This talk is about righting writing wrongs. No, the sound's not faulty -- righting writing wrongs. The Middle East is huge, and with all our problems, one thing's for sure: we love to laugh. I think humor is a great way to celebrate our differences. We need to take our responsibilities seriously, but not ourselves. Don't get me wrong: it's not like we don't have comedy in the Middle East. I grew up at a time when iconic actors from Kuwait, Syria, Egypt used laughter to unite the region, just as football can. (Laughter) Now is the time for us to laugh at ourselves, before others can laugh with us. This is the story of the rise and rise of stand-up comedy in the Middle East -- a stand-up uprising, if you will.
Ovaj razgovor je o ispravljanju lošeg pisanja. Ne, ne zvuči pogrešno -- ispravljanje lošeg pisanja. Bliski Istok je ogroman, i sa svim našim problemima, jedna stvar je sigurna: obožavamo da se smejemo. Mislim da je humor dobar način da slavimo naše razlike. Treba da ozbiljnije shvatimo naše odgovornosti, a ne sebe. Ne shvatite me pogrešno: nije kao da nemamo komediju na Bliskom Istoku. Odrastao sam u tom vremenu kada su ikonski glumci iz Kuvajta, Sirije, Egipta, koristili smeh da sjedine region, isto kao što fudbal može. (Smeh) Sada je vreme da se smejemo sami sebima, pre nego što ostali mogu da se smeju s' nama. Ovo je priča o uzdignuću i uzdignuću stand up komedije na Bliskom Istoku -- podizanje stand up komedije, ako želite.
Working in London as TV maker and writer, I quickly realized that comedy connects audiences. Now, the best breeding ground for good comic writing is the stand-up comedy circuit, where they just happen to say that you kill when you do well and you bomb when you do badly. An unfortunate connection for us maybe, but it reminds me that we'd like to thank one man for, over the past decade, working tirelessly to support comedians all around the world, specifically comedians with a Middle Eastern background. (Applause) Like my good friends, Dean and Maysoon, at the bottom of the screen, who, two years after 9/11, started a festival to change the way Middle Easterners are perceived in the world. It's still going strong, with positive press to die for. Also, three guys working for years in Los Angeles, an Iranian, a Palestinian and an Egyptian, created the aptly named Axis of Evil comedy act. And wherever they went, they killed.
Radeći u Londonu na TV-u kao pisac, brzo sam shvatio da komedija povezuje publike. Sada, najplodnije tlo za pisanje dobre komedije je scena stand up komedije, gde baš slučajno kažu da ubijaš kad dobro odradiš i bombarduješ kad odradiš loše. Nesrećna veza za nas možda, ali me podseća da bismo hteli da zahvalimo jednom čoveku, u poslednjoj deceniji, koji je neumorno radio da podrži komičare iz celog sveta, posebno komičare sa područja Bliskog Istoka. (Aplauz) Kao moji dobri prijatelji, Din i Mejsun, na dnu ekrana, koji su, 2 godine nakon 11. septembra, osnovali festival da bi promenili način na koji svet gleda na ljude sa Bliskog Istoka. I dalje ide snažno. Sa pozitivnom štampom za koju vredi umreti. Takođe, 3 momka koji rade godinama u Los Anđelesu, Iranac, Palestinac i Egipćanin, su stvorili pomenutu Komediju Osovine Zla. I gde god da su bili ublili su.
Now, I didn't start this fire, but I did pour petrol on it. I moved to Dubai as the head of original content for a Western TV network. My job was to connect the brand with a Middle Eastern audience. Now, the American head of programming wanted new local Arabic comedy. In a thick Arabic accent, my brain went, "Berfect." (Laughter) Now, I had friends in the U.S. who had started a successful new tribe. And I had every intention of taking this tribe from being outliers in the Middle East and pushing them over the tipping point towards success. Now, as with any new idea, it wasn't easy. I had four phases to this plan. First, we'd need to buy content from the West and air it. Then I'd bring my friends, and we'd show local amateurs how it's done. We would film that and air it, and then I could work with the local amateurs and write new comedy.
