Andre Lembwas is the star of a new TV show, The Lembwas, premiering on Cartoon Network later this week
Comedic actor Andre Lembwa says comedy has always been his hobby, ever since he was a class clown in elementary school and high school.
“I think I was always the class clown in the classroom, especially in fourth grade,” Lembwa said. The Citizen.
“I remember one parent-teacher conference where the teacher literally said to the parents, 'Your son is just playing pranks in class and making the class laugh.' From then on, I always I loved making people laugh.”
Nearly 20 years after that parent-teacher conference, the 28-year-old's audience has grown beyond his fourth-grade classroom.
This Saturday on his TV show, Lembwaswhich will premiere on Cartoon Network.
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Shoot Lembwa
As the name suggests, the show revolves around the Lembwa family, but Andre plays all five members of the family: two teenage brothers, Taps and Garcia, their mother, Uncle Zeke, and their grandmother, Gogo. There is a twist.
“I love playing these characters, I love giving them their own personalities, I love giving them their own form of characteristics and abilities. When I wear certain clothes, I almost You have to process yourself and think, “Okay, I'm not active now, I don't need to act anymore, I can be who I am.''
“If I’m wearing my mom’s wig, that’s it…I’m not going to let that voice free me.”
The 13th episode of the first season is Lembwas was filmed in Cape Town, and Andre says there were no major challenges other than the strain on his voice playing the various characters.
“Sometimes I would get a sore throat, but it wasn't too bad. I was drinking stoney ginger beer with lemon and honey, which kept me going.”
Playing every character comes with a certain pressure. Because even though he plays a different role, he is the only one the audience sees.
Andre is such an integral part of the show that it's almost as if he has to shoulder the burden if things go wrong.
“When you're doing something and you love what you do, there's always pressure. Before we started filming, I was a little nervous because I felt pressure to move forward with the show.” he says.
“I think the people that were on set, even though it was a very small set, it was like a family. They all made me feel at ease,” Andre said.
Lembwa Directed by Howard James Phoebe. Andre said Howard saved him throughout the gunfight.
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cultural influence
André was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and grew up in South Africa, and says this international upbringing has helped him become an imitator.
Lwemba arrived in South Africa in 1999 at the age of three and received his schooling in Mzansi, where he was exposed to South African culture and language.
“Coming here at such a young age, I was probably one of the most, if not the only, English speakers in my family, because when they came here, they were very different from French. Because he was speaking the language of [Congolese] Mother tongue. “
When you talk to him, you can't tell he's Congolese because of his dark accent.
@andre_and_benji Reply to @jam_jam39 People of Color Training😂😭 #fyp #foryourpage #Tiktoksa #AndreThaGreatest #cape flats #capecoloured ♬ Original song – Andre and Benji 🤣😂
“The question I often get is, ‘How do you sound Congolese when you actually sound like a person of color?’ My natural accent is darker than Congolese, so I’m always in the process of “I have to explain it,” he says.
“I also grew up in an area of color. I would stay with families of color on stage, I would stay with my best friends…Communities of color were a part of my life. “It had a huge impact,” he says.
He jokes that he missed the bus in France because, like most Congolese, he cannot speak European languages. He can speak four languages fluently. English, Afrikaans, Lingala, Swahili.
@andre_and_benji Looking forward to it @keelin_rossouw Well, here you go…😂🤣 #fyp #foryourpage #Tiktoksa #AndreThaGreatest #Andre_and_Benji ♬ Original song – Andre and Benji 🤣😂
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comedy style
Before appearing on television, Lembwa ventured onto social media platforms, creating content featuring his signature “slapsick” African comedy and creepy impersonations of Congolese, Nigerian and South African characters. I did.
“If I can imitate someone and do it so perfectly that I can stand there in that room and believe that that person is actually there, then I think I've passed,” he says.
He believes impersonation is one of the best styles of comedy.
“For me, it's always been about impersonating celebrities and people around me, especially people here in Africa. It's always been a Nigerian accent, a Congolese accent…I've always loved playing with different personalities. I loved it,” he says.
He had tried stand-up comedy before the coronavirus pandemic, and despite receiving positive reviews, he realized it wasn't his forte.
“It wasn't necessarily very fun for me,” he said.
“I have to say, I'm not a big fan of prepared jokes. I'm more of a go-with-the-flow kind of person. If I'm going to be in front of a crowd, I'm not a big fan of prepared jokes. I'm going to do a lot of, if you give me a microphone, everything that's going to come out of this mouth is not ready, but it's going to be [sic] Get well,” he says.
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Lembwa's last laugh
Throughout his school life, Lwemba was often reprimanded by his teachers for his behavior in class, but with his career on the rise after the same antics that got him in trouble, Lwemba told his former teachers what had become of him. I came back to show you.
“…I used to go to certain teachers who used to tell me, 'You can't do this comedy.'” [sic] I said, “Take me anywhere,” and I said, “This comedy took me to Cartoon Network, ma'am, do you have any comments on that?”
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