When Bashir Halaiki announced he was premiering his special on April 1, I thought it was a prank. Surely, it had to be an April Fool’s joke. In Kenya, it usually takes forever for these guys to actually release a recorded project. He only recorded it a few months ago, so I figured there was no way. But I was wrong.
By the way when I say "special," I’m not talking about a 15-minute clip like what most comedians are doing lately. I mean a full 47-minute presentation.I was there for the recording, and I’m glad he’s made it available for the public.
If you didn't attend the recording, here is what you’re in for. First of all, it’s on YouTube for free, which was a surprise.
To be honest, I would have put this behind a paywall. The quality of the jokes and the work he put in is high, and I think it’s only fair for comedians to earn from their craft.
The material
In the special, everything is explored through his own experiences. He has a way of personalising his observations and social commentary. He explores identity and heritage, being a Muslim Kalenjin, and other family stories, like the complexity of having many siblings. He talks about Eldoret, too, which ties back into identity.
He also looks at the socio-political scene. He touches on the cost of living in Kenya and issues we are all aware of as Kenyans. I don’t want to spoil the bits for you, but his take on religion is also very interesting. He captures the life of a young Kenyan today perfectly, whether he’s talking about pop culture or what’s happening in the bedroom.
The whole experience is well put together. It’s laidback. That’s the best word for it, laidback. There is a real sense of confidence in his pacing and his timing. He isn’t rushing. This isn't a loud, frantic set. Think of the special as the kind of thing you put on after a hard day of work to just chill out and enjoy. It’s very funny, but it gets introspective at points.
Visual the stage and the audience are given different visual language. Different angles are used to keep the experience engaging but the cuts are more deliberate, laid back.
The only real problem I had was the sound design. It’s just not consistent. When he speaks into the mic, you can hear the reverberation of the room. But when the audience laughs, the sound is crispy and clean.
It doesn’t feel like the laughter is in the same room as him. His levels are also a bit low, so you have to pump up the volume to hear the jokes, but then you have to dive for the remote to turn it down when the crowd starts laughing. The sound design definitely could have been better.
But apart from that, the material is fantastic. It’s really good. This adds to the growing list of Kenyan comedians putting out full specials on YouTube instead of just baiting people with clips. You have Doug, Ty Ngachira, Mammito, and Amandeep all with specials online. If you love stand-up, or if you’re new to the country and want to see what Kenyan comedy is about, there is enough for you here.
