By Prudence Minayo
Some people work behind the scenes to ensure that a show runs flawlessly. Victor Ber is one such person and has been in the industry for more than a decade. He has interacted with a number of comedians and actors in the course of his career and is known by many within the entertainment circles.
Victor does not court the limelight but his work speaks volume of his abilities. In the past few days, he has been embroiled in controversy following the death of Kasee, a Churchill show comedian.
This article takes a look at very few facts about Victor Ber. The information is limited as he lives a private life.
Age
Details about his age is still under wraps but he was born in the month of March as most found out in 2018 when his wife wished him a happy birthday through an Instagram post.
Career
Victor is a director with a wealth of experience in directing shows and plays. He started directing set book plays back in the days at the Kenya National Theatre.
He then became the creative director for the biggest comedy show in Kenya, Churchill show. Through the show, he has interacted with several big names in the comedy industry. Ber gets to participate in the auditions of different comedians who want a chance to perform in the Churchill show. At times, he gets to decide who gets through and who doesn’t.
The creative director is known for being frank in his opinion about people’s talents. Sometimes he is right and other times he is not-and that’s human nature. While some think his way of dealing with people is offensive, he believes he just prepares people for the tough career ahead.
“ Churchill sometimes would call me and ask me to make artists toe the line. They might think I am heartless but it is my way of preparing them for what they will encounter when they step in stage,” he said during an interview with Nation.
Marriage
Victor was married to Ann Njeri, who was a friend to comedian Tr. Wanjiku. The two had one son but later separated.
He started dating Tr. Wanjiku and was once quoted as saying he always loved her. The relationship was marred with controversy with Wanjiku being accused of stealing someone else’s husband, an accusation she denied.
The two got married in an invite-only ceremony held back in 2014. The wedding held at St Paul’s Catholic Church, University Way was attended by more than ten comedians with Churchill and Karis being the emcees. The wedding was colorful with the cake being a caricature of Tr. Wanjiku in her famous dotted pink dress and a smirk on her face. The two welcomed their bundle of joy, Zuri, a year later.
Controversy
As mentioned earlier, some people think Victor does not deal with comedians in a good manner. Following the death of comedian Kasee, comedian Zedyy came out to accuse Victor Ber of being the one responsible for killing the dreams of many comedians and leading them to depression. Through her Facebook page, she stated:
“ Ndio huyu mzizi wa fitna @VictorBer24 creative director wa Churchill Show ‘Depression Maker.’ Kama ushawai enda auditions za Churchill show, hakika unajua huyu msee huwa heartless, roho chafu kama ya Firaun yaani atakuthalilisha na maneno yake makali kuliko moto was jehanam…” The post was accompanied by videos of other comedians narrating their not so good encounters with Victor.
Victor came out to deny these allegations. He went ahead to say that the accusations are affecting his family and that he can’t send his children outside. He said he knows talent when he sees it and that’s why he was able to spot Shiks Kapiyengo from the beginning. The director also went on to say he feels Zeddy is being used.
“ I don’t understand where she is coming from. I can sense a lot of malice. I feel there are so many people behind it because kila mtu ananitukana, nikiangalia profile zao they are new..” he told Daily Nation.
When Sleepy came out to defend him, he too encountered the wrath of Zeddy and was termed as a hypocrite and a friend to Ber who favors him.
Sleepy in a post claimed that Her was among the few people who hung out with Kasee before he passed away. His post read:
“He has paid his price in building the industry. Ask yourself why no comedian is saying anything about this man amidst the drama. I have so much respect for Victor, did you actually know that Ber was among the few people that hung out with Kasee before he passed on?”
Well, this is not the first time Victor is being viewed as a harsh critic. A popular Agikuyu Musician of the song “Tuirio Twega, ”also explained her experience with Ber. After performing on Churchill show, she asked to see Victor and this is what she said after meeting him.
“ He told me ‘get out of here you can’t sing!” I went home and asked myself, dear God, did I come to this earth to be told like that [sic]?
“So I went and practiced and practiced and I came and performed for him and he was like Oh my God,” she recalled.
Victor acknowledged she was okay but back then she couldn’t sing and that is why he sent her away. His bluntness is speaking his truth (or correcting to make them better) seems to hurt some comedians.
Jalang’o shares his experience with Victor Ber
Kiss FM morning show co-host Jalang’o shared his experience on his YouTube channel on what transpired when he made his debut on a TV program Papa Shirandula. He recounted meeting Ber on set and he did not have very kind works for him and fellow actor Captain Otoyo. According to Jalang’o, that’s how Ber brings out the best in an actor and it’s not malicious in anyway.
