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Johannesburg - Valentine’s Day brings out the serious side of Celeste Ntuli, widely known as the queen of Zulu comedy.
She is famous for her latest one-woman show, Black Tax, which will continue touring the country this year.
City Press caught up with the stand-up comedienne because she has been chosen – along with 24 other comedy stars, including Loyiso Gola, Joey Rasdien, Barry Hilton, David Kau and Suzelle DIY – to feature in a campaign on Comedy Central to highlight the power and hilarity of South African comedy.
But because Valentine’s Day is coming up, we chatted to Ntuli about love, her gags about yellow bones, and why they are often seen as more desirable than dark-skinned dates. She didn’t mince her words.
“Yellow bones are desirable because most black men still suffer from mental slavery and self-hate. Complexion doesn’t equal beauty or better...”
She didn’t stop there.
“There are ugly white and mixed-race woman. It’s all about the adverts and the video-girl mentality. A dark-skinned woman is hardly celebrated for the black diamond she is,” says Ntuli.
We all know that the dating pool can be a treacherous place. Ntuli suggests getting to know your lover – well.
She places an emphasis on being aware of your partner’s financial situation before diving in head first. We’re all faced with the challenge of loving one person or loving more than one.
“Polygamy is chaos. Monogamy is simple,” she says. “Being cheated on is a horrible thing.”
Asked about their #MakeLifeFunnier campaign, Comedy Central Africa senior director Dillon Khan says: “We have a successful heritage in championing talent and this year we’ll be making them front-of-mind daily and encouraging everyone to see them whenever and wherever they perform.”
Asked about the title of her show, Ntuli says: “I am a black woman who grew up in rural areas in a middle class family, so Black Tax is what we experience.
“We pay all the time.”
