Marcel Oudejans is a South African magician, entertainer and producer. He works as a corporate events host where he performs tricks to keep people engaged. He is part of Cape Town-based Magic Africa which scouts for and nurtures talented individuals who are magic enthusiasts.Magic Africa recently opened an office in Nairobi. Through this, they'll produce shows for corporate events throughout Africa. The company has recently partnered with Phat Entertainment to easily access clients as well as talent.Marcel is leading the way in transforming the creative space in Africa by providing business models for the magicians which helps them earn from their talent. He was recently in Kenya for the exclusive advance premiere of Avengers: Infinity War at Prestige Cinema. We had a chat with him about magic and his vision for the future.KENYABUZZ: When did you fall in love with magic?MARCEL: I was 9 years old which is about 25 years ago. Magic is partly a bit of a puzzle; you have to learn to do all things correctly and in a way that audiences can't see which leaves them laughing. It's also a fun thing to do.  I get to play with rubber bands, cutlery and all the toys I can get to create an experience with people.KENYABUZZ: Where did you learn your skills?MARCEL: I started learning from magic books in the library. The irony being I lived 25 minutes away from the only magic school in Africa called The College of Magic (not Hogwarts). I had known them for years but I wasn't a student there and they had this shop where I'd go and choose a new toy for a trick. As the Internet and YouTube came around, it became easier and easier to learn techniques from there. It started more as a self-study but the biggest shift came when I started performing as an adult when I was 18 or 19 years. It was a great way to earn money and to see what audiences responded to. One of the most important aspects of the learning process is listening to what the audiences are saying; if they like something, they'll show you. If they don't, you'll know.KENYABUZZ: Have you ever used magic to get out of a difficult situation?MARCEL: No because it's an illusion, it's a trick and not a superpower. If you're using a trick to get out of a situation and they decide to call you out on that then you have nothing to back it up with. I actually tend to get myself into tricky situations using magic, the irony.KENYABUZZ: Do you carry your work home?MARCEL: You never really switch off being a magician. If I'm trying something new my family has to see it first and then I get honest commentary and then I can take that to the public. I also rarely tell people that I'm a magician; I don't make a big deal about it because it's more about the business side of it. If you start doing magic everywhere and for everyone, then it's not exclusive.KENYABUZZ: What's the biggest trick you have ever pulled?MARCEL: Making a career out of this! (Laughs). Well, I love magic but I'm not a celebrity performer. When people are hiring me it's for my experience and talent, and not for any celebrity status. So, in terms of biggest tricks, I'd put in other ways such as getting married and having a daughter. Opening my theatre in Cape Town which is the only magic theatre in Africa is also another trick. We've performed over a hundred tricks with 13 magicians and started the Cape Town Magic Club which grew to Magic Africa. I wouldn't rank them as magic but achievements.KENYABUZZ: If you could work alongside anyone who would it be?MARCEL: Sponsors! (Laughs)KENYABUZZ: What misconceptions do you get in your line of work?MARCEL: The majority of audiences that I work for are middle to upper class who watch TV, listen to the radio, work in offices. So when you put on a show for them there's rarely a negative reaction. It's only new to people that haven't been influenced by a lot of art that make them take it a bit real for themselves and that I see throughout Africa.KENYABUZZ: Does it take a lot to prepare for a show?MARCEL: Yes. The ability to make something appear like magic on stage is the result of intense planning and preparation. People don't see it that way. I was on NTV's The Trend and they posted the video on YouTube and there were people commenting "Oh look at his hands in minute 2…", but there's nothing really you can do without preparing.KENYABUZZ: When did you leave your day job to fully focus on magic?MARCEL: It's 2003 because I have been doing this full-time for 15 years now. I was performing in the evenings for 6 nights a week at a very popular restaurant. And during the day I was working 9 to 5 as desktop IT support. I was good at IT work, in fact, I'm glad I did that because I use a lot of IT now in my business. There was much more joy in magic and I was making roughly the same as I was in IT. I'm glad I went through the job because it made me appreciate how much it sucks having a 9 to 5.KENYABUZZ: If you could snap your finger and fix one problem what would it be?MARCEL: Overall, companies take more responsibility in supporting the arts. I don't just mean magic but all the creative arts; hire live bands instead of playing music from a sound system, sell artwork in restaurants and hotels, support comedy. It's more of a cultural responsibility for corporates.KENYABUZZ: What was the last thing you watched on TV?MARCEL: Me! (Laughs) I watched my recording from The Trend. I also love watching rugby so I caught up on a match too.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8kmUlG9et8