Tumi Morake plays by her own rules, riding the waves of change one joke at a time. We sat down with the award-winning comedian to chat about what was, what is and what’s to come.
Comedian, actress, writer, host and producer are just a few of the words used to describe who Tumi Morake is and what she does. However, there’s more to Tumi than her film credits (such as The Honeymoon or Seriously Single on Netflix) and various titles (including being named South Africa’s First Lady of Comedy).
No stranger to the spotlight, Tumi, our local stand-up comedy queen, is making her mark on the stage again and this time – she’s baring it all. From living a nomadic life to discovering her new-found healing era, Tumi is not afraid to say it like it is – with no apologies. While she begins to find herself again in this chaotic world we call life, we were all ears to find out where to from here for this South African go-getter whose ants in her pants are the wind beneath her wings this year.
The life of a nomad
Tumi Morake moved to the United States with her then husband and three children a few years back in the hopes of setting up permanent roots for her family. However, in recent months, Tumi has started to focus more on her shows and hosting gigs here in South Africa, which seemed like she would be moving back home. “It was weird but we made the move as a family,” she reflects. “The kids settled in. Everyone just started to plant roots but for some reason, my roots were just refusing to plant. I was antsy all the time.
I realised that sometimes you feel like a blueprint should work for an entire group of people as long as they’re a family, they’re a unit, but not everything works for everyone. So in many ways I still live there, I’m just home more because I’ve accepted that for the sake of my happiness, I have unfinished business with South Africa, and I need to work with that,” Tumi shares. “I travel continuously between the two countries because my kids are based there and I don’t want to take that away from them.”
@tumimorake #bastraatachallenge #tumibathong #naughtyforty #panther ♬ Ba Straata (feat. 2woshort, Stompiiey, ShaunMusiq & Ftears & Madumane) – DJ Maphorisa & Visca
When asked where she sees herself settling down, Tumi adds: “I’m very nomadic. You know what I’ve realised— being in stand-up comedy, you live a very nomadic life because you’re never in any one place for too long. If you’re not working in Australia, you’re gonna find yourself in New York. If you’re not in the States, you’ll find yourself in Canada and if you’re not in Canada, you’re in the UK. If you’re not in the UK, you’re somewhere on the African continent,” she says.
“And I feel like, in many ways, it has grounded me — it has made me very clear about the spaces I want to be in and the spaces I don’t. I’ve travelled a lot because of work and in between I travelled for personal reasons, because I developed this thing where I’d been to places but I haven’t seen them, so I would go back to a place to actually experience it.” In living this way, Tumi has opened herself up to a wide range of views, cultural experiences as well as perspectives on life.
Youthful wisdom
Another source of alternative perspectives she’s regularly exposed to comes from her youngest daughter Afia, who she describes as “11 going on 21”. “My daughter is honestly my hero,” Tumi muses. “She makes me wanna live loudly and I think that’s because Afia is very clear on who she is.” “When you make an inappropriate comment, she will handle it before she comes to tell her parents. She will handle you, but with respect of course. I admire that about her. I admire her intelligence and the way she plans,” Tumi says.
“I remember the one time she was 7 or something, and she had written down a day plan for herself – from the moment she wakes up until the time she goes to bed. And I was like, ‘this chick is not messing around’. She’s telling me the colleges she’s going to go to, the requirements she needs, and if we should start practicing how to write scholarship essays. She’s not even in middle school yet, but she’s very clear about which Ivy League school she’ll go to and some Korean alternative she’ll attend if she had to.” Tumi compares her daughter to herself when she was 11, saying the only thing she was concerned with back then was which Barbie doll to collect!
While things are different for kids today compared to back then, Tumi also chats about what change means to her. “I am very anti-change as a person. Change freaks me out, so I find that my North Star with change has been my kids because of how quickly they adapt. They’ve taught me to play within change and find myself again so even in coming back home, this time is different.”
“When I’m home now, it’s like there’s no excuse -I can just be completely focused on work. I’ve realised this is also my chance to be me because on some level, I don’t always know what I want. So, in my 40s, my identity as a woman has become clearer, but in that clarity I’m having to not be afraid, to not change certain things that are taking me away from who I am.”
In her healing era
Chatting more about entering her 40s and finding out if the 30s were very different, Tumi exclaims: “Oh heck yeah!”
“My 30s came with a lot of humbling – you’re not as invincible as you thought you were in your 20s. Then I hit my 40s and learned: If you’re not validating yourself, no one else’s validation counts because every bit of that validation you’re getting from the outside is just not fulfilling you right now.” Aside from all the changes that have occurred over the years, Tumi was also dealing with discovering her journey as a traditional healer.
“That was another big change and challenge for me. I was raised by my grandmother for most of my childhood, and that meant growing up in the church. Then, I was introduced into something which I’d grown up to understand as an antagonist of the church. And so, I had to unlearn a lot of things; that I wasn’t steering far away from my grandmother’s history,” she reveals.
“I was realising in all of that – I am still Tumi. I’m still the chick who is on the verge of a laugh or a joke. And somehow, I need to now enter a space to heal others, even though I have always thought comedy is healing in itself. It’s been something else -it’s been hard. You have to fight against yourself more than anyone else.”
If you’re not validating yourself, no one else’s validation counts
The future
In terms of what lies ahead for Tumi: “I’m tryna get myself back into comedy mode,” she says.
“It’s a tricky thing because I kind of stepped out of it for a while with the film projects I was working on, so now I feel I’ve missed a lot. I’m building up to do a one-man show at the end of the year. A lot is happening in my life and I love my shows because I feel like it’s an opportunity to catch up with my audience, with my real day ones, my ride or dies. A lot of times we are also shaped by how people respond to us when we started out and that’s why some of us hold on to the essence of who we are – even as we grow with our audience. I’m tryna write a love letter to the people who have kept me working in this industry. I’m taking a chance on myself.”
Besides stand-up, Tumi hinted at Honeymoon 2 in the pipeline, saying that she’s loving where the story is going at the moment. She’s also working on another movie project, but is tight-lipped about the name or any other exact details. “You know we sign NDAs,” Tumi laughed loudly. “But I’m really looking forward to it – it’s been a while.”
Her busy nature keeps her going and striving for more in life. “That’s me, I suppose. I feel like nothing has changed. Tumi is always Tumi: If I am not planning a movie, I am in the middle of writing one, in development, or I’m jumping on stages.” And it’s that tenacity that we love about her – Tumi switches roles and remains true to herself, all while giving her heart to everyone she interacts with. Whether on stages or TV screens, there’s no stopping her – and we’re excited to see what’s next.
Tumi in a flash
Your favourite movie?
Dead Poet’s Society or The Mask.
One quote you live by?
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
Your go-to comfort food?
Pap with pilchards.
One item that you never leave home without?
My cellphone.
3 people you could invite for dinner, dead or alive, who would it be?
Kuli Roberts, Snoop Dogg and Judas.
Follow Her
Instagram: @tumi_morake
By: Yashna Balwanth
Photography by: Supplied
Text courtesy of Balanced Life magazine
