Jamil Abu-Wardeh: The Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour

Traducător: Catalin Topala Corector: Brandusa Gheorghe

This talk is about righting writing wrongs.

Aceasta prezentare este despre indreptarea scrierilor gresite.

No, the sound's not faulty -- righting writing wrongs.

Nu, sunetul este bun -- indreptarea scrierilor gresite.

The Middle East is huge,

Orientul Mijlociu este urias,

and with all our problems, one thing's for sure: we love to laugh.

si in ciuda tuturor problemelor noastre, un lucru este sigur: ne place sa radem.

I think humor is a great way to celebrate our differences.

Cred ca umorul e un mod minunat sa ne sarbatorim diferentele.

We need to take our responsibilities seriously,

Trebuie sa ne luam responsabilitatile in serios,

but not ourselves.

dar nu si pe noi insine.

Don't get me wrong: it's not like we don't have comedy in the Middle East.

Sa nu ma intelegeti gresit: nu e ca si cand nu am avea comedie in Orientul Mijlociu.

I grew up at a time when iconic actors

Am crescut in timpul cand actori celebri

from Kuwait, Syria, Egypt

din Kuweit, Siria, Egipt,

used laughter to unite the region,

foloseau rasul pentru a uni regiunea,

just as football can.

la fel cum si fotbalul poate uni.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

Now is the time for us to laugh at ourselves,

Acum este timpul sa radem de noi insine,

before others can laugh with us.

inainte ca altii sa poata rade cu noi.

This is the story of the rise and rise of stand-up comedy in the Middle East --

Aceasta este povestea cresterii si cresterii comediei standup in Orientul Mijlociu --

a stand-up uprising, if you will.

o revolta standup, daca doriti.

Working in London as TV maker and writer,

Lucrand in Londra ca realizator TV si scriitor,

I quickly realized

mi-am dat repede seama:

that comedy connects audiences.

comedia uneste audientele.

Now, the best breeding ground for good comic writing

Acum, cel mai bun teren de crestere a unui bun scris comic

is the stand-up comedy circuit,

este circuitul comediei standup,

where they just happen to say that you kill when you do well

acolo unde oamenii spun ca omori atunci cand o faci bine

and you bomb when you do badly.

si ca pui bombe atunci cand o faci prost.

An unfortunate connection for us maybe,

O relatie nefericita pentru noi,

but it reminds me

dar imi aminteste

that we'd like to thank one man for, over the past decade,

ca ar trebui sa ii multumim unui om, care, de-a lungul deceniului trecut,

working tirelessly

a muncit neobosit

to support comedians all around the world,

pentru a sustine comicii din intreaga lume,

specifically comedians

si in mod special comicii

with a Middle Eastern background.

originari din Orientul Mijlociu.

(Applause)

(Aplauze)

Like my good friends, Dean and Maysoon, at the bottom of the screen,

Ca si bunii mei prieteni, Dean si Maysoon, aici in subsolul ecranului,

who, two years after 9/11,

care, doi ani dupa 9/11,

started a festival to change the way

au pornit un festival menit sa schimbe modul

Middle Easterners are perceived in the world.

in care cei din Orientul Mijlociu sunt vazuti in lume.

It's still going strong, with positive press to die for.

Inca merge foarte bine. Cu articole pozitive in presa, pentru care ai muri.

Also, three guys working for years in Los Angeles,

De asemenea, trei tipi care lucreaza de ani buni in Los Angeles,

an Iranian, a Palestinian and an Egyptian,

un iranian, un palestinian si un egiptean,

created the aptly named Axis of Evil comedy act.

au creat programul comic, numit in mod potrivit Axa Raului.

And wherever they went,

Si oriunde au mers

they killed.

au omorat.

Now, I didn't start this fire, but I did pour petrol on it.

N-am pus eu focul asta, dar am turnat gaz peste el.

I moved to Dubai as the head of original content

M-am mutat in Dubai ca sef al unui program cu continut original

for a Western TV network.

pentru o retea TV din vestul Europei.

My job was to connect the brand with a Middle Eastern audience.

Treaba mea a fost sa conectez marca TV cu audienta din Orientul Mijlociu.

Now, the American head of programming

Seful american al programelor

wanted new local Arabic comedy.

a dorit o noua comedie arabica [cu un accent puternic american].

In a thick Arabic accent, my brain went,

Cu puternic accent arabic, creierul meu a vorbit,

"Berfect."

"Berfect."

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

Now, I had friends in the U.S.

Acum, aveam prieteni in Statele Unite

who had started a successful new tribe.

care pornisera un grup de succes.

And I had every intention of taking this tribe

Si aveam intentia sa ii transform

from being outliers in the Middle East

din exceptii in Orientul Mijlociu

and pushing them over the tipping point

si sa ii imping peste punctul critic,

towards success.

catre succes.

Now, as with any new idea, it wasn't easy.

Ca si cu orice alta idee noua, nu a fost usor.

I had four phases to this plan.

Am avut patru faze ale acestui plan.

First, we'd need to buy content from the West and air it.

In primul rand, trebuia sa cumparam emisiuni din Vest si sa le transmitem.

