Ngwane Hansel
Quick Facts
Biography
Ngwane Hansel (popularly referred to as "Hansel") is an English-speaking Cameroonian entertainer, digital media specialist, artist, critic, filmmaker and writer. Formerly an entertainer, he delved into professional online promotion through his company, Hansel Media. As an entertainer, he hosted comedy shows like The Good, The Bad, The Funny and The Meet Hansel Show. He currently resides in Yaounde, where he's taking his master's degree in Digital Media and Communication.
Early life
Ngwane Hansel was born in Mundemba, Cameroon and is the first child of a family of five. His father is the notorious Pan-Africanist, Mwalimu George Ngwane. At the age of 10, Hansel began doing impressions of his parents and other family members, much to the amusement of his friends. As a child, Hansel became interested in comedy while watching TV shows like "The Fresh Prince of Bell-Air", "Some Mothers do Have 'em" and "The Cosby Show". In 2011, Hansel graduated from the University of Buea, Cameroon with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Public Administration. After several ventures, he decided to settle for online promotion by creating his online promotion company, Hansel Media.
Career
As an entertainer, Hansel has been performing stand-up comedy in since he was 17. His first time on stage was at his high school graduation ceremony were he made hilarious impressions of his teachers and received cheers from fellow students. While in university, he launched a standup comedy show which was a huge failure, but didn't slow him down. Later that year, a local TV Station was opened in Buea and he became the host of his own widely popular TV comedy show, "The Meet Hansel Show". The next year, he organized his first full length standup comedy show "It's About Time" which was a huge success and launched his career.
After a few years, Hansel then left the TV Network and together with two other friends, created Zumhoo Studio Works, an audio/visual production company. There, he began his own comedy news show, The Good, The Bad, The Funny, which was a spoof on current events mostly in the Cameroon entertainment industry. He also created a slogan for his highly controversial yet humorous posts on Facebook, "Hanselize".
In August 2014, Zumhoo Studio Works released their first short movie, "Damaru". It was the first time Hansel played a major acting role in a film, which he did alongside Cameroonian actress Christa Eka. Hansel was also executive producer and screenwriter in the movie which was shot in Tole, Cameroon . "Damaru" talks on the issue of the plight of the handicapped in the society and has received national and international fame. In late 2014, he then left Zumhoo Studio Works, citing ideological disparity as main reason. He, with two other friends created Makhan Productions, where he launched the "Kamer Kings of Comedy" show on 11 December 2014.
Hansel also proved to be a multidimensional entertainer when in October 2014, he released his first official single, "C.H.E.C.K" with fellow rapper Mic Monsta. He plans on releasing an album on mid 2015 to coincide with his next one man comedy standup performance.
With the release of Damaru to festivals, Hansel suffered a major disappointment with his colleague which ended up in a lawsuit in which Hansel emerged victorious. With the proceeds, he decided to create his online promotion company, Hansel Media. With this company, he has contributed immensely to the proliferation of credible online access for individuals, companies and artists. He launched the Hansel Media "Online Media Participation for Change" award in May 2015 as a major project for his company.
Controversy
Hansel has been known to be fearless in his comments, and has been involved with altercations with other Cameroonian entertainers notably Stanley Enow and Jovi. His Facebook comments are said to be very funny albeit edgy, as he pokes the Achilles Heels of some famous personalities. Also, his popular blog contains sensitive yet educational information on the state and progress of the Cameroon entertainment industry. Dubbed as a fearless writer, Hansel retains that his comments and publishing are all in good faith.
Personal life
Hansel is also a digital media specialist. He creates apps, has an online promotion website and has an online radio. He loves soccer and is an avid supporter of FC Barcelona. He played as goalkeeper in his school days which gained him the nickname "Valdes" (former FC Barcelona keeper).
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | The Meet Hansel Show | Himself | Creator, Writer, Presenter | |
2012 | It's About Time standup comedy special | Himself | Writer, Executive Producer | |
2013 | The Good, The Bad, The Funny | Himself | Creator, Writer, Presenter | |
2014 | Damaru | Mr. Patrick | Writer, Executive Producer |
Discography
- C.H.E.C.K (Non-famous) [2014]