Sada, nisam započeo ovu vatru, ali sam sipao na nju benzin. Preselio sam se u Dubai kao rukovodilac orginalnog sadržaja za Zapadnu TV Mrežu. Moj posao je da spojim ovaj brend sa publikom sa Bliskog Istoka. Sada, američki direktor programa je hteo novu lokalnu arapsku komediju. U dubokom arapskom akcentu, moj mozak je rekao, 'Sabršeno' (Smeh) Sada, imao sam prijatelje u SAD koji su napravili uspešno novo pleme. I imao sam svaku nameru da ih otmem od neprihvaćenosti na Bliskom Istoku i da ih gurnem preko vrha prema uspehu. Sada, kao i svakom novom idejom, nije bilo lako. Imao sam 4 faze ovog plana. Prvo, trebalo bismo da kupimo sadržaj sa Zapada i da ga emitujemo. Onda bih doveo moje prijatelje, i pokazali bismo amaterima kako se to radi. Onda bismo to snimili i emitovali, i onda bih mogao da radim sa lokalnim amaterima i pišem novu komediju.
I excitedly presented this to the big boss, and his reaction was, "Um, I don't get it." So I retreated back to my cave and continued to support and produce comedy and let my friends use my couch as a regional operations hub. Now, fast forward two years, to early 2007. The earth rotated, as did our management, (Laughter) and as if by divine intervention, things came together to help this revolution take shape. Here's how the dots connected. First, the Axis guys recorded a Comedy Central special that aired in the States, and it was getting great hits on YouTube. Our new French CEO believed in the power of positive PR ... (Laughter) and ideas du bon marche. Let's just say "value for money." I produced in Dubai a show for Ahmed Ahmed to showcase his new Axis special to a packed room. I invited our new CEO, and as soon as he realized we had a room packed full of laughing infidels, his reaction was very simple: "Let's make this happen. And one more thing: No, don't F it up." So I quickly went to work with a great team around me. I happened to find a funny guy to present it in Arabic, who is originally Korean, a perfect fit for the Axis of Evil. This is all true.
Uzbuđeno sam ovo pokazao velikom šefu, i njegova reakcija je bila, 'Hm, ne shvatam.' Tako da sam se povukao u svoju pećinu i nastavio da podržavam i produciram komediju i dao svojim prijateljima da koriste moj kauč kao regionalni centar operacija. Sada, ubrzajmo 2 godine, do rane 2007. Zemlja je kružila, kao i naša uprava. (Smeh) I baš kao sa božanskim uplitanjem, stvari su se sklopile kako bi ova revolucija dobila neki oblik. Evo kako su se tačke povezale. Prvo, momci iz Osovine Zla su snimili Specijal Komedi Centrala koji se emitovao u SAD, i imao je dobar odaziv na Youtube-u. Naš novi francuski direktor je verovao u moć pozitivnog PR-a.... (Smeh) i jeftinih ideja. I kažimo 'vrednost za novac.' Producirao sam u Dubaiju emisiju za Ahmed Ahmed-a da pokažem njegov novi specijal Osovine u prepunoj sobi. Pozvao sam našeg direktora, i čim je shvatio da imamo sobu punu nevernika koji se smeju, i njegova reakcija je bila jednostavna: 'Hajde da napravimo ovo. I još nešto: Ne, nemoj da zajeb...' Brzo sam krenuo na posao sa neverovatnim timom oko sebe. I desilo se da sam našao smešnog momka da to predstavi na arapskom, koji je poreklom Koreanac, savršen spoj sa Osovinama Zla. Sve ovo je tačno.
