Features The Los Angeles Link
Ahmed Ahmed on the Middle East
Standup comedy is a relatively new phenomenon in the Middle East, which has really taken off in the last two years. And a lot of the credit goes to Egyptian-American comedian Ahmed Ahmed, who arrived with his “Axis of Evil” comedy tour in 2007. The show began in the US and served as a tool to debunk many of the misconceptions Westerners had about the Arab world.
Recently Ahmed screened his latest movie in L.A., titled “Just like Us”, which follows Ahmed and a group of comedians as they go on tour through five Middle Eastern countries. But instead of using humor to educate Westerners about the Middle East, Ahmed turns the tables around and documents the reactions of Arab audiences, thus providing insights into their own culture.
Dia’s L.A. correspondent sat down with the comedian to find out more about his new movie.
Tell me, Ahmed, how did the tour and movie come about?
It kind of happened organically and last minute. After the success we had in the Middle East with the Axis of Evil tour, I realized people there were thirsty for comedy. After touring, I took a break and visited a friend in Florida. While I was there I mentioned to him that I was going back to the Middle East and doing this 12-date, 5-country tour. He asked me if I was bringing a professional film crew along with me, and when I mentioned we’d need a lot money for a good production he said ‘”I will write you a check!” So I made phone calls and got a crew together in 4-5 days. We shot in Kuwait, Egypt, the UAE, and Lebanon in three and a half weeks. Then we flew back to the States and toured in L.A. and New York, before going back to shoot in Saudi Arabia. This is the movie.
What sort of early reactions did you get from Arab audiences?
As we were touring the Middle East, we had a big online following. I had no idea. YouTube totally changed our lives. Showtime Arabia filmed the documentary and they aired it as a 12-part reality miniseries last year - as the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. And, it was a big hit! People in the Middle East just wanted to see one of their own on TV.
Where did you get the most interesting audience reactions in the Middle East?
You know they were all the same; laughter was equivalent in each country. I will say that Saudi Arabia had the most explosive laughter. And I say this with all modesty, but I think I had the most fans there. It was overwhelming and touching that comedy would have such an effect on Saudi youth. I love Middle Eastern hospitality. Egypt was really forthright, out of control and funny. Beirut is so happening, really on the radar and exciting; it has its own pulse, its own beat.
How did the international comedians react to Arab audiences?
Whiney Cummings, the only female comedian, was told not to go - that women there were oppressed and submissive. But she said (in the movie) that women were more empowered than they are perceived in the West, and they laughed just as hard. Many of the comedians came to the Middle East and they did not expect to check into a five star hotel, lie by a pool and have a Pina Coloda. Nor did they expect to perform in a comedy show and have 3,000 people show up and laugh in English! They were overwhelmed. It was like an episode of Myth Buster; the Arab myth was broken.
You showcased some young talents in this tour and the movie.
There weren’t a lot of Middle Eastern comics in America before Axis of Evil. I think a lot of Arab kids thought about it, but nobody knew how to go about making a career out of it. But once we got on the comedy scene, people started realizing that they could do it as well. For this reason we tried to feature a lot of up-and-coming Middle Eastern comics in the film, who regularly appear at the Arab American Comedy Festival in New York.
http://justlikeusthemovie.com/
http://ahmed-ahmed.com/
