In 2019, Zimbabwean comedy made international news when comedian Samantha Kureya, known on stage as Gonyeti, was abducted and tortured by masked gunmen.
She is one of many comedians in Zimbabwe who have faced violent repercussions for their comedy. Interviewing 23 stand-up comedians in Zimbabwe in 2018 and 2019, I was made aware of how several comedians had been intimidated, harassed, or arrested because they joked about the “wrong” political party, policy, or decision.
Samm Farai Monro, aka Comrade Fatso, points out how artists in the nation joke:
You have freedom of expression but not freedom after expression.
This highlights the potency of Zimbabwean comedy. After all, as I argued recently, stand-up comedy has become one of the few spaces in the repressive Zimbabwean environment where people speak out in front of a crowd. The possibilities that emerge from this are evident when female comedians resist patriarchal power relations through stand-up.
Women stand-up comedians in Zimbabwe talk about sex – and patriarchy mg.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mg.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Amanda Kallstig – The Conversation
IN 2019, Zimbabwean comedy made international news when comedian Samantha Kureya, known on stage as Gonyeti, was abducted and tortured by masked gunmen.
She is one of many comedians in Zimbabwe who have faced violent repercussions for their comedy. Interviewing 23 stand-up comedians in Zimbabwe in 2018 and 2019, I was made aware of how several comedians had been intimidated, harassed, or arrested because they joked about the “wrong” political party, policy, or decision.
Samm Farai Monro, aka Comrade Fatso, points out how artists in the nation joke: “You have freedom of expression but not freedom after expression”.
This highlights the potency of Zimbabwean comedy. After all, as I argued recently, stand-up comedy has become one of the few spaces in the repressive Zimbabwean environment where people speak out in front of a crowd. The possibilities that emerge from this are evident when female comedians resist patriarchal power relation
How Trailblazing Women Comedians Are Disrupting the Patriarchy in Zimbabwe We don t get afforded the same grace to just be viewed as humans as the men are.
By Amanda Källstig, Doctoral researcher at University of Manchester
In 2019, Zimbabwean comedy made international news when comedian Samantha Kureya, known on stage as Gonyeti, was abducted and tortured by masked gunmen.
She is one of many comedians in Zimbabwe who have faced violent repercussions for their comedy. Interviewing 23 stand-up comedians in Zimbabwe in 2018 and 2019, I was made aware of how several comedians had been intimidated, harassed, or arrested because they joked about the “wrong” political party, policy, or decision.