Congo's stand-up comics take aim at country's grinding war

(Reuters) -Comedians in Congo are mining their country's chronic instability for laughs, entertaining people displaced by the war with the M23 rebels with their dark humour. "Can you imagine Kabila as an emergency room doctor?" one of the comics said, setting up a joke about how former President Joseph Kabila's slow speaking style would mean some patients would die before they even got seen. "Kabila as an emergency room doctor would sound like this: 'Thank you. Those with broken feet will be here, those with tibia problems will also be here … I'll start again, I did say those with broken feet … oh, they're already dead'," he said, to roars from the audience. The comedy show was before Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes for his alleged role in backing the advance of M23. Kabila, who led Congo from 2001 to 2019, has denied wrongdoing and said the judiciary has been politicised. ORGANISER OFFERING 'MASS THERAPY' Another comic during the open air set in the government-held city of Beni went on an extended riff contrasting upbeat, rumba-influenced Congolese music with the sad, down-tempo hits of some Western singer-songwriters. "When a white person sings, you can tell he's had time to think, write, get into the studio … I want these problems," he said. In the crowd was Placide Itula, 28, who fled Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, in February, travelling more than 100 km (60 miles) on a motorbike taxi and pirogue boat to get to the safety of Beni, a city that has for years welcomed displaced civilians in makeshift camps and residents' homes. Goma fell under the control of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in late January. Itula's wife had a miscarriage as M23 approached the city and has been unable to make the journey, meaning he has been staying there alone. Itula said he attended the comedy show "with the hope of reducing stress and anxiety and seeing if at least I can find a little smile when I see others". Goma's fall was part of a lightning advance that saw M23 seize more territory than it has ever held and spurred fighting that killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands of others. Rwanda has long denied backing M23 and says its forces act in self-defence. But a group of U.N. experts said in a report in July that Kigali exercised command and control over the rebels. Christian Kabwe, who organises the comedy shows, said there was a need to "de-stress" the population. "We told ourselves, as the French say, that laughter is therapeutic, so we wanted to offer this mass therapy," he said. (Reporting by Congo newsroom;Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet;Editing by Alison Williams)

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