Announcing the launch of a new report Beyond a Joke: Comedy and social change in the UK by Sam Beale.
We’re delighted to be supporting the launch and dissemination of a new report by Sam Beale, Beyond a Joke: Comedy and social change in the UK, supported by Unbound Philanthropy.
To celebrate and advocate live comedy as a tool for positive social change, Beyond A Joke explores how comedy initiatives are building communities, reducing social exclusion and improving mental health, and examines the effectiveness of using humour as part of social justice campaigns.
The report features projects and organisations currently working in the sector, to identify existing good practice, and considers opportunities for expansion and key challenges for the field. It is divided into three themed areas, highlighting the principal ways that comedy and collective laughter can be catalysed for social change:
- Comedy and community
- Comedy, recovery and resilience
- Comedy and campaigning.
Among the featured projects is No Direction Home (NDH), the comedy programme produced by Counterpoints Arts.
Quoted in the report, Loraine Mponela, a refugee from Malawi, says that through comedy: “We have a chance to tell who we are ourselves, instead of just hearing people saying things about us which are not true. Here is the truth. This is what you believe. But actually, here is my truth.”
And she continues: “Laughter is the best. It’s a form of joy. You come back differently because you’ve made people laugh. It’s instant community. Connections are made with the people that you never knew you would connect with.”
The report also focuses on the positive impact that comedy can have for mental health.
Fellow NDH performer Anastasia Chokuwamba states that “the pain of being a refugee is feeling invisible. I love [performing comedy] because it is a peaceful environment to speak about my pain in a funny way. In other words, it’s automatic cancelling because before… I felt pain in my heart, but now I can see the funny side of it. That’s what comedy does: it looks at the darkness and finds that little bit of light.”
NDH performer and facilitator Yasmeen Audisho Ghrawi agrees: “I often use the word alchemy. I feel like it is an alchemical space because it allows me to access heaviness or access emotions that can be potentially exhausting or too heavy to simply name and talk about in ways that are serious.”
In conclusion, Beyond A Joke quotes Jon Petrie, Comedy Commissioning Director, BBC: “Comedy isn’t just entertainment – it’s woven into the very fabric of our national identity. Laughter is how we process our shared experiences, navigate our differences, and find common ground in divided times.”
Read the full Beyond A Joke report
Photo: Anastasia Chokuwamba performing with No Direction Home at the Southbank Centre
