Recently, comedy in Nigeria witnessed an extraordinary flux facilitated by the restrictions that attended the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before now, shows like the Nite of a Thousand Laughs created by veteran showbiz entrepreneur, Opa Williams defined the Nigerian comedy space. That era was dominated by the likes of Ali Baba, Okey Bakassi, I Go Die, Basket Mouth, and many others who have also created periodic shows where they gather crowds to sell humour.
However, the rise of social media applications like Instagram and Twitter has given birth to a new generation of professionals known as social media comedians and influencers.
Instead of staging costly shows and spending huge sums of money on promotion; this new breed of talents creates short and hilarious skits that leave fans reeling in laughter
COVID-19 Throws Stand-up Comedy into Crisis Mode
Stand-up comedy took its first hit just before the end of March 2020 when President Muhammadu Buhari announced the suspension of all live events and social gatherings. It dashed the hopes of comedians who had money preparing for shows. Some of those hit by this lockdown include AY, Bovi, Gbenga Adeyinka, Akpororo, and many others.
With the lockdown, fans, hit by boredom found comic relief on the internet. Social media comedians became new brides, supplanting the stand-up comedy experience for millions of people. They witnessed spikes in their social media following and with that came a lot of money and recognition. Companies and brands started to seek them for advertisements; many of them took more frequent trips to their banks with broad smiles on their faces. And as usual, many more skit makers surfaced.
Enquiries by eelive.ng revealed that with one new post on social media, a comedian could gain as many as 100,00 followers and earn as much as 2 million naira for a commercial.
Some Comedians Dominating Social Media
Broda Shaggi
He became an internet sensation when his Jesus Appeared in Mushin skit went viral in 2018. Popularly called Nigeria’s number 1 fine Agbero, the artiste whose real name is Samuel Perry, currently has over six million followers on Instagram with regular sponsored posts from various brands. The University of Lagos Creative Arts graduate has transited several times from being known as Inspector Perry, Professor, Akande Ibadan before he settled with the name Broda Shaggi.
Mr Macaroni
Debo Adebayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni has over 1.5 million followers on Instagram. Adebayo, who is also an actor gained attention by portraying a philandering man who employs catchy phrases like ‘You are doing well’, ‘Freaky Freaky’ and ‘Fantabulous’. The comedian was born into a family of ten with a journalist father and educationist mother. Macaroni started creating comic skits after getting inspiration from the likes of Broda Shaggi and Maraji. Noted to have attended three different universities before finally graduating from Redeemer’s University; Adebayo was at the forefront of last October’s #ENDSARS campaign by Nigerian youths against police brutality.
Taaooma
In 2019, this 21-year-old uploaded a skit featuring a mother and her daughter who overslept and missed the school bus. The skit racked more than 85,000 views on YouTube, so, Taaooma, real name, Maryam Apaoogagi, woke up to hundreds of mentions and followers on Instagram. That launched this lady who spent her early years in Namibia into a new life. She started online comedy after convincing her fiancé Abdulaziz Ooladimeji to teach her the basics of video editing. Her comedy skits are centered on exposing African mothers and their unique manner of disciplining African children with a slap. She is a favourite of many companies whose brands she promotes.
Lasisi Elenu
Nosa Afolabi, otherwise known as Lasisi Elenu is popular for funny rants on social media. With over three million followers on Instagram, Elenu uses a Snapchat filter that widens his mouth like a frying pan. The comedian studied Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Ilorin and was born on April 20, 1989. He started off his career as a songwriter but veered into comedy after people complimented his skills. His first skit was released on Instagram in August 2017.
Kraze Clown
This graduate of Kharkiv National Medical University, Ukraine has carved a niche for himself with his skits, which he started in 2013 and plays the role of a traditional father and his son. Real name, Emmanuel Ogonna Iwueke, Clown has over three million followers on Instagram and runs a comedy series on YouTube titled House of Craze. This has received over one billion views since 2015.
Other comedians thriving on social media include Maraji, Josh2Funny, MC Lively, Cute Abiola, Woli Arole, Sydney Talker, Real Warri Pikin, Woli Agba, and Williams Uchemba amongst others.
Is Social Media Comedians Professional Comedy?
Regardless of the massive number of views and followers, social media comedians have been accused of not understanding the art of comedy. Practitioners who spoke to eelive.ng suggest that this new art is antithetical to the growth of comedy in Nigeria and accuse its proponents of failings ranging from laziness by hiding behind filters and revamping stolen jokes from stand-up comedians to create content for their skits.
