Zimbabwean Was 92 lbs Before Moving To America | One54 Africa Podcast

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]You know, back home in in Zimbabwe, right? We got this We got this thing where we, you know, you see somebody who who's kind of chunky.

[00:00:06]>> Uh-huh.

[00:00:06]>> Like, yeah, he a baller.

[00:00:08]>> Yeah.

[00:00:08]>> He got money. Oh, he's doing well.

[00:00:10]>> Mhm.

[00:00:10]>> Cuz he's eating good.

[00:00:11]>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:00:12]>> [laughter] >> He's eating good, you know what I mean?

[00:00:14]But over here, you you get chunk like this, you eating junk food.

[00:00:18]>> Yeah, right, right.

[00:00:19]>> Getting sh- >> Yeah, it's show time.

[00:00:21]>> You know what I'm saying? So, my mom come I go pick her up at the airport.

[00:00:24]Oh, my son, LOOK AT YOU. WE ARE RICH.

[00:00:28]YOU LIKE YOU'RE LIKE THIS, MAMA, TRANS fatty acid.

[00:00:31]>> [laughter] >> I said, this ain't nothing but This ain't nothing but Burger King.

[00:00:35]Yeah, we ain't rich. I need I need rent money from you if you can help [laughter] me out.

[00:00:39]>> Your mom come and you're like, "Mom, I need some rent money."

[00:00:41]>> so bad I called Africa for donations.

[00:00:44]>> [laughter] >> Take another sip.

[00:00:46]>> I said, I'm over here now. I I see the commercials. You've been getting 50 cents a day >> [laughter] >> per child? I DIDN'T KNOW THAT UNTIL I GOT HERE. I HUNG UP ON ME. HE KNOW TOO MUCH.

[00:00:56]>> It's all It's all coming Burger King.

[00:00:59]>> How much did you weigh then, and how much do you Oh, wait, you said how much you weigh now. Were you bigger then?

[00:01:03]>> I was 92 lb when I first came.

[00:01:06]>> [laughter] >> Man, listen.

[00:01:08]>> Come on, man.

[00:01:09]>> you're skinny when you go in to the get some x-rays and they just pick you up and put you in the back.

[00:01:15]>> [laughter] >> Jose.

[00:01:17]>> Yeah, yeah, I said tumor right here.

[00:01:19]>> [laughter] >> Yeah, he going to be all right.

[00:01:23]What?

[00:01:24]>> So, you put on 160 lb, your mom was like, "Oh, yeah, you living large."

[00:01:27]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:01:28]>> So, you you were >> way leaner, huh? I was super lean. I was I was a soccer player, for real, for real.

[00:01:33]>> were like, "Okay."

[00:01:35]>> Yeah.

[00:01:36]Maybe 110, 118.

[00:01:38]>> No, are you serious?

[00:01:40]>> I was skinny, bro.

[00:01:40]>> 110?

[00:01:41]>> I was skinny. I tell you I was skinny.

[00:01:44]>> You went from a marathon runner TO A >> WHAT?

[00:01:48]>> [laughter] >> A SPOKESPERSON FOR WENDY'S.

[00:01:54]>> [laughter] >> YOU WENT FROM PALEY TO EDI TO ME.

[00:01:58]HAVE YOU TRIED OUR DOUBLE PATTY?

[00:02:00]>> [laughter] >> OH MY GOODNESS. French fries with ranch and cheese.

[00:02:08]>> Oh, he knows all his meals.

[00:02:11]HE'S NAMING ALL HIS FAVORITE MEALS. I LOVE THIS GUY.

[00:02:14]>> [laughter] >> OH MY GOD. DID you have a favorite when you first came?

[00:02:18]>> Well, my first job I was working at Jack in the Box. Yeah.

[00:02:22]>> That's so great.

[00:02:23]>> Yeah, and then I went and and I moved from Jack in the Box to Whataburger.

[00:02:27]Yeah, so they let you eat whatever you want.

[00:02:29]>> That's why it's whatever.

[00:02:31]>> Yeah, I'm making you one Whataburger for you and one Whataburger for me. I was making all kinds of burgers, man.

[00:02:37]>> You ever have Whataburger? Whataburger?

[00:02:38]>> Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah. Yeah, when I first got there I was like being from California, like I'm so literal.

