ALOUD @ Los Angeles Public Library

Exiled from Cairo: Humor as Dissent


Listen Later

Bassem Youssef, a satirist who rose to international fame in the middle of the Egyptian Revolution with his incendiary brand of comedy and his knack for unabashedly mocking dictators, has been dubbed “the Jon Stewart of the Arabic world.” In his new book, Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring, Youssef chronicles his transformation from a heart surgeon who filmed YouTube skits in the laundry room of his home to the host and creator of the popular Egyptian television show, AlBernameg (“The Program”). Youssef’s provocative political commentary quickly incensed the authoritarian government, who accused him of insulting the Egyptian presidency and Islam, and he was arrested and interrogated by the police. While his case was eventually dismissed, his television show was terminated, and Youssef, fearful for his safety, fled his homeland. Now living in exile in Los Angeles, Youssef will take the ALOUD stage to discusses his tumultuous—and hilarious—journey through a revolution that illuminates how jokes are often mightier than the sword.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

ALOUD @ Los Angeles Public LibraryBy Los Angeles Public Library

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

51 ratings


More shows like ALOUD @ Los Angeles Public Library

View all
Bookworm by KCRW

Bookworm

572 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,208 Listeners

Library Talks by The New York Public Library

Library Talks

317 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,631 Listeners

Pivot by New York Magazine

Pivot

9,120 Listeners

The Paris Review by The Paris Review

The Paris Review

784 Listeners

City Arts & Lectures by City Arts & Lectures

City Arts & Lectures

376 Listeners

Know Your Enemy by Matthew Sitman

Know Your Enemy

1,907 Listeners

Morning Meeting by Air Mail

Morning Meeting

211 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,735 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,220 Listeners

The Interview by The New York Times

The Interview

1,451 Listeners

Past Present Future by David Runciman

Past Present Future

317 Listeners

Critics at Large | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

Critics at Large | The New Yorker

574 Listeners