Joe Show: Egypt creates its own metaverse, Lebanon's Kordahi wishes for Sudanese-style military coup

In episode 24, Joe Show reveals Egypt's 'meta-prison', discusses Lebanon's row with the Gulf caused by George Kordahi, and asks whether Sudan's regime thinks democracy is like a Netflix subscription, cancellable at any time!

Culture

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

21 November, 2021

Al-Araby TV, the home of the Joe Show, is part of the same family that includes al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper and The New Arab. Stay tuned each week for a translated round-up of the funniest jibes on Joe Show and English-language subtitled clips from the show's most biting digs. This week's round up is chosen from episodes 24.

Egypt's meta-prison

In early November, Egypt inaugurated a new prison complex at Wadi al-Natrun. Now we all know Egypt is a police state, but its attempt to emulate high-tech dystopian regimes is often tragicomic because of the execution (no pun intended). Every night, the regime delivers the same talking points to the main talk show hosts in state-controlled media, and they parrot the same words with little originality. With Wadi al-Natrun, all the regime talk show hosts insisted the prison is not a prison, but more like a 5-star hotel, and that prisoners are just guests. Joe Show puts on the VR headset and visits this metaverse. Subtitled clip below.

Lebanon's George Kordahi wishes for a military coup

In an interview with Al-Jazeera's Shubai's Parliament show, Lebanon's Information Minister George Kordahi criticised the Saudi war in Yemen, causing a diplomatic row and a Gulf boycott of Lebanon. But in the same interview, Kordahi, who is known for other dodgy views such as supporting Bashar al-Assad, wished for a 'temporary' military coup in Lebanon. Joe Show explains why that is a ludicrous position to hold, given the experiences of coups in other Arab countries, and why it's optimistic to think any military coup can ever last just five years! Subtitled clip below.

Sudan's coup is not a coup. It's just the military cancelling its trial account with democracy

Sudan's military have launched a coup, suspending the constitution and briefly detaining the prime minister. Dozens have died in anti-coup protests. But according to some pro-regime 'experts', it's not a coup at all; it's just the army using its constitutional powers 'agreed' by the people to suspend the constitution and civilian rule. Erm, potatoe, potato? Joe Show asks whether Sudan's regime thinks democracy is like a Netflix subscription, cancellable at any time! Subtitled clip below.