Content uploaded by Tekena Mark
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Tekena Mark on May 24, 2023
Content may be subject to copyright.
Integrity Journal of Arts and Humanities
Volume 4(2), pages 43-53, April 2023
Article Number: 152D9F303
ISSN: 2811-2407
https://doi.org/10.31248/IJAH2023.070
https://integrityresjournals.org/journal/IJAH
Full Length Research
Prank as social media comedy in Nigeria: Chibuike’s African
Snake Man Prank and Iboji Grave Prank as examples
Tekena Gasper Mark1* and Remigius Anayochi Anyanwu2
1Department of Theatre and Film Studies, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
2Department of Theatre and Film Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author. Email: tekenamark@yahoo.co.uk, tekena.mark@ust.edu.ng; Tel: +2347030333232.
Copyright © 2023 Mark and Anayochi. This article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License
4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received 19th February 2023; Accepted 4th April 2023
ABSTRACT: Prank videos have become the new-normal on social media. Pranks like smashing a stranger's phone,
eating cow dung, and eating poisonous insects, have gone viral on social media sites like Facebook and Tiktok, and
because social media offers content creators quick fame, stardom and wealth, content creators are ready to do anything
including risking their lives just for the views, likes, shares, and the money, fame and notoriety that comes with creating
contents on social media. While many have raised concerns over viral prank videos that are anti-social on social media,
some Nigerian comics which we call ‘social media comedians’ have been able to create comedy from prank videos. This
qualitative study examines prank as a form of social media comedy using Ubani Zion Chibuike’s African Snake Man Prank
and Iboji Grave Prank, and employs the digital qualitative research method and netnography as its methodology. The
findings reveal that both acts had strong online audience engagement, according to comments by viewers on Chibuike's
YouTube channel - Zfancy. However, 6,000 likes, 1,246,990 views, and 2,891 comments on the African Snake Man Prank
outperformed 12,000 likes, 376,606 views, and 1,221 comments on the Iboji Grave Prank in terms of viewers'
engagements. Also, their comments indicated they liked both pranks and identified with the situations they portrayed.
Furthermore, Chibuike's prank rely heavily on natural situations than scripted scenarios. This kind of approach cuts down
on production costs and time, eliminating the need for elaborate scripting, directing, and editing. The study recommends
further investigation on the various forms of comic pieces on social media.
Keywords: Comedy, comedian, Nigeria, prank, social media.
INTRODUCTION
Humour remains a universal cord that binds humanity,
irrespective of age, race, class, colour, sex or religious
orientation. Bily (2005) argues that humour is an inherent
phenomenon of human life that plays a central and
necessary part in social life (Cited in Filani, 2016, p.1).
Perhaps, this is the reason why unborn babies play and
dance in their mothers’ wombs when excited. The term,
humour, according to Attardo (2011, p.135), “has emerged
as a technical term intended as covering anything that is
(or maybe) perceived as funny, amusing,” comic “or
laughable”. In the same vein, there have been
controversies surrounding the use of laughter as a
determining factor for humour, as it is difficult to always pin
down laughter to humour (Attardo, 1994).
The humorous may also depend on the society, social
context and culture. Similarly, Raskin (1985) believes that
what is humorous is what the native speakers of a
language take as humorous. Notwithstanding, humour
also occurs in cross-cultural and multilingual societies. An
example of this is seen in the fact that, we all find humour
in the comic films of Charlie Chaplin, irrespective of our
racial, cultural, age and religious orientations.
In Nigeria, comedians have long been in existence,
especially as village spokesmen in traditional ceremonies
and other occasions. These comedians attracted enough
recognition that they were paid to perform at events.
Owojaiye (2019) records that by the 1950s, the first
generation of vocational humour performers were already
visible in Nigeria with names such as Moses Olaiya (Baba
Sala), Usman Baba Pategi (Samanja), James Iroha
44 Integ. J. Arts and Human.
(Gringory), Chika Okpala (Zebrudaya), Adeyemi Afolayan,
aka, Ade Love (Jagua), and others. Today, modern
Nigerian stand-up comedy is associated with Opa
Williams. His 1995 maiden edition of Night of a Thousand
Laughs at the University of Lagos, created the platform
and springboard for the development of modern Nigerian
stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedians like Ayodeji
Makun (AY), Julius Agwu, Basket Mouth, I Go Dye, Bovi, I
Go Save, Klint de Drunk, Okey Bakassi, and many others,
have made their names in the Nigerian entertainment
industry.
However, since the advent of the internet, social media,
and the coronavirus pandemic, there have been significant
changes, as many Nigerian comedians now use the social
media to engage with their audience. Such social media
platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
are now avenues for Nigerian comedians to upload their
comic skits for viewers to access, while they (the
comedians) smile to the bank. Aside the advantage of a
wider audience reach, Kunde (2022) argues that, “social
media has made it easier for companies to distribute their
content across several platforms… to leverage their
existing audiences and reach new ones through the power
of sharing”. Also, the use of drones, 3D animation, artificial
intelligence, machine learning, and other technologies,
helps producers create videos more effectively. It is
important to note that prank videos are rapidly gaining
popularity on social media in Nigeria.
Krakowiak and Modlinski (2014) define a prank as a
ridiculous event or act carried out to amuse or ridicule a
victim who does not anticipate being the target of any
mockery or comic circumstance. Pranks have been
defined as a type of play that, by drawing on socio-cultural
ideas, seeks to blur the line between imagination and
reality and is unserious, make-believe, and involves a
significant amount of surprise (p.32). A possible reason
why prank videos are growing common on social media is
the accessibility of technological devices like digital
cameras, which have made video production simple. The
short skits are captured by the camera, edited, and posted
on social media for viewers. Again, it is necessary to state
that stand-up comedy which involves the telling and
performance of jokes by a comic before a live audience, is
different from social media comedy which are already pre-
recorded comic videos by comedians uploaded on social
media.
