The Jon Stewart of the Middle East
Meet Bassem Youssef, a talk-show host from Egypt, in a documentary about using humour as a weapon.
What would you say if Jon Almaas got locked up in jail for making jokes about Norwegian politicians?
To us, it may seem pretty unrealistic, but to the talk-show host Bassem Youssef, it became reality.
Tickling Giants is a documentary that focuses on freedom of speech in Egypt. The movie tells the story of Bassem Youssuf, by many known as the Jon Stewart of the Middle East. He was a surgeon that chose to become a full-time comedian after the Arab Spring began.
Youssef started a YouTube-channel where he made political satire. He quickly became popular and got his own TV-show where he continued the political satire mainly targeting the government. The people loved it and the show got over 30 million viewers.
The regime in Egypt, on the other hand, didn't like it. People got arrested, lawsuits were filled and demonstrations were organized to stop Youssef from making his show.
After some time, it became too much for Youssef and the beloved show host packed his bags and left as a political refugee to the US. Today, he continues to enlighten the people reguarding the conditions in Egypt from the US.