A history of humour in Africa

In the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in published works exploring the multiple and shifting roles of humour in various African contexts. Gathara (2004) and Mason (2010a), for instance, provide book-length sociological and historical overviews of cartoons in South African and Kenya, respectively, while Donian (2019) and Nwankwọ (2021) study the different periods of stand-up comedy development in Nigeria and South Africa, respectively. Alongside these nationally focused works, key collections by Lent (2009) and Limb and Olaniyan (2018) offer continental-level reviews of the evolution and political power of cartooning across Africa. Nwankwọ’s edited volume (2022a) also contains chapters on various stand-up comedy practices in different parts of the continent. There are also more specialized works that have engaged with specific examples of cartoons and comic strips across the continent (Mbembe, 2001; Eko, 2007, 2010; Hammett, 2010a; Mason, 2010a; Willems, 2011); live performances such as everyday jokes and joking patterns/relationships (Obadare, 2010; Hernann, 2016; Chukwumah, 2018); storytelling and stand-up comedy (Seirlis, 2011; Musila, 2014; Källstig & Death, 2021; Nwankwọ, 2022c), comedic theatre (Povey, 1969; Haynes, 1994; Michieka & Muaka, 2016), oral performances (Scheub, 1985; Dowling, 1996; Johns, 2009); comedy films (Crigler, 2018; Ebrahim, 2018); and funny music/song renditions (Olaniyan, 2004). Additionally, there is an immense amount of literature that explores humour within traditional print media under which we also find cartoons, as well as billboards, drama, sitcoms, and jocular magazine/newspaper publications and talk shows (Limb & Olaniyan, 2018; Rabe, 2018). Further, with the ever-growing expansion of digital technology and, in some areas, satellite television, African humour now circulates via electronic and social media formats, as well as in the form of reality television and game shows (Neuendorf et al, 2014; Ngwira & Lipenga, 2018; Zirugo, 2021). Online presence, virtual self-performance, and the creation of social media content and participation have also proliferated across the continent in the past decade (Cheruiyot & Uppal, 2019; Vanyoro & Vanyoro, 2019; Lomotey, 2020; Mukhongo, 2020; Matsilele & Mututwa, 2021).