Owajaiye (2019) observes that, currently, Instagram is
regarded as the quickest channel for comedians to gain
exposure. The easy access to celebrities and the sheer
number of users of the platform, means that all it takes is
for the right persons to see your comic skit, and a
comedian is launched into social media stardom.
Examples of comedians who have become celebrities via
social media are Maraji, Emmanuella and Mark Angel,
Craze Clown, Josh2funny, Ubani Zion Chibuike (Zfancy),
and many others.
The foregoing reveals that the same reasons that led to
the decline of live theatre and gave rise to the development
of the Nigerian film industry (Nollywood), are the same
issues challenging stand-up comedy in Nigeria. Although,
comedy shows are very much in vogue, especially during
periods such as Valentine, Easter, Independence Day,
and New Year Day, issues bothering on insecurity, the get-
famous-quick syndrome, the immediacy and wider
coverage of social media, plus reduced time span, makes
it more comfortable and safer for people to sit in the
comfort of their homes and access comic skits on social
media with their smartphones. Also, attention is a scarce
commodity on social media, as every content is designed
to catch the attention of viewers. Hence, most contents on
social media are short and compressed to meet the
constraints of the medium. This qualitative research
examines prank as social media comedy in Nigeria using
Ubani Zion Chibuike’s African Snake Man Prank and Iboji
Grave Prank as case studies.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Comedy: Meaning and origins
Comedy is one of the major divisions of drama and
describes a play that ends happily. Perhaps, the very
essence of comedy is captured in the opinion of Carus
(1898, p.251), who argues that “life is serious, and if we
could see all the misery of life at once, it would so oppress
us that we would long die”. He observes further that:
Because life is serious, and because we need
a buoyant spirit to fight the struggles of life
bravely, we need as a temporary relief from
time to time a hearty laugh. The man who
always laughs lacks seriousness, he is silly.
Constant laughing betrays a fool. But a man
who cannot laugh had better consult his
physician. He is sick. He is devoid of that
elasticity of spirit which is so necessary for
carrying the burden of life with ease and good
grace (Carus, 1898, p.251).
The import of the above submission is that laughter is a
necessity of life for every human being. Wright (1972, p.49)
observes that the very heart of comedy lies in man’s
recognition of how far his fellow man has fallen from the
idea. By implication, laughter is a sentimental outburst
which is limited to the realm of rational mentality. For
Bergson (1914, p.37), comic amusement arises when
“something mechanical is encrusted on the living”. This is
seen when a person continues to behave mechanically by
doing the same thing; in spite of changing conditions. This,
for Bergson, is a laughable situation because of the
repetitive and nonflexible behaviour. This explains his
theory of automatism.
Berger (2012) outlined four fundamental categories of
humour techniques: identity (humour created through the
player's identity, such as the character they are playing
and their appearance), action (humour created through
physical actions or non-verbal communication), language
(humour created through puns, wordplay, sarcasm, and
satire) and logic (humour created through the results of
thought, for example making someone a target for ridicule
or banter). Similarly, when humour is performed within the
appropriate context, it creates cheerful mood on the part of
the audience. In this regard, Prasetyo and Qomar (2020,
p.404) argue that the use of humour must be tested and is
the result of research that takes into account the condition
of the listener, because humour that is not appropriate in
context to the target can affect its reception and
understanding on the part of the audience.
Modern and postmodern dramas have embraced
comedy as a powerful and suitable means of commenting
on and confronting the chaos, decadence, uncertainty, and
irrationality that characterizes modern life. Olson (2001)
argues that “postmodernism and comedy are aligned in
that they function by overturning master narratives and
ridding metaphysics of transcendence and closure” (p. 6).
Comedy here serves as a means to critique, interrogate
and expose the excesses of man for the good of society.
A very good example is the South African comedian,
Trevor Noah, who uses his comedy as a tool to fight
against the racial discrimination of blacks and people of
colour. In this sense, comedy, as Fakhrkonandeh (2020,
p.111) suggests, can be characterized as a strained mode
of social realism streaked with moments of grotesque and
dark humour. It incorporates realism through mise-en-
scene, socially recognizable and morally nuanced
characters that represent diverse social and moral trends
and forces.
Aristotle informs that comedy grew out of the
improvisations of the leaders of the phallic songs in ancient
Greece. In this regard, Brockett and Hildy (1999, p.20)
record that:
Some of the pre-dramatic ceremonies were
performed by a dancing chorus who at times
masqueraded as animals, or carried an
animal as a representative; there were also
choruses of fat men, satyrs, and men of stilts.
The rites often included a procession with a
chorus who sang and danced as they carried
large phallic symbols (representing male
sexual organs) aloft a pole.
In spite of the foregoing, there seems to be contentions
regarding the origin of comedy. Stewart (1994, p.33) hints
that, “most acclaimed theatre historians can hardly
account for when and what ancient Greek audiences
laughed at”. In his Poetics, Aristotle (1902, p.4) states that
the Athenians, Dorians and the Megarians in Sicily all lay
claim to the origins of comedy. Furthermore, he adds that,
Homer, a renowned Greek poet, “was the greatest
Tekena and Anyanwu 45
composer of serious poetry… so too he was first to indicate
the form of comedy, by dramatising not an invective, but
the laughable” (p.5). Elliot (1962, p.149) observes that:
The phallic songs were, of course, ritual
performances devoted to increasing the
fertility of the land, the herds, and the people.
