Born in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, the 27-year-old founder of Comedy Doers, a gospel comedy group, Joshua Ramjaane Niyoyita is also a freelance presenter on Isango Radio and Lemigo TV. At an early age, Niyoyita would make people laugh; unaware of his future with comedy. He studied primary in Goma but moved to Rwanda for secondary where he graduated with a diploma in construction at Eto Gatumba. The comedian spoke to Stephen Kalimba about his true calling. Excerpts; How did you start as a comedian? One time at a show held at my university, I was called on to do something to represent Rwanda. I organised a comic skit involving other Rwandans and presented it to the audience who enjoyed it. An American lady called Tina Lee approached me and encouraged me to go professional. She showed me video content of comedians and taught me some basics. I started attending comedy shows in Uganda and I picked up on some skills. I came back to Rwanda and worked as a presenter on radio but people started inviting me to emcee at weddings so I quit to pursue that. How do you define Gospel Comedy? I am a Christian and I derive my jokes from the Bible, life and society. But my target audience is fellow Christians. I make fun of how they perform their Christian tasks like praying, preaching and all that. What advice would you give to one interested in comedy? We don’t have many people out there helping young people develop their talents. So young people need to learn to overcome their fear and just go for it. If there’s talent, you can’t go wrong. What are some of the challenges in comedy? There are times when you tell a joke and think the fans will like it but they don’t get it, it can kill your energy. We can’t involve the history of Rwanda in our jokes yet history is a rich source of comedy so we have to look elsewhere. On another note people have a hard time taking me seriously, there’s this lady I have a thing for but every time I’ve tried to tell her, she breaks into laughter. What’s your take on the comedy industry in Rwanda? Comedy in Rwanda is still struggling. Just like other fields like music and dance, we need to get together and form a body or organisation. When the government invites artistes to perform at events like Rwanda Day, they can also call on us comedians to represent the country. It’s a profession and a person can make a living out of it. What are some of your memorable performances? There’s a time I was supposed to perform in Karangazi, Eastern Province and I was told that people there are always serious. I didn’t have a ready script but when I stepped on stage, the crowd was encouraging and they laughed a lot. They knew me from my radio show but I was surprised because I didn’t expect them to react that way. Any last words? The Bible says ‘Rejoice in the name of the Lord’, so I have to be happy. I don’t lie. I don’t like acting. Before I can make people happy, I have to make myself happy. I first rehearse my jokes at home and cheer myself up. Artistes need to be free. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
