The XYZ Show | |
---|---|
Genre | Political satire |
Created by | Gado |
Based on | Les Guignols de l'info |
Written by | Loi Awat, Titus Maina, Edward Khaemba |
Directed by | King Muriuki & Abdi Shuria |
Presented by | Keff Joinange |
Country of origin | Kenya |
Original languages | English, Swahili |
No. of seasons | 11 |
No. of episodes | 110+ |
Production | |
Executive producers | Marie Lora Mungai Godfrey Mwapembewa |
Producers | King Muriuki, Edward Khaemba and Titus Maina |
Production location | Godown Arts Centre |
Running time | 27–30 minutes |
Production company | Buni Media |
Original release | |
Release | 2009 – present |
The XYZ Show is a Kenyan satirical puppet show. [1] [2]
Everything started in 2003. On a trip to Paris, for an exhibition Gado took time to visit the set of "Les Guignols de l'Info", or the "News Puppets". Les Guignols, just like XYZ, is a spoof newscast featuring latex puppets. It has been on the air for more than 20 years and is one of France's most popular shows ever.
To Gado it was immediately obvious that the same concept would not only be a huge success in Kenya, but could also have an important social impact by exposing, with humor, the rampant corruption and mismanagement of the country.
Back in Kenya, Gado shopped the idea around to the TV stations, but many had trouble understanding the concept. Still, Gado pressed ahead, and in 2004 he managed to convince the French Embassy in Nairobi to send sculptor Gerald Olewe to France for a month. There Olewe was trained by the team of experts who create the French puppets, and he learned how to work with sophisticated materials such as foaming latex. He came back with a fully finished puppet of Kibaki in his luggage. Olewe held his breath as he innocently walked through the JKIA customs. Luckily, he was not stopped.
Two more struggling years went by until in July 2007, Gado scrapped together a few shillings, got a little bit of money from the French embassy and produced a pilot for the show.
Producing the pilot was a challenge, but it brought together some key team members who would stick around for ever after that: director James Kanja, visual effects guru Pete Mute alias Majiqmud, and the talented group of puppeteers led by Jack Kibedi.
With the pilot in hand, Gado embarked on a new round of visits to the TV stations. He hit a new wall, or rather two. One, the show was political and controversial. That made a lot of TV executives uncomfortable. Two, it was expensive. There were puppets to make and screenwriters, voice artists, puppeteers, cameramen and more to hire. No one wanted to pay for it.
Gado went back to the drawing board, plotting his next move. Then in November 2007, a TV journalist, Marie Lora, came to interview him for a story about how editorial cartoonists viewed the upcoming presidential elections in Kenya.
After the interview, Gado showed her the XYZ pilot. Straight away, Marie thought that this show absolutely needed to be on the air - and she knew she could help. But the next month, all hell broke loose in Kenya. We now call this period "the post-election violence", but the term doesn't give justice to the madness of these terrible months. At that time, it became even more obvious that Kenya needed a show such as XYZ. Humor appeared like the only possible way to dig ourselves out of the dark hole we had fallen into.
Gado and Marie met again. Marie proposed a complete change in strategy: if the show is too expensive for local stations, then let's make it free. But of course, because a TV Show cannot actually be free, that meant finding the money elsewhere. So Gado and Marie embarked on a year-long journey into Nairobi's NGO and foreign embassies underworld. They knocked on every door, they made dozens of contacts, they wrote countless proposals and budgets. They pitched XYZ relentlessly.
The rest, you know. Several courageous and enthusiastic donors came through with some money. Citizen TV agreed to air the show, and Wachira Waruru became one of XYZ's strongest supporters. A full team of about 50 people representing 11 different communities was hired.
And in May 2009, the first episode of The XYZ Show finally aired.
Series
Season | Year | Dates | No. episodes | TV Station |
---|---|---|---|---|
Season 1 | 2009 | 17 May | 13 Ep | Citizen TV |
Season 2 | 2010 | 25 April | 13 Ep | Citizen TV |
Season 3 | 2010 | 20 Sep | 13 Ep | Citizen TV |
Season 4 | 2011 | 1 May | 13 Ep | Kiss TV |
Season 5 | 2011 | 25 Sep | 13 Ep | Kiss TV |
Season 6 | 2012 | 27 July | 13 Ep | Kiss TV |
Season 7 | 2013 | 12 Jan | 13 Ep | NTV |
Season 8 | 2013 | 7 Aug | 13 Ep | NTV |
Season 9 | 2014 | 1 March | 13 Ep | NTV |
Season 10 | 2014 | 4 August | 13 Ep | NTV |
Season 11 | 2016 | 5 April | 26 Ep | KTN |
Season 12 | 2017 | 13 April | NTV |
2013: The XYZ Show wins the award for Best TV Series at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards in Nigeria. Buni Media co-founders Gado Mwampembwa and Marie Lora-Mungai visit Lagos, Nigeria as guests of the Ford Foundation Nigeria and IIE. The objective of this visit is to interact with Nigerian media, political scene and market and with potential partners of Buni TV.
