Nwachi Makes Jokes for a Living

Nwachi Jazree Emmanuel may be barely known outside of the city of Port Harcourt where he has staged his one-man show twice, out of his relatively tiny but creative pocket but he is comic personified. He is among the thriving young Nigerians who are redefining entrepreneurship with little or no capital.

Technologically conscious, his story began from the church then to the many stages outside the church. I met him about seven years ago when I was a teenager in a church in Port Harcourt. It was one of the branches of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in D Line. Then, I was struggling to build my stage confidence. How he managed to make the right jokes and evaded the wrong boos caught my attention.

Today Jazree is a man. He has always been though, especially when things changed in his family. He left a private school to attend a public school. But growing up in Port Harcourt has a way of hastening one’s growth process and it did that for Nwachi. Maybe the laughter that your dreams would evoke from friends, especially when you tell them it is comedy.

Nwachi owns a lot of stages and hopes to gain more. He has anchored birthdays and corporate ceremonies. When he is not holding strongly to a microphone, his mobile phone is his best friend and Facebook bears his thoughts. The platform has helped him tremendously.

Sometimes comical, other times, socially engaging but in it all, Emmanuel whose name is religious believes comedy is essential to living. And he is not in a rush to announce that he is big. He knows he is unique and enjoys the process before getting to the big endorsements. He is based in Port Harcourt and shared his thoughts.

Have you always been funny?

Not really... as matter of fact, I am a really quiet person. During my secondary school days in the drama club I enjoyed playing comic roles but as a person being spontaneously funny I am not.

How did you find out that you could make anyone laugh for money?

It was a surprise to me as well as my friends because I was more like the guy who seldom talked. I was just trying few jokes I heard from the Late Night show at the teenage club and I found out I was actually good at telling jokes so I developed an act and started creating materials to keep it up. And here I am. 

On the business side, how has your being in the city helped?

I do mainstream urban comedy... and this is where comedy is mostly patronized, so it is more like selling electronics in an area with electric power.

Your growing up, how was it?

Growing up for me was just normal. I was like the mid ajebo type, you know kind of in-between guy.

I attended a private school and a public school and I think that helped me a bit to understand that life has two sides. I use to have what I wanted until life gave a switch and my parents could not afford some of the luxuries anymore. But life was still like normal to me. I would have said I'm a survivor but I have heard stories of real survivors so for me, I'm just there, nothing special about my childhood.

Has social media helped in any way in the promotion of your brand?

Yes very much. It’s like a blessing to this generation. I can be in my room in Chinda, the part of town where I live and someone would be in the United States talking about my show even when I don't know where the U.S Embassy is located. Without the social media, most people outside my immediate environment would not know there is anyone by name Nwachi, doing comedy. So for me the social media is a better tool for brand promotion.

How do you find the right thing to make a joke of?

This is tricky but I'll answer it anyway. First of all I look at what's making the news then what the society is not paying attention to. Then I’d look for a way to draw their attention to these things because I noticed people laugh more when they can relate to the joke than when you just make a story out of the blue and tell them. Connecting with my audience is very important to me.

If you had a one way ticket, what country would you go to and why?

I think the USA. Not for greener pastures but to connect with the biggest comics in the world. That is where comedy lives.

If you were to make your best five all time comic characters, ranging from Hollywood to Nollywood, stage to screen, what names would make your list?

Best five all time in no particular order would be *Dan D’ humorous, *Trevor Noah *Steve Harvey *Basket Mouth *Chris Rock + Bovi. Please pardon the 6th. And If I had to do my top 10 then maybe some other guys would be added

If you were dying and a certain bad song was on radio, which artiste would come to your head?

Uuuhhmmm... I don't mean to disrespect anyone but I think SkyB. Hope you'll rest now.

Do you have a spectacular moment as an artiste?

Yes I do. Doing my comedy special, the One Man show twice, has been really huge for me. Bigger than any big stage I could be on.