26 Jan Everyone loves jokes! Comedy Central Africa ‘Makes life funnier’ with its latest comic-relief EP
Comedy Central Africa is a leading brand for all things funny, combining international comedy programming with locally and regionally produced content from across the continent. The television channel broadcasts exclusively on MultiChoice’s DStv platform, and is the first 24-hour comedy channel for Sub-Saharan Africa. Influenced by the ViacomCBS Networks Africa (VCNA) diversity of channels, Make Life Funnier is Comedy Central Africa’s latest EP – driven by a Pan-African vision. The one-of-a-kind hilarious musical experience unites unlikely collaborations between some of Africa’s most well-known musicians and comedians, such as Mashabela, Mpumi, Peach van Pletzen, Kurt Darren, Basketmouth and more. These paired collaborations across various genres of music including Amapiano, House, Hip-hop, R&B, Afrikaans pop and Afro pop demonstrate an infusion in styles and comedic flavours meshed smoothly with its attached comic-relief undertone.
As stated by Katlego Baaitse, film director at Spitfire Films, the main point of this project was humour – and ’to laugh with you’’. He comments further, ‘’I also want people to all realise, we’re in this wild ride together. This life, this country, this world. The insights of these songs are South African & Pan African but universal in many ways.’’
Makes life funnier focuses on themes from trending topics, relevant to contemporary socio-cultural dynamics. Dillon Khan, senior vice president for Comedy Central Africa comments, “It’s the diversity of heritage in the rainbow nation that inspired our creative team to reinvent funny. Comedy provides us the license to push the envelope with expressing the realities of life in a satirical manner that will either make your roar with laughter or cringe from the artist’s authenticity of storytelling. This campaign’s intent is for all of us to pause and reflect at life with our funny bones. As with all our VCNA initiatives during the pandemic, we are committed to continued investment of our amazing local talent and provide the continent’s comedians and musicians a platform to showcase their authentic art and storytelling.”
We asked Katlego Baaitse, how he feels South Africa’s Heritage day is represented through contemporary forms of media and how he imagined to spark up new refreshing perspectives. He shares, ‘’I do feel, we need to desperately expand creativity and expression beyond our beloved Afro traditional garb and be more nuanced, playful, artistic, etc. I feel we have untapped potential in storytelling, art and music for this day. Let’s make it fun and unexpected and celebratory!’’
The EP is an innovative and fresh celebration of some of the continent’s very rich heritage, and was released during South Africa’s Heritage Month. This brings to mention, the last single on the EP, ‘Trolls (Bad Belle)’ by Basketmouth and Blaqbonez – which dropped on Friday, the 1st of October 2021, in celebration of another important heritage day – Nigerian Independence Day. Having musicians and comedians from across the continent, involved in this project is gripped at the heart of this EP’s concept. Which makes this an ideal confluence of celebrating African cultures.
Bekker, Blessing Kgapola
‘Liefde In Die Pandemie’ by Schalk Bezuidenhout and Peach van Pletzen featuring Leah Van Niekerk
Schalk Bezuidenhout and Peach van Pletzen team up with Afrikaans songstress Leah Van Niekerk in ‘Liefde in die Pandemie’. The ballad single comments on the challenges of finding love in a pandemic where curfews, masks, and social distancing have changed the way we meet people.
Bekker, Blessing Kgapola
‘Let Me Fill Your Holes’ by Schalk Bezuidenhout and Peach van Pletzen featuring Kurt Darren and Donald
Comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout teams up with musicians Peach van Pletzen and Donald, on “Let Me Fill Your Holes” – a scarily sexy ode to all the potholes you wish the government had filled up by now. The song also features Afrikaans music legend, Kurt Darren, in a cameo feature. And he is doing something you have never seen him do, musically, before.
. ‘Emazweni, Magayeng’ by Mashabela and Mpumi
Comedian Mashabela and Afro-pop songstress Mpumi collaborate to make an Amapiano banger. This track takes us back to Mashabela’s roots and origins in Limpopo, where he is intrinsically connected to and beloved by his community and the locals. He reflects with a playfully engaging approach, on the importance of noticing the detriments of xenophobia and social prejudice occurring in South Africa. Some of the main topics he highlights references the Black South African perspective, familiar to those who originate from rural areas, and who have to migrate to urban cities spaces.
’Braai Day’ by Deep Fried Man
Braai Day, by the beloved Deep Fried man, is a Comedy Central Africa throwback. This single gets us nostalgic, and makes us realise
through dry and dark humour, that Braai day is not just about having a good time around a fire pit – because, in fact, it is a Heritage day.
Credits: Robot Boii, Priddy Ugly, JT “Black Samurai” Moatshe, Belinda Belseck, Carla Bekker, Blessing Kgapola
‘Zero Nge’Nkhone’ by Robot Boii and Priddy Ugly
Comedian and musician Robot Boii, and rapper Priddy Ugly, collaborate on this hilarious single about a fanatic,
gym-frenzy lifestyle.
Burton, Moatshe, Belinda Belseck, Carla Bekker, Blessing Kgapola
‘Trolls (Bad Belle)’ by Basketmouth and Blaqbonez
Nigerian comedian and musician Basketmouth, and rapper Blaqbonez, throw us on a satirical voyage in this latest single – where they sing about online trolls who always find ways to bring down other people’s works.
Watch Comedy Central Africa’s EP on YouTube or on the channel.
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