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Jordanian Political Satire

Introduction

In a country that has not enjoyed much freedom of speech; political satire in Jordan has been a way to criticize and make claims on the political authorities. Be it expressed in press as in weekly satirical newspapers, cartoons, prose, or as in recent times, on online social media platforms, satire in Jordan represents a unique genre that has reflected a local mode and attitude towards local and global issues. While it is not meant entirely to entertain, political satire in Jordan has been used as a way to poke fun at elected governments and their failure to tend to local issues. Like satirists worldwide, the Jordanian satirists aim to use pun and indirect references to tackle taboos, defy the restrictive laws that inhibit the freedom of speech, and convey public grievances.

Jordanian early satirists

While some might argue that the early accounts of political satire in Jordan can be traced in the works of Jordan’s most well-known poet Mustafa Wahbi al-Tal nicknamed ‘Arar’, as he was cynical of the social life during the formative years of Transjordan, satirical writings in Jordan were only made available to the public in the 1960s. According to rare accounts on the history of the Jordanian political satire as found in the diaries of a Jordanian journalist named Faisal Mohammad Awkal, the writings of Fakhri Qawar were the first satirical accounts published in the old newspaper of Amman in the Evening in Arabic (عمان المساء). Qawar's writings included short essays that mainly leveled light criticism at the government. The newspaper, which inspired the later satirical journalism, came to clash with the Jordanian authorities in 1964, after publishing the diaries of Wasfi al-Tal on the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, followed by the diaries of Ahmad Shukeiri resulting in its final shutdown in 1975. Later in early 1980s, Qawar published the first satirical works including Farhan Farah Sae’ed’s Diaries (which was adapted as a script for a soap-opera that had the same name mid-1980s), published in 1982, and “I am the Patriarch,” published in 1981.

Development of satire in 1980s

Political satire in Jordan started to develop in the 1980s in the writings of Mohammad Tomaliah, who introduced new elements to the genre in his column in Ad-Dustour, entitled “Eyewitness”. He employed a narrative style borrowed from prose using simplistic realism, cynical discrepancies, and a wide array of unusual similes.

Moreover, Tomaliah used brief sentences that drew clear images of reality and candid portrayals, allowing Jordanian specificities to stand out. He was unconventional and his articles were free of flowery language and clichés. According to critics, Tomaliah was a literary figure and not only a columnist.

In one of his articles, 'The Third Bullet", Tomaliah talks about his life saying:

"I personally have not lived yet, and my life is not yet worthy to write about: All my experiences are trivial although I consider growing up in the southern villages and moving during my adolescence years to live in "Al-Hussein Camp" an experience that gave me a special status: on one hand I am a Jordanian of a Palestinian decent, while on the other, I am Palestinian from a Jordanian origin. Therefore, I frame my political stance within this experience, more specifically within the "Catholic" relationship that govern the two peoples. Also, I do tend to think that my education in Baghdad and my father's death and burial in the beloved 'occupied' capital (in reference to Baghdad) made me an Iraqi: Sunni and Shia at the time time, and a Christian like a cross".

For more than 28 years (until his death in 2008), Tomaliah published hundreds of articles, and several books, which mainly talked and described the miseries of the destitute and the marginalized groups, including the people in his neighborhood in east Amman. Talking about the marginalized groups, Tomaliah breached the norms of the Jordanian journalism, which was formal and conservative when tackling social issues. Tomaliah did what many Jordanian writers would not have done at the time; namely criticizing the society, its norms, its traditions and even himself. It is widely argued among Jordanian critics that Tomaliah’s satirical writings and the way they were received encouraged more Jordanian daily newspapers to assign a space for this genre.

In addition to Tomaliah’s column, other satire appeared in the Jordanian satirical newspaper of Shihan (newspaper), founded in 1984. The newspaper assigned pages for the editor's satirical writings under the Pseudonym of "Shiho". The newspaper rose to become one of Jordan most read publication, and despite its satirical nature, it was regarded as one of most valuable forums for news and public affairs. In 2006, Shihan (newspaper) republished Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons resulting in a public fury that culminated in the dismissal of the paper's editor-in-chief, Jihad al-Momani.

