Kenyan comedy has always been wanting. If it’s not the stereotypical portrayal of people, it’s an inappropriate comment that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I hardly watch Kenyan comedy shows but when I do, I end up cringing more than laughing. Compared to the comedic likes of Trevor Noah and Kevin Hart, Kenyan comedians have a lot to learn about crossing the line between jokes and harassment. Check out Kenyan comedians are not funny!
That line seems to have been crossed by the comedians of a show on Ebru TV called Jibonge. One viewer raised his concerned through his twitter account, @tjjullu. He expressed how these comedians were simply harassing pedestrians and making inappropriate comments. In this particular instance, one of the “comedians” demanded that the women talk to him. When they didn’t, he followed them and continued his interaction.
Some of @EbruTVKenya's show, #EbruJibonge, are sexual harassment by any definition.
Watch this interaction; observe how clearly uncomfortable the women are, how the rude male host still follows & tells some of them off & how he liberally touches them!! ? https://t.co/0q5pGs3ATJ pic.twitter.com/imIx5plrbv— TJ (@nyabinghidread) July 7, 2019
The women looked visibly petrified mostly due to the way he approached them and his obvious size difference. As a woman, street harassment has become the norm. Most times, it ends at the unwarranted comment. However, there are some exceptions who go further and start following you while still making inappropriate remarks.
Blatant harassment…
This is very predatory behaviour and for these so-called comedians to make light of it is tasteless. The memory of the recent killings of women is still fresh on our minds. To watch such blatant harassment in the name of comedy is painful for most of us. Furthermore, such behaviour on television sends the wrong message to its viewers. It paints a picture that harassing women and making inappropriate comments is funny or okay. Street harassment – Why you are a part of the problem!
Things that start off as a joke can quickly escalate to something dangerous. In these videos, you can tell that the men accompanying the women are irked by this comedian’s comment and some try to tell him off which still doesn’t stop him.
In another video, the comedian asks to kiss random girls in the street. How this passes off as comedy, I don’t know and neither do these girls who express disgust or alarm. One particular girl went ahead and explained that she was only 18 years old and hadn’t kissed anyone yet. As a normal person, this would be where you call it quits but this man still insisted on kissing the young girl.
In this one, @nickiBIGFISH walks up to young women and asks if he can kiss them. Even after he's told "No", he continues to badger this nearly underage girl who looks obviously scared & uncomfortable. This is just creepy.https://t.co/gcsLrpGTbg pic.twitter.com/YQS27diNDq
— TJ (@nyabinghidread) July 7, 2019
There’s a big problem when you can’t tell the difference between a comedian and an idler or a catcaller. The media is the custodian of society’s dignity. It has a duty to protect and uphold our moral compass. Therefore, it’s alarming when such people use the same platform in a disrespectful and undermining manner all for some laughs or views.
Regardless of whether the people are later told it was a joke, it doesn’t take away the fact that this is our standard of comedy. Additionally, Ebru TV approved these episodes to air despite their obvious inappropriate nature. These videos should be taken down and action to be taken against its creator to prevent such kinds of harassment from happening in the future.
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