Zimbabwe: Dark humour

Question: "What did Zimbabweans use for light before candles?" Answer: "Electricity." Jokes about Robert Mugabe's tyranny are a crime; anyone saying or writing anything negative about his government can be arrested. Yet the jokes are spreading, by text message and e-mail. The www.nyambo.com website is dedicated to Zimbabwean humour. ("Nyambo" is Shona for "jokes".)

Heard this one? A Zimbabwean policeman stops a motorist and asks for help. Terrorists have kidnapped Mugabe, soaked him in petrol and will set him alight if a ransom is not paid. "How much are people giving?" the motorist asks. "Oh, about two or three litres," answers the policeman.

For the thousands of Zimbabweans now exchanging dark humour in the face of brutality and despair, jokes about the Soviet Union have become especially popular. Question: "What comes between socialism and communism?" Answer: "Alcoholism."