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Bassem Youssef Performs "The Joke Is Mightier than the Sword" at the University of Michigan

posted on: Oct 18, 2017

On Monday, November 6, 2017 (7:30 pm), political satirist, Bassem Youssef, will perform at the Michigan Theater on the campus of the University of Michigan.

Dubbed the Jon Stewart of the Arab World, Bassem Youssef was a cardiothoracic surgeon when he became the creator and host of the wildly popular TV show “Al-Bernameg”–the first political satire show in the Middle East.

Originally a five-minute show shot from his laundry room and posted on YouTube after protests in Tahrir Square unseated Egypt’s ruling elite, it became the most-watched program in the region, with 30 million viewers every week. Throughout its three seasons, the show remained controversial for its hilarious and bold criticism of ruling powers.

Accused of being “anti-Islam” and insulting the President, Youssef was arrested and interrogated before being released on bail. He was forced to terminate the show because of overwhelming political pressures and was subsequently awarded the prestigious International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), presented by Jon Stewart. In The Joke is Mightier than the Sword, Youssef shares his personal story and his thoughts on the political climate that led to the Arab Spring, its parallels to the current state of American politics, and how propaganda lays the foundation for dictator

In The Joke is Mightier than the Sword, Youssef shares his personal story and his thoughts on the political climate that led to the Arab Spring, its parallels to the current state of American politics, and how propaganda lays the foundation for a dictator.

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Learn more about Bassem Youssef here:

Bassem Youssef from Pomegranate Arts on Vimeo.