You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. The Global Profile ‘I Would Rather Be a Dwarf’: A Comic in Botswana Prizes His Difference Johnson Masase has found local fame, and self acceptance, through performances that play on people’s ignorance about his genetic condition and his 3-foot-4 inch frame. Skip to content Skip to site index The Global Profile ‘I Would Rather Be a Dwarf’: A Comic in Botswana Prizes His Difference Johnson Masase has found local fame, and self acceptance, through performances that play on people’s ignorance about his genetic condition and his 3-foot-4 inch frame. Credit… Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Listen · 5:57 min Share full article 4 By John Eligon and Yvonne Mooka Visuals by Joao Silva Reporting from Serowe and Mahalapye in Botswana April 17, 2026 Johnson Masase discovered long ago that when you’re a dwarf, people tend to laugh at just about anything you do: when you run, when you jump, when you dance. And, certainly, when you emerge — as he did in January — from a black hatchback sporting a schoolgirl’s dress, a loose tie and thick-framed glasses. It was a back-to-school themed party for adults in a village about two hours north of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, and Mr. Masase was there with his three-man dance crew as the hired entertainment. He ambled across a dirt lot outside a bar where a few dozen revelers — already several drinks in — greeted him with glee. They pulled him in close for pictures and squealed like schoolchildren when he wiggled his hips and dipped to the ground to a soundtrack of local music known as house kwasa. There’s a fine line between making people laugh and allowing them to mock your genetic condition that causes a short stature and, in some cases, body parts to grow disproportionately. Mr. Masase, 38, has made a name for himself by pushing that boundary. He has evolved into a social media star in recent years with comedy that is crude, self-deprecating and, to him, liberating. Image Mr. Masase, center, has become a social media star, with comic videos that are crude, self-deprecating and, to him, liberating. “For me, it’s always an opportunity to teach people about dwarfism,” he said. “I make comedy from their ignorance, and they love it in the end.” We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe . Related Content Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT