Vanessa Akinyi, a 24-year-old digital content creator and emerging musician, widely known as Cartoon Comedian, is opening up about the challenges she faced before achieving recognition in her field.
In a candid conversation with Oga Obinna, Cartoon Comedian attributes her fame to her unwavering self-belief in her craft and her refusal to give up, even when faced with adversity.
Reflecting on her early experiences, Cartoon Comedian revealed that she used to sell omena (small dried fish) after dropping out of school while she was only in Form 2.
Despite the hardships, she didn’t despise the work because it allowed her to earn a decent income.
She cherished the ability to provide groceries for her family and gain her mother’s respect.
“I had the determination to do this business. I realized that if I woke up really early, the lady at the market would buy the basin of omena for Ksh 1,000. I even used to go to hotels owned by Kikuyus to cook for them. On a good day, I would make around Ksh 2,000 because I would walk far and wide to sell. The best business was selling to hotels very early in the morning,” the content creator shared.
Unfortunately, her successful venture came to an end when her omena supplier relocated to the countryside.
Her next job paid only Ksh 250 per day and was unsatisfying.
Cartoon Comedian’s friend then helped her secure a job making khaki papers, but this job was not ideal either, as the pay was meager, and she faced harassment from her bosses.
Despite these setbacks, Cartoon Comedian remained determined and revealed that she had a crush on YY Comedian and admired his craft. She dreamed of becoming the female version of him.
“I had tried auditions for the ‘Real Househelps of Kawangware’ while I was still in school, but it didn’t work. So I used to dream about YY… no, not in that way,” she quickly clarified her statement, realizing how it might be interpreted.
Elaborating on her dream, she added, “I wanted to be like him, to talk like him, to dress like him, to joke like him. If there was a comedian I looked up to, it was YY. He literally had what I wanted to be.”
She pursued raw auditions and reached out to the Churchill Show Instagram page. After two years of persistent auditions every Tuesday, she finally earned her breakthrough.
“I auditioned every Tuesday for two years, and I never missed. I loved that persistence. I don’t give up. I don’t lose,” she proudly declared, reflecting on her journey and her current position in life.
