Comedy has always been embedded in the cultural backbone of the Arab World. But relatively new to the region is the stand-up comedy genre, which in the past decade has met with increasing popularity among young Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, with festivals sprouting up from Egypt to Jordan. But female comedians, in particular, are now finding a voice in the genre, sharing their stories more than ever before.
This month, TV entertainment company OSN is helping to elevate these voices through a new comedy series called Stand Up! Ya Arab! as one of its original productions for Ramadan. Each 30-minute episode will reveal the diverse comedic talents of Arab stand-up comedians, which hail from 12 countries, including the UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon, and Egypt.
“With viewer-centricity at the heart of OSN, we are dedicated to producing impactful original content that exceeds expectations and resonates with our regional audience,” said Fiona Robertson, Acting Head of OSN Originals. “The series will showcase the amazing emerging talent from all over the region.”
The line-up of 56 comedians was carefully selected to engage an Arabic-speaking audience, and performances will reflect the rich cultural landscape of the Middle East and North Africa. Besides being hilarious, the male and female comics on Stand Up! Ya Arab! have been chosen for being authentic and locally relevant, performing in a variety of dialects and narratives.
Seventeen female comedians are participating in the debut series, coming from Tunisia, Syria, Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan to bring their own brand of comedy and local narratives – as well as their own set of challenges.
“I think there is an appetite for female comedians in the region,” says Syrian talent Ola Msharaf, who comes from an international development background, teaching English and Arabic. Msharaf shares that the stand-up comedy scene in the Arab world has been there for quite some time, but it has especially bloomed in the past two years, and with it, a few female comedians.
“Sadly, their numbers are still very limited, but they are known by name,” adds the now Berlin-based comedian. “But I think with opportunities through ‘Awkward,’ ‘Cinamooz,’ ‘Comedy Central,’ and now ‘OSN,’ I found that there has been a lot of inclusivity, and people are starting to see more female comedians. They are being given a space to go out and perform.”
Nour Daassi, a 20-year-old university student studying sociology, says that female stand-up comedians in native Tunisia are a rarity and that while there are some women in the industry, very few of them perform stand-up comedy. However, this untapped field in her country helped Daassi create a name for herself.
“I was well-received in the industry because of this, but as a young girl in show business, I still faced my fair share of challenges. My first TV appearance was at the age of 17, which caused fear and anxiety about what would come next. But seeing how I was able to pave my own unique way, while receiving a warm welcome from Tunisian directors and producers put me at ease, as they never limited me to a specific character or role,” she shares. “This Ramadan alone, I have two series, both of which are dramatic roles where my characters are almost opposites of each other. It is truly reassuring, and I now know that I am on the right track.”
Egyptian comedian Reem Nabil explains that the biggest challenge for her as a woman in stand-up comedy in the region is the constant comparison of her work to that of her male counterparts. “The difficulty I face is that people compare us to male comedians. They pit us against each other as if we (women) are here to compete with them and prove that one is funnier than the other,” she says.
“But it has nothing to do with that. There is always a fight about men being better or funnier at comedy, and that women have no place in the field,” she says, adding that she often faces double standards when it comes to the topics she chooses to share on stage. “Men are allowed to talk about any topic they want, whereas when a woman does it, it is deemed extra courageous, and people are taken aback by it – as if it’s inappropriate to talk about some topics. So, there’s a bigger focus or monitoring on women, whereas men can say whatever they want. This is the biggest problem I face.”
But now, with opportunities like Stand Up! Ya Arab!, comedians like Nabil are able to change perceptions in bigger ways. “Stand Up! Ya Arab! will help my voice reach a greater number of people from different countries to show them who I am. It will help give me get the exposure I need to showcase my talent,” she adds.
STAND UP! YA ARAB! will premiere from the 1st of Ramadan and throughout the holy month on linear channels OSN Yahala and OSN Comedy, and stream exclusively on OSN+.
