‘Yo, you’re going to hell!’: Anisa Nandaula on culture shock in a new home

Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we’re told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they’re given. This week, he talks to Anisa Nandaula. The stand-up comedian, 27, is best known for her appearances on Thank God You’re Here and Taskmaster Australia and as the Gen Z captain on Talkin’ ’Bout Your Gen. She has 1.5 million followers on social media.

You come from a Muslim family who migrated to Australia from Uganda. Tell me about the rhythms of Islam in your life growing up. Well, it’s changed a lot from when I lived in Uganda. There, it was heavily cultural. On Fridays, we’d go to the mosque and pray four times a day.

What changed in Australia? At the time, I didn’t have any family here except for my mum and my brother. So you don’t really have that day-to-day flow.

This was in Queensland, specifically – initially – Rockhampton. What were the big culture clashes that you encountered? Well, whenever I saw my friends drinking, I was like, “Yo, you’re going to hell!” It was difficult for me to find the confidence to be like, “This is what I believe, but you can believe whatever you want, and we can still hang out, be friends and go to parties.” It took time.

One of my favourite jokes of yours is about how your boyfriend is going to convert to Islam … except he doesn’t know it yet. Discuss! [Laughs] That is a real thing. We’re working on it. We’ve given him a Muslim name! We have deep conversations about it, me and my mother. He doesn’t know [grins, makes face], but he will sooooon.

What’s your personal version of hell? A bunch of white people showing me photos of their dogs and it never ends. Also, this happened to me: one woman came up and said, “I got married! Do you want to see a video?” And the video was like 20 minutes. I was thinking, “But I don’t even like you …”

What’s your personal version of heaven? Oh, I love Filipino ube cakes [a sponge cake made with purple yam]. I would love to be trapped in one and the only way I can save myself is by eating my way out of it.

Comedians talk about “killing” and “dying”. When was the last time you died on stage? Two weeks ago, I was doing this show, which had been getting massive laughs every day. Then I had one show where I wasn’t getting that response. Then I had another gig and bombed. And another. And I was just like, “This is too much failure for my body.” I got offstage and started crying. I didn’t want to keep going, but you have to because people have bought tickets. It’s your job. But it’s funny: I watched the video