Stand-up Comedy: Mr. Ater, Da Contry Comedian

Kor Derick Ndikiter was born on November 28, 1991 in Mbaa village, Nkambe Central Subdivision, Donga Mantung Division of the North West Region. A Management and Entrepreneurship graduate of the University of Bamenda, “Mr. Ater, Da Contry Comedian,” or simply Ater, as his artiste name goes, began doing comedy early in life. “I started right from primary school, but little did I know that comedy was a whole profession!” Ater recalls with an exclamation. Not knowing the future that lay ahead of him, Ater and Binyu Emmanuel, Nforba Bruno and Ngah Noel, formed their comedy troupe. Even as pupils! “People mocked us throughout primary and secondary school for doing comedy, but it did not deter us,” the 30-year-old says. Until he went professional in 2017 after shooting his first comedy sketch with Bongjo Bertrand.

 “The love for my culture motivated me to go deeper into comedy. People like being around me to be entertained. But the greatest encouragement came from an elder, Mr. Semuyeh Kanjo. He sat me down and told me I had a gift I was unaware of. This sent me thinking seriously about making a career of comedy,” explains Derick, who also does serigraphy and photography from his Yaounde base. Great motivation came from Gordons, the Nigerian comedian. “But I do not copy him because we have much endowment in Cameroon to exploit,” he quickly adds.