To be truly successful, a certain level of resilience is needed as Churchill Show comedian Yusuf Nasra's journey to performing on TV shows.
Speaking to Daniel 'Churchill' Ndambuki on the Sunday, July 12, episode, Nasra recounted how her parents were ready to marry her off to an older man but she insisted that she wanted to continue with her education.
He would-be husband, she says, showed up at their home with the supposed dowry, with her mother trying to convince her to get married.
"My father had decided to marry me off so he brought an elderly man. I could see white hair on his head. My mother asked me to persevere arguing that the elderly man had only a few years to live.
"She said, 'Nasra do this, you know I love you. Just persevere, he only has three or four years remaining.' What you will get after he is gone, will be big,'" Nasra narrated.
She further recalled how most girls at the time were being married off, with the dowry being five camels.
"I was to be married off but I declined. I insisted that I wanted to pursue my own dreams to be successful. It does not mean that marriage is the only successful avenue," she noted.
She discovered her talent while in secondary school with her classmates being her primary audience.
At Umma University, where she studied, her friends would continue affirming her skill pushing her to try auditioning for Churchill Show.
"That was when I sent you a message and I came to your audition and now we are sharing ice cream," she narrated.
Her gig opened various other doors including performing at a stand-up show in Tanzania.
In October 2019, Nasra grew into her own brand with the launch of Modesty Fashion Week which was hosted at Laico Regency in Nairobi.
The event centered around showcasing fashion outfits from the Muslim community to give a chance to Muslim models to showcase their talents.
"It was perfect. It was tiresome. I came to respect your people, we were used to getting a ready audience. I came to realise it is tough," she explained noting that Qatar Ambassador Jabr Bin Ali Al Dosari also attended the unveiling.
Faced by the hardship of the Corona pandemic, Nasra now runs a YouTube show Cook and Laugh with her mother.
She has so far gained over 40,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Below is a video of Nasra Yusuf narration on Churchilll show:
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