Nigeria’s number one funny man served a hearty dose of comedy rooted in West African culture at Rhodes University’s Union last Thursday night.
Nigeria’s number one funny man served a hearty dose of comedy rooted in West African culture at Rhodes University’s Union last Thursday night.
Born Bright Okpocha, Basketmouth started professional comedy 10 years ago when the industry was still in its infancy in Nigeria. He got his stage name from a random guy who thought he had a “dirty mouth”.
But the real originator of the name is Fela Kuti, a popular Nigerian artist who is well known for speaking his mind, no matter the consequences.
The opening act was a man introduced only as Bovi, an upcoming Nigerian comedian that Basketmouth later described as a “colleague, a good friend” and someone he would like to pass the baton to.
“I feel that he is not as well known as he should be,” said 32-year-old Basketmouth. He plans to do comedy until he is 40, noting that he is “just getting dressed for the journey”.
Basketmouth comically and satirically encapsulated themes of race and class in post colonial Africa. Coming from a nation that is well known worldwide for fraud, he found it necessary to “first deal with that stereotype real quick”, a quip that was met with laughter.
He added that his country’s reputation is unjustified and it needs “to do better with its international relations”.
He touched on a variety of sensitive topics, ranging from Islam, his international travel experiences, male-female relationships and the differences between black and white people.
Judging by the constant giggles from the crowd, it was apparent that Basketmouth deserves all the accolades bestowed on him in his home country. However, some members of the audience remained straight faced (or straight-laced).
He has been dubbed the Lord of the Ribs, The Crown Prince of Comedy and has been credited with hosting the biggest African Comedy show ever seen in London.
The Nigerian Entertainment Awards named him the best comedian and best stand up comedian in 2005 and 2006.
Boitumelo Sethlatswe, a post graduate student, conceded that she had never heard of Basketmouth before, but he was very funny.
“I came into the show with no expectations because I had never heard of him before. He was really hilarious, he considered the context and made his material relevant to South Africa,” said Sethlatswe.
