How humour can change the world
Speakers: Caty Borum Chattoo (CMSI), Ricardo Del Bufalo (comedian and scriptwriter), The Yes Men (comic activists)
Language: English
The power of humour in social change
“I believe that one of the ways of changing the hearts of people is the capacity of making them laugh.” Dixit Desmond Tutu.
Anyone who believes that mountains of data and a moralizing tone are what will change the world hasn’t been paying attention. The key to systemic change is hearts before minds. Humour can engage people on social justice issues where facts or advocacy fall short.
People pay closer attention to serious, complex information when delivered through comedy. Humour opens a door to complex social issues and enables difficult conversations. On issues usually portrayed as hopeless, such as climate change or global inequality, humour can also be a source of hope and optimism. As emotions help motivate behavioural change, humour shifts perspectives, shapes cultural narratives, and generates empathy.
“It doesn’t have to be this way” is the message of both the comedian and the social justice campaigner. It’s a message that threatens authority and disturbs the settled order. Comedy and social justice sectors overlap in spirit – both challenge the status quo and prompt people to see things differently – but are not often in the same room. This should change. In a polarised world, dominated by doomsday messages and short attention spans, civil society should unlock the power of humour to change the world.
“Comedians who say something serious about the world while they make us laugh, are capable of mobilizing the masses, focusing a critical lens on injustices, and injecting hope and optimism into seemingly hopeless problems.”
Speakers
Caty Borum Chattoo
Caty Borum Chattoo is executive director of the Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI), an innovation lab and research centre at American University that highlights and studies media designed for social change. She is also an assistant professor at the American University School of Communication in Washington D.C., working at the intersection of social change communication, documentary and entertainment storytelling.
She is co-author of "A Comedian and An Activist Walk Into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice", a book that "explains how comedy - both in entertainment and within cultural strategy - can engage audiences on issues such as global poverty, climate change, immigration and sexual assault, and how activists work with comedy to reach and empower publics."
Ricardo Del Bufalo
Ricardo Del Bufalo is a Venezuelan comedian and scriptwriter, graduated as a journalist. He has starred in stand-up comedy shows and has performed in several cities in Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Chile and Argentina.
He has been a scriptwriter for radio, television, podcasts and web shows. He has hosted his own podcast and web show, and has two musical albums of political and social satire. He is a human rights activist, teacher of creative writing and humor workshops, and professor of the first Stand-up Comedy Diploma certified by a university in Latin America.
The Yes Men
The Yes Men are comic activists known for infiltrating the business world to pull off jaw-dropping media spectacles that target the world's biggest corporate criminals.
Since 1996, they have used humor and trickery to highlight the corporate takeover of American society and the neoliberal delusion that allows it. Their antics have been seen worldwide in three award-winning feature films. They currently operate as coaches and advisors to activist organizations who want to leverage the power of mischief and fun to gain visibility for campaigns.
