7 min read
The temporary, transformative nature of the world can haunt those of us who fear change. As we attach our identity to our careers, loved ones, passions or home countries, we can open ourselves up to internal destruction when we find any one of them taken away from us. That is unless we learn to befriend the fleeting essence of life, which reveals itself to us as every day comes to a close.
Heart surgeon turned comedian and Egyptian national turned US citizen, Bassem Youssef – dubbed the John Stewart of Egypt – knows this all too well.
"My truth now is that I’m an immigrant in a Western country, and my comedy comes from that”
The exiled political satirist, who fled his homeland after criticising its leaders, had no choice but to learn to embrace change, and as he takes on a UK audience in March to tour his new show Adam, he's ready for more.
The show will take viewers on Bassem's personal journey, through the various occupations, locations, and politically compromising, challenging, situations he has found himself in through the years.
Embracing and being inspired by change
“People spend so much time being nostalgic about something that doesn’t exist anymore… but life is dynamic and I believe that comedy is a reflection of your truth," Bassem tells The New Arab. "My truth now is that I’m an immigrant in a Western country, and my comedy comes from that.”
The 48-year-old presented the Middle East’s first political satire TV show Al-Bernameg, which raked in 30 million viewers weekly as Bassem boldly criticised the region’s ruling powers.
In 2013, two years after Egypt's January 25 revolution, Bassem was ordered to pay around a $15 million fine for the show, which he says was “politically motivated”. After being arrested and released on bail, Bassem fled his country fearing for his safety and says he successfully challenged the verdict against him.
The Los Angeles resident, who has not been back to his motherland since didn’t just have to say goodbye to his country and his loved ones in it, but to his career, as he knew it.
"I want to spread that type of comedy so non-Arabs would know about our problems, dreams and aspirations… it is very important to use comedy to bridge these gaps"
Rebuilding his livelihood in the US arrived with challenges, however, he decided to draw on his past experiences to highlight issues within the MENA region, in the way he knew best: through comedy.
“It has been difficult of course to switch… but I have been enjoying it… I want to spread that type of comedy so non-Arabs would know about our problems, dreams and aspirations… it is very important to use comedy to bridge these gaps,” says Bassem.
“As Arabs, we always complain about not being portrayed in Western media in the right light but how do you expect to be seen or heard if you don’t speak to these communities?”
Bassem’s decision meant he had to learn the ropes of American humour and satisfy a new Western audience in addition to his fans in the Arab diaspora.
“If I speak about something related to gun control, Americans will laugh more. If I talk about immigration or racism, Arabs will laugh more… people will laugh more at what is related to them”
“I’ve tried to make my stand-up comedy accessible to everybody. If it’s a good night, the same joke will have Arabs and non-Arabs laugh at it together,” he says, explaining that intensities of laughter can differ between cultural groups depending on the jokes he makes.
“If I speak about something related to gun control, Americans will laugh more. If I talk about immigration or racism, Arabs will laugh more… people will laugh more at what is related to them.”
Interestingly, he says his best comedy nights come from near-even cultural splits in the audience.
“The dynamics in the room are amazing because the comedy switches back from one culture to the other and it’s a more collective experience that people go through and feel they are united.”
No 'counterproductive' looking back
Despite working to increase Arab representation, Bassem doesn’t believe in looking back, as a reminiscent mindset towards a time and place that "no longer exists", feels "counterproductive" to his personal progress.
“I have an American passport now… I don’t think it is as dangerous [to go back] but nothing is guaranteed, and with all honesty, I don’t concern myself with returning,” he told The New Arab.
“I have built a career for myself, I have not looked back, I have not been reminiscing about the old days… I have moved on,” he added.
Many of Bassem’s fans have labelled his attitude dismissive, but the comedian stresses his view is “not a testimony about how good or bad the country we left behind is, it’s a testimony about how life works, which is constant change [and] constant evolution.”
"We get so locked into eras and places and we don’t want to move on because it’s not comfortable… that’s where a lot of disappointment happens"
The comedian highlighted he believes that within Arab culture – which is very collectivist – it can be easy to reject change.
“We get so locked into eras and places and we don’t want to move on because it’s not comfortable… that’s where a lot of disappointment happens,” he said highlighting the disappointment the diaspora can face once they return to their roots to find, it too, has changed.
However, Bassem says he remains connected to his homeland through the news, with a Facebook timeline he describes as “terrible” because “you wake up in the morning and see all your nightmares coming true.”
News coming out of Egypt include a devastating economic crash and severe crackdowns on freedoms, as at least 15 journalists registered with the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate – and many others not registered – are currently detained.
Since taking power after a 2013 military coup, Sisi has ruled the country with an iron fist and overseen “the worst crackdown on human rights, freedom of expression, and media in Egypt's modern history", according to local and international rights groups.
Although social media allows Bassem to remain connected to Egypt, Bassem says due to its intensity, he believes time on such apps should be limited for the sake of protecting his mental health. “For your mental health… you should be less connected, being too connected is not [always] very nice.”
A revolution in thought
Bassem’s strong advocacy for the acceptance of change comes hand in hand with his belief that change occurs in the mind too. The comedian highlighted that the Egyptian revolution created important changes across the Middle East, but remains a process as opposed to one event.
"People now are much more courageous about questioning things they never questioned before, about tradition, religion, politics, about what it means to be an Arab or Muslim"
“I think people romanticise the revolution as an entity by itself… a revolution doesn’t have to succeed by removing people in power, there is a whole revolution about how people think,” he says.
“People now are much more courageous about questioning things they never questioned before, about tradition, religion, politics, about what it means to be an Arab or Muslim.”
Due to a “revolution in thought,” Bassem believes the effects of Egypt’s 2011 uprising may not be seen until a few generations’ time.
“Maybe because we are used to instant gratification we want things to happen fast... we might find the results after we die,” he said.
The former heart surgeon believes the revolution itself was “done dirty”. “It was disappointing not just by the people against it but the people who were with it,” he says.
“There was a new thought up against apparatuses that were already in place – people who outsmarted people of the revolution because they have more experience, more power… maybe people of the revolution were very excited, but they were more about the ideology than being politically shrewd.”
Despite the revolution and Arab Springs across the Middle East calling for freedom from tyranny, Bassem states that he doesn’t believe freedom fully exists anywhere.
However, he stressed that despite the limits of each state, an intense lack of freedom of speech in the Middle East is far worse to live with.
“I don’t think there’s absolute freedom anywhere… there are limits for each society. But the margin of freedom is much much much bigger in the West."
Although having such a colourful, dynamic past, has come with its pain, if one thing is for sure, the former heart surgeon values keeping an open mind and strives to accept the difficult situations he has been placed in as his life has changed shape.
As he continues to make people laugh and find momentary happiness in his humour, his desire to cut the shackles of expectation or disappointment, which has enabled him to take on new endeavours, reveals an important lesson; to move with life rather than against it, while fighting for your future self and putting in the work to actualise your goals.
Follow the Middle East's top stories in English at The New Arab on Google News
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