The ritual seems to have had two general
parts: the invocation of good through the
magic influence of the phallus, and the
expulsion of evil by means of the magic power
of satire, invective, lampoon – this last
improvised by the leaders of the songs.
The above submission reveals two key elements of Greek
comedy – the tendency to criticise or poke fun at someone
or something and the ceremonial significance of life and
fertility placed on comedy.
Social media prank and comedy
Prank is a joke played on someone who is not aware that
he or she is being played or tricked. According to
Krakowiak and Modlinski (2014), “a practical joke (i.e. a
prank) belongs to a category of disparagement humour, as
it is a playful act held to amuse, tease or even mock the
victim, and to entertain the audience” (p. 31). While pranks
occur in seemingly natural situations with victims who play
along unaware that they are being filmed and are objects
of a joke, cloutlighting which is a word derived from the
words ‘clout’ and ‘gaslighting’ aims to increase engage-
ment on social media by luring people who are obviously
uncomfortable and unwilling with pranks or jokes (Nagesh,
2018). Cloutlighting is an extreme form of prank. A
common trend features men playing cruel pranks on their
partners before posting videos of them crying or in pain
online to earn more followers on social media.
Rodger (2018) recounts how YouTuber Brad Holmes
played one of these pranks on his fiancé, Jenny and
posted the video of her screaming in pain for his two million
followers to see online. The 27-year-old has more than
250,00 subscribers on YouTube, and in one of his prank
videos, he calls Jenny "thick," cuts off a section of her hair
while she's asleep, and poses as if he wanted to propose
to her before revealing that it was all a joke.
Jarrar et al. (2020) opine that extreme prank is a type of
play where one love partner engages in an act that could
place the other in an embarrassing situation that is typically
unbeknownst to him or her. Unaware that they are being
pranked, the unassuming companion responds to the
scenario as though it were true. The joke or prank is then
documented on video and put online for comments and
likes (p.2). Sometimes the consequences of the act are
much worse than anticipated and cause the victim great
humiliation or suffering. As Redmond (2018) observed, her
daughter's life was destroyed by pranks that were inspired
46 Integ. J. Arts and Human.
by YouTube. Pranks can be extremely deadly and could
wreck the victim's life. This illustrates how something that
one person may perceive as harmless fun may actually be
bullying and harassment. Regrettably, observation has
revealed that numerous individuals have fallen prey to
various pranks.
While the intention of the prankster is to create ludicrous
situations intended to increase traffic and social media
following, some pranks can be extremely dangerous to
both the prankster and the victim. In the same vein, pranks
are dependent on the taboos, beliefs and traditions at work
in a particular society. Hence, how a person perceives
humour is informed by their gender, ethnicity, economic
status, and nationality, and what may seem as a joke in
Europe could be perceived negatively in Africa (Arnold,
2011). This therefore calls for caution amongst comics and
pranksters when making prank videos. The foregoing
suggests that not all prank videos are comic, as some may
be offensive even if they attract a huge social media
engagement. Extreme pranks thrive on fear and pain,
which victims are subjected to and later freed when the
joke is over.
Social media: A definition
Social media describes a computer-based interactive
system of mediated technologies that facilitate information
sharing through virtual communities made possible by the
internet. For Thurairatnam (2021), “social media is a vast
network that includes various modes of communication
with clients. It consists of email, instant messaging, social
networking, telecommunications, blogs, videoconferen-
cing, online business meetings and much more”. Trottier
and Fuchs (2013) state that the concept of "social media"
can be clarified using the social theory method by
identifying three social informational processes that
constitute three different types of sociality, such as
cognition, communication, and cooperation (cited in
Chima, 2019, p.17). It follows that in order to communicate
with others and create shared communication spaces,
persons have specific cognitive qualities that they employ.
These spaces are sometimes used for community building
and the co-creation of new aspects of broader social
systems, in addition to being used for interaction.
Kaplan and Haenlein (2010, p.61) describe social media
as “a collection of internet-based applications that utilise
the technological and ideological foundations of Web 2.0,
and let the exchange and making of user generated
content”. The foregoing shows how technology influences
social media. Kumar (2016, p.1) observes that “social
media and technologies are a networking computer
mediated technology that allows people and other
organizations to share, create or exchange information,
literature, researchers, videos/blogs, and ideas in virtual
communities”. Additionally, the availability of technological
tools like smart phones, laptops, digital cameras,
televisions, etc. has made social media accessible to
anybody with these tools. Global connectivity has been
made feasible through social media platforms like
WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well as
video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Google Meet,
Microsoft Teams, and others.
In an article published on the Wall Street Journal, Aeppel
(2015) observed that Oxford University economists
reported an eye-catching metric that it took telephone 75
years, radio 38 years, TV 13 years, Internet 4 years, and
Facebook 3.5 years to reach 50 million users, whereas an
online gaming app - Angry Birds, achieved that feat in just
35 days. This shows the enormous impact of technology
on social media.
METHODOLOGY
Biography of Ubani Zion Chibuike
Zion Ubani Chibuike is a popular Nigerian prankster known
as Zfancy. He is a comedian, social media influencer and
a film maker known for his prank videos. He was born on
18th August 1995 to the family of Mr and Mrs Ubani, and
hails from Abia State of Nigeria. He grew up in Lagos,
where he had his secondary and higher education. His
interest in comedy began during his childhood days when
he engaged in playing pranks on his siblings. He started
his career professionally in 2017, and created his YouTube
channel, where he began posting videos centred on
pranks. His YouTube page – Zfancy has 391, 000
subscribers, and his Facebook page – Zfancytv has 1
million followers.
