By: Natasha Archary
South African comedian Chantal Jaxx Venter joined Unathi in studio for a catch up on growing up white and Afrikaans. The Cape Town-born comedian is still getting used to the big city life that is consuming her in Johannesburg.
As much as Jaxx loves the warmth of the people, the weather and fast-paced life takes some getting used to.
The pandemic has made it difficult for Jaxx to earn money as the lockdown regulations affected the entertainment industry hard.
Chantal Jaxx Venter doesn’t want to sweep hard issues under the carpet during her comedy acts and is using her sketches to highlight the “einas” that most South Africans don’t want to engage on.
Growing up in an Afrikaans household, Jaxx acknowledges that there was a huge division between different race groups.
When she moved to Johannesburg, Jaxx moved to Brakpan, on the East Rand of Johannesburg which according to Jaxx is as Afrikaans as you get.
“We’ve moved to an era where there’s more inter-racial relationships and at some point we need to realise that we’re going to eventually have more beige people so skin colour is irrelevant in this day and age,” Chantal Jaxx Venter.
The former Brakpan resident is on the road to making a name for herself on the comedy scene and she says it’s tough because people have the perception that she’s going to be “just another Karen” during her skits.
Nothing could be further from the truth because Jaxx is all about inclusivity whether intergender and interracial. There’s nothing that puts a sour spin on Jaxx’s mood than people who use their time to judge and make hurtful comments about someone’s way of life, sexual orientation, race or religion.
It’s tricky navigating the comedy space and touching on these sensitive topics and Jaxx spends a lot of time working on her content.
Listen to Jaxx’s full interview on Midday Joy with Unathi here:
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