Morake owns her story

I’m living up to my name, says actress/comedian.

Actress by profession and comedian by choice Tumi Morake, is undoubtedly among the many outspoken South African females. Her spunky personality and witty charm makes it hard for anyone to get angry at her – even after arriving late for an interview.

Her unapologetic blunt persona is testament to her success as an actress, presenter, mother, wife and pioneer of female comedians. We met up at an event ceremony and within the first five minutes Morake had already opened up and welcomed me into her thoughts about being called “The First Lady of comedy”.

“I take these titles with a pinch of salt. I don’t mind the title simply because South Africa currently has five first ladies, so I too do not feel the pressure but am pleased to be grouped with other sisters in comedy,” says Morake, as we sit down to unravel what it is that has kept her together with a booming career, as well as sustaining her marriage to Safta-award winning actor Mpho Osei-Tutu.

When asked about her journey in comedy, Morake tells of how at first she was labelled as “good enough” and had to push the marks to close a show, or headline it.

This was followed by being paid the same as the likes of David Kau. “I did not wear my ‘womanness’ as a crutch but as a strength. If I was the only bankable woman in comedy that the booker knew then they would have to pay for my exclusivity,” she says.

Morake remembers she had no car when she started out but did not let that get in the way of her sessions: regardless of where she was booked, she made a plan.

With perseverance and resilience she conquered those challenging times, which could have broken her spirit but instead left her feeling more empowered.

But Morake found acting challenging as everyone is competing for the same roles. She was told she was too fat to be lead – but it was when she moved to comedy that she found her feet.

Mo rake describes her childhood, growing up in Mabatho in NorthWest, with a delightful smile and teary eyes.

Born of a father who was active in the struggle and a mother who was a nurse, the young Morake got to experience life and the mishaps it brings with it.

Her father, who later was arrested, leaving her mother a single parent, is partially responsible for her curious persona. “I grew up around boys but we were all raised by women, which is what made me so outspoken.”

Her mother, who was the first to drive and own a car, raised her children instilling a love for education and for reading in her daughter’s life – a tradition which Morake follows in her own home.

Her fondest memory of her mother is over a conversation after her father’s detention. “

They say I’m going to fail with you but I want us to prove them wrong,” her mother said – and those words helped shape the young Morake into the woman and the mother she is today.

“My mother kept it real with me,” Morake says as she remembers the impact her mother had on her life.

“Any woman who has had to break into a male-dominated industry will attest to the fact that men are not threatened by her being a woman but by the work she produces”.

At this point Morake seems confident to take me through the pressures of staying on top of your game as a comedian.

Having broken through all the bars set before her by people in the industry, she only finds a challenge in living up to the pressure behind her name.

“I would rather people applaud after my set instead of before it, because then I know expectations are minimum,” says the comedian as she laughs over how she is to blame for the pressure she feels when walking up a stage.

Morake is one of the nominees up for the title of “Edgars Comic of the Year” at this year’s Savanna Comic Choice Awards at Monte Casino on September 3.