Now, while preparing for the tour, I had to remind the guys to be culturally sensitive. I used the three Bs of stand-up don'ts as I call them in the Middle East: blue content, keep it clean; beliefs, not religion; and the third B, bolitics. Stay away from bolitics in the Middle East. Oh course, you might think, what's left without bolitics, sex and religion, how can you make people laugh? I'd say, watch any successful well-written, family-friendly sitcom in the West for your answers.
Sada, dok smo se pripremali za turneju morao sam da podsetim momke da budu osetljivi na kulturu. Iskoristio sam 3 B-a standup-a za ne raditi, kao što ih ja zovem na Bliskom Istoku Plavi sadržaj, neka bude čisto, bez psovki -- verovanja, bez religije, i treće B, bolitika. Držite se podalje od bolitike na Bliskom Istoku. I naravno,možete misliti, šta je ostalo bez bolitike, seksa i religije, kako možemo da nateramo ljude da se smeju? Rekao bih, pogledajte bilo koju uspešnu, dobro napisanu, porodično-prijateljsku humorističku seriju na Zapadu za odgovor na to pitanje.
Now, were the Axis successful? In five countries, in just under a month, we had thousands of fanatical fans come and see them live. We had millions see them on TV and on TV news. In Jordan, we had His Majesty the King come and see them. In fact, they were so successful that you could buy a pirated copy of their DVD, even before it was released in the Middle East. Anywhere you go. So everywhere we went, we auditioned amateurs. We filmed that process and aired a documentary. I called it "Three Guys and Wonho." It really is his name. And all this TV and Internet exposure has led to a great many recruits to our cause. In Dubai this year, we've just had the first all-women's, homegrown stand-up show. And notice two of them are wearing headscarves, and yes, even they can laugh.
Sada, da li je Osovina uspešna? U 5 zemalja, za manje od mesec dana, imali smo hiljade oduševljenih fanova koji su došli da ih vide uživo. Imali smo milione koji su ih videli na TV-u i TV vestima. U Jordanu, Njegovo Veličanstvo Kralj je došao da ih vidi. U stvari, bili su toliko uspešni da ste mogli da kupite piratsku kopiju njihovog DVD-ja još pre nego što je puštena u prodaju na Bliskom Istoku. Bilo gde da idete. Znači svuda gde smo bili, imali smo audicije za amatere. Snimili smo taj proces i emitovali dokumentarac. Nazvao sam ga '3 momka i Vonho'. To je stvarno njegovo ime. I sva ta televizija i izlaganje internetu je dovelo do toga da smo mnoge uposlili za naš cilj. U Dubaiju ove godine, samo što smo imali prvi domaći ženski stand up. Primetite da 2 od njih nose velove, i da, sve one umeju da se smeju.
Dubai, to me, is like a hand that supports anyone who wants to make things happen. 20 years ago, no one had heard of it. Look at it now. With an inspirational leader, I think this year, the opening of the tallest tower in the world is like adding a finger to that hand, that points at all those who spread fallacious stories about us.
Dubai, za mene, je kao ruka koja podržava svakog ko hoće da uradi nešto. Pre 20 godina, niko nije čuo za njega. Pogledajte ga sada. Sa inspirisanim vođom, mislim da je ove godine, otvaranje najviše kule u svetu je kao dodavanje prsta toj ruci, koja pokazuje sve one koje šire zlonamerne priče o nama.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
Now, in three short years, we've come a long way with stand-up comedy shows happening even in Saudi Arabia. These comics are now going to the New York festival. And the Lebanese, brilliant Lebanese, Nemr Abou Nassar, we featured in our first tour, has just been performing in L.A.'s legendary comedy clubs. So clearly, from the inside, we are doing our best to change our image, and it's exploding. (Laughter) So, as for the outsiders looking in, watch the CNN report on the second Amman Comedy Festival. The reporter did a great job, and I thank her, but somebody forgot to send the positive PR email to the person operating the automatic news ticker that appears at the bottom. For example, when Dean talks, the ticker says, "U.S.: Suspect gave 'actionable intel." Well, if you're used to listening to comedians, then I'm not surprised.
