The Sunday News
Nkosilesisa Ncube, Sunday Life Reporter
FORMER Mr Bulawayo turned funnyman — Oliver Keith has been nominated for an award at this year’s edition of the South Africa Zimbabwe Achievers Awards.
He was nominated for the Media Personality of the Year award, where the ceremony will be held in Sandton, Johannesburg on 10 December.
Keith was nominated for his phenomenal hilarious NaJesca skits.
Keith told Sunday Life that he was deeply humbled by the nomination and said that gaining that much recognition meant a lot to him.
“It means someone out there saw me fit for the category, it means I may have done something recognisable. It is humbling and most of all it inspires me into working extra hard to make a difference in whatever I set my hands and mind to,” he said.
Keith, who chooses to identify himself as a social commentator rather than a comedian, said winning the award would further advance his endeavours as someone who highlights issues affecting society.
“If I do win, I will keep pushing and aiming to make the community a better place through various projects as well as pushing for great media influence. Our media acts as the watchdog for the people . . . as such I will keep making use of the media to promote ideas and change,” he said.
He reminisced on how he developed NaJesca’s character.
“NaJesca is basically another me . . . save that this time I take up a mother role and seek to remind us how our mothers used to be and are today. It is a character role that I created to depict our Ndebele mothers. The intention was to merely sound like our mothers and to resurrect the feelings that our mothers gave us each time they pulled that ‘ngizakumukula’ stunt on us. I figured anyone who lived through that would understand and appreciate the skits but I really did not expect NaJesca to grow into the internet sensation that she is,” said Keith.
While in most cases, it would be almost impossible for a young man to channel an older, louder and more eccentric woman and mimic her perfectly, Keith finds it quite easy to get into his NaJesca role because as he puts it, “There is no way one can fail to imitate something that they have lived to see every day of their life.
In spite of NaJesca being such a popular phenomenon, Keith still manages to make a distinction between himself and his online persona. He said, “I like to think of Keith, the real me as the chilled, charming, respectful and sensitive being while NaJesca is the meanest woman who will not take nonsense from anyone. So Oliver Keith and NaJesca are totally different.”
Sponsored by Steward Bank and CMG International Media Group, the awards are a way of celebration of talent, art, business, expression and achievement in the Zimbabwean community.
@nkocykay