1990s- Satire in the era of post-democracy open-up

In early 1990s, Jordan held its first parliamentary elections in 22 years, annulled the martial law in effect for 33 years and allowed for the political parties to exist and operate. The new era promised the emergence of liberal media and art represented in a theatrical boom in the country which coincided with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled Kuwait after the Gulf War in 1991.

In 1993,Nabil Sawalha and Hisham Yanes, who returned to [Jordan|Jordan]] from Kuwait after the war, established Nabil &Hisham theater where they staged several successful plays including Ahlan Barlman (Welcome, Parliament), Ahlan Nizam A'lami Jadid (Welcome, New World Order), Ahaln Mo'tamar Qimma Arabyia (Welcome, Arab Summit) and Ahlan Tatbee' (Welcome, Normalization).

Nabil and Hisham's plays established the phenomenon in Jordanian satire of being able to escape state censorship and being the first Jordanian comedians to ridicule and imitate Arab leaders on an Arab stage. The two comedians viewed their career as being free of dangers, believing there was a margin of freedom at the time, and that they needed to filter their language on certain occasions.

In one of their plays: “Welcome, New World Order”, which came in the aftermath of the Gulf War in 1990, the duo presented a rare Arab perspective at what the new order promised back then. Both Hisham Yanes and Nabil Sawalha used symbolism and implicit language, which at times lacked clarity, when referring to sensitive issues. They were mainly attempting to test the limits of tolerance provided after Jordan’s abolition of the martial law in 1989. The play which continued for 20 months attracted late King Hussein whose attendance limited future censorship.

Under the democratic opening-up, a satirical newspaper was published mid-1990s. In 1996, Abed Rabbo weekly newspaper was launched by the satirist Yousef Ghishan and sold in the first weeks thousands of copies. In 1997 and after an amended version of the press and publication law was endorsed, the paper closed, unable to meet the requirements and fines stipulated by the law.

Press and publication law in 1997

After the short-lived period of media freedom, the cabinet of Abdelsalam al-Majali introduced to the 1993 press and publication law new censorship measures. Under the new amendments, the Press and Publication Department (PPD) was given more powers to regulate the publications and the press, and the PPD was authorized to exercise censorship over the publications allowing it and the government to have an ultimate control over all media bodies.

The law also increased the minimum capital required to issue newspapers. The law also prohibited the publication of rumors or false information and any news or material that might be harmful to national unity and any material that encouraged public strikes and dissent.

In 1998, the Parliament endorsed the Press and Publications Law No. 18 of 1998, which was viewed as almost identical to the law of 1997. In 1999, the government, presented a draft amendment to the Press and Publications Law of 1998 to the Parliament. The amended law of 1999 annulled several restrictions provided for in the law of 1998, reduced the required minimum capital required for weekly newspapers.

This law led to the suspension of several leading privately owned newspapers, the majority of which were law-budgeted, such as Abed Rabbo, Hawadeth Al-Sa'a, among others that failed to comply with this prerequisite. Despite the subsequent amendments, the law remained largely the same, and under it only official media dominated the scene.

Satirical cartoons

Cartoons in Jordan serve as powerful tool to express political views. Emad Hajjaj, is considered a pioneer in drawing satirical cartoons portraying Jordanian political figures, including the King himself. Hajjaj's most famous cartoon character (Abu Mahjoob) made its first debut in 1993 portraying an angry Jordanian man hanging a promotional sign for the elections, which read "No to foreign labor" while at the same time yelling at an Egyptian worker to help him fix it.

In 1999, Hajjaj drew an unprecedented cartoon when he portrayed King Abdullah II disguised as an ordinary citizen, in a way to show Jordanians to be aware of the new monarch’s way of watching things over. Being the first time to depict the monarch, the cartoon raised questions about the extent to which can Hajjaj push the boundaries of satire in Jordan. And While it is a criminal offence to insult the king and the royal family in Jordan, Hajjaj's cartoons were not seen as ridiculing the monarch."

