It all started when he fell into depression. For a couple of months now, Elliot Berry, who goes by several sobriquets—Reverend Dad, Swahili Teacher, Mzungu Mwitu, Mzae or Ding’oing’o—has been captivating Kenyans with his witty videos he shares online.
For instance, in the last two weeks, he attracted over one million views on his Instagram and Tiktok, despite having a relatively small following, with both accounts having a combined 30,000 followers.
Surprisingly, most of his videos aren’t anything out of the ordinary, but most of his Kenyan followers have found amusement in his mastery of Kiswahili, Sheng and the Luhya accent, whenever the Brit speaks.
“I have always known myself to be funny, people around me tell me that all the time. However, because of the nature of the job that I do, most of the time I am required to have this kind of a serious persona. But, when I fell into depression a few years ago, one of my close friends suggested that to unwind, I should share to the world this other side of me,” Berry, 31, told Saturday Nation.
A certified sociologist from London, Berry, who lives in Eldoret, welcomed the idea. “I made the first video ‘Umeunderstandanga’ and it just went viral. The reactions were quite fulfilling, seeing people happy and finding fun really lifted my spirits and, to be honest with you, that helped me a great deal to recover. Ever since, I have never stopped posting,”
Acquiring the Luhya accent, he says, came naturally, displacing his British one. “Nafikiri Uluhya ilikuja tu automatically. Unajua, growing up back home in London, we were three boys, but there was also a Nigerian brother who became part of us and we spent most of the time watching Afro-Cinema. Their accent was quite delightful and we started imitating how they speak, so switching to the Luhya one did just come automatically,” he says.
He first came to Kenya in January 2009 during his gap year and as part of the culture and education system in the United Kingdom, students are allowed to use the time to travel the world. His visit to Kenya was meant to be a short one, just like the many he had had before, but that suddenly changed. “Initially, my stay in Kenya was supposed to be three months, but I ended up falling in love with this place. I mean, I have been to several African countries, but there was some sort of bond I felt with Kenya, so I vowed to return.”
Berry, who insisted on using Kiswahili throughout the interview, flew back to London and was there for two years, although he returned to Kenya a couple of times during that period. Back home, he was already nurturing his career as a model and opportunities were streaming in thick and fast, but he quit in readiness for his adventures in Africa.
Around the same time, he got a well-paying job as a sociologist at the institution where he was studying, having emerged the top student, but turned down the offer. “I told my family that I really wanted to come back to Kenya. I remember my mother saying to me ‘I would have loved if you had found your calling back home but what I would love more is for you to follow your calling.’”
Back in Kenya, Berry launched his organisation, Noah Initiative, which currently supports 80 boys from needy families in Uasin Gishu.
“We take care of boys who don’t have fathers in their homes. Basically, we are helping single mothers raise their young boys. We have partnered with about 10 schools in Uasin Gishu where we pay for their tuition fees. We also offer mentorship to them and meet their daily basic needs. That way we reduce the burden on their families,” he says.
But why boys? “I think it’s for the obvious reason. We felt this lot has been neglected as there are so many organisations taking care of the girl child. It was necessary that we step in and try to create a balance with the much we can do,” he explains.
The organisation has existed for eight years and Berry says his ‘firstborn’ son is already a father.
“I mean the eldest boy child when we started this initiative is already 28 years old and has a beautiful family. So, literally, I am a grandfather; that’s why they call me mzae (old man),” Berry, who is also a preacher, adds.
Noah also nurtures talents and provides relevant training and life skills to the boys. They partner with gospel artistes, notably Eko Dyadda, through his foundation Made in Kenya. They organise a gospel concert annually in Eldoret that brings together a number of top gospel musicians, to present a mentorship opportunity.
Currently, Berry manages up-and-coming gospel group Sovereign Band, the most successful talent project from the organisation. The three-boy band has so far released a number of collaborations featuring notable gospel artistes David Wonder and Moji ShortiBaba. He also manages another rising artiste, Lenny Lion.
Berry says he comes from a well-known family back in London but finds his newfound fame in Kenya a little odd. “I find the attention I receive, especially when not in Eldoret, a little bit weird. Here I can easily take rounds without being bothered. But in Nairobi or any other place, I will need to be in a company because people are always asking to take photos with me, others staring. And you have to be nice to them even if you are in a hurry or you just want your peace of mind,” he remarks.
“Part of my early training was to learn how to stay away from scandals, that's why I don’t give out hugs. If you check most of my pictures both of my hands are always somewhere hanging in the air,” Berry chuckles.
But even though fame comes with responsibilities to some it comes with opportunities. So far Berry has been approached by a number of brands to endorse their products or collaborate but has had to turn down a number of them.
“It happened really quickly I guess immediately my initial videos went viral I started receiving offers. But for me it’s not why I post those videos. I understand there are those who make a living out of endorsement gigs but for me I just want to make people happy and express myself. I am not saying these deals shouldn’t come, but they should be right. They should have an attachment to what I do and subscribe to,”
For now, the father of two biological sons who describes his love relations at the moment as complicated, will keep up with his initiatives as he works on getting his Kenyan citizenship approved.
