Joke-Performance in Africa

<p>Jokes have always been part of African culture but never have they been so blended with the strains and gains of the contemporary African world as today. <i>Joke-Performance in Africa</i> describes and analyses the diverse aesthetics forms and media of jokes and their performance and shows how African jokes embody the anxieties of the time and space in which they are enacted.</p><p></p><p>The book considers the pervasive phenomenon of jokes and their performance across Africa in such forms as local jests street jokes cartoons <i>mchongoano</i> <i>ewhe-eje</i> stand-up comedy internet sex jokes and ‘comicast’ transmitted via modern technology media such as the TV CDs DVDs the internet platforms of YouTube Facebook and other social arenas as well as live performances. Countries represented are Egypt Kenya Malawi Morocco Nigeria and Zambia covering the North West East and Southern Africa. The book explores the description of the joke form from various perspectives ranging from critical discourse analysis interviews humour theories psychoanalysis the postcolony and <i>technauriture</i> to the interactive dramaturgy of joke-performances irrespective of media and modes of performance.</p><p></p><p>Containing insightful contributions from leading African scholars the book acquaints readers with detailed descriptions of the diverse aesthetics of contemporary African jokes thereby contributing to the current understanding of joke-performance in Africa. It will appeal to students and scholars of African studies popular culture theatre performance studies and literary studies.</p>