Through thousands of his cartoons, Hajjaj has tackled numerous political as well as social problems in Jordan. He has also critiqued several Jordanian prime ministers and poked fun at the parliament. Several of Hajajj’s cartoons were banned, including many controversial depictions of the post-Arab Spring demonstrations, one of them was published online under the headline of the Dabkeh Al-Islah or the Reform Dance, in which Abu Mahjoob warns dabkeh dancers against performing the Ali Baba dance and instead to choose any other mythical characters, such as Sinbad or Scheherazade. Ali Baba is a nick name that activists in the post-Arab spring demonstrations used to refer to King Abdullah II who, according to them, along with forty thieves, stole the country’s assets.

Another cartoon by Hajjaj that raised controversy was about the escape of a convicted businessman from jail. In 2011 and as the Jordanian public was pressing for a serious corruption fight, officials helped facilitate the escape of a Jordanian official and a businessman, Khaled Shaheen, who was detained over involvement in corruption cases. On thats subject, Hajjaj drew a cartoon in which his main characters discuss the escape of Shaheen, saying the government opens corruption files but the same time opens the prison doors.

Satire in Jordan after 2000

Satirical columns instead of newspapers

With the introduction of laws restricting media freedoms and that forced weekly newspaper to halt publication, Jordanian satirists found their way into daily columns published in Jordan's leading daily newspapers, such as Al Ra’i, Ad-Dustor, and Al Arab Al Yawm (newspaper). Among the most prominent names that became popular in Jordan since 2000 are Ahmad Hasan Al Zoubi, Kamel Nusairat, Yousef Ghishan, and Ahmad Abu Khalil, among others.

Given the rapid dissemination of their articles via social media, Jordanian columnists have become effective in shaping the public opinion in a a subtle way. For instance, Ahmad Hasan Al Zoubi, who writes for Al Ra'i newspaper, has gained fame for his sarcastic writings that have attracted the attention of Jordanians. His style can be best characterized as simple but indirect, hiding bitter criticism of the political, economic and social scene in the country.

In one of Al Zoubi’s most famous articles that raised awareness on a local issue that has not yet been resolved, Jordanians found a voice of reason that employed simple language with a cynical tone to address a serious topic: The establishment of a nuclear reactor. In an article titled "Why do we reject the nuclear reactor?", Al Zoubi refutes the government’s narrative on the guaranteed success of the nuclear reactor as a new energy source. He addresses the officials in charge of project by simply telling them that Jordanians do not have faith in them. Al Zoubi refers to the statements of president of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission defending the scheme and trying to assure Jordanians that what happened to Japan’s nuclear reactor of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant cannot happen in Jordan as it was a ‘Japanese’ administrative mistake. Al Zoubi cunningly argues that if the Japanese given their long expertise in the field committed mistakes, why would Jordanians, given their zero experience, be immune? Al Zoubi's argument was widely circulated via Facebook and played a role in shedding light on the potential danger of the reactor. . The wide circulation of his articles encouraged Al Zoubi to publish two collections of articles in books. The first was Sawaleif (Stories) in 2006 and the second was Al-Mam'out (The Featherless Bird) in 2008.

Prior to Al Zoubi’s collections of articles published in form of a book, Jordan's leading satirist Mohammad Tomaliah published two collections in 2004 and 2007. The first was Yahduth Le Doun Sa'r Al Nas (“Happens to me among all people”) and contained selected cartoons drawn by Emad Hajjaj. The second was Ilayhā bi-ṭabī’at al-ḥāl - nuṣūṣ khādishah lil-ḥiyād al-‘āmm (“To her as a matter of course -- texts that breach public neutrality”).

