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A political satire TV program, “The XYZ Show,” is gaining popularity for its unvarnished take on Kenya’s political figures. While its audience is growing, the program finds advertising dollars hard to come by. Dinfin Mulupi reports.

Dinfin Mulupi

Kenyan television’s first foray into political satire is currently preparing for its fourth season. That the show is still on the air surprises no one more than its creator and executive producer, Godfrey Mwapembwa (known popularly as “Gado”).

“The fact that the show managed to go on air is proof of increased press freedom in the country,” said Gado. “There were times when such a show would not see the light of day. True, we received threats, but we [are] still on air.”

Picture this: In one episode, cartoons resembling the president and prime minister are shown in a spoof about Kenya’s notorious post-election violence -- a thing that would have been unheard of in the era of former President Daniel Arap Moi.

For its boldness, “The XYZ Show”  has faced challenges from politicians calling for it to be canceled and from viewers who find it too controversial. In two ye ars, “XYZ” has tackled a range of political topics, frequently lampooning politicians. It has generated debate on issues like corruption and good governance. Even U.S. President Barack Obama and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan have had their moments of stardom in the show.

Using comedy as a check on the powerful
Gado, who is also a political cartoonist with Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper, was inspired to start the show after visiting the Parisian set of “Les Guignols”, a popular French satire show, in 2003. He hoped to use humor to expose what he believed was the rampant corruption, greed and mismanagement of government in Kenya. It took several years for Gado’s vision to be realized.

After the violence of 2007-8 following elections culminated in a coalition government, Gado saw an even greater need for a program like “The XYZ Show” to act as a check on government. There was no longer a strong opposition voice in the political system. Gado believed the program might inspire Kenyans to scrutinize their country’s leadership. Although finding a TV station that would carry the satirical program was difficult, in 2009 “The XYZ Show” aired its first episode.

According to Joe Otin, of the southern Africa research firm  Synovate Pan Africa, the show may be having a healing effect on the country, which is still smarting from the post-election crisis.

“With the troubles the country faced in 2008, we may need to take another perspective of our politics,” said Otin. “…and I think ‘XYZ’ provides a light view of our current affairs and broadens the thinking of the Kenyan citizens.”

“The show also means that Kenyans are not taking themselves too seriously and our leaders are able to take a joke. This was not the case in the KANU era,” said Otin, referring to the nearly 40 years Kenya was ruled by a single political party.

Elusive advertising dollars
By late last year viewer ratings stood at just under 5 million. With a production budget of approximately 1.8 million Kenyan shillings per show (which is way too expensive by Kenyan standards), “XYZ” has become dependent on charitable donations to survive. Despite its ability to pull in viewers, corporations have not come forward sponsor the show.

On why advertiser have shied away from the program, Otin explains that advertisers typically avoid sponsoring content that is political in nature, as Kenyan politics tend to be unpredictable. This caution is also due in part to corporate governance guidelines followed by most companies.

Otin argues this risk-averse approach means that companies are missing an opportunity to sponsor “XYZ”: “It takes a bold approach to marketing and communications to associate with such a successful program as ‘XYZ’ to reap the visibility benefits and being part of consumers’ happy moments. In this regard it calls for advertisers to act outside the box.”

Philanthropic organizations see “XYZ” as an important part of Kenya’s free press. Some, like the Omidyar organization, believe the show promotes “transparency in government”  Other donor organizations that have supported the production of “XYZ” include the Ford Foundation, the Dutch Embassy, Freedom to Create and the Open Society Institute.

“Even with the support of the donors we would not want to be over-dependent on them,” says Gado. “The independence of the show is critical for the control of editorial content.”

Planning for the future
Despite these financial challenges, “XYZ” is receiving attention from within and across the borders.  For instance, the production team has received inquiries from Senegal to produce puppets for a show modeled after “XYZ.”

According to Gado, plans are underway to make the show Pan African, by including new faces such as that of Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe.

Related links:
“The XYZ Show” website
“The XYZ Show” Facebook page, where you can also see recent political cartoons Gado has published.

Dinfin Mulupi is a business journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is currently the East Africa corresp for an online business paper based in Cape Town in South Africa.
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