Tumi Morake modelled her public persona on her mother, a charming and contentious woman who used her big, bold voice to say what others were afraid to mention. It’s the personality that Tumi takes on stage in the mostly male space of stand-up comedy, and the one that gave her the courage to join a white, Afrikaans radio station and comment about apartheid on air. But there’s only so much you can find out about Tumi from the stage, the screen and the internet. And Then Mama Said … is the voice of Tumi in private, as well as a behind-the-scenes perspective of a pioneering South African star who has been both deeply loved and viciously hated by her audiences. In her memoir, Tumi gets frank about the race row at Jacaranda FM; the Jaguar car accident that cyber bullies said she deserved; the body-shaming she endured on the set of Our Perfect Wedding; her tumultuous relationship with her beloved husband; and affords us a rare glimpse into South Africa’s glitzy but often ruthless entertainment industry. Throughout her story, she carries the voice of her mother, and with it the indispensable life lessons that made her who she is today.