{"id":33491,"date":"2023-03-09T15:47:20","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T11:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&p=33491"},"modified":"2023-03-09T15:47:20","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T11:47:20","slug":"new-arabic-comedy-series-with-strong-female-leads","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/new-arabic-comedy-series-with-strong-female-leads\/","title":{"rendered":"Arab Women Stand Up, And Stand Out, In New OSN Arabic Comedy Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

Comedy has always been embedded in the cultural backbone of the Arab World. But relatively new to\u00a0the region is the stand-up comedy genre, which in the past decade has met with increasing popularity\u00a0among young Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, with festivals sprouting up from Egypt to\u00a0Jordan. But female comedians, in particular, are now finding a voice in the genre, sharing their stories\u00a0more than ever before.<\/p>\n

This month, TV entertainment company OSN is helping to elevate these voices through a new comedy\u00a0series called Stand Up! Ya Arab!<\/em> as one of its original productions for Ramadan. Each 30-minute episode\u00a0will reveal the diverse comedic talents of Arab stand-up comedians, which hail from 12 countries,\u00a0including the UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon, and Egypt.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Courtesy of OSN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWith viewer-centricity at the heart of OSN, we are dedicated to producing impactful original content\u00a0that exceeds expectations and resonates with our regional audience,\u201d said Fiona Robertson, Acting Head\u00a0of OSN Originals. \u201cThe series will showcase the amazing emerging talent from all over the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

The line-up of 56 comedians was carefully selected to engage an Arabic-speaking audience, and\u00a0performances will reflect the rich cultural landscape of the Middle East and North Africa. Besides being\u00a0hilarious, the male and female comics on Stand Up! Ya Arab!<\/em> have been chosen for being authentic and\u00a0locally relevant, performing in a variety of dialects and narratives.<\/p>\n

Seventeen female comedians are participating in the debut series, coming from Tunisia, Syria, Kuwait,\u00a0Egypt and Jordan to bring their own brand of comedy and local narratives \u2013 as well as their own set of\u00a0challenges.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of OSN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI think there is an appetite for female comedians in the region,\u201d says Syrian talent Ola Msharaf, who\u00a0comes from an international development background, teaching English and Arabic. Msharaf shares that\u00a0the stand-up comedy scene in the Arab world has been there for quite some time, but it has especially\u00a0bloomed in the past two years, and with it, a few female comedians.<\/p>\n

\u201cSadly, their numbers are still very limited, but they are known by name,\u201d adds the now Berlin-based\u00a0comedian. \u201cBut 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\u00a0comedians. They are being given a space to go out and perform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nour Daassi, a 20-year-old university student studying sociology, says that female stand-up comedians\u00a0in native Tunisia are a rarity and that while there are some women in the industry, very few of them\u00a0perform stand-up comedy. However, this untapped\u00a0field in her country helped Daassi create a name for herself.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of OSN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI was well-received in the industry because of this, but as a young girl in show business, I still faced my\u00a0fair share of challenges. My first TV appearance was at the age of 17, which caused fear and anxiety\u00a0about what would come next. But seeing how I was able to pave my own unique way, while receiving a\u00a0warm welcome from Tunisian directors and producers put me at ease, as they never limited me to a\u00a0specific character or role,\u201d she shares. \u201cThis Ramadan alone, I have two series, both of which are\u00a0dramatic roles where my characters are almost opposites of each other. It is truly reassuring, and I now\u00a0know that I am on the right track.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. \u201cThe\u00a0difficulty I face is that people compare us to male comedians. They pit us against each other as if\u00a0we (women) are here to compete with them and prove that one is funnier than the other,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of OSN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cBut it has nothing to do with that. There is always a fight about men being better or funnier at comedy,\u00a0and that women have no place in the field,\u201d she says, adding that she often faces double standards\u00a0when it comes to the topics she chooses to share on stage. \u201cMen are allowed to talk about any topic\u00a0they want, whereas when a woman does it, it is deemed extra courageous, and people are taken aback by\u00a0it \u2013 as if it\u2019s inappropriate to talk about some topics. So, there\u2019s a bigger focus or monitoring on women,\u00a0whereas men can say whatever they want. This is the biggest problem I face.\u201d<\/p>\n

But now, with opportunities like Stand Up! Ya Arab!<\/em>, comedians like Nabil are able to change perceptions\u00a0in bigger ways. \u201cStand Up! Ya Arab!<\/em> will help my voice reach a greater number of people from different\u00a0countries to show them who I am. It will help give me get the exposure I need to showcase my talent,\u201d\u00a0she adds.<\/p>\n

STAND UP! YA ARAB!<\/em> will premiere from the 1st of Ramadan and throughout the holy month on linear\u00a0channels OSN Yahala and OSN Comedy, and stream exclusively on OSN+.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41814,"featured_media":33500,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[36,35,4025],"yoast_head":"\nArab Women Stand Up, And Stand Out, In New OSN Arabic Comedy Series<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alongside more than 50 comedians from across the region, seventeen female comedians share their experiences and what to expect in a new stand-up series this Ramadan.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/new-arabic-comedy-series-with-strong-female-leads\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Arab Women 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