Some people still treat me like a kid–Helen Paul

Call popular Nigerian comedienne, Helen Paul, the woman of the moment and you are not far from the truth. Having clinched two lucrative deals valued at millions of Naira with Globacom and DSTV’s GOTV, the petite media personality known for her quirky and spontaneous style of comedy appears to be on the rise.

Although she is reluctant to talk about the value of her deal with Globacom, Helen Paul, aka Tatafo, owes it to her toil and sweat as a comedienne, “I think the most important thing here is to keep working hard and make everybody proud, the worth of the deal is secondary, so I wouldn’t want to talk about it,” she says, in an interview with our correspondent.

The funny-woman, who says mimicking the voice of a little girl comes naturally to her, shot to the limelight on account of the character she plays on radio. However, the problem is that some people still find it difficult to separate that aspect of her life from reality.

“Because of the kid voice that I use, some people assume that I’m a small girl. On one occasion, somebody said to me ‘Hey, come here.’ I simply laughed and pretended that I didn’t hear him. Some will assume that you are a kid and even try to hit you. But it’s all fun and different experiences to me,” she notes.

Apart from that, Paul – who is also a musician – describes herself as an ‘expressionistic’ comedienne and reveals that she wears the same hat at home. In fact, she adds, it is never a dull moment whenever she is around her family.

She says, “My husband should have also passed for a comedian, just that he prefers to be on the quiet side. My son is also a lively boy to be with. He can entertain you with different popular dance steps in the country. It flows naturally in our blood. I’m a spontaneous comedian, and everything around me is comedy. My husband is my best friend, so what do you expect? He’s my number one fan and critic.

“I’m a complete theatre artist. Even in my presentations, I know I’m active. Same applies to radio and television. I know I’m playing the role of a character. I stick to that character. You have to do everything to represent that person. When you are on television, for example, you have to pronounce certain words in a certain way, different from the way you do in real life.”

Currently studying for her Ph.D in Theatre Arts at the University of Lagos, the mother of one, who anchors two radio programmes, ‘Tatafo Gist’ and ‘Comedy Drive’, respectively, appears to be quite deep in her views. She says,“Life itself is a lesson, and we all learn every day. I have learnt to keep getting prepared, and keep being myself. Be yourself, your spirit will let you know if you are deceiving yourself. There are sometimes your spirit will tell you, this is what God has for you, except if you are not listening to your spirit. Don’t let anyone discourage you.”

Even though being in the limelight puts some artistes under pressure, the artiste says, “I’m a very natural person. I don’t see myself as a star, but more as a brand. Fame has not put any pressure on me. If I feel like buying something on the roadside, I still buy them. I’m just me, that is the truth. I plan to shoot my own feature film soon. Hopefully, yes. But I’m trying to do things in a particular order. In a matter of time, more of my pet projects will be unveiled.”