Sada, u 3 kratke godine, prošli smo dug put sa stand up komedijom koje ima čak i u Saudijskoj Arabiji. Ovi komičari idu sada na festival u Njujorku . I Libanac, brilijantni Libanac, Nemr Abo Nasar, kog smo imali u našoj prvoj turneji, je imao nastupe u Los Anđelesu u legendarnim klubovima komedije. Očigledno, iznutra, radimo sve što možemo da promenimo sliku o nama, i to eksplodira. (Smeh) Dakle, što se tiče stranaca koji gledaju, pogledajte CNN izveštaj o drugom Anman Festivalu Komedije. Reporter je uradio dobar posao, i zahvaljujem joj, ali je neko zaboravio da pošalje pozitivan PR e-mail osobi koja upravlja trakom koja se pojavljuje na dnu vesti. Na primer, kada Din priča, traka kaže, 'SAD: Osumnjičeni dao važne informacije.' Pa, ako ste navikli da slušate komičare onda nisam iznenađen.
Sadly, this leads me to another three Bs that represents how the media in the West talks about us as bombers, billionaires and belly dancers. Enough. We're not all angry fanatics who want to kill the infidel. We have a positive story to tell and image to sell. In fact, one thing's for sure, in my experience, we love to laugh like hell.
Nažalost, ovo me vodi ka novih 3 B-a koji predstavljaju kako mediji na Zapadu pričaju o nama kao bombaši, milijarderi i trbušne plesačice. Dosta. Nismo svi besni fanatici koji hoće da pobiju nevernike. Imamo pozitivnu priču da ispričamo i da prodamo sliku, U stvari, jedna stvar je sigurna, u mom iskustvu, mnogo volimo da se smejemo.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
Here are three questions that I like to use to test the truthiness of our representation in any media story. One: Is the Middle East being shown in a current time and correct context? (Laughter) Two: Do the Middle Eastern characters laugh or smile without showing the whites of their eyes? (Laughter) Three: Is the Middle Eastern character being played by one? Clearly, there are wrongs that need to be righted. We've started in our region. My challenge to the rest of the world is please, start using positive Middle Eastern images in your stories. For inspiration, go to one of our festivals, go online, drop us a line. Let's change the narrative together and let's start righting writing wrongs.
Evo 3 pitanja koje bih hteo da iskoristim da testiram istinitost naših pojavljivanja u bilo kojoj priči u medijima. Jedna: Da li je Bliski Istok pokazan u sadašnjem vremenu i pravom kontekstu? (Smeh) Dva: Da li se likovi sa Bliskog Istoka smeju ili smeše a da ne pokazuju beonjače svojih očiju? (Smeh) Tri: Da li karaktera sa Bliskog Istoka glumi neko odatle? Očito, ima pogrešnih stvari koje treba da se isprave. Počeli smo u našem regionu. Moj izazov prema ostatku sveta je molim vas, počnite da koristite pozitivne priče sa Bliskog Istoka u vašim pričama. Za inspiraciju, idite na jedan od naših festivala, idite na internet, stavite komentar. Hajde da zajedno promenimo priču i hajde da počnemo da ispravljamo loše pisanje.
I'd like to end, before going back to the Middle East, with a quote from one of the greatest Sheikhs to put quill to parchment. As my father likes to call him, "Asheikh Azubare;" as my mother would say, "Shakespeare." (Laughter) "And now we go in content to liberty and not to banishment."
Hteo bih da završim, pre nego što se vratim na Bliski Istok, citatom jednog od najvećih Šeika koji je prislonio pero na papir. Kao što je moj otac voleo da ga zove, 'Ašeik Azubir,' i moja majka bi rekla, 'Šekspir'. (Smeh) 'I sada idemo sadržajem ka slobodi, a ne progonu.'
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)