The demands of the entertainment industry are not lost on Eddie Kadi though . He knows more than anyone how important it is to be in good comedy form , notwithstanding any personal struggles in the life of the artiste . He also knows that it ’ s not always a good day at the office when it comes to getting an audience to laugh . As he puts it ; “ Sometimes there ’ s too much salt in the food and sometimes there ’ s too much sugar in the cake . Sometimes you are late for work and sometimes you are too early . One of my first encounters was one time I went on stage to deliver a joke that was so funny to me ; it was a very funny joke but the audience were not relating or reacting to it ; so I tried to force it on the audience … but I was lucky to have had a backup plan ; so I quickly introduced the next act to cover up ; but these things happen and sometimes they make you question yourself about and the way forward for your career on that path . Eventually one begins to understand that it is all part of work ; there are moments when things like these happens but with maturity comes the ability to manage such days .” And on the issue of having to get the right jokes , he says , “ It is always a struggle . There are a lot of things that come naturally to you , especially with your personal experiences , but sometimes you want to try something different , something extraordinary and that ’ s where the problem starts . You go from having brain blocks to moments when you just don ’ t want to be funny but you still have to do it . Therefore , you have to dig deep because your audience doesn ’ t care . Even if you just got dumped by your partner , it ’ s really not their business . They ’ ve got their own problems and it ’ s probably one of the many reasons they are sitting in front of you waiting for some good laughter to cheer them up . They ’ ve spent money on you and you can just suddenly come out and say ‘ sorry guys I ’ ve had a bad day today , so I can ’ t do anything today ’ ”.
Eddie Kadi , having been away from his homeland for long , is trying hard to reconnect with his native country . In 2010 , he had his first visit to Congo since moving to the U . K , and has made a number of trips since then . He has also made regular journeys to other parts of Africa , particularly Nigeria , Kenya and Ghana . He looks up to the likes of Richard Blackwood and Angie Le Mar ( both comedians ) as his mentors , and is of the view that aspiring artists should be more than a hundred percent sure of their ambitions before delving into entertainment . In his words : “ I would say , don ’ t do it until you are hundred percent sure it is what you want to do . Don ’ t do it because you see a lot of people wearing gold chains and taking pictures with celebrities . I would say , do it because your heart says so , because that is what will sustain you when the times are hard . Do it for the right reasons and once you do believe , don ’ t let anyone deter you . Tests will come , some at the beginning and some in the middle , but your determination will keep you going . Follow your heart . I ’ m of the belief that when someone advices you it is usually based on their limits ”.
116 | BLANCK MAGAZINE | MAY 2015