Chibuike was arrested in October 2018 for pranking a
man at a mall in Lekki, Lagos State. The man involved was
angry as he felt embarrassed. He was made to take off his
clothes, revealing his unclean inner-wears which made his
friends laugh at him. The situation was reported to the
police at the mall; and Chibuike was arrested alongside his
camera man. However, Chibuike managed to get out of
the situation by pranking the police officers, who were
about making them pay some money. He and his camera
man were later released and he made a video revealing
his ordeal.
Chibuike has been known for many popular pranks
online, some of which include: Abusive African Prank,
Soldier Uniform Prank, Scorpion Prank, Calling Sars with
Stranger’s Phone Prank, African Snake Man Prank and
many others. In addition to his YouTube Channel, he has
a Facebook and an Instagram page, where he uploads his
prank videos.
Methods
The digital qualitative research method and netnography
are used in this study. Digital qualitative method involves
conducting research online or using the internet as a
source of data e.g., by analyzing social media posts or
online articles/blogs on a specific issue. Netnography
entails studying and analyzing users' written remarks,
communication style, involvement frequency, and dwell
time while engaging with contents on social media. In this
case, netnography will be used to examine online
audience engagements with African Snake Man Prank and
Iboji Grave Prank.
The study's sample comprises of 40 Nigerian social
media comedians who frequently publish amusing skits on
social media. However, only Zfancy was discovered to
produce pranks as a form of social media comedy, while
the others focused on pure comedy skits. Out of the 40
comedians, Zfancy was selected using the convenience
sampling technique, which entails choosing data subjects
based on their accessibility to the researcher. The
population also includes 128 videos on Zfancy's YouTube
channel, 391,000 subscribers, 6,000 likes, 1,246,990
views and 2,891 comments from African Snake Man
Prank, and 12, 000 likes, 376,606 views, and 1,221
comments from Iboji Grave Prank. From the 128 prank
videos, two were selected: African Snake Man Prank and
Iboji Grave Prank. Eight comments were also sampled for
analysis – Four from comments on African Snake Man
Prank and four from comments on Iboji Grave Prank.
The above sample only reflects a small section of the
whole population. Passive YouTube users/subscribers on
Zfancy’s YouTube channel were excluded from the
selection process. Through observation, analysis, and
examination of the prank videos, as well as through online
users' views and comments, the validity of the data
instruments was established.
THE SCENES
Synopsis of African Snake Man Prank
The story opens with a short clip of a snake prank to whet
the appetite of viewers, then a short introduction by
Chibuike and his Assistant. The next scene shows
Chibuike standing in front of a provision shop. He is
dressed in a black polo shirt and jean trouser, a black
cowboy-like face cap, a brown bag and brown shoes. He
asks the owner of the shop for directions to a residential
area known as Bode Thomas in Surulere-Lagos. He tells
the shop owner that he has a show. Another lady gives him
directions to the place; telling him to use a motorcycle. Two
other women are seated in front of the shop.
Chibuike is about leaving when he asks the women if
they saw something leave his bag. He tells the ladies that
it is his snake, and that he is a snake man. The ladies are
thrown into panic as Chibuike begins to make hissing
sounds in an attempt to call back his snake. The shop
owner begins to plead ‘the Blood of Jesus’ and ‘Holy Ghost
fire’ as she asks him to leave with his snake. Chibuike tells
the woman that it is a python snake, and that he would
Tekena and Anyanwu 47
come back for the snake. The shop owner says he is going
nowhere, as she keeps rebuking him ‘In the Name of
Jesus’. Some neighbours are attracted to the scene.
Chibuike continues with his hissing sounds as he hopes to
attract the snake out. Everyone leaves the shop in fear and
stand out waiting for the snake man to call the snake out.
Chibuike tells the lady that he would come back. Other
residents insist he must leave with the snake.
The next scene shows Chibuike in front of a salon. Four
ladies casually dressed in tops and jean trousers are
seated, as Chibuike, dressed as in the previous scene,
asks them if they saw anything that entered the shop. He
informs them that he is a snake man and that he has a
snake show. He bends down and begins to hiss in an
attempt to call the snake out. The ladies quickly leave their
seats and stand some distance away from the shop.
Chibuike tells them that it is his python snake. The shop
owner tries to close the shop as the ladies inside run out.
The next scene shows Chibuike standing at a roadside,
as he asks two Yoruba ladies, seated in front of a shop,
how he can get to Lawanson in Lagos. They give him
directions, after which he looks at his bag and asks the
ladies if they saw anything leave his bag. He tells them that
it is his snake. The ladies move away from their seats as
Chibuike begins to hiss, in a bid to call the snake out.
Neighbours in close-by shops leave their shops out of fear.
He tells the people that he has a snake show and that he
is looking for his cobra snake. He tells them that the snake
is black and tall. Few minutes later, he says he wants to
leave and that he would come back for his snake. One of
the ladies tells him that they have small children there; that
he should leave with his snake. He informs them that the
cobra does not bite. They all say it is a lie; that it bites. A
man dressed in a sky-blue caftan arrives the scene.
Chibuike tells the people that the snake spits acid. He
attempts to leave. The man accosts him and says he
cannot leave; that he must leave with his snake.
