One man’s bid to take Kenyan comedy to a global audience

Online viewership is no doubt on the rise. Just the thought of having to watch your favourite show when you wish and not having to rush home or stay up late into the night is a flexibility that many have come to treasure.

The need to access entertainment or news at one’s convenience is cutting into regular television viewing. People have the option of skipping commercials that interrupt hours of leisurely viewing. This is perhaps the best perk of switching off the television in favour of online alternatives.

And for binge watchers, online viewing is a haven compared to scheduled television.

Famed film director Bob Nyanja, has figured that he may as well target this niche audience with his latest project. Nyanja, the brain behind movies like 'Malooned', 'Rugged Priest' has created a sitcom that caters to seven of the biggest tribes in Kenya. But here’s the catch, he is not shooting the show with a sole intention of selling it to a local TV station. He is posting it online.

The sitcom, titled Visanga, has been acted in Meru, Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya, Somali, Kamba, Swahili and Kalenjin languages. The plot, setting and theme of the show is the same but the actors are different. Every group of actors comes to the story with a unique cultural input.

Nyanja, who has been involved in major Hollywood blockbusters like Nowhere in Africa and Tomb-Raider wants to make people laugh in their first language, in their mother tongue anywhere in Kenya or the world simply with a click of a button.

The movement from television to online is fast rising and comedy in vernacular is not an exception to this digital shift. Vernacular comedy shows are nothing new in Kenya, but a big number are usually plays in theatre productions.

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A few have, however, made it to TV or DVDs.

According to Nyanja, there is a yearning for vernacular productions and it is about time Kenyans all over fill that need.

“I’m always impressed with the reactions of people who watch vernacular plays in theatres. These shows (online) keep people engrossed and laughing wholeheartedly for two minutes straight. Television doesn’t do that for now and people are forgetting that there are nuances that can only be communicated in mother tongue,” he says.

He adds that there is a satisfaction that neither English nor Swahili can meet as well as vernacular language. So far, Nyanja discloses that they have 280 episodes to be released before the end of the month.

From the get go, Nyanja’s game plan was to provide the online community with a unique show that they could access at any time. Hawking it to television stations is not a priority but would be a bonus if any of the broadcasters scoop it up.

“I don’t think television stations are structured to air vernacular. They need to be more versatile than they are right now and maybe come up with a vernacular night, that way they will have massive viewership. Television is very traditional but if there are brilliant people behind it then they will figure it out,” says Nyanja.

He adds that entertainment in Kenya has become “boring” because no one is daring to be innovative, hence the switch to the online platform.

Nyanja hopes that in providing online comedy, audiences will get a different form of entertainment, which will be recognised as a legitimate way of telling stories. They will be Kenyan stories told by Kenyans.

But as much as Kenyans need to consume relatable local content, they also need to celebrate their diversity.

“Different languages should never be a reason to divide us. Instead they add colour and flavour to our country. It is a statement that despite the numerous languages people can enjoy themselves and can laugh in one language,” he says.

The growth of vernacular comedy is proof that comedy as a genre is growing and that indigenous languages have a fighting chance.

Although Kenya is swiftly taking the online movement in stride, countries like Nigeria and Ghana already made the leap and are the biggest owners of online movie streaming websites. IrokoTV, the biggest Nigerian web platform where people can access paid-for Nigerian films is the world’s largest and legal digital distributors of African movies. It is actually dubbed the “Netflix” of Africa.

VERNACULAR COMEDY

IrokoTV founded by Jason Njoku in 2011 has more than 5,000 movies online and more than 10 million views per month. It is estimated that the website makes $350,000 (Sh346 million) in monthly revenues.

However the real Netflix, which started out as a movie rental service is now one of the world’s largest streaming media with more than 44 million subscribers in 41 countries. Some of the most watched shows on Netflix include Breaking Bad, Walking Dead and House of Cards.

According to sections of Nigerian media, IrokoTV has signed a partnership deal with Netflix to support the launch of a dedicated African section.

Netflix recently featured Nigerian movie and it looks like they may be headed to Africa for content.

Just two years ago, Nyanja’s 'Visanga' was just an idea waiting to be executed, but due to lack of funding and a proper team, it was just that, an idea. But things finally aligned for Nyanja and his team late last year and in October they began filming.

'Visanga' is yet another addition to the local content market and being on an online platform, has a higher chance of going viral if well embraced. This is what Nyanja is banking on to push vernacular comedy outside of the Kenyan borders to Kenyans living abroad.

He also reveals that while travelling to the US with Walter “Nyambane” Monga’re a while back, he discovered that Kenyans abroad have a thirst for vernacular comedy. And since most people living abroad have their televisions combined with internet, it is a pretty good gamble.