adminNkosilesisa Ncube, Sunday Life Reporter
This time last year, very few people knew the name Chik Aljoy, but after an impressive SA’s Got Talent audition and an outstanding semi-final performance, Chik has become increasingly known as perhaps one of the best ventriloquists to come out of Bulawayo.
The South Africa-based ventriloquist made a special appearance on the popular South African children’s show YoTV and as usual left his young audience in stitches. A ventriloquist is a person who can speak or utter sounds so that they seem to come from somewhere else, especially an entertainer who makes their voice appear to come from a dummy of a person or animal.
For this particular performance, Chik went with Jackie, his monkey puppet who is notorious for saying all the wrong things and the two poked good natured fun at different cultural issues. Speaking to Sunday News, Chik described his YoTV experience as one of the most difficult shows to pull off.
“Performing for children is a lot tougher than performing for an adult audience. Children generally have a lower concentration span than adults so I had to perform in such a way that I went straight into my punch lines before they got bored. It was a new experience for me because my usual audience is mostly made up of adults,” Chik said.
Other than the pressure of being in front of an entirely new audience, Chik maintains that the experience and the time he spent with the children was rewarding.
“I loved being on YoTv because I believe children are my future audience so there is nothing better than making them love my craft now, so that as they grow, they grow as loyal followers of what I do,” Chik added.
Apart from guest starring ion the children’s show, Chik has been busy since his stint on SA’s Got Talent. He has headlined comedy shows commissioned by his Jahneh Entertainment and has curtain raised for other comedians in various venues around Johannesburg, South Africa. He recently reopened his Jahneh High School Comedy, aimed at grooming young comedians who are still in school.
Bongani Ndlovu