Rapha Manajem is a comedian and writer from Melbourne.

Rapha studied International Relations at the University of Queensland where his professors described him as “informed” and “possibly Sri Lankan”. Rapha graduated with a minor in Peace Studies and a major in Global Conflict.

In 2023, Rapha received a runner up title from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s national Raw Comedy competition, which aired on SBS. But there were two others awarded the same title, so while he might tell people he came second, he also came fourth. In any case, he lost.

In 2024, he was selected for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s prestigious Comedy Zone, as well as the Comedy Festival Roadshow in the Northern Territory.

This year, Rapha debuted his first hour long show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, which was widely anticipated to be longer than his half-hour show. His debut received a nomination for Best Newcomer at the festival, and he smiled and clapped very professionally when he lost to a much better act at the award ceremony.

Rapha drives to the Dandenong Ranges to write each morning at 4am. At some point he realised he did his best writing amongst nature. It’s not so much the rustle of the trees, or the flow of the stream, it’s more that it’s an excellent place to find leeches and if he loses enough blood he gets light-headed and it’s only in that anaemic state of consciousness that his spiritual guide, Tom Gleeson, reveals himself, often in a straight-jacket, but never in shoes. Most of his work comes directly from these visions.

In 2016, Rapha famously led the corporate campaign for the right to wear sandals in office environments, accusing human resources of being “anti-toe” and “eurocentric”. Rapha left the corporate world following a lucrative Worksafe settlement. His office claimed they were not liable for the injury, but the tribunal ultimately found that their OHS standards were not appropriate for a scissors factory.

Rapha is a very funny human. Nominated for Best Newcomer at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Rapha announced himself as a comedian to watch. A storyteller, in the purest sense, his humour is delivered with both charm and wit that captures the subtleties of human interaction.