It’s almost gluttonous the array of entertainment we get to choose from today. You have social media, streaming platforms, old school TV, the family gathering…the world has become a never-ending access to amusement. We find ourselves not being able to make up our mind on which type of entertainment we should indulge in. Stand-up comedy, a difficult artform I must say is my go-to entertainment. Somewhat new to the Arab world it is interesting to see Arab stand-up comedians are dominating the artform. So for International Joke Day we will be highlighting these 9 Arab stand-up comedians that need to be on your radar.
Mo Amer
With two Netflix specials under his belt, “The Vagabond” and “Mohammed in Texas”, Palestinian, Mo Amer has proved himself as one of the hilarious people redefining the comedy industry. Through his sharp commentary on being an Arab in the West and his work with the comedy trio, Allah Made Me Funny that promotes diversity, Amer is one to watch. Be it his use of accents, witty comments about current world order or putting audience on the hot seat, this is one comedian packaging Arab woes on double standards with sharp and smart comedy.
Nataly Aukar
Lebanese born and NYC bred, Nataly Aukar is one not to miss. From opening for Nimesh Patel, Ramy Youssef, and Mo Amer, Aukar spotlights so many issues through her witty sets. Her calmness on stage juxtaposes the bursts of laughter from her bemused audience. Being an Arab female is complex enough as is, add to that Arab female in a foreign land. Aukar uses the conflict of being so in tune with her roots yet raised in a culture different from her own to bring to the stage rich comedy with entertaining stories and unexpected punchlines. Aukar will be featured next month on Netflix’s A Joke Fest.
Mohamed Helmy
Founder of HelmyMan Events and member of The Elite group, Mohamed Helmy; the Egyptian comedian is not only making people laugh but he’s creating opportunities for up-and-coming comedians to share their voices. Helmy’s comedic style is fresh, peppered with criticism around topics that the younger generations are dealing with such as the pressure of relationships and everyday work. Organizing open mic nights to encourage aspiring young comedians to break stage fright we asked him what a stand-up comedian needs to develop, “I encourage young stand-up comedians to be persistent and consistent, if you didn’t make a room laugh once, you still need to keep going. But on the other side of things, if you’re constantly bombing and you’re insisting on maintaining the same style, you need to take a step back and think why.”
Noha Kato
Egyptian stand-up comedian, Noha Kato is killing it with her shows. Her “storytelling” content usually centers around women in addition to her own hilarious experiences as a teacher. From her ability to adopt different characters on stage, to engaging the audience with relatable comments Kato is a natural. When asked about her favorite element of doing stand-up, Kato said, “You create your own vision; you write your own thing, you direct yourself…it’s like having my own movie or play that I can perform on my own.” Moreover, a piece of advice she provides for people just starting out in comedy is, “Don’t be afraid when people are not laughing.” To catch Kato in action, book one of her shows with Comedy Sett.
Rawsan Hallak
Emirati stand-up comedian, Rawsan Hallak, is lighting stages on fire with her killer timing and amazing delivery. From being featured on Netflix’s “Comedians of the World” to doing her own shows all around Arab countries, Hallak is on a roll with spreading her timely and critical content. The comedian shines the light on society’s expectations, familial upbringings, and much more. If you need a good heartwarming laugh, she’s your go-to.
Taha Desouky
Member of The Elite group alongside Mohamed Helmy and many fabulous comedians, Desouky decodes what everyone is thinking about and out of it creates hysterical content that not only resonates with people but starts a conversation regarding generations and the issues they face. One way to describe his comedy is creative from having body parts as characters to far-fetched metaphors this creative comedian leaves his audience in hysterics. Alongside stand-up, Desouky can be seen on your television screen this Ramadan on the second season of “Fe Baytona Robot.” Catch him also on Shahid’s “Gayeen Nehazar.”
Bernadette Nabil
Egyptian comedian, Bernadette, is creating change in the comedy field. Co-launching Comedy Sett, the first female-only stand-up comedy group in addition to constantly being at shows where her sets are hilarious with her deadpan sense of humor and shocking honesty, this girl is going places. Bernadette highlighted for us why it was crucial to creating Comedy Sett, “maybe females are not up for comedy or that they are too shy to apply and perform; I think it’s not that but that there isn’t a safe space for them to try and fail. Along with stand-up Comedians Reem Nabil and Noha Kato we wanted to be a safe space encouraging female performers”, adding that gender, unfortunately, plays a role in how rejection is received the comedian added, “females are more sensitive to rejection than males; in our culture, girls are afraid of rejection and fear of putting themselves out there.”
Dina Hashem
Egyptian-Morrocan comedian, Dina Hashem has gained massive momentum in the comedy industry through her funny yet relatable stories on growing up in the United States while being Arab in addition to dark commentary that hit close to home regarding society and gender. She described her style to us as “involving subdued tone to deliver dark observations about life and her Arab-American upbringing.” Hashem currently performs at comedy clubs all across New York!
Mohamed Moula
Mohamed Moula, the Egyptian comedian is known for his accents and witty one-liners. Very new to the stand-up scene it did not take long for him to turn heads. He has the ability to transform into multiple characters that are part of our everyday, be it curious uncles or nagging friends, Moula is a natural storyteller who gets his audience to live his experience. Kicking off through his videos on Instagram we are hoping that Moula continues his stand-up comedy career.
There you have it my top picks for International Joke Day (which you probably had no idea existed), these comedians don’t just cause laughs but spread much-needed awareness on the Arab world and help deconstruct harmful stereotypes on being Arab and the Arab world in general.
WE SAID THIS: There might be several forms of entertainment, but stand-up comedy is like no other.