[00:02:43]>> Yeah.

[00:02:44]>> Oh man, what's this? What a burger?

[00:02:49]Hi. I heard you're What a burger. What a burger? Like, oh man, this is good.

[00:02:55]Like, What a burger this is. You know, it's like I remember What >> [laughter] >> This is Whataburger.

[00:03:02]>> Yeah, you know what it is? You got out here, you got real American, man. You can start going to brunches, >> Keisha.

[00:03:09]>> Huh?

[00:03:09]>> Keisha, my homegirl Keisha.

[00:03:11]>> Keisha, tell me about Keisha.

[00:03:12]>> She took me to brunch, bro. Keisha said, "After you and I eat this brunch, I said, now what the hell is brunch, Keisha?" She said, "That's where we have breakfast and lunch at the same time, boo boo."

[00:03:24]>> [laughter] >> And you going to love it, boo boo. I said, "At the same time?"

[00:03:27]>> Hurry up.

[00:03:28]>> [laughter] >> What are we STILL WAITING FOR?

[00:03:32]>> WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST brunch experience like?

[00:03:34]>> Oh, it was dope.

[00:03:35]>> Black people?

[00:03:35]>> Oh my gosh.

[00:03:36]>> Yeah, brunch days, Sunday fun days.

[00:03:39]>> Yeah, bottomless mimosas, you know, and and you know, I don't know what it is with our black people. When we start eating and drinking, all the ass start shaking.

[00:03:48]Booty, booty, booty, booty rocking everywhere.

[00:03:50]Yo, on the tables, on the chicken and waffles.

[00:03:53]>> When you start your shows like that, don't come to America go booty booty booty hip hop.

[00:03:57]>> [laughter] >> You didn't LEARN FROM JAMAICAN KIDS.

[00:04:00]NO, I WAS STAYING IN JAMAICA AND I CALLED YOU MAN, STOP DOING THAT MOVE.

[00:04:04]BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY, I'M ROCKING EVERYWHERE.

[00:04:06]>> Oh my goodness.

[00:04:07]>> You could be like a full back.

[00:04:09]>> NO.

[00:04:10]>> NO.

[00:04:11]>> DAMN.

[00:04:11]>> A WATER BOY.

[00:04:13]>> NO, NO, YOU COULD like how tall are you?

[00:04:15]>> 5'10.

[00:04:16]>> What would you be? A coach?

[00:04:18]>> No, you could yeah, you yeah, you >> could only probably >> COME ON LINE BACKERS, GET ON THE LINE.

[00:04:22]>> FIELD GOAL.

[00:04:23]>> YEAH, YOU COULD BE A NOSE GUARD. You could be a nose guard.

[00:04:25]>> I was going to say nose guard.

[00:04:26]>> Nose guard, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:04:27]>> Okay.

[00:04:27]>> Yeah, you could be right there. Right there. No, no, no, no, no, no, you're right on top of the you're right right on top of you, but you got to be real quick. You quick with it?

[00:04:34]>> Got you. I got you. I used to be a soccer player. That was my >> Oh, you have four >> Okay, okay.

[00:04:38]>> That means the quarterback is nasty.

[00:04:39]>> Okay, yeah.

[00:04:40]>> I mean, you can't tell now.

[00:04:42]You know. But [laughter] it it it was the king of Waterburger.

[00:04:46]>> This is not Africa.

[00:04:47]>> Waterburger, ah.

[00:04:48]>> Listen, let me tell you something, I came out of Africa looking just like you, bro.

[00:04:50]>> Oh, you did?

[00:04:51]>> Oh, yeah, a little slimmer.

[00:04:52]>> He was 6'6.

[00:04:53]>> You know what I'm saying? Chiseled, you know, then they took me to a buffet.

[00:04:58]I'd never been to a buffet in my life.

[00:05:00]>> Like like a buffet buffet?

[00:05:02]>> In Texas.

[00:05:03]>> What did you think about buffets?

[00:05:04]>> What did I think about buffets, man? The white lady had to tell me say you can't do that. I was at the ice cream machine JUST LIKE THIS.

[00:05:11]>> [laughter] >> WHAT?

[00:05:14]>> THEY DON'T HAVE ALL you can eat in Africa?

[00:05:16]>> No, I said you mean to tell me I'm going to give you $10 and I can eat all this?

