Stand-Up Comedy: Nigerian performers deserve much more credit than we give them

Comedians like Akproro are berated for lacking imagination but like many of his peers, he also delivers scathing commentary on social issues without fear.

Today, stand-up comedy in Nigeria is a multi-million naira industry. The most famous of the bunch, individuals like Ayo Makun, I Go Dye and Seyi Law headline packed shows where the best of their peers, as well as notable entertainers, grace the same stage.

Nights like these show that the extent of the influence that these comedians enjoy.

Their success is built on the work done by fore-bearers like Ali Baba and a generation of comedians who found an audience on the small screen before stand-up became a thing.

However, one of the biggest criticisms that this generation faces regards the tone and subject of their comedy.

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Comedians like Akpororo have made a living off playing to popular stereotypes about various tribes or in cases, the Nigerian people as a whole.

We've heard it all before, or have we?

In other cases, the subject is usually a facet of Nigerian society, such as the desire to seek greener pastures in a foreign country. Either that or another commonly explored topic; religion.

 

One of Seyi Law’s most memorable routines features a bit about a Yoruba Muslim who sells bread and other edibles.

While he says his daily prayers, he struggles to attend to customers. But, according to the joke, like the Yoruba man that he is, he ends up insulting the customer loudly while asking God to punish his detractors.

Such jokes are perceived as the fulcrum of Nigerian stand-up comedy.

Which is why most critics of the art form berate it for the lack of range.

In some way, this perspective is valid.

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For the most part, however, it fails to consider the context in which the jokes are delivered and the vital role that Nigerian comedians play in wielding their influence and using the ability to bring humour to the most gloomy situations.

When Laughter is more than just medicine

Nigerians love to laugh, for the most part, we do so with an unreserved passion as we do everything else. In daily life, however, this passion and the energy directed towards making things happen does not always bear fruit.

 

Which is why the extent of our appreciation of local comedy and its performers can seem like a desperate shot at escapism.

When Nigerians want to forget their worries, they laugh,

This puts the comedians in a precarious position. How do you keep things original yet amuse an audience that is in constant proximity to their biggest woes?

Nigerian comedians do this, not by avoiding the problem, but by referencing the issues and drawing more attention to them.

Obviously, it helps when the audience sees the humour.

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Most of their jokes may come off as lazy and stereotypical. However, by making light of these situations, Nigerian comedians call attention to social issues and deliver scathing social commentary in a tone that says don’t worry, we’ll figure this out.

A good, if not so recent example was Ali Baba’s comedy skits broadcast on radio in the run-up to his headline show.

 

In one of these skits, Baba draws attention to the forced market re-capitalisation order by the Nigerian Central Bank.

In the skit, the father of a bride-to-be orders her spouse to acknowledge her worth by recapitalising and increasing the value of his interest in her.

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One stand-up comedian who has acquired a mastery of this is the well-loved Bovi.

Fiercely confident and not afraid to touch on the most sensitive issues, Bovi’s seminal Man On Fire show has witnessed jokes on matters of genuine national interest.

Talking truth to power

In a particularly amusing incident, he told a pungent joke about Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, while the gentleman was seated directly in front of him.

This ability is important because it uses a medium that the people love to address issues that they would rather ignore.

As such, it makes sense that a few of the more versatile of these performers have made the jump to late night television.

An important case in point is Okey Bakassi and his show, "The Other News" produced in tandem, with Channels Television, widely seen as the most authoritative news channel in the country.

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On the show, written with help from famed comedy television writer, Ned Rice, Okey delivers a no-holds-barred version of the news that addresses trending issues and lampoons the insolent behaviour that we have come to expect from Nigerian politicians and public personalities.

Already, Okey’s show enjoys a massive audience, both on terrestrial television and on Youtube where episodes can also be streamed.

 

It has also attracted the attention of foreign news media, who attribute his work with “using comedy to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy”.

It would only be fair that a lot of peers enjoy that same praise, only in the sense that they have strengthened a people’s resolve, steadfastness, alertness and resilience in the face of worsening circumstances.

Nigerian comedians deserve a lot of credit. There’s much in those tummy-tossing jokes beyond the laughter.