Bunu puts bullies in their place
WHITTLESEA comedian and former teacher‚ Khanyisa Bunu has learnt through personal experiences that there is a big difference between joking and bullying‚ and hopes to teach others the difference through laughter.
This year has been good one for Bunu and while she’s living her dream‚ she said she she won’t let an opportunity to slam bullying go to waste.
“I’ve always been a “joker”‚ like always finding the lighter side of things in everything; school‚ life everything. I used to make jokes even back in primary‚ as many [kids] do but I wasn’t a bully. Bullying is [serious]‚ I was bullied. There was just this particular boy who would just pick on me. It wasn’t funny‚ it was too traumatising.”
The comedian said she didn’t enjoy school until her bully dropped out and has never taken for granted the peace she felt after he left. Even though Bunu would not go back to teaching in a “formal” environment she has abandoned it. She said that another quality to a great teacher is being a great learner‚ something that she did when she opened for Trevor Noah earlier this year.
“The experience was unbelievable. I appreciated the opportunity to ask him questions and to learn from him. Watching him in action was amazing‚ I love how he appeals to different people and how he nails all the different accents‚” she said. Bunu‚ who resigned from her teaching profession to pursue her dream of storytelling‚ has etched her name alongside those of great comedians and now wants to conquer the television and film scene. So far she’s slayed as Nobuhle on the SABC1 sitcom Ses’Top La.
The comedian said one of the things that set her apart as a comedian is her ability to localise her jokes and to tailor experiences for her audience.
The upcoming Kings & Queens of Comedy Show, to which she is hoping to bring her A-game, features other local comedians such as Tumi Morake‚ Loyiso Gola and Joey Rasdien.
The show takes place on December 9 at the Boardwalk Convention Centre in Port Elizabeth. — DDC