Unlearning

Loyiso Gola wants you to consider why you believe what you believe. Performing in a draped, comfortable suit with a low-key, conversational cadence, he makes a case against inherited habits, analyzing everything from childhood conditioning to modern marketing. It is a patient hour of stand-up that relies on relaxed storytelling rather than a rush to secure punchlines.

Filmed in December 2020 at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art in Cape Town, the special was released on Netflix in March 2021. It marked a historical milestone as the first solo stand-up hour by an African comedian on the streaming platform. Gola, who spent years hosting the Emmy-nominated satirical program Late Nite News, was 37 at the time of filming and used the performance to pivot away from high-energy political satire toward a more reflective, personal style of comedy.

He supports his thesis with a mix of historical trivia and personal memory, including a childhood strike he organized at age four to free Nelson Mandela. Other bits track his misadventures with a white school friend named Seth and a breakdown of how Gillette convinced women to shave during World War I to move surplus inventory. When he addresses religious directives to love thy neighbor, he counters with the reality of apartment living, arguing that anyone who has had a neighbor knows how impossible that standard is.