Satirical strategies in Xhosa under apartheid

Abstract

During the apartheid years Black South Africans interpreted their experience through a humour unique in that it was a part of everyday conversation, rather than a separate discourse. While there are some jokes that testify to the way people felt about discrimination, these are not an adequate reflection of the wit and ingenuity of the oppressed and exploited. For example, the conversations of Xhosa domestic workers reflect a deeply satirical and even subversive humour, while humour in Xhosa oral discourse is highly charged, emotive and dramatic, relying to a great extent on the ‘comedian's’ ability to impersonate and characterize.