[00:05:22]I had tears running down my >> What buffet were you going to?

[00:05:24]>> The Golden Corral.

[00:05:26]>> OH, NO.

[00:05:27]>> THE GOLDEN CORRAL.

[00:05:29]>> THE GOLDEN >> THAT'S WHERE ALL THE FIGHTS HAPPEN.

[00:05:31]>> WHAT? I WAS THERE EVERY TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, and Thursday.

[00:05:34]>> That was your golden ticket.

[00:05:35]>> My goodness, I said this is America.

[00:05:38]>> So, what is this is America?

[00:05:39]>> I was new then, right?

[00:05:40]>> Did you ever waste food like you know how some people will get there and say I'm full, I'm I'm just not going to like Like did you eat everything?

[00:05:46]>> I mean, that's what the problem was.

[00:05:48]That's how I got here. 265 lbs, you don't throw food away.

[00:05:53]>> 265?

[00:05:54]>> I'm 265 now.

[00:05:55]>> about as much as me.

[00:05:56]>> That Damn, that ain't >> That that is not as huge >> Yeah.

[00:05:59]>> Like a rock.

[00:06:00]>> Two Wow, you guys could battle.

[00:06:02]>> I'm a bottom boy.

[00:06:03]>> guys were boxers, you'd be in the same weight class. It's like Ali-Frazier.

[00:06:08]It's Ali-Frazier, [laughter] but you'd be in the inside bomb.

[00:06:11]>> I I I'll just keep that I can just keep that weight, man.

[00:06:14]>> I could just >> lose some weight. I was getting up there. I got up to 280 not too long ago and I was like >> And and how tall are you?

[00:06:19]>> 6'6".

[00:06:20]>> 6'6".

[00:06:21]>> Yeah, yeah.

[00:06:22]>> That's a gigantor.

[00:06:23]>> Yeah, yeah.

[00:06:23]>> And there's dudes bigger than that than him.

[00:06:26]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:06:27]Oh, yeah. There's this new guy going I mean that just came from from Nigeria.

[00:06:31]>> Yeah, who are you?

[00:06:32]>> He never played >> Bernard. Bernard.

[00:06:34]>> 6'5", 6'6".

[00:06:36]>> 315?

[00:06:36]>> 306 lbs. 6% body fat. Runs a 4.6. I I I just I mean >> That's a locomotive, man.

[00:06:46]>> I'm telling you, when he hits somebody, it's over. You remember that scene in Rocky when Ivan Drago, Rocky IV, and he hits and boom and he hits like 2,200 lbs per square >> He destroys.

[00:06:58]>> Yes, he he Yeah, he's a truck.

[00:07:00]>> That is what it's going to be like. I've never seen anything like that.

[00:07:02]>> I don't know why it is people love for you to talk about them. Yeah, because you said you you you studied us. You didn't just come in, you learned cuz you you you you took time out to appreciate us. That's every any country you go to.

[00:07:15]>> You got to have something little.

[00:07:16]>> What's that street you call Pzazabazaza?

[00:07:18]Oh, how do you know that?

[00:07:19]>> Yeah, and you're in.

[00:07:20]>> Yeah.

[00:07:21]>> Yeah, yeah.

[00:07:21]>> Yeah, so you you you come to the States, uh you get all settled, your mom's come to to the States and she and she thought you were like, "Man, my man my my my son is in in America." She comes here and she's like, "You are rich."

[00:07:33]>> [laughter] >> She was like, "What Why'd your mom think you were balling like that, man? She said you rich rich, huh?"

[00:07:38]>> Cuz you know, you know, back home in in Zimbabwe, right? We got this We got this thing where we, you know, you see somebody who who's kind of chunky.

[00:07:45]>> Uh-huh.

[00:07:45]>> Like, yeah, he a baller.

[00:07:47]>> Yeah.

[00:07:47]>> He got money. Oh, he's doing well.

[00:07:49]>> Mhm.

[00:07:49]>> Cuz he's eating good.

[00:07:50]>> Yeah.

[00:07:50]>> 154, we all connected, [music and singing] baby. You already know.

[00:07:55]I'm talking 154. We bringing that for good around the whole globe.

[00:08:00]>> [music] >> Ain't no place [singing] like Ain't no place like Ain't no place like home.