By Pauline Odhiambo
A good laugh, a joke and a little humor is like medicine for the soul, and for Tiktok comedian Mutaka Abdulrahim Burshir, ‘Funny Nad’ to his followers, laughter is the healing balm that lessens depression.
But Mutaka’s journey to viral fame was unintentional. He had been working at his uncle’s internet café during the Covid-19 pandemic when the idea to create a comedic persona came to him.
The pandemic’s lockdown period had interrupted his nursing studies, and Mutaka, saddened by losing his uncle and grandfather to diabetes a few months prior, sought to raise his spirits through comedy.
Mutaka recorded many videos during the lockdown period, most of them dance music challenges trending on social media.
Fighting depression
“I went viral after doing over 300 videos on TikTok but going viral was never my intention. I was just making those videos for myself as way of coping with depression and overthinking,” he tells TRT Afrika.
Putting together a cheerful ‘stage’ outfit for his Funny Nad persona was relatively easy.
A shirt and brown trousers belonging to his late uncle were among the first items chosen and matched with a black tie gifted to him by a friend. The look was made complete by donning a slightly-oversize coat and a brown pair of shoes belonging to his father.
Comedy cup
The only item that ‘chose itself’ is a plastic cup that is now an important feature of Funny Nad’s persona.
“I was filming a skit when I suddenly felt thirsty. I asked my little sister for some water, and she happened to bring it in a little plastic cup,” Mutaka recalls, adding that his comedic persona’s name was inspired by his dancing days in high school under the moniker ‘Poppin Nad.’
“Before I knew it, I had recorded the entire skit with cup in hand and only noticed it during editing when it was too late to do anything about it.”
He uploaded the video, and it went viral a few hours later, amassing more than 3 million views to date.
“My followers found the plastic cup hilarious, so I kept on using it in all my skits. It’s now part of my brand,” he states.
He later added a blue and white checkered cap, a bag pack and shopping bag to his costume.
Timeless content
Funny Nad has posted more than 2,000 videos on Tiktok and also posts on other social platforms including YouTube. His videos are mostly skits focusing on love and relationships – a subject he says resonates with audiences.
“If I make a skit about heartbreak today, even if you're not heartbroken today, I know you may be heartbroken tomorrow, and that skit will resonate with you at that time” he says. “This is the good thing about making timeless content that doesn't die.”
He has gradually diversified his content to include skits about school and work experiences, tailoring his comedy to reach different age groups.
Mutaka says some of his family members were initially concerned that his comedy career would affect his nursing ambitions, a concern they shared with his parents as his content grew more popular.
“Some of my relatives thought that comedy would distract me from finishing my nursing studies, so they talked to my parents about it. But when I showed my parents the kind of content I was making, they found it funny and have been very supportive,” he states.
One of Mutaka’s uncles was especially supportive, believing Mutaka would one day become a renowned influencer.
International appeal
Mutaka, who graduated with a certificate in nursing in 2024, has indeed joined the crop of Ugandan influencers using their talent to reach various audiences by promoting different brands.
He has worked with brands including an international soft drinks company that reached out to him to help broaden their market penetration in Uganda.
“People often mistake me for a South African, Nigerian or Kenyan, and I think that’s because I do my content in English which is widely spoken in several African countries,” he says.
“About 40% of my followers are South Africans. Ugandans make up about 24% of my viewers while the rest of my viewership is split amongst various countries.”
Juggling his nursing ambitions and comedy career has also been ‘fun’ for Mutaka.
“I really enjoy nursing because I love medicating people, making them laugh and seeing them responding well to treatment,” says the nursing graduate who volunteers at a government hospital in Uganda.
“It brings me joy to balance nursing with comedy because making content is something that I enjoy as well.”
Mutaka stays motivated by the knowledge that he can bring joy and laughter in both professions.
Award-winning
“I started creating content to put a smile on my face during my low moments and ended putting smiles on other people’s faces in the process,” he says.
“A lot of young people in Africa are dealing with mental health issues, so when someone’s leaves a comment on one of my videos saying I have brightened their day, that’s gives me the energy to make more content.”
Online trolls have nonetheless tried to dampen his enthusiasm but Mutaka has kept going despite their negative comments.
“The trolling was intense especially around the time when I went viral. Some of the comments were very negative to the extent that I felt like giving up,” he tells TRT Afrika. “I decided to just ignore the negative comments because I knew that if I focused my attention on them, that negative energy would grow and obstruct my growth.”
Mutaka has since been nominated for multiple awards, winning the ‘Best Comedian’ title in Uganda’s 2024 Source of the Nile Awards (SONEA) and another award from Uganda’s Prime Minister of Busoga Kingdom.
His advice to young people interested in content creation: “Be disciplined and consistent. Pick something you are interested in and naturally love doing and just keep at it.”
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