Humour is a primary means through which members of civil society, regardless of social or economic status, education or networks, can actively participate – both critically and uncritically – in political discourse. Hence, humour is frequently analysed in the context of resistance, particularly in Africa. This predilection is driven, in part at least, by widespread interest in the everyday-ness of politics and the ways in which populations experience and encounter political power. For their ubiquity in society, humour and laughter become obvious locations for those seeking to understand how resistance manifests in everyday life, whether this is linked to jokes as a ‘weapon of the weak’ (Scott, 1985) or in thinking through the unintended consequences of laughter and its potential to re-inscribe the very power it is aimed at (Mbembe, 2001). Consequently, in many ways, humour is important for politics: on an everyday level, it is an accessible arena for social and political participation, one that does not necessarily require high levels of literacy or social or economic capital to access. Thus, in societies with significant wealth disparities and limited ability to access central power (and the powerful), joking is one way in which many people are feasibly able to speak truth to power and stake a claim to civic participation. Such participation may occur on a whole range of levels, from the private to the public, from the shared, whispered joke with a close friend to performing a full stand-up routine to a public audience to the production and dissemination of skits, memes or cartoons to (potentially) millions via online platforms. While there are certainly limits to the impacts humour by itself can effect change, its engagement can be a critical tool to starting bigger conversations that can act as a bridge and lead to prominent political work.

These differing forms and forums are, therefore, part of the ecosystem that inherently links politics and humour. The pervasiveness of each aspect of this ecosystem reflects the elites’ tolerance or suppression of dissent and laughter towards them.