Comedians speak on occupational hazards

Bruce Ndlovu
Dancehall chanter Lady Squanda raised the ire and outrage of Zimbabweans over the past week after a video emerged of her violently abusing comedian Abra Skimbo.

In the video, Squanda metes out her own brand of justice on Skimbo as she, with the help of a few of her goons, subject him to some inhuman treatment.

The self proclaimed first lady of ZimDancehall goes as far as forcing the young comedian to leak her feet in addition to the beatings that she and her accomplices were subjecting him to.

Squanda has since gone on to issue a half hearted apology, where she apologises to her fans but not to Skimbo, who has since filed a report with the police. Her manager subsequently claimed that Squanda was in Botswana and would only return in October.

The chanter was allegedly angered by a video Skimbo posted, in which he makes fun of her after reports emerged that she had stolen underwear from a hotel.

The assault brought to the fore the issue of how the line between entertainment and real life is sometimes blurred particularly in comedy, where people who are the butt of a particular joke might take things personally and react violently.

As most of local comedians jokes are tailored for local audiences where they mostly perform, their material contains jokes directed at some of the countrya��s celebrities and public figures.

With this in mind one wonders how safe comedians in the trade are, whether it be the new brand of social media video posters or stand-up comedians.

According to Ntando Moyo, close encounters with aggrieved parties are nothing new to stand-up comedians.

a�?For us ita��s really just an occupational hazard because these things will happen from time to time. You really cana��t control how people will react to your jokes so ita��s entirely up to them to interpret jokes however they may,a�? he said.

According to Moyo, he himself has come across angry people who dona��t appreciate his humorous take on their lives.

a�?Someone once took offence at a joke I made and I had to leave the building escorted by security guards and the police,a�? he said.

According to Clive Chigubhu, most Zimbabweans are still very sensitive to jokes told on public platforms so one has to walk on egg shells when talking about individuals.

a�?I mainly make fun of people in the arts like Raisedon Baya because theya��re likely not to take it personally because we are in the same industry. Stand-up comedy is still a new phenomenon in Zimbabwe so most people still dona��t take jokes made about them in a light-hearted manner,a�? he said.

For Nomsa Dee, the threat is even more so because she is a female performer.

a�?It can be dangerous for me because Ia��m vulnerable as a female performer and should someone take offense I am very exposed to retaliatory attacks,a�? she said.