Male comedians don’t intimidate me –Helen Paul aka Tatafo
July 28, 2012 by ADEMOLA OLONILUA
The maiden edition of my comedyshow
The experience was fantastic. I did not
expect so many people to attend the show. I was very happy. We combined
two personalities: Tatafo, the radio personality and Helen Paul, the
television personality. Both of them were on stage at the same time and
the show turned out a big hit. After it ended, some people walked up to
me and said they enjoyed the show, that it was worth more than the gate
fee they paid. I had to tell them that it was not the money that
mattered most. I enjoyed myself and most importantly, the audience
enjoyed themselves.
How I became a comedienne
I did not stumble into comedy. I started
as a voice-over artiste and singer. I decided to delve into comedy
when I was an undergraduate of the University of Lagos. It happened
like a joke. A show was being organised on campus and the person that
was paid to present it failed to turn up. Then I requested that the
organiser, who happened to be my classmate, to allow me to go on stage
and help him out. Before that time, I had done the voice-over for
P-Square’s song titled Story. Some people already knew about
my voice. I told the guy to let me use it on stage and watch the
reaction of the audience. When I began to address the audience,
everybody laughed and kept laughing. Many people were happy and that
was it. Before I knew it, they were calling me a comedienne and I was
invited many times to perform at shows. I would name my price,
expecting the organisers to turn it down. But they paid me every kobo I
demanded.
Working on-air
The on-air thing came when I had almost completed my training at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria
Training School. It was a presentation class. I attended an
auditioning in company with some friends of mine and I was selected.
Then I started doing it. Another friend of mine, who worked with a
radio station, told me that instead of visiting him and talking anyhow,
I should come and talk on the radio. I tried it out and before I knew
it, I was employed as a member of staff of the radio station. I started
working, researching and learning more on the job.
Helen Paul the musician
I started show business with music. I did something with P-Square. As a receptionist at Eko FM Radio, I did back-up stuff with some people. I just feel that I am a complete artiste, not just a musician or a comedienne.
Surviving in a male-dominated industry
I know that this world is not for men
alone. It is for every one of us human beings. We are all working
together. It is not that women cannot work, but as a woman you have a
lot to do. I do not feel intimidated by men. Instead, I feel they make
me feel as if I am one of them. I am like their baby when I am working.
I relate well with everybody, man or woman.
Why women are not vibrant comediennes
I will not lie to you, it is not easy
being a woman. You have to keep your home. You have to worry about
school, your parents and your siblings. You have to get married, get
pregnant for nine months, and be delivered of a baby. Then you are
expected to breastfeed your baby for at least one year. You spend a lot
of time doing all that and dividing your attention. To be a woman is
not easy at all.
Between male and female comedy acts
As I said before, I do not look at the
gender. All I know is that we are enjoying ourselves as human beings
and we are all working.
Why I am called Tatafo
I went to visit a friend of mine named
Matthew. Most of the time, we would go to a corner and begin to gossip.
At a point, he would just shout, ‘Hey, Helen Paul, Tatafo.’ So he was
the one that gave me the name Tatafo. It is the name given to a gossip
basically or someone that sees something and must say what he sees.
Helen Paul and Tatafo
There was an event I was supposed to
anchor as Helen Paul. The woman said that she requested for Tatafo, not
Helen Paul. Eventually, I attended the meeting and the woman said she
wanted to hear the voice. Then I spoke to her in the Tatafo voice.
Another person walked in just then and said, ‘This is Helen Paul.’ The
woman began to argue that I was Tatafo and could not be Helen Paul.
Then she asked me and I told her that I was both. She was surprised.
That is why I say two different brands equal to one pocket. It’s like
P-Square. If you like you say you like Peter, or it is Paul you like
the money is going to one pocket.
My source of inspiration
I draw inspiration from what I encounter
every day and from everything around me. When I am walking on a road
and see a car passing by, I could get something from that. I am very
alert and sensitive.
Biggest challenge
Motherhood is my biggest challenge. It is
stressful. It is when you want to sleep at night that the child begins
to cry. Then you spend the whole night attending to the baby’s needs
without enough sleep and the next morning you have a show to attend.
Everything is getting better now because my son is almost a big boy. It
was when I just gave birth to him that I had a tough time coping with
the pressure. I really had a tough time handling the baby,
breastfeeding him, and bending down, which made my back ache all the
time. My mother had to massage my back for me. That alone was
stressful. But juggling everything is fun. I am just enjoying myself.
About my husband
He is my number one fan. He is my best
friend. He is the only one I would crack a dry joke to and he would
laugh about it. So, sometimes I do not rehearse with him because he
would be laughing and an outsider may not laugh. We met through a boss
of mine, Mr. Paul, in a studio. He came to see my boss when I saw him
and started calling him Brother Femi. He used to be Brother Femi till
he went beyond the limit by loving me. Then I started calling him Femi.
That was six years ago. It is only a man that has no job that would
complain about his wife’s job. Before getting married to him, the woman
already had a job. So, why complain? It should not be. It is important
to get married to your friend. My husband is my friend and my mentor.
He is very understanding and mature.
Travelling abroad
I travelled to the Gambia for a women
empowerment programme. I learnt a lot from Senator Florence Ita Giwa
and the First Lady of Gambia. It was an interesting trip. There were
women from different parts of the world. Jodie was there. Then I
travelled to the USA to attend the Maryland for Nigeria Reunion. Basket
Mouth did his show on the same day. My show took place on the day
before Basket Mouth had his show. Jedi also performed. It was fun.
My relationship with Basorge
Basorge is like an elder brother to me. He
is very vibrant and I respect him a lot. He is an actor, a comedian, a
father and a politician. He does all these things at the same time. He
is the kind of person who would phone and checkup on you if he hasn’t
seen or heard from you in a long while. He has encouraged me a lot. I
just respect him and that is why you think I have been hanging around
him often.
Culled from www.punchng.com
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