Chibuike tells the man that he has a show in Lagos. The
man tells him to leave with his snake; that they do not know
how to train cobras. Chibuike informs them that he has a
second snake inside his bag. The man discourages him
from bringing it out as he points to a sleeping child. One of
the neighbours tells him to bring out the second snake; so
that it would look for the missing one. He attempts to open
his bag. The people shift from him quickly. He leaves them
as he rushes off quickly.
The next scene shows Chibuike in front of another shop.
He asks for directions and a man attempts to describe the
directions to him. Then he asks the man and three ladies
inside the shop if they saw his snake. He informs them that
he has a show. He begins to make hissing sounds and
bends to open his bag. One of the ladies catches the trick
and discovers that it is fake. The next scene shows clips
of Chibuike as he brings out his bag with papers bearing
various inscriptions: ‘Python Snake’, ‘Cobra Snake’, and
‘Anaconda Snake’. The people laugh realising that he
succeeded in fooling them.
48 Integ. J. Arts and Human.
Synopsis of Iboji Grave Prank
The twelve minutes and thirteen-second-long video begins
with Chibuike approaching two Yoruba women dressed in
traditional Yoruba attire. Chibuike welcomes them and
introduces himself before telling the women in Yoruba that
he is looking for the cemetery and that he intends to go
and spend the night there. Upon hearing this, one of the
women pulls away from him, while the other woman urges
him to ask around before also backing away. He then
starts to follow her while pleading with her to show him the
way to the cemetery. He chases after her, and she takes
to her heels. There is a scene with Chibuike and two young
men right after that in which he tells the audience that they
are in Abeokuta to try some pranks.
In the following scene, Chibuike asks four women—two
seated and the other two standing by the expressway—for
the location of the cemetery that he wants to spend the
night there. One of the women tells him they have no idea
what he is talking about, another starts to back away from
him. He implores her to take him there. The lady replies
him that she cannot be the one and takes off with the two
others. They keep looking back to ensure they are safe.
The next scene shows Chibuike participating in a
celebration. He approaches a man and three women and
says he needs directions to the cemetery because he
wants to go there and spend the night. They enquire about
the type of grave he has in mind. He repeats that he wants
to go and sleep in the grave. He tells them he is taking
them along with him. The women move away from him
before taking off. Chibuike points at the man and says he
is going with him. Chibuike chases after the man as he
starts to run. He abruptly comes to a stop and charges
violently at Chibuike. Chibuike instantly lets him know that
it is a prank. He sees a group of Yoruba drummers and
asks them to play while he and his team dance to ease the
tension as they laugh with the prank victims.
The next act takes place at Olumo rock, in Abeokuta.
Chibuike informs viewers that ‘Iboji’ means grave in
Yoruba language and that they would be doing some
pranks there. A tour guide educates them on the historical
significance of Olumo rock. This is followed by another
scene where Chibuike and his team tell viewers that
Abeokuta is a good city with beautiful people. Chibuike
tells viewers that there is less traffic in Abeokuta and
encourages them to visit the place.
The next scene takes place in front of an automobile
shop. Chibuike is standing before seven men dressed in
casual attires and seated. Chibuike greets and introduces
himself to them. He informs them that he is from Lagos and
that he is tired of life. He tells them that he wants to take
his life and begs them for directions to the grave, for him
to go and sleep there. The men begin to stand up one after
the other. Soon they begin to run as Chibuike runs after
them shouting that he wants to go to the grave.
The succeeding act features Chibuike in front of ten
young men. He introduces himself and tells them that he
does not understand life anymore. He tells them that he
came from Lagos and is looking for the burial ground. He
begs them to show him the way but they begin to leave
one after another. One of the men is courageous enough
as he asks Chibuike what he wants to go and do there.
Chibuike tells him that he wants to go and sleep there. He
then tells the man that he is going with him. The man tells
Chibuike that he cannot take him; and that Chibuike cannot
be dead. Chibuike raises his hands as though he is
conjuring and points to one of the men, then says he is
taking the man with him. They all take off.
In this scene, Chibuike converses with three men who
are sitting in front of a store. He introduces himself and
states that he is from Lagos. He tells them that he does not
understand this life anymore and that everything is hard.
He then asks for directions to the burial ground, that he
wants to go back. The men ask him what reasons are
making him take that decision. Chibuike tells them that he
is taking them with him. They stand up and move away
from him. Chibuike points to one of the men and says he
is taking him. The man quickly pleads the blood of Jesus
and says he is not going anywhere.
This scene shows Chibuike and four other men in front
of another automobile shop. One is standing and three are
seated. Chibuike greets them and introduces himself. He
informs them that he is from Lagos and that life is hard;
that he wants to go back to the grave. Chibuike points to
one of the men and says he is taking him along with him.
The man begins to run away while the others move away
from the scene. Chibuike begins to pursue after the man
for a few minutes and later stops, as he informs the man
that it is a joke. They all laugh over it. This is followed by a
last scene that shows Chibuike laughing with all the people
he pranked in the video.
AFRICAN SNAKE MAN PRANK AND IBOJI GRAVE
PRANK AS SOCIAL MEDIA COMEDY
African Snake Man Prank is a 13-minute comic skit that
features Chibuike pranking some residents in Lagos city of
Nigeria. The comic skit is hosted on his YouTube channel
– Zfancy which has 391, 000 subscribers and 128 videos.
The description on the channel reads “I make Pranks,
Social Experiments, Challenge & vlog videos all to draw
smile on your face and make the world a happier place”.
This statement shows his commitment to creating comic
prank videos as well as other forms of experiments.
