Author: Sagesse Bezalel
The way your friend always jokes about never getting married, have you ever resonated it to be not just a punchline, but a deep fear? The mocking laughter about your jobless friend, but they laugh along as well, that constant line about “sapa” which we all end up laughing about? It could be real financial pressure masked as relatability. Maybe we use humour to downplay our achievements, soften our disappointments or more so, laugh at pain before it has the chance to hurt. It’s a defence mechanism. But even defences speak.
Be it about race, gender, money, relationships, or power, this has always been a vessel for uncomfortable honesty. And it’s subtle, which is the trick. A joke can be raw and revealing, but because it makes us laugh, we let it slide. They’re mirrors. They’re signals. They expose what people find uncomfortable, what they believe about themselves and others, and what they hope you’ll miss while you’re laughing.
Jokes are rarely just jokes.
Humour has always been a safe space to say the hard stuff, the most socially acceptable way to tell the truth. It lets you test the waters. Say something personal and serious, but covers it up to be funny enough, it softens the blow. Twitter runs wild with quote tweets. The joke lands but so does something else; a small sting.
It’s no wonder comedians are modern philosophers in disguise. The likes of Dave Chappelle, Trevor Noah, Bovi, and Ali Wong, who crack jokes that make you wheeze, but in the quiet after the laughter, you’re left thinking. Damn, that was deep.
As creatives, we’re wired to turn our realities into content. We shape truth into metaphors, mould pain into palatable lines, and disguise vulnerability with humour.
But humour is never hollow. A socially accepted cloak for uncomfortable honesty. You are not just here to make people laugh. You’re here to make them feel, think, and maybe, if you’re brave enough, heal.
So yes, laugh. Play. Create. But also, listen. Because beneath the punchline may be the most honest piece of art you’ve ever created.