Comedy at the Junction of Popular and Political Cultures in Guinea: The Cases of Gèètö, Tyoptyop, and L'Homme

[...]the central premise of the article is that the comedians studied here perfected their art by drawing content from the prevailing prepossessions of Guinean society while incorporating aspects of the universal potency of humor, as they exist in Guinean folklore. [...]the article opens with a brief historical overview aimed at putting Guinean public humor in general, and stand-up comedy in particular, in the proper context. [...]the article contrasts the proven ability of stand-up comedy to defy political censorship with the uncertain economics of it in contemporary Guinea. According to this descendant of a griot lineage, when traditional griots chanted the praises of a king in public, they executed two intersecting tasks at once.