By choosing the sub-title Nusus Khadishah lil-hiyad al-‘amm (texts that breach public neutrality) (a play on words, instead of the familiar combination ‘public modesty’), Tomaliah, attempted to deviate from the Jordanian mainstream literature. In his book, which takes the form of short articles and stories, Tomaliah alludes to local and Arab political failures. In one of the book's articles titled “Fig Leaf”, Tomaliah reduces the vast areas of the Arab lands to a fig leaf that does not hide the Arab countries' defects. He crtiques the fake borders that separate the 'one Arab homeland' as ones that result in 'border' grudges that disturb the brotherly ties, adding that:

"The borders are often located in the desert, which in case of chaos, issues such as "sovereignty", expulsion of ambassadors, closure of checkpoints and demands to re-draft borders result in the arrival of scientists wearing khaki shorts and caps accompanied by beautiful women on top of Jeep cars. Those who drafted the borders in the past come from all over to draw them again. Each country strives to acquire a new piece of 'wilderness' and you will never understand why those are so keen to expand their area in a 'homeland' where humans cannot afford a piece of cloth to patch their robes, not even with a 'fig leaf'"

Post-Arab Spring satire

Al'an Fahimtkum

The title of the play is inspired by the famous statement of the deposed Tunisian president: Now I Understand You. It is written by Ahmad Hasan Al Zoubi and Musa Hijazeen takes the leading role in the play as Abu Saqer, a dictator Jordanian father whose wife and children decide to rebel against him in the wake of the Arab Spring. The play includes scenes that shed light on pressing Jordanian issues such as corruption, public land acquisition by the regime, the way cabinets are formed in Jordan, national unity, and the outcomes of the national dialogue committee (formed in 2011 to undertake constitutional amendments). The play is a hallmark in the post-2011 Jordanian political satire, as it has crossed red-lines on things that are not usually talked about in Jordanian public arena.

Kharabeesh animations and stand-up comedies

Kharabeesh, a Jordanian company that has produced animated cartoons since 2008, increased its productions after 2011. The company based in Jabal Amman hosted dozens of Jordanian and Arab amateur stand-comedians who performed in videos that addressed social and political issues. Kharabeesh introduced new young names to the Jordanian satire including Rajae Qawas, Nicolas Khouri and Laith Al Abbadi, who made notable appearance on Kharabeesh you tube channel of N2O comedy.

Roya TV After the establishment of Roya TV, a liberal TV channel, young Jordanian comedians found a new platform and space to speak about their opinions on local and regional political issues. The recently banned TV show 7aki Jarayed or “The talk of newspapers” discussed the issues of refugees, elections, poverty, Israel and peace process, Jordanian identity, reform and citizenship. The show distinguished itself by broadcasting reports that interview ordinary Jordanian people asking them about their opinion regarding rising political issues. The show was recently banned due to use of profanity, according to the administration of Roya TV.

Fakhri Qawar

Fakhri Qawar, in Arabic ( فخري قعوار ), is a Jordanian writer and parliamentarian. He was born in the Jordanian town of Al-Jafour near the border city of Mafraq in 1945. He was educated in Jerusalem and received the General Secondary Education Certificate (Tawjihi) from the Ibrahimieh College in Jerusalem in 1964. He later enrolled in Beirut Arab University to earn a BA in Arabic Language and Literature in 1971. [Translated from the Arabic Article]

Career

Qawar worked upon graduation as a teacher in several private schools in each of Zarqa and Amman. He also worked at Yarmouk University in Irbid for several months in mid-1970s. The Prime Minister at the time, Mudar Badran dismissed Qawar from his post after the latter published an article entitled "Amman fi el-Qalb" Amman is in the heart" in the Al Ra'i newspaper.

Literary Works

Qawar wrote his first story when he was a student in the preparatory school in Mafraq; the story was aired on the Jordanian Radio in 1961. Qawar published his stories in several Jordanian and Arab newspapers and magazines such as the Egyptian magazine of Al-Qissa (The Story), the Lebanese magazine of AL-Adeeb and Al-Aufq Al-Jadid in Jerusalem among others.

Publications

1. "Three Voices", 1972
2. "Why did Susie cry too much?, 1973
3. "No chess playing is allowed', 1976
4. " I am the Patriarch", 1981
5. "The Barrel", 1982
6. "Job, the Palestinian", 1989
7. "The dream of a nigh guard", 1993
8. "A man and a woman", translated 1996

Membership

Qawar joined the Jordanian Writers Associations when it was established in 1974. He was elected a chairman of the Association for four rounds and was the editor in chief of Awraq Magazine issued by the Association. He was also the editor in chief of Wisam children magazine in mid-1980s. In 1992, Qawar was elected the General Secretary of the Arab Writers Union in the conference that was held in Amman, he was re-elected for the same position in 1995.[Translated from the Arabic Article]

Parliamentary Career

Qawar was elected as member of the Parliament of Jordan in 1989, he ran for Amman 3rd district's seat.

