It’s Only Funny If It’s True The Role of Comedy in Society

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WORDS Uta Spinger

During the dark days of apartheid, brave men like well-known satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys used comedy to speak out against the apartheid system. Now, 21 years into a democratic society, the country still faces some challenges. Can comedy be the cure for some symptoms?

The comedy scene in South Africa is a great example of how humour played a decisive role in speaking out against the apartheid system. Satirical comedians and pioneers of the profession like author, actor and activist Pieter-Dirk Uys consistently challenged the system, and have made South Africans laugh, think, and learn for more than four decades. With his alter ego and ‘most famous white woman in South Africa,’ Evita Bezuidenhout, Uys found a way to satirise the system, and get around government censorship.

In an interview with well-known television presenter Ruda Landman in 2014, Uys explains how he avoided censorship: ‘You can find a way of dressing it up and making it look like entertainment, and get people to laugh at the thing that they don’t want to think about. I learned during the apartheid years, that the truth is funnier. Humour is a great weapon of mass distraction. People don’t expect to remember what they laughed at.’ The duo has received many awards, but most notably in 2001; Uys was awarded South Africa’s prestigious Truth and Reconciliation Award while Evita Bezuidenhout received the Living Legacy 2000 Award in San Diego, USA.

Cape Town comedian and owner of the Cape Town Comedy Club, Kurt Schoonraad explains that part of the apartheid system was to isolate the cultures, thus raising fear of each other. ‘Comedy is subliminal, you won’t say: “I feel so much less racist now,” but one feels empathy for someone else, and comedy gives you that ability. That is what Uys did for many years, pointing out that different communities, races are all the same, we all want more or less the same for our families, there is not so much difference,’ explains Kurt.

On 27 April, South Africa celebrated the 21-year anniversary of freedom and democracy. Kagiso Ladiga and Loyiso Gola, both pioneers of black comedy in South Africa, created the successful political satirical show Late Nite News which features a variety of young black South African stand-up comedians who poke fun at politicians and comment on the lack of progress in the country. Especially popular is the puppet Chester Missing, a political analyst commenting on the political scene. Chester was created and is puppeteered by comedy ventriloquist Conrad Koch, winner of the 2010 Entertainer of the Year award.

A unique sense of humour

Comedy in South Africa draws its material from the different cultural communities who all have their own identity and language. Kurt, who grew up in Mitchells Plain, remembers the storytelling tradition among the coloured community and reflects on the great humour of his father: ‘When the apartheid regime forced my dad to move from District Six to the township of Mitchells Plain, he always kept his humour and managed to see the funny angle of the situation by commenting: “Well, at least I have an extra bedroom now.”’ Kurt says that humour has always been a way for him to escape the harsh reality of life or to get away with a smile. Now, he admits, performing on stage is his therapy.

Nick Rabinowitz, one of the country’s premier comics and author, well known for his multilingual satire. Photo: Hylton Boucher

One of the few successful female comedians in South Africa is Mel Jones, a regular guest at the Comedy Club. Having also grown up in a difficult environment like Mitchells Plain, Mel agrees that humour has helped her find strength and identity. As one of the first female comedians in the business, Mel believes it is her duty to act as a role model, and prove the critics wrong who say that women can’t be funny. She also wants to help women in her community to find their strength. ‘The country has gone through enough change and now it is time to give something back. Empowering people to use their strengths through laughter is very rewarding for me,’ she says. Mel’s business card says ‘fun facilitator,’ and making people feel good and laugh is her mission. ‘In my shows I make jokes about relationships, and what it is like being a single mother, but I also use that coloured community sense of humour.’ For example, Mel jokes about the ‘sharing community’ and explains that’s what the community used to be like in places, such as District Six. After being removed though, people lost that sense of community, and sharing now means robbing.

