Nigerian actor and comedian, Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY has said that telling jokes in pidgin limits Nigerian stand-up comics from enjoying global acceptance.
He said the comedy industry is performing well domestically but on the international scene, it’s yet to go big because of the language factor which is hard for foreigners to understand.
AY Comedian said that if Nigerian comic acts were to stop saying a lot of their jokes in Pidgin English, the journey to dominance will be fast-tracked.
He said; “The Nigerian comedy industry is doing very well locally. But we are yet to hit it big globally like our counterparts in the entertainment industry. The journey will be fast-tracked when we stop limiting ourselves from telling jokes in pidgin. There would be no global Trevor Noah if he was telling all his jokes in the Zulu language.”
“Breaking into the industry and becoming successful in what you do takes a lot of dedication. I have learned to be focused on achieving creative set goals. It has helped me gain deep knowledge about what works and doesn’t work in my industry. This is one thing I will recommend to the younger generation to help improve their chances of working their way up the ladder. Always find a way to separate yourself from the crowd by coming in with something new.
“Most people go into an industry thinking that everyone is their friend. Even in the entertainment industry, the glitz and glamour in the industry can fool an outsider into believing that. My dreams started finding expressions the minute I realised that some actions are directed at you just to make you lose focus. There was a time I almost gave up just because a senior colleague believed that I was too small and irrelevant to do my own show at a time.”
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