Abstract
This chapter explores comedy and online humour as forms of dissidence in Zimbabwe, a nation with limited freedom of expression and media freedom. The study explores performances by Zimbabwean comedians on YouTube, which allows the counter-public to self-televise their performances, thus offering an alternative voice. This chapter takes a qualitative approach and employs cultural studies as theoretical lenses to analyse performances by Zimbabwean comedians. Drawing connections between laughter in folklore and laughter on the cybersphere, this chapter establishes that online comedy allows ordinary Zimbabweans to laugh at their own socio-economic challenges while at the same time, exposing the vices and follies of those in power. Comedy on the cybersphere is still threatened by digital authoritarianism by the state and cyber laws. The efficacy of political humour still lies in its ability to indirectly speak truth to power, a characteristic that has endured time and space.
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Matsilele, T., Mututwa, W.T. (2021). The Aesthetics of ‘Laughing at Power’ in an African Cybersphere. In: Mpofu, S. (eds) The Politics of Laughter in the Social Media Age. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81969-9_2
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