‘An Audience with President Obonjo’ Review by Alice Russo
★★★★★
Somewhere in Africa lies “The Lafta Republic,” where it is mandatory to laugh. President Obonjo is its corrupt dictator, and An Audience With President Obonjo is a headfirst immersion into his ruthless regime. From the moment you enter, you don’t just learn about The Lafta Republic, you’re in it, whether you like it or not. Thunderous and mercurial, the President, in his pristine military uniform, commands his citizens to sing The Lafta Republic’s national anthem ad nauseam until the lyrics are perfect. You stand when you are told to stand, speak only when spoken to, and refer to the President by his preferred title, Your Excellency (obviously). Maybe if he likes an audience member, he’ll take her as his wife. Maybe if he is displeased, someone will be condemned to execution. Nothing is out of the question.
Over the next hour, we learn about the farce that is this not-so-fictional African dictator. He’s rigged the ballot, taken six wives, and rewritten the Constitution to grant himself a neverending presidential term. It sounds ridiculous … or does it? We know that these things really happen, but we are rarely permitted to laugh at them freely. Genuine social commentary about the hypocrisy of Western media and politics are woven among the brilliant personification and joke writing. But the show never feels preachy; it strikes the perfect balance. It is rare to see a show where even the most reserved audience members are cackling non-stop. And this is all achieved without a hint of toilet humour, which is a mark of the utmost sophistication and self-awareness.
The President, however, is more than just a funny alter ego. Unexpectedly, the show conjures up the magical feeling many of us felt the first time we watched Borat. President Obonjo is so convincing that some unwitting members of the public have fallen for the act, trying in vain to find The Lafta Republic on a map. The President’s social media presence has led to real-world news reports about an “African dictator” making outlandish claims. Not even the British police are safe. After all, what would you do if you pulled a car over to find someone in military uniform? The President’s influence has even reached the American presidential discourse, divinely evoking the same mockery of Western gullibility we got from watching Sacha Baron Cohen’s satirical travels through the United States. Nostalgia is the last feeling one expects to find at a comedy show, but there’s no other word to describe it.
The best part of the show however is that the dictator, delightfully, never breaks character. Nobody is immune: the videographer, latecomers, and break-takers too must answer for their transgressions before his booming presence. It is here that the show achieves its sublime hilarity. The audience is in on the joke, but those who enter by chance into its swirling clutch are not, creating a comedic irony that elicits more laughter than even the best-written stand-up sets. After all, the President is, self-admittedly, just a comedian with mental health issues. This is a unique comedy experience unlike any other.
This review of An Audience with President Obonjo, written and performed by President Obonjo, was based on his Nov. 3, 2024 performance at The Comedy Clubhouse during the Barcelona Fringe Festival.
