Photography: Emily Chalk.
Ama Mosese is one of those women who believes in saying yes to life. Even so, the 40-year-old South Auckland tour guide never expected to find herself saying yes to a new career as a stand-up comedian.
While people often tell her she’s hilarious, Ama never really thought so. Besides, she and her sister Louisa have a business to run, Glorious Tours, introducing visitors to our Māori and Pasifika culture. But then last year, everything changed when Ama found a lump in her breast.
“Actually, my partner Tony found it,” she says.
“On the right side of my breast was this hard, little mass. I was still 39 at the time, too young to be enrolled in the breast screening programme, and I didn’t even have a GP because I was pretty healthy.”
In 2017, she and Louisa had lost their mother Gloria to breast cancer and, having seen what she went through, Ama wasn’t taking any chances. Even so, by the time all the tests were completed, two months had passed and the lump was getting bigger.
Finding a new focus through treatment
Given how aggressive the cancer was, Ama needed eight months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
“It meant I had to take a step back from work,” she explains. “I was struggling to wrap my head around that, and looking for something that would occupy my time and be a bit of a distraction.”
She and Louisa happened to see an item on TVNZ news show Tagata Pasifika about an exciting new project being launched in South Auckland. Called Va’ine Fresh, it aimed to encourage more Pasifika women to get into comedy and involved a series of free workshops culminating in a live show.
Ama tells, “It was happening just down the road from my office and Louisa told me I should definitely do it – it was meant for me.”
Stepping into the unknown
As a tour guide, she’s used to chatting into a microphone. Still, when Ama turned up with nine other women for that first workshop last August, she wasn’t sure how she’d fare. Led by comedian Rhiannon McCall, the aim was to teach the basics of making an audience laugh, before they were let loose on stage.
“None of us had done anything like it before. But we all gelled straightaway and got sore cheeks from laughing so much.”
Ama and five of the other women have gone on to set up a comedy crew, the Southside Queens, and have already done a bunch of sold-out shows.
Finding strength in sisterhood
“The sisterhood we’ve formed is really special and it’s come at the right time for me,” she enthuses.
“I don’t think the other girls realise quite how much they’ve helped me through a tough journey.”
She believes Pacific women have an instinct for comedy.
“We’re natural storytellers and at any gathering, it’s the mums and aunties who are sitting round cackling with each other making jokes – we’re always having a laugh,” says Ama, who describes her style as very observational.
“I talk about true-life experiences that are relatable to everyone and I keep it light and entertaining.”
Living life without limits
While she’s been undergoing cancer treatment, Ama’s also managed to take trips to the US, Vietnam and the Gold Coast, and most recently has returned to Samoa for a ceremony to name her as a chief in her village and a leader for the next generation.
“I’m very strong on living life to the max and this is my max,” she reflects.
“I don’t often say no to things and that has opened up doors to new opportunities.”
A stage she couldn’t refuse
The chance to perform with the Southside Queens on stage at the NZ International Comedy Festival next month was something Ama definitely couldn’t say no to. She’s been busy practising her material on family, including her 17-year-old daughter Asela.
“She’s loving seeing me so happy doing comedy, but she’s also a bit nervous. Everything we do now, she’s like, ‘Mum, don’t talk about this on stage.’”
With her chemo completed, Ama and the Southside Queens plan to keep performing as often as they can.
“We’d like to do a show every couple of months at least and hopefully some kind of tour. It’s nerve-wracking, but when you get out there and people are laughing, it’s the best feeling. It’s honestly so rewarding.”
The Southside Queens’ new show, Once Upon A Struggle, is on 7-9 May in Auckland. To book tickets, see comedyfestival.co.nz.