Satirical Influence

Qawar wrote the script of one of the earliest comedy TV soap-operas in Jordan called " The Dairies of Farhan Sa'eed Farhan". He also wrote the script for a popular satirical radio program called "Dar Abu Warrad", or the house of Abu Warrad in mid-1990s, in addition to another program called "Kol Youm Hikya or A story for everyday.[Translated from the Arabic Article] In 2009, Greater Amman Municipality published Qawar's satirical works in one volume. "Satire for Qawar is not merely aimed to rise laughter, but rather a structure based on a form of the artistic discrepancy," Nabeel Haddad, a Jordanian academic and literary critic said about Qawar's collection.

Mohammad Tomaliah (1957-2008)

Arabic version

File:Http://ainnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/news214-300x245.jpg

Mohammad Tomaliah

Mohammad Tomaliah (1957-2008), in Arabic, (محمد طملية), a Jordanian writer and Journalist, he was born in Karak, south of Jordan in 1957. He is considered one of Jordan’s leading satirical writers, who achieved a local and Arab fame. He started his career at Ad-Dustor daily in 1983. He also wrote for other dailies and was a member of the Jordanian Writers Association and of the Arab Writers Association.

Tomaliah is the first Jordanian writer to write satirical articles and stories. He created a unique literary genre where he combined literary and journalistic style in writing that is free of flowery language and cliches.

Early Life

Mohammad Abdullah Mustafa Tomaliah was born in Abu Tarraba village in the governorate of Karak, south of Jordan. He was born to family who was originally from Innaba village in the Palestinian city of Al-Ramla. Since childhood, Tomalaih was enchanted by world literature, especially Russian words; he would memorize entire excerpts from Russian novels and reincarnated the characters in these novels.

Education

He earned a BA in Arabic literature from the University of Jordan in 1985.

Career

from the Arabic Wikipedia page Tomaliah worked after graduation for the Jordanian Writers Association as an executive secretary and also a manager for the Phoenix Gallery for Arts and Culture. He also was the editor in chief of Qiff (stop) newspaper and later a columnist who wrote for several Jordanian dailies, including Al-Sha’b, Ad-Dustour, Al Arab Al Yawm (newspaper), Al-Bilad, and Al-Raseef.

He started his literary career by writing a collection of stories titled “Al-Mutahmouson Al-Awghad” or the Scoundrel Enthusiasts in 1986. He later wrote several collections and books most prominent and celebrated among them was IIlayhā bi-ṭabī’at al-ḥāl, nuṣūṣ khādishah lil-ḥiyād al-‘āmm or “To her as a matter of course, texts that breach the public neutrality," published in 2007. He also coauthored a novel with Jordan’s leading cartoonist Emad Hajjaj in 2004 titled Yahduth Le Doun Sa’er Al-Nas or “Happens to me among all people”.

Death

Tomaliah died in 2008 after suffering for four years from cancer. He is celebrated by Mohammad Tomaliah Award for Short Stories.

Ahmad Hasan Al Zoubi

Ahmad Hasan Al Zoubi or Al Zu’bi, in Arabic (احمد حسن الزعبي) is a Jordanian columnist, playwright and satirist. He rose to prominence in 2004 after he started to write his weekly column in the state-owned newspaper of Al Ra’i. The column titled “Sawaleif”, in English “parables” became on the most read columns in Jordan as the writer cynically addresses political and social problems.

Al Zoubi was born in 1975 in the Jordanian border town of Ar-Ramtha north of Jordan. He earned a BA in accounting from Jerash Private University in 1998. While at the university, he won several awards on national level for writing short stories.

