Loyiso Gola part of a show that explains why everyone hates the British Empire

Humour is a good tool to tackle serious topics and the History channel’s new show Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire? Takes-on Britain’s dark past through the eye of comedians, one of those being South Africa’s Loyiso Gola.

“I hope people are able to connect a lot of dots. Don’t look at things in isolation. When you’re complaining about migrants, you have to understand why they’re leaving their country. It doesn’t start from an unstable government or war. It starts from 300 years ago and some pillaging,” averred Gola in a statement.

Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire? Is a four-part series which sees British comedian Al Murray take an insightful trip through some of the countries colonised by the British, but he tours these countries alongside comics from that country.

Gola plays the role of a chaperone to Murray in the first episode, which premiers this weekend. Other countries that are featured include the Caribbeans, Australia and India.

“With Al, I felt we could cover that stuff, be silly about it but get the point across. Comics, if they have the information, it’s almost useless if the people don’t laugh and engage with it. That’s what makes this show particularly engaging,” said Gola.

“There’s an awful lot of confrontational debate about this topic. Rather than taking a stance, we’re having a conversation. The thing I found most interesting is how radically different the stories were in each of the four places. It turns out there isn’t one British Empire, and certainly not one empire story. They’re all complex and difficult in their own way,” said Murray.

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A conversation about history

“History is neither there to make us feel good, nor to make us feel bad. It’s there for us to consider where we’ve come from. How other people want to feel about it, that’s completely up to them,” said Murray about what he hopes people take from the show.

The comedian spoke with relief at how the history wasn’t approached with a sense of vengefulness but rather an educational approach.

“Firstly, their extraordinary good humour. Plus, they didn’t stove my head in with a brick through grim revenge,” said Murray about what the comics brought to the show.

In the Caribbean episode, Murray is taken through the country by local comedian and actor Christopher “Johnny” Daley.

“Chris Daley was in a sitcom in Jamaica when he was a boy so everywhere we went, grandmothers would come up and grab his cheeks. All of these guys are super famous in their countries and it’s really, really funny to be with them. They’ve got their own perspectives. It may be preoccupying a debate here, but in these other countries; they’ve got other stuff to be getting on with,” said the Brit.

One of the places Murray visited while in South Africa was Robben Island.

“I only went to Robben Island a year ago. When I think of an outing, that’s not the first thing that jumps to mind. I think I’m pretty versed on the subject of the segregation that happened in South Africa but when someone puts you in that cell, it shifts the reality a little bit,” averred Gola.

There are also light-hearted moments on the show, where Gola takes Murray to a local drag racing scene.

The show premiers on the History Channel Africa (DStv 186) this weekend.

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