If you had your elementary, primary or secondary school education in Africa, chances are that you broke your school’s laws in a way or even had your name added to the list of troublemakers. In fact, as a pre-tertiary student in Africa, except you were an exceptionally law-abiding pupil, your name must have appeared in at least one list of rulebreakers, whether it’s noise-making, bullying, late-coming or other related offences. Being called out on the assembly line for breaking the rule is common in such schools. However, when a pupil is summoned for committing multiple offences, it’s safe to assume that such a pupil is at a ridiculous level of notoriety that many kids don’t want to get to.
Today we’re talking about Bridget Bema, a 9-year-old Kenyan girl who has captured the attention of many. Born on the 10th of November 2011, Bridget rose to fame after starring in a now-viral comedy video where she played the role of a pupil whose name appeared in every list of rule-breakers. In case you don’t already know, Bridget’s character was developed by her elder brother and fast-rising comedian, Oliver Otieno, popularly known as Comedian YY. Otieno acted as the school administrator in the video where Bridget‘s name was reeled for misdemeanours ranging from late-coming to noisemaking and bullying. While having her name penned down for every offence wasn’t that much of a novel occurrence, what actually catalyzed the video to virality is the nonchalant manner with which Bridget moved from row to row in open defiance of constituted authority.
Since her video gained traction on social media, Bridget has released more comedy skits – highlighting the interesting experiences of being primary school – on her YouTube channel. Interestingly, Bridget is every inch her own ‘woman’. For the majority of African adults, Bridget represents a fitting and relatable throwback to the primary and secondary school days. Bridget has earned affection from Nigerians on social media, with many likening her to Emmanuella, a Nigerian child comedienne who, in a similar fashion, became popular in 2015. While Nigeria can boast of Emmanuella Samuel as its biggest kid comedian, Kenya can now brag about the latest kid comedian in town, Bridget Bema. With her recent skit, Bema can now sit on the same table with Emmanuella who has held sway as one of the funniest children in Africa, with numerous awards and brands endorsements to show for it. Although the yardstick in comparison is still wide apart as Emmanuella is more popular than Bridget, the latest internet sensation seems to be off to a good start. While it is somewhat obvious that Bridget’s rise to fame via her hilarious skits seem similar to Emmanuella’s, the slight difference between these child stars is the fact that the former acts within the four walls of a school while the latter plays the role of a troublesome girl. Ever since she came into the subconscious of Nigerians, it seems her new-formed fan base cannot get enough of her.