Ctrl.Alt.Shift Comedy Night @ The Hi-Fi Club
Comedy - is it a good way to get an idea across? I think so. I remember jokes better than I remember a lecture. And that's why Ctrl.Alt.Shift hosted a comedy night in Leeds' Hi-Fi Club last week, to make people see that we can have a laugh at the same issues that make us question the way things are.
We should move away from the idea that for an event to be done for a good cause, it needs to be dry, serious, and let's face it, a lot of the time, dull. Comedy is a serious business, or so someone said once. So why not use it to make a serious point? Daliso Chaponda - the headliner and real gem of the evening - for example, asked why people have such a complex about being fat. As he said: "In Africa, if you had a meal this morning, you don't f**king complain."
The audience seemed in good spirits. There was a bit of banter with a comedian saying: "How did you get to be here tonight?" – answered with: "by bus" (yes, for some, the simple jokes are the best). They also had the benefit of some theology from Daliso. Talking about his first job in Britain, which was cleaning rich people's houses, he said he was sometimes tempted to steal. He didn't though, but he enlightened the audience: "The bible says 'thou shalt not steal', but no where does it say 'thou shalt not swap.' So I took a big screen TV... and left an Etch-A-Sketch."
Speaking to people during the interval, I got the real feeling that here were some young people who did care, who did want to make a difference in the world, and at the same time, did want to have a good time - all the golden mottos that Ctrl.Alt.Shift operates with.
In addition, the comedians seemed enthusiastic about what Ctrl.Alt.Shift are doing. Tony Vino said: "We really enjoyed the night and thought it was an excellent fusion of laughter and awareness. I love what Ctrl.Alt.Shift are doing to engage a rising generation of change agents with a vision of justice."
It's hard to get other people involved a lot of the time - the issues are so big and people feel so powerless. Sometimes I feel like not enough people care. But I hope Ctrl.Alt.Shift can be a community for all these people that do care, for the people putting on events and running campaigns and trying to get others involved. As to how we become this community, I think we are becoming it. Maybe we've had to start off slow, but in light of the comedy night, Ctrl.Alt.Shift and the next generation are growing into something fantastic.
Thinking about it – maybe someone turned up to the Hi-Fi Club who wouldn't have before, maybe they read the magazine and had some interesting conversations, and maybe they went away with the spark of activism and passion for justice ignited in their heart. Maybe, just maybe.
Photos: James Prosho






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