Figure 1 shows that the African Snake Man Prank video
was posted on YouTube on 6th November, 2019, and as
of 30th March, 2023, the video had 26,000 likes, 1,246,990
views and 2,891 comments. The following comments are
presented to provide insights on the reception of the video
by subscribers on Zfancy’s YouTube channel. Chibuike
first thanks users for watching the video, then he invites
them to comment and subscribe to his YouTube channel
thus, “Thanks for watching guys… We really appreciate
Tekena and Anyanwu 49
Figure 1. African Snake Man Prank on YouTube (Source: Chibuike’s African Snake Man Prank, 2019).
…The boys will be heading to different states this season
so comment your city…And don’t forget to subscribe to the
happiest and fanciest family on YouTube” (Chibuike’s
African Snake Man Prank, 2019). This comment had 573
likes and 114 replies.
Following the above, User 1 comments, “That first
woman will still go and testify in church even after knowing
its a prank. She's just like my mom…”. This user compares
one of the characters in the prank to her mother, thus
personalizing the act. User 2 comments “I love how
Nigerians always turn to prayers. The trust they have in
prayer is amazing …” (Chibuike’s African Snake Man
Prank, 2019). This user is impressed by the religious
sense of Nigerians because the video depicts them as
people who love to pray. User 3 comments “I love how
happy Nigerians are…even though everything is not
fine…we still have a reason to be happy” (Chibuike’s
African Snake Man Prank, 2019). This user is also
impressed by how Nigerians try to be happy in spite of the
many challenges they face. As seen in the end of the
prank, the various victims are seen laughing with the
prankster after knowing that it was all a joke. User 4
comments “This guy is crazy, I can't stop laughing! From
Tanzania” (Chibuike’s African Snake Man Prank, 2019).
This user who is from Tanzania, believes Chibuike is crazy
for choosing to prank people and film them without their
notice. User 4 is impressed by the acts and cannot stop
laughing.
Chibuike’s style of comedy arouses laughter from
natural situations or scenarios, where people are expected
to react as they would do naturally when faced with that
particular circumstance. Fear is a natural quality and
instinct in every human; and all humans are capable of
being afraid. Also, prank itself is a joke or a mischievous
act intended to deceive the victim into believing that
whatever is happening at the time is true and real.
Nigeria is a multi-ethnic nation facing a lot of socio-
economic and religious challenges. Hence, any act woven
around religious and socio-economic themes will definitely
get the attention of Nigerians. Fear is a major phenomenon
which every Nigerian lives with, owing to the insecurity
challenges facing the country such as kidnapping, pipeline
vandalisation, Boko-Haram insurgency, Fulani herdsmen
and farmers conflict, as well as religious hypocrisy/
charlatanism, etc. Also, humans dread snakes,
irrespective of race, ethnicity, sex or religious bias.
Perhaps, this is the reason the Afro beat King, Fela
Anikulapo Kuti, said Nigerians do not want to die, but want
to go to heaven. The fear of death (or suffering) is a major
tool which politicians and religious leaders use to control
the lives of Nigerians. Fortunately, it is this same
phenomenon of fear that Chibuike exploits in his African
Snake Man Prank to elicit laughter from the audience.
Chibuike begins his comic prank adventure with an
introductory scene, preparing the minds of the audience
on what they should expect. The next scene opens at the
front of a shop as Chibuike asks for directions to a
residential area in Lagos known as Bode Thomas, from
four ladies. The owner of the shop explains how he would
get there (Figure 2).
Chibuike complains that his python snake is missing.
This puts the shop owner and her colleagues in panic as
50 Integ. J. Arts and Human.
Figure 2. Chibuike asks for directions from four ladies (Source:
Chibuike’s African Snake Man Prank, 2019).
Figure 3. Chibuike complains that his snake is missing as he
looks into his bag (Source: Chibuike’s African Snake Man Prank,
2019).
Figure 4. Chibuike laughs as he holds a paper with the inscription
‘Python Snake’ for his prank victims (Source: Chibuike’s African
Snake Man Prank, 2019).
Chibuike makes hissing sounds in an attempt to call the
snake out. The owner of the shop pleads the blood of
Jesus; an indication that she is a Christian, while she and
others move out and stand at the front of the shop. This
attracts other residents. Chibuike then tells the shop owner
that he is leaving and would come back for the snake. The
shop owner insists that he must leave with his snake.
The laughter that arises from this scene comes from the
reactions of the shop owner and other residents over the
snake news. The shop owner pleads the blood of Jesus
and tells Chibuike: “I rebuke you!” Insinuating that
Chibuike is the devil; Nigerian Christians, especially
Pentecostals are known to rebuke evil a lot. Everyone
panics, whereas the audience knows that it is a joke. This
dramatic irony is what elicits laughter on the part of the
spectators.
The next scene takes place in a salon (Figure 3).
Chibuike is standing in front of five ladies, as he asks for
directions. One of the ladies gives him directions, then
Chibuike complains that his snake is missing as he looks
into his bag. The ladies run out of the shop because of fear,
while Chibuike begins to make hissing sounds, as he
bends down to call out the snake.
The comedy in this scene, just like the previous, comes
from the behaviours of the ladies on hearing that
Chibuike’s snake is missing. The ladies run out of the
shop, believing that the snake must have sneaked out of
Chibuike’s bag into the shop. The audience laughs at the
ladies because they are reacting naturally to a situation
that is unreal.
Chibuike arrives a third shop and asks for directions to
Lawanson in Lagos. Two Yoruba ladies explain how he
would get there, then he complains that his Cobra snake
is missing. The ladies and other residents are in panic and
fear. He begins to hiss as usual in an attempt to call back
the snake. He tells the residents that he wants to leave,
but they insist that he must leave with his snake.
The next scene features Chibuike repeating the act of
the previous scene; but the shop owner catches the trick.
After this, Chibuike brings out papers with the inscriptions:
‘Python Snake’, ‘Cobra Snake’, and ‘Anaconda Snake’,
which he shows to everyone he tricked from the first scene
to the last and they laugh over it (Figure 4).
It is important to note that the entire prank video was
recorded with a hidden camera, held by Chibuike’s camera
man but hidden from the view of the prank victims.
On the other hand, Chibuike's Iboji Grave Prank is a
humorous skit that lasts for 12 minutes and 13 seconds. It
was published on his YouTube channel - Zfancy on 18th
November, 2019, and as of 30th March, 2023, the video
had 12,000 likes, 376,606 views, and 1,221 comments
(Figure 5). The following comments are sampled to
provide insights on YouTube users interaction with the
video. Chibuike sets the stage with the following
comments “IBOJI (GRAVE) PRANK IN ABEOKUTA will
make you laugh out loud, hope you find this funny prank
funny” (Chibuike’s Iboji Grave Prank, 2019). This comment
introduces the skit to YouTube users and prepares their
minds on what to expect.
Following Chibuike’s comment, User 5 comments “We
Tekena and Anyanwu 51
Figure 5. Iboji Grave Prank onYouTube (Source: Chibuike’s Iboji Grave Prank, 2019).
really gotta appreciate this man guys, literally risks his
health just to give us good content…” (Chibuike’s Iboji
Grave Prank, 2019). User 5 calls on other users to
appreciate what Chibuike goes through such as the risks
and dangers involved, in order to produce contents that
meet their tastes. There are a lot of risks involved in
producing skits such as these, and one may fall into the
hands of victims, who out of fear and defence could get
physical with the prankster. Such actions could result to
assault and injury on part of the prankster. User 6 reacts
thus, “The moment he says "I'm taking you with me", the
message sinks in” (Chibuike’s Iboji Grave Prank, 2019).
This user relates how Chibuike’s prank victims look
helpless and are overtaken by fear when he declares that
he is taking them with him to the grave. All they have left
is to run for their safety. The same way everyone would
react when faced with life-threatening situations.
User 7 reacts with the words “That man that was asking
him why he was tired and for his plans is so
compassionate” (Chibuike’s Iboji Grave Prank, 2019).
User 7 identifies with one of the prank victims who wanted
to know Chibuike’s plans, why he was tired of life and
wanted to die. Unlike other victims, this one was looking
for a way to help Chibuike do away with his suicidal
thoughts which is commendable. User 8 comments
“Lmao... I like the fact that Zfancy has improved over time
and his pranks are more relatable than ever. Kudos bruh”
(Chibuike’s Iboji Grave Prank, 2019). User 8, who seems
to be a long-time follower, observes the improvement in
Chibuike’s prank videos, and commends him for that.
Iboji Grave Prank features Chibuike asking residents of
Figure 6. Seven men take to their heels when Chibuike tells them
he is going to the graveyard (Source: Chibuike’s Iboji Grave
Prank, 2019).
Abeokuta city to show him the direction to the graveyard.
He tells them that he is tired of life and needs rest in the
graveyard (Iboji - the Yoruba word for cemetery), having
come all the way from Lagos because of frustration. On
hearing this, the residents panic and are scared. They
immediately shift from him and run away while he pursues
after them (Figure 6). Broken into nine segments, the plot
presents six different situations where Chibuike pranks the
residents of Abeokuta.
The laughter arises from the reactions of the residents
who are not aware that they are being pranked. They react
as they would do naturally and this creates amusement on
52 Integ. J. Arts and Human.
Figure 7. Chibuike Laughing with some of his prank victims after
telling them it was a joke (Source: Chibuike’s Iboji Grave Prank,
2019).
the part of the audience. This use of dramatic irony; where
the audience knows important facts ahead of the
characters is what Chibuike exploits in this comic skit.
Unlike other comic skits, the production style involves little
scripting with less planning. Chibuike relies on
improvisation or sketchy storylines and a repetitive use of
the same narrative on different prank victims. The screen
actors play their roles naturally without any pre-rehearsal.
Hence, the nature of the acting is simple and naturalistic.
It happens on the spur of the moment. Like documentary
films, the production requires little editing because it
involves the use of long takes in terms of camera shots
which reduces production time and costs.
The last scene (Figure 7) shows various clips of
Chibuike laughing with all his prank victims after revealing
to them that they were pranked. This scene is also comic
because the prank victims laugh at themselves for being
so gullible.
Conclusion
Comedy as a genre of drama has enjoyed tremendous
developments as a form of entertainment in Nigeria. While
stand-up comedy continues to thrive, the coming of social
media and the coronavirus pandemic ushered in a new
brand of comics which we call ‘social media comedians’.
This group of comedians, with the aid of the camera,
produce comic pieces which range from pure comedy skits
to prank videos that are comic in nature. Aside the fame
that social media gives them, many have become
millionaires overnight by producing contents that generate
traffic and engagements on their social media pages.
This study has examined prank as a form of social media
comedy using Ubani Zion Chibuike’s African Snake Man
Prank and Iboji Grave Prank. Drawing from comments by
Users on Chibuike’s YouTube channel - Zfancy, who
watched the two prank videos, both skits had a good user-
engagement. However, African Snake Man Prank got
more audience engagement of 6,000 likes, 1,246,990
views and 2,891 comments than Iboji Grave Prank which
had 12,000 likes, 376,606 views, and 1,221 comments as
of 30th March, 2023. Also, their comments suggests that
they found both pranks to be comic and entertaining and
could relate with the situations they explored. Furthermore,
Chibuike’s prank skits rely heavily on natural situations
than on well scripted scenarios. This kind of approach
erases the problem of elaborate scripting, directing and
editing, as the producer relies on sketchy and improvised
scenarios to drive the narrative, which reduces the cost
and time of production. The study calls for more research
on other forms of comedy on social media.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
REFERENCES
Aeppel, T. (2015, March 13). 50 million users: The making of an
‘Angry Birds’ Internet meme. The Wall Street Journal.
Retrieved 29 March 2023 from
https://www.dcomin.host.dartmouth.edu/index_files/wsj.pdf.
Arnold, C. (2011). Jesting our limits: Do April fools’ day pranks
alienate or engage people? Practical jokes and pranks serve
to both test social bonds and bring groups together,
researchers find. Retrieved 29 March 2023 from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-april-fools-
jokes-tests-limits-alienate-engage/.
Aristotle (1902). Theory of poetry and fine arts, 3rd edition. Trans.
S. H. Butcher. London: Macmillan and Co.
Attardo, S. (1994). Linguistic theories of humour. New York:
Mouton.
Attardo, S. (2011). Humour. In: Zienkowski, J., Ostman, J. &
Verschueren, J. (eds.), Discursive pragmatics (pp.135-155).
Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Berger, A. (2012). An anatomy of humor. United States of
America: Transaction Publishers.
Bergson, H. (1914). Laughter: An essay on the meaning of the
comic (C. Brereton & F. Rothwell, Trans.). New York:
Macmillan.
Brockett, O., & Hildy, F. (1999). History of the theatre, 8th edition.
Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.
Carus, P. (1898). On the philosophy of laughing. The Monist,
8(2), 250-272.
Chibuike, Z. U. (2019, November 6). African snake man prank.
[Video file]. Retrieved 29 March 2023 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BT8IqQsYkM.
Chibuike, Z. U. (2019, November 18). Iboji grave prank. [Video
file]. Retrieved 29 March 2023 from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVc6oOGLq-Q.
Chima, P. E. (2019). Social media and theatre marketing in the
universities of Port Harcourt and Uyo. (Unpublished doctoral
dissertation)). University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt,
Nigeria.
Elliot, R. C. (1962). The satirist and society. In: Kernan A. B. (ed.).
Modern satire. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
Fakhrkonandeh, A. (2020). Humour as an art of descent and
negative dialectics: A deleuzian analysis of the functions of
humour in Trevor Griffiths’ Comedians. Brno Studies in
English, 46(1), 101-124.
Filani, O. I. (2016). Humour strategies and acts in Nigerian stand-
up comedy. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of
Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Jarrar, Y., Awobamise, A., Nnabuife, S., & Nweke, G. E. (2020).
Perception of pranks on social media: Clout-Lighting. Online
Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 10(1), 1-
12.
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlin, M. (2010). Users of the world unite: The
challenges and opportunities of social media. Business
Horizons, 53, 59-68.
Karpińska-Krakowiak, M., & Modliński, A. (2014). Prankvertising
– pranks as a new form of brand advertising online. Modern
Management Review, 21(3), 31-44.
Kumar, A. (2016). Social media, technology and surgery –
creating awareness. International Journal of Dental and
Medical Specialty, 3(3), 1-2.
Kunde, A. (2022). 10 ways technology has transformed video
production. Retrieved 31 March 2023 from
https://www.cadence-unplugged.com/10-ways-technology-
has-transformed-video-production/.
Nagesh, A. (2018). Cloutlighting: From online pranks to toxic
social media trend. Retrieved 29th March, 2023 from
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/2f85d272-c509-4d2c-
86bf-d4ed4f4e6d9b.
Olson, K. (2001). Comedy after postmodernism: Rereading
Comedy from Edward Lear to Charles Willeford. Texas: Texas
Tech University Press.
Tekena and Anyanwu 53
Owojaiye, M. (2019). The metamorphosis of Nigerian comedy
and DStv as a platform for exposure. Retrieved March 18th
2020 from https://www.businessday.ng/opinion/article/the-
metamorphosis-of-nigerian-comedy-and-dstv-as-a-platform-
for-exposure/
Raskin, V. (1985). Semantic mechanisms of humour. Dordrecht:
D. Reidel.
Redmond, L. (2018). A YouTube-inspired prank ruined my
daughter’s life. The Guardian News Online. Retrieved 29th
March 2023 from https://www.theguardian.com/
commentisfree/2018/apr/17/a-youtube-inspired-prank-ruined-
my-daughters-life.
Rodjer, J. (2018, December 10). The disturbing new 'cloutlighting'
trend showing shocking abuse sweeping social media.
Retrieved 29th March 2023 from https://www.birminghammail.
co.uk/news/midlands-news/disturbing-new-cloutlighting-trend-
showing-15530802.
Prasetyo, A. R., & Qomar, M. M. (2020). Comedy as arts learning
method. International Conference on Art, Design, Education
and Cultural Studies. Pp. 400-404.
Stewart, Z. (1994). Laughter and the Greek philosophers: A
sketch. In: Jakel, S., & A. Timonen (Eds.), Laughter down the
centuries (pp.29-37). Turku, Fintand: Turun Yliopisto.
Thurairatnam, S. (2021). How technology influences social
media. Retrieved 31st March 2023 from https://www.
entrepreneur.com/en-in/social-media/how-technology-
influences-social-media/378476.
Wright, E. (1972). Understanding today’s theatre. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
