Ambivalence in the stand-up acts of Nigeria's Klint da Drunk and Mr Paul. Issue 2 (11th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nwankwọ, Izuu
• Is Part Of: Journal of the African Literature Association. Volume 16:Issue 2(2022)
• Page Start: 332
• Page End: 347
• Publication Date: 2022-08-11
• Subjects: Stand-up comedy -- ambivalence -- ridicule -- Nigeria -- humor; African literature -- History and criticism -- Periodicals; African literature; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 809.896
• DOI: 10.1080/21674736.2022.2067735
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2167-4736

Abstract

Abstract: In a progressively permissive world, stand-up art is experiencing repressions and censure for its dependence on potentially politically incorrect jokes. Stand-up's primary purpose is to instigate laughter, but its greatest ambivalence is that its mirth comes primarily from abuse/insult. Through performance analyses of the humor acts of Mr Paul and Klint da Drunk, this paper discusses their use of non-traditional stand-up forms, underscoring how these jokesters balance offence and abuse, and the complexities of being different. Specifically, Mr Paul builds his jokes around non-sequitur meandering narratives riddled with implausible claims, while Klint enacts the stock character of a drunk who depends heavily on heckling, direct insults, and disparaging jokes for the evocation of mirth. Though not using the more established joke-telling patterns, these two still elicit laughter, entertain audiences, and provide politically charged critiques of the harsh and unsavory socio-political conditions in Nigeria, albeit conveyed through the agency of humor.