Tradition and subjectivities
Warri-related comedians and their art
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10836747 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tanure Ojaide (0000-0001-6918-2971, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, corresponding author), Enajite Ojaruega (0000-0003-0887-4899, Delta State University) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 81-91 |
| Publication date | 2020-10-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Tydskrif vir letterkunde (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0041-476X • E-ISSN: 2309-9070 |
| Publisher | Academy of Science of South Africa (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.17159/tl.v57i2.8321 |
| OpenAlex | W3093757133 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 4 |
By some coincidence, many Nigerian stand-up comedians were born, raised, live in, or are associated with Warri and its environs. By Warri, as understood in the area, we mean Warri and its surroundings and, to a large extent, what is called the ‘core Delta’ of Nigeria’s Delta State. The comedians include Gordons, I Go Dye, AY and Real Warri Pikin. We investigate what is possibly responsible for the natural talent of these comedians. We relate the success of these comedians to the notion of Warri as ‘not coming last’, the history of the city of many ethnicities, boma boys, the blues nature of suffering pain and deprivations but laughing them off, and some indigenous traditions such as the Urhobo udje oral poetic performance which aims to elicit laughter as a means of maintaining normalcy and preventing anybody from deviating from the communally-established norms. We use multiple concepts such as laughter as a means of regulating people’s lives, satire, historicism, culture, and aesthetic considerations to study these Warri-related comedians and their art. We investigate the commonalities, subjectivities, traditions, and individual talents that have made Warri-born, raised, resident, and related comedians so successful—not only in Nigeria, but also in Africa and the world
Aesthetics · Art · Indigenous · Laughter · Literature · Poetry · Sociology · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · Gender Studies · History · Humor Studies and Applications
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2026 (7) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |