In this compelling book, Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga explores the dynamic intersection of political satire, national identity, and youth-led resistance in Zimbabwe’s digital landscape. The book offers a nuanced analysis of satirical content produced by Magamba and Bust Stop TV, demonstrating how these platforms challenge the ruling party’s narrative and expose sociopolitical realities. By examining the historical context of Zimbabwe’s political landscape and the role of media and activism, Msimanga provides a rich understanding of the power of satire as a tool for dissent and democratic change. His framework of ‘dissident’ satire, grounded in African cultural practices and theoretical perspectives, further enriches this insightful study, making it a valuable contribution to the study of media, youth and politics in Africa.

Francis B. Nyamnjoh, University of Cape Town

Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga’s Political Humour and Zimbabwean Identity on Social Media Platforms is a thoughtful, well-researched, and theoretically-sound volume that adds to knowledge about the deterritorialisation of critical political communication from physical spaces dominated by monolithic, state-controlled media mouthpieces to social media platforms in cyberspace. By deploying humour as the main weapon of their “performative activism” and political communication, Magamba and Bus Stop TV opened up the monolithic, state-controlled space of political communication in Zimbabwe to a multiplicity of narratives of difference, national identity, and the very notion of “Zimbabweanness.” These channels also use humor as a tool of subtle resistance against the static, shop-worn nationalistic and identitarian discourses of the authoritarian regime of Zimbabwe, resisting majoritarian ethno-nationalist marginalization, repression, erasure of the minority, political intimidation and perpetual climates of fear. Through this work, Msimanga demonstrates the reality that social media platforms have become arenas of counter discourses, spaces of contestation, and of speaking truth, albeit humorously and obliquely, to the powers that be.

Lyombe Eko, Texas Tech University

Mbongeni Msimanga's seminal work introduces a nascent theoretical framework for understanding how subalterns, through satirical dissidentiality, challenge power structures, even while facing potentially fatal consequences. By exploring these daring acts of creative defiance, Msimanga offers fresh insights into the evolving nature of protest cultures and political expression in oppressive environments, making this book essential reading for scholars of political science, media studies, and cultural resistance.

Trust Matsilele, Birmingham City University

A much-needed book that updates and leads us into rethinking the role of media and use of humour and satire in African politics. It magnifies the Zimbabwean problem, how it has been humorously engaged with and the possibilities of humour as a political tool that might lead to change.

Shepherd Mpofu, University of South Africa