Why So Serious? What Makes Middle Eastern Countries Laugh

Gary Greer 7/15/2020

Arab Culture

Jokes and a sense of humor have pretty much existed in every culture since mankind’s beginning. Indeed, in every culture around the world, the goal of jokes and humor is to reduce the daily pressures of life, creating a sense of understanding and often bringing us together. In this regard, the Arab world is no different. Although they are often stereotyped in the West, Arabs really do know how to be funny. Indeed, they have a wonderful and eclectic sense of humor dating back to the time of the Ancient Egyptians.

Humor in Ancient Egypt

It has often been said that Ancient Egyptians believed the world was created out of laughter. They did, in fact, regard humor as something holy. They even went as far as to marry off the Ancient Egyptian goddess of humor to the Ancient Egyptian god of wisdom. Preserved papyrus shows us that they used to write political and social satire on papyrus and limestone.

During the Roman occupation

When the Romans came along and occupied Egypt, they said that Egyptians were “twisted and bitter people with a sense of humor”. This is because Egyptian lawyers would laugh at Roman judges and their terrible verdicts. This was prodding other Egyptians into making jokes and singing humorous songs in defense of their political prisoners. So much did the sarcastic wit and laughter of the Egyptian lawyers raise the ire of the Romans that they forbade the lawyers from entering into the courts.

During other occupations

Egyptians didn’t let their Ottoman occupiers off any easier. They makde fun of the way they looked, calling them arrogant and overweight. When the French came, Egyptians mocked their rulers so much that the Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, made such kinds of humor a crime and those who made such jokes were arrested, punished, and sometimes even executed for their jokes. The British didn’t go as far as executions when they occupied Egypt. However, when they found out that Egyptians were meeting in cafés just to laugh at them, the British closed the café’s down. Indeed, as critically-acclaimed Egyptian journalist Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy put it: “Egyptians resort to sarcasm and humor to express their own viewpoint or evade their problems.”

Humor in modern times

Flash forward to today’s Middle East where huge Arab audiences turn out to laugh at both American comedians and at themselves in such venues as the annual Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival. It features eight shows over seven nights and stand-up comedians presenting acts in both Arabic and English. The event has been a game changer for the likes of Dean Obeidallah, a Palestinian-Italian stand-up comedian born in USA. He quit his staff job at Saturday Night Live in 2008 to do stand-up gigs in the Middle East. So, what sort of things does he say that makes Arabs laugh? Well, things like:

“It’s hard to compare the historic events in the U.S. with those in the Middle East. In the States
we brag: ‘See that building, our first president, George Washington, slept there 200 years ago.’
In the Middle East, people say: ‘See that place, Jesus had lunch there.’ I think they win.”

What does the West think about Arab humour

Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and producer Russell Peters also had a successful comedy tour of the Middle East. After a show in Amman, the usually reserved and stoic Jordanians got in the last laugh on Peters after His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan “punk’d” the comedian for being the first to leave a party that the King had hosted the night before. American Comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias has an equally hilarious story about a gig he had in Saudi Arabia.

So why has comedy seemingly skyrocketed in a region of the world that has historically been seen as conservative and too serious? Well, maybe that’s because Middle Eastern demographics show that 60% of the population of the Middle East is under the age of 30. These young people grew up with the internet and have gained a bigger worldview. Perhaps, even a better understanding of the world as a result.

Difference between young and old Arabs

Indeed, Obeidallah says that he was once invited by a Saudi prince to perform in front of a mixed audience in Saudi Arabia. There, the young Saudis laughed at his humor, while the older generation was mostly silent. He goes on to say that once, after a show, a young Saudi student came up to him. The student, Ahmed Al Omran, first became a fan of Dean’s through YouTube. Then, he saw a Dean perform in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

In fact, stand-up comedy on YouTube may be exactly why comedy has grown among Middle Eastern youth. Also, reason why, to paraphrase Al Omran, “Old people just don’t get it”. On YouTube, for example, young Arabs can see their favorites comedians from all over the world like ventriloquist Jeff Dunham and his politically incorrect “Ahmed the Dead Terrorist” – a doll, whose punch line often ends with an “I’ll kill you!” and the young Arabs absolutely love it.

Al Omran adds, “This whole notion of having someone who is just like you and making fun of himself and of you as well is liberating in a sense. We are not used to someone making fun of us” And that, according to Al Omran is what makes Arabs laugh loudest – the ability to laugh at themselves. Indeed, something we should all do occasionally.

In conclusion

If you enjoyed this article and it made you want to learn more about Arab culture, or if you want to learn to speak Arabic so you can start your own stand-up comedy routine in the Middle East, visit our website and download the Kaleela Arabic learning app. Studies have shown that, for both the budding comic and those who want a regular, high paying career, Arabic learning apps are the best way to learn Arabic and Arabic dialects. Best of all, the Kaleela Arabic learning app lets you learn Arabic language skills on your own, at your own pace, whenever and wherever you want.

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