PERSPECTIVE: When comedy meets politics, things can happen

Last November I attended a film festival in Colorado Springs and was moved to tears and laughter by a new movie called “Tickling Giants,” which is focused on Dr. Bassem Youssef, an Egyptian heart surgeon who brings satire to Egypt during the Arab Spring.

Youssef is known as “The Egyptian Jon Stewart.” His weekly program, “Al Bernameg,” quickly became the most viewed television program in the Middle East, with 30 million viewers per episode. “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” averaged “only” 2 million viewers.

In a country where free speech is not fully respected, Youssef’s show becomes both popular and controversial. He and his staff must endure physical threats, street protests and legal action, all because the jokes they tell and the skits they perform question some of the hypocrisy in the Egyptian political system.

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As Youssef attempts to remain on the air and not get arrested, he continues to let those in power know they’re being held accountable.

Despite increasing danger, the production team at “Al Bernameg” employ comedy to comment on and skewer the media, politics, and religion.

Youssef eventually has to flee the country to avoid being arrested.

The film mainly focuses on the comedy skits, with clips of several local bombings and large protests woven in to add perspective.

“Tickling Giants” shows one episode where Jon Stewart makes a guest appearance in Egypt. He is led on stage with a sack over his head, and the audience goes wild when they find out who the mystery man is.

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The documentary is produced and directed by Sara Taksler, a senior producer at “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” What surprised Taksler most is how broad her movie’s audience has been.

“I expected liberals and fans of ‘The Daily Show’ to like the movie. What I didn’t expect was the response ‘Tickling Giants’ would get from others. … I got a call from someone advising Ted Cruz, who loves the film and has become a champion for it. I never expected the right and left to come together on this. But I’ve met people from all backgrounds who support free speech and are worried about politicians abusing their power. They want this movie to be seen and discussed,” she said.

“Tickling Giants,” she continues, “is a movie about a guy who steps up when he sees power being abused in his country. Since Bassem does this through satire, I viewed the story through the lens of my comedy background. I never expected that I would relate so strongly to the politics in Egypt.”

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The film is co-produced by Technicolor, a media and entertainment services company. Frederic Rose, the CEO of Technicolor, decided to become the executive producer of the film shortly after the terror attack against the offices of the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2015.

“Tickling Giants” is a cautionary tale about what can happen when leaders go unchecked. These showings intend to spark dialogue about the abuse of power, free speech, and how people are treated in repressive societies.

“When you live in fear,” Youssef says, “when you’re afraid all the time, you can’t think. You blindly follow the dominant narrative, believe the propaganda, and censor out every kind of common sense or logic that you have. But when you laugh, when you see the humor, speak the humor, and satirize, you can’t be afraid anymore.

“When you are laughing, you are no longer afraid.”

Rick Sheridan, one of our regular contributors, teaches communications at Wilberforce University.

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