How comedy can be used as a socio-economic transformation tool

Comedy Knights, a local comedy troupe, struggled for many years until late 2014 when they landed a Rwf30 million sponsorship deal courtesy of Nation Holdings Rwanda (NHR), the owners of KFM radio. Under the deal, the comedy outfit, which had been struggling to find a home since the closure of the Kacyiru-based Ishyo Arts Centre, would hold comedy shows for a period of five months in Kigali. NHR now hires the premises where the group stages their shows, gives them publicity besides providing them with a state-of-the art sound system. However, since the sponsorship is only limited to five months, one wonders what the fate of the group will be, since they clearly haven’t made enough money to operate independently. While some art sectors, like music, seem to be picking up and getting sponsorship right, left and centre, no one seems to think about comedy in equal measure. This indicates that our society has not clearly understood the benefits that can come from promoting such art. Away from music, Rwanda has gone a long way in marketing its traditional dance globally, many already are dubbing it the ‘most graceful’.” Local cultural dance troupes now get invitations to perform at functions from as far as Uganda and Kenya. One wonders why home-bread comedians cannot be given similar support. Maybe we need to pick lessons from experiences of popular comedians on the continent like Uganda’s Anne Kansiime, who with her Rukiiga-accented English, rose from a mere YouTube personality to a household name in only a few years. Her video clips are not only viral on the Internet, but she is also constantly invited to do gigs in Australia, Canada and the UK. This has not only come with huge personal financial gain, but she has also been able to market her country’s name. An Irish friend recently confessed how she to logs into YouTube to watch an Anne Kansiime clip every lunch break. Another example is Rowan Atkinson, commonly known as Mr. Bean. The Brit abandoned a career in electronic engineering to join comedy, he is now one of the most highly paid individuals worldwide with a net worth of about US$ 130 million right now. Larry David, a 67 year old American is one of those people who can find humour in any situation and the money he makes with it is no laughing matter. He currently has a net worth of US$800 million. Back home, our own Comedy Knights can only get that far if for instance more corporations or any other sponsors emulate Nation Holdings Rwanda’s gesture. Our comedians do not only need financial but also moral support to deliver fresh and polished jokes. Investing in a comedy school to groom young talent would not be a bad idea too, especially going by the fact that the Workforce Development Authority (WDA) has already done that for our musicians. Just like the way Rwanda cut it’s teeth globally in sectors like ICT, cycling, and gorilla tracking, comedy too if given due attention, can bring in similar, rich benefits.

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How comedy can be used as a socio-economic transformation tool