When Joe White first came to Australia, he didn’t speak a word of English.
His only real indication to join the conversations was when someone asked him about the name they gave him at birth: Tiluhun Hailu.
It was difficult for him to fit in with an unknown name in a predominantly white school in Perth.
“When I was playing football in the [school’s] youth group, the boys couldn’t pronounce my name, but they needed a name to tell him to pass the ball, “he said.
“At the time, I really liked this R&B singer named Joe who represented what I wanted to be: confident and great.”
As his Australian accent grew stronger, and as he went for Joe, the people he talked to on the phone often assumed he was white.
Since then, his name is Joe White.
Joe White says he uses comedy as a coping mechanism. (Supplied)
According to the comedian, his family has always told him he was funny.
But his humor developed as a coping mechanism during the difficult years his family faced after fleeing a violent civil war in Ethiopia to neighboring Sudan.
When she was seven, her father suddenly left the family after a night of heavy drinking, leaving her mother to raise six children alone.
White said his father was saddened by the devastation of losing everything he had worked in Ethiopia and turned to alcoholism.
“He was no longer the loving father we remembered,” he said.
“[Alcoholism] it was his way of dealing with demons that meant knowing that you had lost everything. “
With seven mouths to feed and no income, White’s mother asked to leave Africa altogether to ensure her children a safer future in Australia.
Joe White says he came to life in Australia quickly. (Supplied)
“Our neighbor mentioned that if she goes to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, there is a United Nations office where she can present her case and maybe try a better life,” White said.
His family waited four years before they knew anything about his application.
“We were left homeless as soon as we got to Sudan, we went through hell and back,” he said.
He said that during this time, the family was tied up with rope and clothes while they slept to prevent the abduction.
“Have approval to come here [to Australia] It was like winning the Lottery for us, “he said.
New culture, new jokes
White said he ended up adjusting to life in Australia much easier than he expected.
With government support, he quickly learned English, finished school, and secured a job in finance.
“Every day I wore a tie, I had a company car, I had a credit card. It was sweet,” he said.
Although everything seemed good on paper, it was the breakup of a 10-year relationship that made him reconsider his career.
It was a skeptical read with a psychic who encouraged him to jump into a whole new industry and give comedy a try.
“I just thought this woman was telling me what she said to the last five people before me,” she said.
“But I was going through that phase, where I was trying everything to check boxes to find my purpose, so I thought it couldn’t hurt.”
His jokes are mainly inspired by his past and the transition to life in Australia, which he said he hoped would encourage more empathy towards refugees.
Above all, her time on stage is a way to honor her mother, even if it is sometimes the focus.
“Not only was I able to tell my mother’s story, so she didn’t suffer in silence, but I tried to help others find different ways to talk about heavy things,” she said.
When he began his career a decade ago, White often found himself the only person of color in a lineup.
Her mother doubted she would leave a stable career in finance for comedy, but she finally arrived.
This support has meant the world, especially in the early days of trying to get into the industry.
“While it was new, it was quite competitive. Especially if it did well, some people weren’t really welcoming,” he said.
Now touring internationally and sharing theaters with people like Trevor Noah and Jim Carr, White has overcome many of these initial barriers.
He is now trying to get back to the African communities that gave him the confidence to do what he does.
“Whether it’s donating money or mentoring new comics, I don’t forget the main reason being to tell my story,” he said.
African comedians take center stage
White has been enthusiastically encouraging young African comedians to enter the Australian comedy scene as well.
In 2019, he staged Best of Africa, a multi-state live comedy show.
She performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Perth Fringe World Festival.
“People see that there is a demand for African formations,” he said.
“It’s still very difficult to access certain platforms sometimes because there are porters, so I did mine.”
A small but loyal community of African comics was beginning to build in Melbourne.
Chido Mwat said she is attracted to comedy as it takes her out of her comfort zone. (Supplied)
Chido Mwat, a Melbourne doctor who emigrated to Australia in 2012 from Zimbabwe, said he was never the class clown.
But she was always attracted to comedy, as it pushed her out of her comfort zone.
“Sometimes I can be a little awkward. Over the years, I’ve found ways to navigate this: comedy is the main road,” he said.
After a few sets at Melbourne’s open mic nights, Mwat offered to open up for some of White’s shows.
This small community became crucial for Mwat as he had not explained to his family his professional choice. To this day his father does not know that he gets up.
“My parents are from a place where education is the key to financial stability, so they’ve always wanted me to focus on being a doctor,” she said.
“No one forced me to do anything, I don’t regret it, but it was time to do something I wanted to do.”
Ever since the comedy began, he said he has seen the progress that the Australian comedy scene has made and that he was optimistic about its future.
“I felt like the only black woman, so I didn’t feel empowered at the time,” she said.
“I fully trust this generation to change things. We’re definitely going in the right direction to do it.”
Posted 18 hours ago 18 hours, Saturday, May 28, 2022 at 9:19 PM, updated 11 hours, 11 hours ago, Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 4:33 AM