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Comedy in the Middle East?
Wed 20 Jul 2011, 5:30pm
Free Word Lecture Theatre
A live version of the popular Little Atoms radio show with cartoonist Tarek Shahin.
2011 has seen unprecedented moves for democracy across the Middle East. But what role has satire played in this? Can humour thrive under tyranny? And can dictators allow themselves to be laughed at? Is there such thing as “Arab comedy”?
Tarek Shahin is an Egyptian cartoonist. A vocal dissident in pre-revolution Egypt, Shahin is the author of the edgy comic strip Al Khan, which ran in The Daily News Egypt. The Al Khan comics published in the lead-up to the recent uprising are compiled in his book Rise: The Story of The Egyptian Revolution As Written Shortly Before It Began.
Little Atoms is a radio show about ideas and culture with an emphasis on ideas of the Enlightenment. They actively promote science, freedom of expression, scepticism and secular humanism. Little Atoms is broadcast every Friday evening at 7pm on Resonance 104.4 FM, and is subsequently available as a podcast via iTunes. Find out more at www.littleatoms.com and follow them on Twitter at @littleatoms