Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Egypt's Jon Stewart? Al Bernameg is a political satire to rival The Daily Show


Egyptian heart surgeon and avowed Jon Stewart fan Bassem Youssef tells how the 2011 Cairo uprising galvanised him to speak out and poke fun at his country's politics


The Guardian,
Early last month, a heart surgeon gave a talk at Egypt's American University in Cairo. As talks by cardiac specialists go, it was very well received. At the end, the students mobbed him – turning what should have been a brisk stroll to the car park into a snail-paced plod.

Then again, Dr Bassem Youssef is not just a heart surgeon. He doubles as a superstar satirist, the most popular – and most unlikely – presenter on Egyptian television. On Friday nights across the country, millions sit down to watch Youssef's piss-take of Egyptian politics: Al Bernameg, or The Programme. Find a cafe at 11pm, and chances are they'll be screening it. Crash a dinner party, and they'll probably be talking about it. One well-known Cairo intellectual wrote recently of a classy supper that ended early so the diners could watch Youssef. For some, his show is one of the few concrete success stories of the 2011 uprising....."

No comments: