Performer Mpho Modikoane says his stint as a call centre agent was not fun but “it prepares you for rejection”.
Mpho “Popps” Modikoane is one of the funniest comedians in South Africa. His comedy special #BlackInMyDay is now on Mzansi Magic. It sounds like a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
702 Radio Presenter Azania Mosaka speaks to Popps for more on this and other aspects of his life.
The whole play on black in my day was the fact that it was a different struggle. If you look at the Class of 1976, they had their set of struggles that they faced. Then came my generation, where we were part of the first generation that got to go to Model C schools.Mpho “Popps” Modikoane, Performer
We had our own different struggles that we faced during that time. One of the things that were different to us was that we had opportunities to go to these Model C schools but there was still a certain level of adjustment that we had to adhere to.Mpho “Popps” Modikoane, Performer
BlackInMyDay is about being black and having to navigate during that time. It’s a play on a collection of stories of from back in the day and what it was like to be a young black South African then. We all have ‘In our time.’
Mpho “Popps” Modikoane, Performer
I also tackle culture shock, especially when someone is young. You grow up in a neighbourhood such as Soweto or Vosloorus on the East Rand, that’s all you know. That’s all your family knows. That’s all your friends know. And then you go to Model C schools and you start to get a taste of suburban life and you realise certain things are different. Mpho “Popps” Modikoane, Performer
One of the things that blew my mind when I was young was when I went to my friend’s house and their fridge didn’t have locks on it. At home, our Kelvinator had a key and someone who held the key, a gatekeeper. You couldn’t just open the fridge anytime, you needed to put in a request. Mpho “Popps” Modikoane, Performer
The experience of 48 kids being transported to school in a 20-seater car and sitting on the engine compartment still lingers in Popps’s mind.
I never knew dogs can come into the house. There was an invisible barrier in my house. Then you go to a friend’s house and the dog is sitting on the couch, changing channels and you wonder: ‘What’s happening here?’ Mpho “Popps” Modikoane, Performer
My daughter has a poodle with a name and a surname. Our dogs were for protection. We had names like Danger, Rex, Bobby. Now you fast-forward and you’re like: ‘This is who I am.’ Dogs live in the house today, they have medical aid. Mpho “Popps” Modikoane, Performer
He relates a story of how they used to queue to receive “stomach spring cleaning” using castor oil, which is a culture shock for many youngsters these days. His stint as a call centre agent was not fun but “it prepares you for rejection”.
But what will shock you the most is that Popps says he is a shy person. A regular shy guy offstage, as he succinctly puts it.
Now, this is not a laughing matter!
Listen below for more…
By Tlou Legodi – Talk Radion 702
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