The Comedy-Scape in Apartheid South Africa: A Historical Overview

Abstract

Comedy during the apartheid era was an integral medium for indoctrination and pacification. It was also a key instrument through which the apartheid regime was contested, and, in the later years leading up to democracy, a means of promoting the nation-building and cultural reconciliation rhetoric. This notwithstanding, its history during this period remains poorly researched and documented both in academia, specifically, and more broadly in the entertainment and media industry. This article therefore traces the development and practice of comedy in the country under apartheid rule, paying attention to how shifts in content, delivery across platforms and stylistic choices mirror changes in the country’s socio-political landscape. By exploring South African comedy from a historical perspective, this article further highlights the ongoing connectivity of politics and comedy in a way that simultaneously encapsulates issues of space, place and citizenship in evocative ways.