A legacy of apartheid & racial jokes

When asked about common themes in South African comedy, the comedians agree that the history of the country is a common theme. ‘You still have the race-related issues that we tackle in comedy, but in South Africa we discuss these issues openly. Because of our history we have been desensitised,’ says Kurt. He explains that these issues often offend people not privy to the local dynamics of the country because they’ve been made to be hypersensitive to them. ‘We live with these issues every day, so we’ve become a little more accustomed to dealing with it, rather than avoiding it completely.’ He remembers a British couple in his show that wanted a refund ‘because I used the word “coloured” in my act,’ he says. ‘But I have the right to use that word; I’ve earned it – I am it,’ he adds. Kurt admits that there are sensitivities, but says what’s special about South African comedy is that comedians approach stereotypes, and questions that everybody sees, but no one asks.

Mel had a similar experience, and explains: ‘I did a show once with Americans in the audience. We had a very mixed lineup, and some did race-related jokes about what it was like growing up in the culture. The Americans were shocked that we could talk about apartheid in a seemingly insensitive way. But for us it is triumph in the face of adversity. It is us adapting to change. I think what we went through in South Africa gives us almost like a ‘Get out of jail free’ card.

Mel and Kurt both agree that it is acceptable to make racerelated jokes, but only if it relates to one’s own experiences. ‘I can’t imagine what it felt like for a white or black person growing up during apartheid, or how they feel now, but I can draw upon my own experiences, like my relationship with a white guy, and pick on the cultural differences,’ says Mel.

Comedy taboos?

South Africa’s funniest Jewish, Xhosa speaking comedian Nik Rabinowitz says: ‘There are no taboos, but you have to be sensitive. It just depends on what your audience wants. If you’re going to constantly belittle or make fun of lions, there will probably be lots of hyenas in your audience. For example, I’ve done some shows with rabbis in my audience and I tried to avoid lewdness and swearing. I had maybe a 85% success rate. But I think that’s fair – I don’t go to a synagogue and tell the rabbi what to say in his theatre.’

Kurt does not consider South African comedy to be malicious: ‘That is part of our humour, making fun of adverse situations, but never picking on someone. The end has to be like an embrace, a kind of Walt Disney end,’ he says, and adds that this must come from the great symbol that Mandela gave the country. ‘Mandela showed the country forgiveness. And when the man with the sword gives it away and forgives, that has much more power.’

Can comedy change society?

At first, Nik Rabinowitz is a bit skeptical about the long-term impact of comedy: ‘By my estimation, comedy helps us overcome these issues for roughly an hour – during a comedy show and perhaps for about ten minutes afterwards. Then it’s back to every man for himself.’ But on second thought says: ‘Wait, that’s my cynical voice speaking. What I really think is that humour does have the potential to open us up to alternative perspectives. Comedians do have a license to speak truth to power, or just to speak the truth, in a way that is palatable, digestible, and even transformational.’

Mel Jones, one of the first female comedians in South Africa, wants to empower women to find their strength. Photo: Mel Jones

Kurt thinks that comedy has more influence on our society than ever before. ‘Comedy is an entertainment form, and will not change the universe, but it certainly has a big influence on how people think about themselves, and the culture they come from. Comedy celebrates diversity, but at the same time points out the similarities that we all share,’ says Kurt.

Mel agrees that comedy has an important role to play: ‘It’s about changing the perception, the mindset. We plant a seed,’ she says. ‘We can’t force people to embrace the change, some of us are walkers, some of us are runners, but I think we are in a better place for comedy now. We are even talking about gay or transgender topics, it’s part of who we are, as South Africans. It’s part of Cape Town culture.’

Kurt foresees a bright future for the South African comedy scene, as there is a big talent pool of young comedians in the country. He is sure that South African comedy will become more international, and prove that it does not merely imitate the UK or US. ‘Trevor Noah is just the beginning. We’ve got a brand of our own. We have a very crisp clear and kind of an underground view of the world. As underdogs, we can make fun of anyone.’

For Kurt, it is South Africa’s rich cultures and uniqueness that sets it apart from the rest of the world. ‘South Africa is filling a gap, we are so far away from the rest of the world, so we have a special view, but we share English and Dutch Afrikaans culture, combined with an African influence. The combination of those things creates the South African brand in comedy.’

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