#albernameg

Jon Stewart

Dubbed the “Jon Stewart of Egypt”, Bassem Youssef was the host of the first satiric political broadcast in the Middle East, Albernameg -- until, you know, he couldn’t.  Now he’s got a new book from Dey Street, Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring.

Jon on Bassem Youssef's Albernameg edition

The man holding the mike is Bassem Youssef, host of one of the most daring satirical comedy shows to ever appear on TV in the Middle East. How did it go over with Egypt's authoritarian leaders? That's explored in the new documentary Tickling Giants, now playing in NYC, LA and London. For more on the film -- and what Youssef has to say about #trump cozying up with Egyptian strongman Abdel #elsisi -- visit Nonfictionfilm.com #albernameg #bassemyoussef #satire #egypt #comedy #ticklinggiants #film #films #filmmaking #filmmakers #movie #movies #documentary #documentaries Photo courtesy Sarksasmos Prods.

“Because it is not -- you have to be able to handle anything, a joke is a joke. You may say that is an insult and I say, you know, there's an expression -- I don't know if you have it -- adding insult to injury. Yes, maybe it is an insult, but it is not an injury. A joke has never ridden a motorcycle into a crowd with a baton. A joke has never shot tear gas to a group of people in a park. It's just talk.”