‘DON’T BLAME IT ON COMEDY’- LAFUP

Lafup performs comedy before a 5000 crowd in Lagos

About a week ago, in one of my Ogas’ Event Management company in Opebi, I found myself in the usual mood of arguments and talks.That type that comes up without prior planning ones there is booze and chops.  This was a bit unusual because the talks were not on government, corruption and all but on Stand-up comedy and how it has misrepresented by professional and academics alike.  Some academics feel stand-up comedy has killed or is killing the theatre culture in Nigeria. On the other hand, a few comedians attempt infusing drama to their comedies with the conceit of reviving the “dead” theatre culture in Nigeria.  In my opinion, both parties are wrong, rather, the attempt is to revive live drama as a genre of theatre not theatre as a complex whole.

Popular theatre standards in Nigeria have largely been determined by the Yoruba travelling theatre movement led by the troupe founder and leader Hubert Ogunde whose area of expertise was Yoruba tragedy; and Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala), whose forte was comedy. The emergence of the media, took a great shine away from live theatre culture in Nigeria and not comedy or stand-up comedy as the case may be.

However, the feeling of loss is completely understandable because in the heyday of the Nigerian theater institution, there was hardly a more potent form of social criticism, or a more colourful medium of cultural exhibition, or even a more subtle vehicle for satire. Today the artistic media that has undisputedly inherited these and more laudable responsibilities of the Theater is stand-up comedy. It is however to the credit of the many characteristics which both genres share that an overlap-free transition has been guaranteed. First, like the core dramatic theater, stand-up comedy is essentially a stage art. Secondly in the process of performance, both forms accommodate the aesthetics of presentation in the form of visuals and histrionics. Thirdly, both artistic media recognize to a large extent the premium on immediacy and spontaneity.

Another important feature to note is that music and dance are adjunct artistic phenomena to both arts of the theater, also, if the dramatic theater has produced world-renowned icons in the mould of the Ola Rotimis, the Femi Osofisans and even a Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, our stand up comedy has also produced performers of international significance such as Ali Baba, Gbenga Adeyinka 1st, Lafup, Julius Agwu, Basket Mouth, I Go Die, Basorge Tariah, etc. The strong general appeal of Stand-up comedy in Nigeria cannot be denied, probing it from its functional or decorative essence, stand-up comedy is no doubt a distinct “new art”. There is therefore, no doubt in concluding that stand-up comedy is indeed a succor for theatre lovers in this era where everything has become fast and more ephemeral that ever.

Finally, it will not be far-fetched to conclude that stand-up comedy in Nigeria today captures a more total essence of theatre as the popular travelling Yoruba drama of the Ogunde and Baba Sala era, although with a rather stronger nature in retaining the theatre essence in the age of technology. Despite its mass production in various new media such as  CDS, DVD, TV , I-pod, Youtube etc.,stand-up comedy is known to be better enjoyed live- “the theatre of here and now”.

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‘Segun Lafup Ogundipe is a Speaker, Comedian, Comedy writer/researcher.

@lafup, segunshow23@gmail.com