Welcome to the world of comedy!

"Basketmouth" should shut up his 'basketmouth'😕

Ali Baba should stop posing  and forming "I'm AliBaba,  I'm AliBaba". He should log into alibaba.com and see real Billionaire Ali Baba

Welcome to the world of comedy!

So, what really is comedy? 

""Wikipedia Search

Comedy!

In a modern sense, Comedy (from the Greek: κωμῳδία, kōmōidía) refers to any discourse or work generally intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, television, film, stand-up comedy, or any other medium of entertainment. The origins of the term are found in Ancient Greece. In the Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old."  A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle, the youth is understood to be constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to take recourse in ruses which engender very dramatic irony which provokes laughter.

Satire and political satire use comedy to portray persons or social institutions as ridiculous or corrupt, thus alienating their audience from the object of their humor. Parody subverts popular genres and forms, critiquing those forms without necessarily condemning them.

Other forms of comedy include screwball comedy, which derives its humor largely from bizarre, surprising (and improbable) situations or characters, and black comedy, which is characterized by a form of humor that includes darker aspects of human behavior or human nature. Similarly scatological humor, sexual humor, and race humor create comedy by violating social conventions or taboos in comic ways. A comedy of manners typically takes as its subject a particular part of society (usually upper-class society) and uses humor to parody or satirize the behavior and mannerisms of its members. Romantic comedy is a popular genre that depicts burgeoning romance in humorous terms and focuses on the foibles of those who are falling in love." - End. 

I saw Comedy grow up in Nigeria. Alibaba was a trainee at some point - I knew then and watched him on TV. 

You can imagine how I felt one day when a colleague of mine was organizing a regional bank party and wanted Alibaba as the comedian. We thought it was "toro" business.😊

He asked me if I could contact Alibaba. I really didn't know him personally but knew how to reach him. 

I did!

He referred me to his PA. I was shocked!

"How can a Joker have a PA?  That PA must be a Jester"😀

The PA quoted N2m. I was more convinced she was a big Jester! 

I called Alibaba back and he said he could refer me to one of his boys who "might consider N500k".

"Chineke ekwele ihe ojo!"

A "Joker" and he was "seriously" asking for N2m for a show of a few hours?😀

I started paying attention to Comedians! By not concluding that story,  it should be obvious to you that some bank staff was told "old boy, na you be our Alibaba this night. anything you talk,  we go laff, you hear?"😀

But I still think "Basketmouth should shut up his basketmouth"😕

I watched a Channels TV documentary recently and Basketmouth was flashed as "going international".

I said "copi copi" won't kill Nigerians!  

Basketmouth wants to copy our Nigerian Pastors, who though have not converted even 1/100th of souls in Nigeria, have gone in search of "dollar denominated souls" in Jo'burg,  London, New York, Toronto etc🤣

But it's tough to export jokes. Jokes are localised  and are usually about happenings around us. We also reason in "Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba" and then translate in English. 

That is why you hear "he is doing his Masters in UNN" - "o n'eme Masters na UNN", 🤣a direct translation of Igbo version of "he got enrolled in a Masters program in UNN or he's a postgraduate student in UNN"

How do you tell oyibo man "na mmili oku n'egbu mbe?"😊 - he will simply understand this idiomatic expression to mean that "the hot water can kill a tortoise". Obviously, it can. 

The documentary said and rightly so that jokes usually come in pigin English in Naija and most of Africa. 

How will Basketmouth tell Oyibo that "I holam for job or siki one" means "I just played a Trump card?" - my apologies to "Okonu 1 of America", the great POTUS! 😊

However, if Basketmouth can see s "White Man to obtain", why not? If they start chasing him, he should run to IBB in Minna for cover. Under his watch, "obtaining by false pretenses contributed at least 30% of our GDP"

Jokes heal wounds and make people laugh and smile like you will later see in handout 1 below. 

People with partners that don't laugh or smile don't find it funny either. I had gone to visit a family about 28 years ago. I rang the bell and the man came to open the door. 