Career

Al Zoubi worked in sales in a company in the United Arab Emirates. He started his writing career in the Emirati magazine of Ahwal under a satirical column entitled “the other street” from 2000—2003. He also published several articles in Al-Khaleej magazine. He came back to Jordan in 2004 and started writing for Al Ra'i newspaper under a satirical column entitled “Sawaleif”, an Arabic word for parables or short stories.

In 2008, Al Zoubi started his website Sawalief, which publishes his banned articles and the works of Jordanian amateur writers. In 2011 and in the wake of Arab Spring, he wrote the famous play of Al'an Fahimtkum, which he described as a work that 300 million Arabs wrote. In 2012, Al Zoubi started cooperation with Kharabeesh which produces his satirical program of Mon3 fe al-Seen, in Arabic “Banned in China”. Al-Zu'bi has also written for Emarat Al Youm newspaper since 2012.

Published works

• Sawalief (parables) 2006
• Al-Mam’out (The featherless bird) 2008
• Awja’ Watan (The pains of the homeland) 2012
• Solo Bleeding 2012

Plays

The political satirical play Al'an Fahimtkum

Musa Hijazeen

Musa Hijazeen, in Arabic (موسى حجازين) , a Jordanian actor, was born in 1956 in the village of Smakia in Karak, south of Jordan. He studied music in Egypt at Helwan University.

Career

Upon graduation, Hijazeen taught music at the National Orthodox School in Jordan. He became popular when he acted in the famous Jordanian soap opera Haret Abu Awaad in 1981. He also co-starred other soap operas and rose to prominence as Jordan’s leading comedian in the 1990s. Hijazeen also co-starred several plays in 1990s and 2000s including: Shi Ghad (go away), Zaman Al-Shaghlabah( the era when everything is upside down), Hi Muwatin (Hello citizen), Hi American and Ila Mann Yahimuh Al-Amr (To whom it may concern).

Hijazeen is famous among Jordanians for his role in the play Al’an Fahimtkum “Now I understand”, performed in 2011 and 2012.

Hijazeen is also a member in Fuheis Folklore Band. He also plays Oud and has a beautiful voice. Hijazeen is married and had a daughter and two boys.

Membership

Hijazeen is a member in the Jordanian Artists Association and was a member in Fuheis Band for Folklore.

Nabil Sawalha

Nabil Sawalha was born near the city of Madaba, east of Amman in 1941(?). His family, especially his mother, encouraged him and his brother Nadim Sawalha, a well-Known British actor, to pursue a career in acting, which was not a normal career path in Jordan at the time. Sawalha began his theater career by acting in BBC radio plays in 1950s while studying engineering in the UK. In 1962, he returned to Jordan and joined the Jordanian National Theatre Group. In 1968, Sawalha formed his own production company, Urdon Co., and began producing series for local and regional Arab networks, such as “Tamara”.

Career

Sawalha’s major breakthrough came in 1980 with his own television series, “Beinee wa Beinak” (Between me and you). In 1990, Sawalha met Hisham Yanis, a former colleague from the Jordanian National Theatre Group, who returned to Jordan from Kuwait and the two were urged to collaborate. The duo was formed in an era of democratization and liberalization in the Kingdom, allowing them to push boundaries beyond previous limits, Sawalha noted. Their first television program, “Ahlan Nabil and Hisham”, was aired in the winter of 1991, and the pair began the annual tradition of launching a new play every Ramadan.

In 1992, the pair staged their most daring play: “Hello Arab Summits", in which all contemporary Arab leaders were lampooned in the wide-ranging piece, which covered periods between 1964 and the 1991 Gulf War.

Another turning point in Jordan’s history became yet another milestone in Sawalha’s career when the Kingdom signed the 1994 Wadi Araba Peace Treaty. That year the comedy duo (Nabeel &Hisham) came out with “Peace oh Peace,” a play satirizing wars in the region. In 1995, they performed in Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories. The tour prompted a short-lived blacklisting of the duo theatrical performances in Jordan and stirred criticism from the Jordanian Anti-Normalization Committee.

