The Mandem Before Christmas

Fancy a hilarious take on "What's this?" From The Nightmare Before Christmas? Then here you go! The Mandem Before Christmas will have you smiling almost instantly. Created by Munya Chawawa (above, middle), this may be a new name to Kuriositas readers outside of the UK, but in the constituent parts of the British Isles, he’s one of the sharpest and most recognisable satirical voices to emerge from social media in recent years. Chawawa first built his reputation on short-form comedy videos that parody British politics, race, class, masculinity and pop culture. He often plays multiple characters himself, switching accents and personas to expose the absurdities of public life and to question the stereotypical portrayal of Black people (especially young Black men) in the media. His humour is fast, referential and rooted in contemporary Black British culture not to mention popular culture in general, but its targets - hypocrisy, privilege and power - are universal.

The Mandem Musicals is Chawawa’s "stage" extension of that online persona. The title hinges on the word “mandem”, a piece of British urban slang derived from Caribbean English and if you are outisde of the UK you will probably need a mandem definition. Broadly, it means “the group” or “the guys” - your crew, your friends, your people. While often associated with young men, especially in London, it’s as much about identity and belonging as it is about gender.  Watch The Mandem Before Christmas below.

The concept of The Mandem Musicals is deliberately playful: Chawawa takes the polished, emotionally earnest world of the musical theatre and collides it with the bravado, slang and social codes of “the mandem”. The result is a satirical mash-up where drill culture, boy-band harmonies, political commentary and West End-style numbers coexist - subversively, and very deliberately so.

This latest instalment, The Mandem Before Christmas, riffs on the familiar structure of a Christmas special, but subverts its cosy traditions. Instead of nostalgia and goodwill, Chawawa uses the seasonal format to interrogate contemporary British life, although – it must be said – very, very gently.  Yet certain stereoptypical expectations are usurped brilliantly and with fantastic comic flair.

To show that mandem musicals are not just for Christmas, take a look at the Puffers in Summer video from, well, the summer innit.

At their core The Mandem Musicals expose contradictions in modern identity. What makes Chawawa distinctive is his fluency in multiple cultural registers - from internet comedy to muscial theatre - and his ability to let those worlds clash in ways that are both funny and revealing. In short, The Mandem Before Christmas isn’t just a musical comedy; it’s a cultural translation exercise in itself, showing how a specific local slang and sensibility can be used to tell stories that resonate both in the UK and far beyond.