One of those who spoke to us, comedian Kojah Kaze said that while internet comedians have the numbers; they mostly lack craft and originality.
His words: “Anybody can make skits; stand-up comedy is live performance. You can put on your camera, do crazy things and put it out. But stand up is like a test where you’ll face your results. The audience is right in front of you, you’ll get to see their expression and their reaction. You’re getting instant feedback and your performance is measured.”
Similarly, comedian Funny Urch told eelive.ng that social media comedians do not invest time and money on honing their craft like professional comedians.
“Standup comedy is the standard; most skit makers can’t hold the microphone or face the crowd. Social media is their strength. They can never host a comedy show, what are they coming to do? It’s just drama, but standup comedians can make people laugh for one hour back to back.”
In 2019, Bright Okpocha, the comedian known as Basketmouth, who is also currently using social media to sustain his art, had expressed displeasure with comedians who take the easy route of only creating skits. He encouraged every comedian to develop their skills.
Does Social Media Comedy Diminish Standup Comedy?
While lovers of comedy debate whether things will ever be the same with stand-up comedy in Nigeria, those who spoke to eelive.ng said the internet and the attitude it has may hamper the industry.
Urch noted that the future of traditional stand-up comedy remains threatened as the industry now prefers popularity to talent. According to him, comedians now skip the necessary steps for the development of their art by doing something else on social media platforms. He opined that this leads to poor quality content.
He added that the business environment has become harsher because brands are now more after social media numbers than scouting for talents and exposing them.
His words: “The only thing people care about now is numbers. Originality is no longer valued when viewership and followers are low. Comedians are now called influencers. Now, as a stand-up comedian, before you even get gigs and sponsors, brands measure the number of your social media followers.”
Kaze, however, expressed the opinion that stand-up comedians also have themselves to blame for the situation. He revealed that established acts would rather invite social media comedians with large social media following to drive traffic to their shows while ignoring professional comedians.
“Because skit makers are popular on Instagram, professional comedians would shun their colleagues and give skit makers a platform to drive traffic to their shows. Giving them preference is killing the act of stand-up comedy,” Kaze said.
Speaking to eelive.ng, Comedian Omini noted that the lack of structure is another problem. According to him, as is the case with Nollywood and the music industry, the comedy industry should consist of a network of promoters and comedian managers and broadcast outlets dedicated to comedy. The absence of this is a problem in his view.
What Stand-up Comedians Should Do
Just like music, comedy evolves, and a new generation of creators come to the market to stimulate a change in the taste of the audience. To stay relevant in the game, practitioners suggest that comedians must learn to navigate the new normal.
Kojah Kaze who doubles as a skit maker and stand-up comedian insists that there’s enough room for every comedian to thrive. He said that comedians should take advantage of both the online and offline platforms to stay relevant and make money. He insisted that it is possible to make the best of both worlds will rake in millions.
While pointing out that the comedy industry is not the only one going through a transition. Comedian Omini suggested that comedians should take advantage of the digital space to keep their craft from dying. He added that the most important thing for comedians is to use their platforms for change.
His words: “Social media is a promotional tool and comedians need to take advantage of that. They have a larger platform now. You can have a comedy show in your living room. As a comedian, your offline brand should match your online brand. Whatever way you decide to do comedy, use it as a platform to influence cultural change, transformation, and growth in the county.”
This tallies with the view of the King of stand-up comedy, Ali Baba. Speaking in a recent interview with Channels Entertainment News; the veteran comedian advised stand-up comedians to adjust to the new ways of doing things.
His words: “The dynamics have changed; every comedian has to key into the new platforms that have been provided. With the pandemic, there is a need for us to move to platforms which has been created. Anybody who still wants to wait until Covid-19 is over will be lost and left behind. You don’t have to shoot skits but continue to make yourself relevant. Your visibility must still be there, and online, you have a larger number of people to see your work.”
Another comedian, Real Warri Pikin told Channels Entertainment News that comedians should see social media as their stage. And take advantage of it to expand their audience and fans.
“Right now you have a stage, your phone is like a small stage; show yourself, you don’t know who will see you. On social media, things circulate faster. For instance, someone recently sent me one of my videos that was posted on a blog in America. Just keep doing what you’re doing and keep improving,” she said.
The conclusion seems to be that the sky is wide enough for every bird to fly without locking wings.
