Diana Farah
DUBAI: Amidst ongoing violence in the region, comedians on social media may find it difficult to continue doing their job while being sensitive to the fact that certain parts of the world are suffering.
Top Arab comedians Abdullah Sbieh, Saif Zaghmouri and Yusef Batainehare spoke to Arab News Japan about their experience of maintaining the balance of making people laugh while also raising awareness on the Gaza war.
“As comedians, it’s important to talk about our daily lives as well as current affairs,” Sbeih said. “Even if there are no wars, we talk about important topics such as the economy, the environment and even traffic.”
“We cannot ignore the war currently happening, we need to raise awareness about the Palestinian conflict,” he added.
Sbeih explained that during these turbulent times, it is not always the best to focus on comedy and it can affect their careers, but it is a matter of how a comedian can find the right balance to continue raising awareness and doing their job at the same time.
The trio known as Salaseh, who is set to perform on July 6 in Dubai, each have a social media following with fans around the Arab world.
They started their group, along with the Salaseh podcast, after starting out as beginner comedians in Jordan.
“Thanks to standup comedy we got together, and we found that we had the right chemistry to start a podcast,” Zaghmouri said.
They each had the idea to start a podcast but did not know where to start until they had gotten together during the Qatar 2022 World Cup and decided to create one together.
“We want our podcast, which is in its fourth season, to be the main comedy podcast in the Arab world, where people come to listen and laugh,” Sbeih added.
Despite each comedian coming from a different walk in life and being of different ages, the three are in the process of planning a tour around the Middle East and other parts of the world.
“We’ve already performed in Dubai a few times, in Beirut and Istanbul but of course, we’d love to plan a tour around all the Arab countries,” they said.
The comedians explained that they are at the beginning of their comedic journey but are working hard to grow their reputation and their connections with their fans.
When it comes to their standup shows, the trio enjoy building connections with their audiences.
“The best way to get a connection with our audience is to take some time to ask about them and ask who they are, what they do, and that way they can feel that they are close to us and makes them feel that they know us,” Sbeih said.
Zaghmouri added: “After the show we also like to ask the audience about their feedback, it’s not just about them coming to the show, laughing and leaving. We would love to have conversations and hearing their feedback.”
The Salaseh Stand-Up Comedy in Dubai is produced by UAE-based events company Eventactix and presented by UAE’s cultural hub Art For All.
It is a chance for fans to celebrate comedy and community and to experience joy and laughter.