A comedy show at the West End Comedy Club was disrupted by racist abuse towards comedian Benjamin Bankole Bello, known for his act as spoof African dictator President Obonjo.
Disruption During Performance
The incident occurred last Monday night, with a group of 12 men hurling racial slurs, including “monkey” and the N-word, towards President Obonjo during his set.
Due to the disturbance, the show was abruptly ended. Benjamin Bankole Bello, performing as President Obonjo, reflected on the experience, stating:
Big thanks to Andy Barr the MC, comic Sam Nicoresti, Jake Clements thanks for staying behind and accompanying me to the station. Big thanks to the bar staff and the show assistant. I must not forget the other audience members who came to check I was okay, it was meant to be a twenty-minute set I stopped it at 12 minutes.
The incident led to the arrest of one individual involved in the racial abuse. A suspect has been bailed pending advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. President Obonjo remains resilient,
Life is for laughing, racists will never stop me.
Other Racism Incidents
This isn’t the first time that President Obonjo took on racial abuse. Last year, Bello experienced three different incidents of racism all within 10 days of his visit to the Edinburgh Fringe.
He was told to ‘go back to his own country’ twice while another woman repeatedly said to him that she can’t see him in the dark. All three cases were in a public place and had other comedians intervene.
It is exhausting to have to deal with incidents like this, not only as it is happening but then to raise awareness afterwards.Black acts should not be racially abused for visiting Edinburgh to make locals and tourists laugh. I have never experienced any racist incidents here before, but this year felt strange.
Club’s Response
A spokesperson for the West End Comedy Club issued a statement, expressing apologies and condemnation for the racist incident. They stated
We want to express our sincere apologies and condemnation regarding the racist incident involving President Obonjo. Racism has no place at our club. Racism has no place at our club. We took immediate action, ending the show early and cooperating with the police.
The club is making sure to maintain an environment of safety and inclusivity and are more than willing to work with the comedian to resolve the issue.
This incident didn’t bring him down though as President Obonjo is scheduled to return for a solo show at the West End Comedy Club and is also headlining a show for Hats Funny Comedy! For more hilarious comedians, step right in to Big Belly Comedy Club! Good food, good drinks, and absolutely top-notch comedy shows, so join in on the fun!