Year | Awardee | Academy | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | The XYZ Show | 2013 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards | Best Television Series | Won |
The show commences with the current news events of Kenya. Other segments include:
U.S presidential candidate Donald John Trump
Rwandan president Paul Kagame
Tanzanian president John Pombe Magufuli
Guignol is the main character in a French puppet show which has come to bear his name. It represents the workers in the silk industry of France. Although often thought of as children's entertainment, Guignol's sharp wit and linguistic verve have always been appreciated by adults as well, as shown by the motto of a prominent Lyon troupe: "Guignol amuses children… and witty adults."
Les Guignols, formerly Les Guignols de l'info, was a daily satirical latex puppet show broadcast on the French television channel Canal+. It was created in 1988, inspired by Le Bébête Show (1982–1995) and for the puppets form by the British Spitting Image (1984–1996). Using the same structure as a news programme, the show satirized the political world, media, celebrities, French society, and international events.
Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013. He served in various leadership positions in Kenya's government including being the longest serving Member of Parliament (MP) in Kenya from 1963 to 2013.
Raila Amolo Odinga is a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013 and has been the Leader of Opposition in Kenya since 2013. He is the leader of Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party.
Las noticias del guiñol was a satirical news programme that aired on Canal+ and Cuatro in Spain. It is somewhat based on a similar programme airing on its sister Canal+ network in France, Les Guignols de l'info, in that it features latex puppets. Latex casts may be shared among countries with local celebrities being used as anonymous citizens in foreign shows. It was initially hosted by the puppets of Marta Reyero and Hilario Pino, the real hosts of the channel daily news. Later, its host was a facsimile of Michael Robinson, an English-born football pundit; and in the final seasons it was conducted by the puppet of Iker Jiménez.
General elections were held in Kenya on 27 December 2007. Voters elected the President, and members of the National Assembly. They coincided with the 2007 Kenyan local elections.
The 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis was a violent political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Kenya. The crisis erupted after incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of the 2007 presidential election. Supporters of Kibaki's main opponent in that election, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement, alleged electoral manipulation. This position was widely confirmed by international observers, as being perpetrated by both parties in the election. Even the head of the electoral commission himself confirmed that he did not know who had won the elections despite announcing the incumbent as president.
Kenya–United States relations are bilateral relations between the Republic of Kenya and the United States. Kenya and the United States have long been close allies and have enjoyed cordial relations since Kenya's independence. Relations became even closer after Kenya's democratic transition of 2002 and subsequent improvements in human rights.
Godfrey Mwampembwa, pen name Gado (1969) is a Tanzanian-born political cartoonist, animator and comics artist. He is the most syndicated political cartoonist in East and Central Africa, and for over two decades a contributor for Daily Nation (Kenya), The Standard (Kenya), New African , Courrier International (France) as well as for Business Day and Sunday Tribune. He also produced cartoons for The East African, Le Monde, The Washington Times, Der Standard and Japan Times.
Kenya–Russia relations are bilateral relations between Kenya and Russia. Russia had established diplomatic relations with Kenya on December 14, 1963, and has since maintained good relations with the African Great Lakes country.
Fidelis Naanmiap Tapgun was born on 1 November 1945 in Shendamm Town, plateau state. He was elected governor of Plateau State during the Nigerian Third Republic. Later he was Nigerian Ambassador to Kenya. He was appointed Federal Minister of Industry by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Frank Odoi, one of Africa's foremost cartoonists, was born in the mining town of Tarkwa in western Ghana in 1948. He was the only boy amongst seven sisters. He lost his father at an early age and was primarily raised by his mother. He was married to Monicah Asami, who later changed her name to Caroline Odoi. They had three daughters Maureen Atulo, Francesca Ajua Odoi and Francine Ashardey Odoi.
Marie Lora-Mungai is a French media entrepreneur, producer, writer and TV showrunner. She is the founder and CEO of Restless Global, a company focused on developing and producing African-inspired stories for an international audience. She also founded or co-founded the talent agency Restless Talent Management, leading African VOD service Buni.tv, and production company Buni Media, under the name Restless Global.
Democratic Republic of the Congo–Kenya relations are bilateral relations between Kenya and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The DRC is a strategic partner of Kenya in many areas, particularly trade and security.
Kenyan–Japanese relations are bilateral relations between Kenya and Japan.
Brazil–Kenya relations are bilateral relations between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of Kenya. Both nations are members of the Group of 77 and the United Nations.
German–Kenyan relations are bilateral relations between Germany and Kenya.
Kenya–South Korea relations are bilateral relations between Kenya and South Korea.
Paul Kelemba, is a Kenyan self-taught comic strip artist and caricaturist. He uses Maddo as a pen-name which was inspired by Mad Magazine of New-York.
In the late 1980s, the African Research and Educational Puppetry Program (AREPP) founded "Puppets Against AIDS", a traveling puppet show that visited African villages and cities to encourage audience members to use condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS transmission.