In 1997, after six years with seven successful plays and several television series, Sawalha went back to England for four years, during which he produced two plays focusing on Arab in UK: “Hello Arabs of London" and "Divided Hearts," before returning to Amman in 2001. After 2001, Sawalha made few appearances on MBC pan-Arab TV. He also cooperated with Kharabeesh, which produced for him several stand-up comedy video clips. In November 2014, Sawalha started a YouTube channel named 5alek Ejabi (Be Positive), a platform for motivational and inspirational talks that hosts successful young men and women.

Awards

1. The Medal of Independence 1st class from King Hussein for achievements in the arts.
2. Pioneer Shield from the Artists' Association of Jordan.
3. Shields and Certificates of Appreciation from local and international institutions, for spreading tolerance and inter-cultural understanding.

Sawalha’s work is recognized by the World Health Organization for contributions to its anti-smoking campaign.

Hisham Yanes

from the Arabic article on wikipedia

Hisham Yanes is Jordanian comedian. He graduated from law school in Cairo University.

Career

Yanes started his acting career early 1980s when he presented the famous show of Layali Amman (Amman Nights), where he imitated hundreds of personalities in a satirical style. Later in early 1990s, he and Nabil Sawalha co-authored and starred a number of satirical political plays on the stage of the Rainbow Theater in Jabal Amman, later joined by Amal Al-Dabbas.

Yanes is famous among Jordanians for impersonating famous Arab and international politicians, including the late King Hussein, who attended one of Yanes’s plays. . Yanes also co-starred the play Ahlan Huquq Insan Arabi (Welcome Human Rights for Arab Citizens). In 2007, he suffered from a stroke and retired from performing.

Works

Najati (Najati’s series)

Harmo (his wife)

Nouqta (period)

Satir Jadid(new line)

Awards

Al-Hussein Medal of 2nd class from King Abdullah II on 25/5/2013.

Roya TV

"from the Arabic Wikipedia page

Roya TV is private Jordanian TV station, it was launched on January 1st 2011. It is part of Al-Sayegh Group, a Dubai-based media group. Roya announced its vision as being an institution that is based on establishing a quality media platform with modern content that lives up to the expectations of Arab audience in the 21st century. The station broadcasts a wide range of programs, including news, talk shows, documentaries and entertainment shows. Shows: Roya TV achieved a breakthrough in the Jordanian media industry by introducing diverse and modern media content. Throughout the last three years, the channel broadcasted in addition to news, sports and soap operas a number of satirical and comedy shows that shed light on social and political issues, in Jordan and the Arab World. Haki or a7aki Jarayed is one of the most prominent shows that Roya’ produced and aired for two years, 2012-2014.

The Play Al’an Fahimtkum

The play derives its name from the famous phrase of the Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, when he announced to the Tunisian people in 2011 that he finally understood them (Al’an Fahimtkum), before he was deposed in January 2011. The play was written by the Jordanian satirist and columnist, Ahmad Hassan Al Zoubi in 2011. The prominent Jordanian actor, Musa Hijazeen, played the main character in the play, Abu Saqer. He is the head of a Jordanian family of modern means and works as a driver for the government.

Plot

Abu Saqer is a controlling father whose children, in the wake of Arab spring, decide to unite ranks and demand that he give them more freedoms. When their mother joined them, Abu Saqer decided to give concessions, including financial allowances. In the play, Abu Saqer’s brother returns to Jordan after living for 30 years in Canada. Not aware of the Jordanian domestic affairs, he asks his brother, Abu Saqer, to explain to him the situation. Abu Saqer explains how things work in Jordan by satirically alluding to array of controversial issues of interest to all Jordanians, mainly the frequent cabinet re-shuffles (Jordan is famous for the frequent change of cabinets) , political parties and national unity.

Political Significance

The play addresses several local political issues, mainly privatization and corruption. One of the powerful messages that resonated among Jordanians after the play was the phrase: “They sold it”, this phrase was repeated throughout the play in reference to the wide-scale privatization of the public institutions. After Jordanians watched the play on Roya TV, they constantly repeat it whenever the topic of privatization is being discussed.

Al Zoubi gives a voice to critics of the government who last year took to the streets demanding an end to political corruption and calling for deep reforms. The play can be seen as a result of the movements' in the Arab streets. On that Al Zoubi said that the play was written by 300 million Arabs.