Mubarak: the butt of jokes in the Middle East
I’m sure you’ve been following news of the riots in Egypt in some capacity. The situation there is insanely serious – there have been reports of violence, the government’s enacted curfews, they even shut down Internet access – but some comics in the Arab world have found comedy in the conflict.
At a recent Saudi stand-up comedy festival, local comedians did not hold their tongues in making jokes at Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s expense.
That such an event can even be held in Saudi Arabia – and even be approved by the government – is a wonderful indication of how the region is no longer quashes satire.
Minutes ago, the CIA reported that they expect Mubarak to resign tonight in a speech to his country. So, we’ll just have to see how the Middle Eastern comedy world adjusts their jokes. For now, check out this great audio report from NPR about the aforementioned comedy show in Saudi Arabia.
[audio:http://www.punchlinemagazine.com/audio/saudi.mp3]
Check out NPR’s full report here.
