. I talk about things happening all around us.”
After eight years in the industry, Chris has found his voice and is comfortable performing to any type of crowd, anywhere.
“I don’t limit my comedy to traditional events only. I can walk into an office of six people and perform. I can sit around the fire with people and still crack jokes.”
In 2003, enthusiastic about making it and been and eventually provider for his family Mapane enrolled for a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). Little did he know that he career path will not be like nay of his peers nor anything expected by parents? The course of his career in engineering took a 360 degree turn when he a friend invited him to attend a comedy show; his first encounter with the craft was a thrilling experience. “From that day I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
