PAYNESVILLE, Montserrado – Monrovia does not have a genuine round-the-clock comedy club, but there is at least one venue in the region that dedicates one night a week to comedy. On Saturday nights at Banana Lodge, a comedian takes to the mic to muse about a variety of issues.

On this particular evening, the comedian was none other than “Liberia’s number one talking machine,” Quincy T. He is a well-recognized comedian who has a morning radio show on Truth FM at 7:15 a.m. on Saturdays. The show is a variety talk show of sorts, with music, jokes, and even a fake news segment.

At Banana Lodge, though, he was unhindered by the need to maintain a PG performance. Indeed, comedy night here is not for children. There were many blatantly sexual jokes, along with some toilet humor, and poking fun at members of the audience.

One of Quincy T’s jokes went like this:

A woman went to the doctor to complain about her husband’s penis size. “The thing too long. Any time we making love, it just like it want reach to my heart.” The doctor said, “But then you need to bring him let’s cut some off.” She said, “No, don’t try it! Dress my heart up small.”

A water fountain at Banana Lodge. Photo: Jefferson Krua

The crowd was very vocal, sometimes functioning more like hecklers and at other times helping to drive the jokes. They were most effective when they joined Quincy T to make fun of the cars of audience members who were leaving or arriving at the show, which was held under a tent.  They also poked fun at his beer belly, which he celebrated as his “natural air bag.”

A good command of Liberian vernacular English, or “colloqua,” is certainly necessary to appreciate Quincy T’s jokes. He uses this to tell ridiculous stories that could never be true. When murmurs of “This man can lie” runs through the crowd, he immediately refutes it by interjecting “I never lied before in my whole life, from the time my mom born me!”

When he’s not fabricating tall tales, Quincy T plays the part of an old sage, dispensing knowledge to young lovers. “Never be shame to lose your manners,” he tells the audience about not hiding bathroom activities from their lovers.

Another advice was for women to restrain their breasts before traveling on bad roads because “bad road can make women titty change position.” He also dished out a lot of sex advice including different positions and their benefits.

The live band, Blake Atomic and the Entertainers. Photo: Jefferson Krua

Between Quincy T’s two hour-long performances, a live band provided an electrifying rendering of classics including hits by Bob Marley and Lucky Dube, popular American tunes from the 70s through the 80s, and some West African highlife. They did a fascinating rendition of what sounded like a remix of Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock” with lyrics like, “My girl left me for a rebel… she left him for an ECOMOG… she left him for an UNMIL…”

Lead singer Blake Atomic performs. Photo: Jefferson Krua

The band, Blake Atomic and the Entertainers, were at their best when performing traditional Liberian songs, one of which was in Bassa. Blake Atomic arguably has the best voice among the lead singers of live bands across Monrovia. He was also very interactive with the crowd, giving shout outs to specific members of the audience for birthdays and anniversaries.

A sign in the garden at Banana Lodge. Photo: Jefferson Krua

Banana Lodge is open 24/7 and has a guest house, a nightclub, a gaming room with a pool table and table tennis, and gardens with amusing aphorisms on signs. Comedy night is usually on Saturdays at 9 p.m but has been temporarily replaced with Karaoke as the establishment searches for another comedian.

Featured photo by Jefferson Krua