So: “in Russia, wodka drrriiink you!” is not only an illustration of how to find humour in the darkest moments, it is also a rather fun takedown excessive machismo especially as performed by the Head of State Vladimir Putin—who has put out pictures of himself riding shirtless and if ever there was a reason to laugh, that would be it.
Here’s what I learned from the Russians and their grim jokes: over several eras the humour of the regular populace adapted to react to the difficult circumstances each one presented.
The last days of Tsarist Russia, Stalinism, Leninism, the guys after Lenin, Gorbachov, the guy who really liked vodka and currently SuperPutin all resulted in poking fun.
What never changed was the wonderful cynical resignation to the belief-backed by experience—that politics are terrible and politicians are even worse. While the main purpose of this humour was to make everyday living—or torture, incarceration, deprivation and even death—bearable for the ‘average Russian’ it was also a political tool to inform and resist the repressions of the various regimes.
Is it the same in Tanzania? Yes, now it is. The main difference being that Tanzania isn’t a centuries old country founded on monarchic principles. It is a young polity stitched together with the thread of Utu philosophy underlying much of its character.
Part of that social contract, the humanity conferred by the principle of Utu is the use of humour as a relatively pacific tool to govern behaviour, communicate difficult subjects and create enjoyment and social cohesion in everyday life.
Utu is a denial of Unyama: behaviour deemed cruel, antisocial, destructive, violent, thoughtless, soulless, pathological.
Tanzanians know politics is terrible and we are learning that politicians can be even worse. But that doesn’t mean that life—as difficult and unpredictable as it may be—should be joyless. We prefer a sunny disposition to ease the existential nihilism that comes with being African in the modern world. We are naughty people, it is part of our charm.
We have weathered several regimes and through the vagaries of each administration we have done two things consistently: nicknamed our presidents with varying levels of fondness, and found a way to laugh at them and ourselves. More often than not, they have also laughed along.
We will debate and even fight over freedom of expression, its definitions and its practices in the streets and in the courts. But to laugh is to be Mtu: one of the things that babies learn to express long before they even know how to say Mama.
How can one legislate that, suppress that? Taking laughter away is not as trivial as it may seem. In Tanzania, Cybercrimes Act laughs at you. Too much of that and we might just suffer another laughing epidemic like in 1962—and there was nothing funny about it.
Elsie Eyakuze is a consultant and blogger for The Mikocheni Report: E-mail: [email protected]
