POLOKWANE – Born in Ga-Matlala, Tibane, Limpopo, this 33-year-old has already made a name for herself in the industry of comedians, both in Limpopo and Gauteng.
“I have always been the funny one in my family.”
“I attended boarding school my entire schooling life and even then I was always telling stories and making my peers laugh, I have always been a storyteller” she explains.
Having been in the industry for three years, Noko has already shared the stage with comedy giants such as Mashabela Galane, Pule, Kagiso Lediga, Roni Modimola and Kedibone Mulaudzi,to name a few. Her career took off when she met a group of comedians from a group called the Comedy Society in Pretoria, who introduced her to a few relevant people in the comedy industry.
The self-proclaimed comedian speaks of some of the challenges she faces as a professional comedian, which include some of the stereotype directed towards female comedians.
“Being a female comedian is very challenging and hard in this country. Women have to work twice as hard to make it in this male-dominated industry, to get recognition and thereafter still have to deal with being judged as not being good enough or funny enough. You need to have a thick skin and be able to take criticism constructively, so that you can grow yourself as a comedian and a brand.
Watch a video from Noko’s YouTube channel:
You need to be strong and patient and never give up, as this profession is not a race, rather it is about creating a name for yourself as a comedian, we are all different and unique and therefore possess different characters and content,” she said.
Noko said that she gets her inspiration from everyday experiences, current affairs as well as other comedians who write their own material. When asked what happens when an audience doesn’t laugh after a joke she replied, “The same thing that happened when Cyclone Dineo did not come. Like me, joking!” she said.
Noko advises aspiring up and coming comedians, especially women, to get out of their comfort zones, be creative and to never use someone else’s material or work, above all else she advises anyone looking to take on the profession to never give up.
