The theatre of jokers

Abstract

The study examines selected chimbuya jokes shared on Facebook pages dedicated to chimbuya. In order to situate the study in the appropriate cultural milieu, a number of individuals were interviewed using an unstructured interview approach. The collected data was analysed using the tools of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and gender theory as well as introspection, since the two researchers belong to the ethnic groups involved in the joking relationship. The findings suggest that the jokes shared in the tribal cousinship between Tongas and Lozis not only have potential to offend, but have been known to offend some people. However, with regard to the question of sexual harassment, the study found that sex jokes are common currency in the practice of chimbuya and that both men and women are targeted. Further, that both women and men target members of the opposite sex in the propagation of sex(ist) jokes, although women receive more sexist jokes from men than the opposite.