Orality and healing in the stand-up comedy performance of selected Niger Delta comedians

Abstract

Stand-up comedy is a sub-genre of oral literature or orality. It involves a comedian standing in front of an audience to crack jokes and tell funny stories in order to make people laugh. It is also a therapeutic tool used to heal wounds through humour and comedy and this eventually leads to mental balance, happiness, peace and tranquility among the people. In line with the above, this paper attempts to explicate the various ways selected Niger Delta standup comedians have achieved this therapeutic or healing function among the people of that region. It also studies the psychological effects this brand of comedy has on the audience especially Niger Deltans of Nigeria. The selected stand-up comedians used in this study include I Go Dye, Gordons and Liki Liki Mouth. It is discovered that in relation to the basic functions of the arts generally, and literature in particular, the selected Niger Delta stand-up comedians have, in no small measure,  contributed their quota in bringing peace, harmony and a stable mental health to the people of the region.