Hear him standing at the door! 

"Please my brother, my wife is the most wonderful woman on earth. But she just doesn't smile. Please don't take it to mean you're not welcome. You will see how welcome you are by how she hosts and not how she smiles".

Then,  the door went ajar. 

Truly, the hosting was fantastic! 

In South Africa, they have taken comedy to the next level. They now use it to cure the sick. Comedians and Theatre Arts students now go to places like children's hospitals and get otherwise sick children running around with with clowns - I got the clips below,  snapshots I personally took from the screens of Channels TV - our own CNN. 

Joke, laugh,  have fun! It doesn't make you any less a big boy. Na your pocket na im count.!😊

Welcome to the world of comedy! 

I remain Sam 

CC: Handout 1

"The Healing Power of Humor!

By Maud Purcell, LCSW, CEAP

~ 2 min read 

The Ojibway tribe recognized it. The Old Testament even references the healing properties of humor: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” Although our ancestors couldn’t explain it scientifically, they knew intuitively that laughter was good for the body as well as the soul.

More recently Norman Cousins, in his book “Anatomy of an Illness,” describes how he cured himself of a debilitating disease through the use of humor. He reportedly watched old Marx Brothers movies and laughed uncontrollably. He believes his own laughter cured his disease. He subsequently lived a long and healthy life — well into his 80s!

Today we have a better understanding of how laughter affects human physiology. It:

Reduces pain. Our bodies produce pain-killing hormones called endorphins in response to laughter.

Strengthens immune function. A good belly laugh increases production of T-cells, interferon and immune proteins called globulins.

Decreases stress. When under stress, we produce a hormone called cortisol. Laughter significantly lowers cortisol levels and returns the body to a more relaxed state.

The other good news is that humor has a positive impact on intellectual and emotional functioning.

 It: 

*Helps put life’s trials and tribulations into healthy perspective by making them seem smaller.

*Aids us in overcoming fear.

*Allows us to take ourselves less seriously.

*Triggers our creativity.

As you can see, humor can be the curative our ancestors professed it to be. 

But how can you incorporate more laughter into your life, when you are already overwhelmed by daily demands? Won’t humor be just one more thing to add to your “to do” list?

Fortunately there are ways to bring levity into your life without adding extra pressure. Find one of the following methods that works for you:

“Humor up” your work environment. Bring kids’ toys to work and keep them within reach. When you are stressed, take out a toy and play. That irate customer on the phone will have no idea that you are keeping your cool by playing with a Slinky. Place funny pictures of friends and loved ones around your office, including ones of you when you were a ridiculous-looking kid.

Create a humor file. Fill it with funny cartoons, sayings and jokes, as you run across them. When things are looking particularly grim, refer to your file. You’ll get a good laugh and be able to put things back in perspective in no time.

Create sitcom situations. When you find yourself in a nerve-wracking situation (such as locking your keys in the car), think of how Groucho or Lucy would handle it.

For recreation, do some of the things you did as a kid. Go to the zoo, an amusement park, bowling or swinging — the sky’s the limit! You’ll find that these activities completely take you away from all of that “heavy” stuff. And the escape will do wonders for your attitude.

Exaggerate a stressful situation. Take your situation and make it even bigger than it is. You might think this will cause more stress; however, blowing the problem up will allow you to see the absurdity of it, and afford you a great belly laugh.

Invite friends over for a “come as you are” party — and insist that they come as they are!

Host a slumber party. You’re never too old! Have friends bring pillows and blankets, eat junk food, and stay up all night telling scary stories. Trust me, this will provide you with a new perspective — a hysterically funny one.

You have a choice: You can continue to be a “grown-up,” and let all of the frustrations and disappointments in life weigh you down, or you can introduce levity into even the toughest circumstances. If you “let a smile be your umbrella,” you are likely to enjoy each day to its fullest and spend less time at the doctor’s office.