The Misidentification of Bobo by Franklyn Usouwa

Franklyn Usouwa's acerbic short story from Wasafiri 123 is a satire set in an unnamed African country. Through a fictional character named Bobo, Usouwa critiques systems of censorship, repression, unbridled technological growth, and more.

Download the full piece for free during the month of November 2025 only, or read it in Wasafiri 123 in print.

The story I am about to tell will take place somewhere in Africa. You may be tempted to criticise my assertion as an unfair generalisation of a vast and complicated continent with an incredible diversity of cultures. Fair enough, but I suggest you humour me and hear the story to its completion first. If, at the end of my tale, you can beat your chest with confidence and say for certain where on the continent this story takes place, I will dip my words in palm oil and eat them. 

In this African country there will be a young man. Let’s call him Bobo, a stage name of sorts. I mean his real name will be near impossible for those not of his ethnicity to pronounce, so, Bobo it is. Bobo will be a comedian. Well, sort of. He will make humorous sketches for social media. ‘Skits’, you might call them. I am confident you are familiar with the type. His skits will mainly revolve around the dating lives of young people. At their best, the skits would be clever, tongue-in-cheek satire; but more often than not, they will lean towards crass, lewd, engagement-bait — serving as little more than an excuse to draw eyeballs to poorly integrated adverts of whatever brand would pay. I have always struggled to label such comedy myself – and their purveyors as comedians – but that is a matter of personal opinion. He will consider himself a comedian and his audience will agree. And it will be a large audience. These things are popular. 

Bobo dies in this story — not for crimes against comedy, though. I tell you this now in case you are the type to let death colour your feelings about a person. You may have judged him negatively, and perhaps learning of his death later might make you feel guilty for thinking poorly of the dead. Or, you may actually like him and feel heartbroken. Either way, I have prepared you. But now we must get to the matter of his passing and why it is important to this unnamed African country. 

Bobo will attend a certain government-organised event. While more famous celebrities climb over themselves to be introduced to the government officials in attendance, Bobo will be caught on camera rejecting a handshake from a prominent politician. For his failings – not least among which is the penchant for lowbrow comedy – Bobo will not be one for sycophancy. In my experience, there is a way nature balances people. Virtues are weighed almost evenly against vices in most men. In Bobo’s favour will be bravery and a strong sense of integrity. This particular politician will be from the same community as Bobo — and Bobo will hold him accountable for the underdevelopment of their hometown. Another virtue of Bobo’s will be generosity, manifesting in the funding of community development projects. However, it will be his feeling that social media content creators such as himself should not have to renovate schools, or fund pipe-borne water projects, while politicians like the attempted handshaker sit idly in public offices. I believe you would agree with me that Bobo’s view is not a controversial one by any stretch. However, the handshake incident will cause quite the controversy. 

You can easily predict the memes that will immortalise on the internet forever — the moment Bobo ignores the outstretched hand of this politician and brushes past him dismissively. GIFs captioned: ‘How I avoid anything that requires a calendar invite’, ‘Me dodging plans I agreed to last week’, or ‘How I handle “urgent” emails after 5 PM.’ You might, however, be surprised to learn that the incident would dominate a sizeable chunk of that news cycle. National news channels will have panels of analysts take a break from discussing the perpetual upward curve of inflation to debate the all-too-pressing matter of an internet comedian refusing to shake a politician’s hand. ‘It’s disrespectful!’ ‘The man is old enough to be his father!’ 

But the opinions of old men in newsrooms will not bother Bobo. The opinions of the perpetually scrolling, internet-glued youth – his audience – will be the input of consequence for him. Their reaction will be an outpouring of support for the skit-maker. This moment will catalyse the evolution of Bobo’s persona. He will capitalise on this opportunity to pivot his subject matter. His skits will become vicious critiques of government officials, sometimes bordering on libel. The audience will love it. His social media following will grow with each arrest. It will not take long before Bobo becomes a household name. He will no longer be compared to other comedians but to famous activists. 

At the height of Bobo’s fame, the protests will start. The unrest will simmer for a while before the bad blood between a disgruntled populace and an increasingly dictatorial government masquerading as a democracy boils over into nationwide protests. The seeds of protests will be planted on social media. At first, the people will react – as is the culture of those too accustomed to oppression – with jokes and memes to the government’s decision to arm traffic control units with military grade weaponry. But even the internet obsessed youth cannot live inside their devices. One must still go out to buy a loaf of bread on occasion, no? And outside, the tools of oppression enact violence with an assuredness that questions only timing, not certainty. A matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’. A few tragic shooting incidents, and the government’s predictable reaction to offer in place of earnest engagement and sincere apology – fumbled attempts at gaslighting and victim-blaming – will fan the flames of righteous anger into a raging wildfire of public outrage. The people will flood the streets. 

True to his new persona, Bobo will lead the charge in the protests, contributing his own money to the cause, and marching among the multitudes of angry youth. It is during one of these protest marches that Bobo will die. The protesters would have stopped in front of a police barricade singing native songs of freedom and resistance while staring down the police units that have come to represent their multifaceted oppression. National flag in one hand, megaphone in the other, Bobo will be charging the crowd to sing louder when one of the police units will open fire ...

Read the full story here, free to access and download for the month of November 2025 only.

Cover image: Laughing Boy Rolling by Steve Wheeler