Opa Williams launched Nigeria’s first popular comedy programme, Night of a Thousand Laughs, in October 1995. The programme spawned Basketmouth, Okey Bakassi, Julius Agwu, and Klint Da Drunk, among others. These comedians went from struggling to multimillionaires in that period. Once the new performers got popular, they launched their own shows and events, proving that comedians could only succeed onstage.
Most of these shows were in Lagos, so prospective comedians had to fly from out of state to manage industry politics and get spots. As many comedians relocated from Warri to Lagos, they made “Warri” jokes. These artists spent months writing scripts that would make the audience laugh and invite them to the next concert. Francis Ogudu, a Nigerian comedian known as I Go Dye, said it was hard for newcomers to acquire a performance slot.
“No matter how talented you were, you needed the right people to invite you to the right gigs in Lagos because that ensured success. These concerts required a sponsor, organiser, or friend to get you on stage. “You may have the funniest stuff, but if there is no one to tell it, what is the point?” he said.
With time, major comedy shows no longer guarantee critical success for comedians. As Nigeria’s internet connectivity increased, humour went beyond the stage. Physical comedy gigs on YouTube get millions of views, showing performers there is an audience beyond those who attend. Online comedic videos followed. Ayo Makun’s AY’s crib was one.
Social media comedy
It was just one minor step in comedy’s progression. Nigerian comedians can start their careers anywhere with a smartphone, the internet, and basic editing abilities. Crazeclown, a Nigerian doctor working in Ukraine, and Woli Agba, whose sketches follow an overbearing prophet and his cheeky pupil, Dele, were early pioneers of social media skits. Today’s online comedy scene includes Taooma, Maraji, Justin UG, Josh2funny, Mr. Macaroni, Mark Angel, and Lasisi. Without moving to Lagos or performing, they’ve become famous.
Making people laugh is hard.
Justin Ugoing Ga, known as Justin UG, is a US-based actor and content producer best known for his High School Diaries, which depict Nigerian high school life. After observing how rapidly YouTube and Instagram were developing, he switched from generating dance material for his three Vine followers in 2009 to YouTube and Instagram in 2016.
Justin started making videos because they made people laugh, but after his first popular video in 2018, he decided to take comedy seriously. While he maintains he doesn’t generate stuff for popularity or followership, he already has over 400K on Instagram and Twitter.
Justin’s videos are brief and scriptless. “My videos are mostly about relatable, ordinary topics. They’re similar to common real-life scenarios. He remarked, “I just think about scenes that people would be able to connect to or that would bring up nostalgia and just perform them, inventing lines as I go.” Nonetheless, I’ve started working with three storytellers and one scriptwriter to develop content ideas. The scriptwriters’ scripts never work for me. “We just determine what concept to work with, and I shoot,” he told TechCabal during his lunch break.
Justin shoots his movies on his iPhone 14 Pro Max, which gives him liberty and flexibility. He occasionally uses his roommate to get shots he can’t get with his tripod. “I start thinking about what to photograph when I get home from work, eat supper, and wake up from my siesta since I upload around nine o’clock Nigerian time, which is 1 am for me. I edit, post, and react to comments within an hour after shooting. “I try not to film videos on weekends, but it’s almost as if my body is used to it and I can’t sleep otherwise.”
Virality is the new success indicator.
Skits shared on social media may reach millions in minutes. Today’s success is social media virality. Mma Kasham, a Northern Nigerian comedian famed for his comic portrayals of middle-aged women, knows unforeseen virality. Tauna became viral on his first try, unlike other performers who had to wait months or years.
On Valentine’s Day 2019, he discovered his mother’s wrapper on her bed before taking a shower. To make his buddies laugh, he knotted the wrapper and filmed a video emulating the Zumuntan Mata (women’s fellowship) church group’s performance. When he left the restroom, his phone was vibrating from notifications and calls. His Facebook video was circulated widely across various platforms, finally arriving on famous Instagram profiles like Tunde Ednut and Audu Maikori. He has earned thousands of followers and millions of impressions by continuously posting videos on social media. His songs and remarks have spread beyond social media, and even those who haven’t watched the video recognise them.
The internet audience’s role
Social media skits are so essential that stage veterans can’t ignore them. Before social media, comedians like Basketmouth, Bovi, and Chigurl edited their old jokes into skits or created new ones. They’re keeping up with the trends and taking advantage of the internet’s economic prospects.
Skit creators get money via business collaborations, advertisements, and sometimes hosting live events, whereas stand-up comedians are compensated for live concerts. Creators may charge a million naira for every sponsored post, making them massive transactions. Ads paid to a creative with 500K Instagram followers are substantially higher than those given to a creator with 50K followers. This elevates the audience to the level of stakeholders.
Although competition for fans is high, many musicians endeavour to please their internet following. As with any creative sector, there’s always a challenging audience to satisfy.
Because of his skits, Tauna almost lost his church membership. The reverend called me to church and instructed me to stop using the church’s wrapping in my movies or risk excommunication. “Some viewers recognised the fabric from the film and said that I was making a mockery of God and the church,” he told TechCabal. “Fans occasionally leave rude or mean comments in the comment section.”
Stand-up or skits?
Social media has changed where, how, and why people are entertained. The younger generation associates humour with skits more than comedy programmes since most comedy is consumed on social media.
Popular stand-up comedian Helen Paul says that audiences are already entertained by skits and don’t see the purpose in going to see stand-up. “Comedy lovers are already losing interest and developing apathy for stand-up comedy.” Tickets and driving to a stand-up comedy show may lose their appeal. “Why would anyone want to lose sleep over a stand-up comedy act when he or she can just watch it in the comfort of his or her home on a mammoth-sized curved TV with surround audio speakers?”
I Go Dye disagrees and believes there is still room for standup comedy. He feels that while stand-up performance attendance has declined, there is still a dedicated fanbase. In 2015, he sold out London’s 02 Arena, and in 2022, he sold out I Go Dye Standing: More Than A Legend, with 2Baba, Okey Bakassi, Maleke, and Tiwa Savage.
“Social media skits cannot match standup comedy’s energy,” he said. When you perform at a comedy concert, you see people laugh in real time and feel the energy in the room rise and fall. Skits can never match that. People still want me to play or plan performances, so there’s still an audience.”
Tauna admits he’s not ready for theatrical appearances after four years in comedy. “My three-minute web sketches are scriptless.” He laughed, saying, “You can’t put me in front of an audience to perform for 15 minutes at this stage in my career, because what would I tell them after the first three minutes?”
Comedy sketches need significant labour, but standup comedy demands more skill and investment. Acting, filming, editing, and social media abilities are needed to succeed in comic content development. “Standup comedians don’t have to worry about these,” he said.
Stand-up comedy will always be the pinnacle of humour, but internet skitmakers have proved that art forms can change. Your Instagram reel may show that progression.
