Politics, Jokes and Power in Africa
The View From Stand-Up Comedy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2137994 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Izuu Nwankwọ (0000-0003-3312-8636, University of Toronto, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 82 |
| Issue | 3-4 |
| Pages | 264-280 |
| Publication date | 2023-10-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-0184 • E-ISSN: 1469-2872 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00020184.2023.2299222 |
| OpenAlex | W4390886211 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 41 |
The history of stand-up comedy in Africa has often been tied to developments in popular culture, language, and performance. In this article, I take a different perspective by identifying the interactivities of politics and comedy, and how the actions, endorsements, and even censure of national leaders across different nations buoyed up stand-up performances on the continent. With specific examples from different countries, the explications in this paper show how the (in)actions of political leadership in Africa served as fodder for laughter elicitation – in Kenya, with Daniel arap Moi's capitulation and Mwai Kibaki's lethargy; in Nigeria, with Olusegun Obasanjo's comedian-president posture as well as the gaffes of Patience Jonathan; and in South Africa, with Jacob Zuma's unending drama until his resignation. These situations are equally contrasted with the experiences in Uganda, Egypt and Rwanda, where political censure is variously rife
Art · Comedy · Drama · Impeachment · Laughter · Literature · Media studies · Patience · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · Gender Studies · History · Humor Studies and Applications · Law · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies · Psychology · Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary Criticism · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |