Monika Amunyela
By day, Thomas Amakali is a project accountant immersed in spreadsheets, deadlines and management reports.
Outside office hours, he is known as ‘Tate Matondo’, stepping into a completely different role as a comedian and content creator, whose relatable humour has earned him growing recognition.
Originally from Ontananga in the Oshikoto region, Amakali’s early life was shaped by constant movement and survival, with his mother moving from job to job in search of stability and finally settling the family in Windhoek in 2004. “My upbringing was not so glitz and glimmer; I was never treated as a main character growing up,” he says. Growing up in a household of more than 15 people meant attention was scarce; this taught him resilience and motivation to work hard for the attention he craved, whether through academics or creating laughter at the dinner table.
From a young age, Amakali believed in the importance of role models, and this mindset followed him through his academic journey. Inspired by his senior, Amakali chose to pursue commerce in high school, leading him to study accounting in university. Failing to complete his work on time might have been his enemy, but in the end, he graduated and has since built over three years of experience in the accounting field.
Comedy became both an outlet and an identity during his earlier years. In a busy household, humour was his way of being heard and seen. “I took an interest in making my housemates laugh with impressions, dressing up, dancing and impersonating TV characters,” he says. His passion for comedy grew, and by the age of 13 he was writing his own jokes, with hopes of attending the Free Your Mind stand-up comedy show. This dream was crashed by lack of funds, and because he was known as a jokester, nobody believed when he mentioned it.
His ideas are often written down, and the sound he wants to use is carefully thought out. “Most of the time the creation happens at 2AM, because that’s when the house is quiet, and I can think straight,” he explains, further stating that he gets ideas during serious situations like at work, in a meeting or at the club when he observes people being themselves.
Recognition at the MTC Content Creator Awards marked a turning point. “Receiving the award made me appreciate myself more,” he says. He has hopes of collaborating with other comedic personalities, both locally and internationally, such as King Gucci, Mhulongo, Shankcomics and WilliamLastKRM. He will also be dropping new skits and taking his acting up a notch by featuring in a local web series.