Then I'd bring my friends, and we'd show local amateurs how it's done.

Apoi ii aducem pe prietenii mei, si sa aratam amatorilor locali cum se face.

We would film that and air it,

Am filma procesul si l-am transmite,

and then I could work with the local amateurs and write new comedy.

si apoi as putea lucra cu amatorii locali si scrie noi texte comice.

I excitedly presented this to the big boss,

I-am prezentat entuziast ideea sefului cel mare,

and his reaction was, "Um, I don't get it."

si reactia lui a fost, "Mmm, nu inteleg."

So I retreated back to my cave

Asa ca m-am retras in pestera mea

and continued to support and produce comedy

si am continuat sa sustin si sa produc comedie

and let my friends use my couch

lasandu-i pe prietenii mei sa imi foloseasca canapeaua

as a regional operations hub.

ca pe un pivot operational.

Now, fast forward two years, to early 2007.

Acum, doi ani mai tarziu, pe la inceputul anului 2007.

The earth rotated, as did our management,

Pamantul s-a invartit, ca si conducerea noastra.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

and as if by divine intervention,

Ca prin interventie divina,

things came together

lucrurile s-au combinat

to help this revolution take shape.

pentru a ajuta aceasta revolutie sa ia forma.

Here's how the dots connected.

Iata cum s-au legat lucrurile.

First, the Axis guys recorded a Comedy Central special

In primul rand, tipii de la Axa au inregistrat un spectacol special pentru Comedy Central

that aired in the States,

care a fost transmis in Statele Unite,

and it was getting great hits on YouTube.

si a devenit celebru pe YouTube.

Our new French CEO

Directorul nostru francez

believed in the power of positive PR ...

a crezut in puterea PR-ului pozitiv... [cu accent puternic francez]

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

and ideas du bon marche.

si in ideea unei marci bune. [cu accent puternic francez]

Let's just say "value for money."

Sa-i spunem "valoare pentru bani".

I produced in Dubai a show for Ahmed Ahmed

Am produs in Dubai o emisiune pentru Ahmed Ahmed

to showcase his new Axis special to a packed room.

pentru a demonstra noul sau episod special al Axei in fata unei camere arhipline.

I invited our new CEO,

L-am invitat pe directorul nostru,

and as soon as he realized we had a room packed full of laughing infidels,

si cand si-a dat seama ca aveam o camera arhiplina cu necredinciosi care radeau,

his reaction was very simple:

reactia lui a fost foarte simpla:

"Let's make this happen.

"Sa-i dam drumul.

And one more thing: No, don't F it up."

Si inca ceva: Sa nu F emisiunea." [cu un puternic accent francez]

So I quickly went to work

Deci m-am pus pe lucru

with a great team around me.

inconjurat de o echipa foarte buna.

I happened to find

S-a intamplat sa gasesc

a funny guy to present it in Arabic,

un tip comic sa prezinte emisiunea in araba,

who is originally Korean,

tip care e de origine korean,

a perfect fit for the Axis of Evil.

o potrivire perfecta pentru Axa Raului.

This is all true.

Totul e adevarat.

Now, while preparing for the tour,

In timp ce pregateam turneul,

I had to remind the guys to be culturally sensitive.

a trebuit sa le reamintesc acestor tipi sa fie sensibili la diferentele culturale.

I used the three Bs of stand-up don'ts

Am folosit cei "3" din lista de glume care nu trebuie facute

as I call them in the Middle East:

asa cum le numesc in Orientul Mijlociu --

blue content, keep it clean; beliefs, not religion;

Fara glume obscene, credinta: fara glume despre religie,

and the third B, bolitics.

si al treilea: bolitica.

Stay away from bolitics in the Middle East.

Nu faceti glume bolitice in Orientul MIjlociu.

Oh course, you might think, what's left

Sigur ca va puteti gandi, si atunci ce mai ramane

without bolitics, sex and religion, how can you make people laugh?

fara bolitica, sex si religie, cum mai poti face oamenii sa rada?

I'd say, watch any successful well-written,

Eu zic sa va uitati la orice comedie de succes bine scrisa

family-friendly sitcom in the West

si potrivita pentru toata familia, din Vest

for your answers.

si aveti raspunsurile.

Now, were the Axis successful?

Si, a avut succes Axa?

In five countries, in just under a month,

In cinci tari, in mai putin de o luna,

we had thousands of fanatical fans come and see them live.

am avut mii de spectatori fanatici care au venit sa ii vada in direct.

We had millions see them on TV and on TV news.

Am avut milioane care i-au vazut la TV si la stirile TV.

In Jordan, we had His Majesty the King come and see them.

In Iordania, Majestatea Sa Regele a venit sa ii vada.

In fact, they were so successful

De fapt, au avut atat succes,

that you could buy a pirated copy of their DVD,

incat puteai sa cumperi o copie pirat a DVD-ului,

even before it was released in the Middle East.

inca inainte de a fi lansat in Orientul Mijlociu.

Anywhere you go.

Oriunde ai fi mers.

So everywhere we went,

Si orinde am mers,

we auditioned amateurs.

am avut auditii pentru amatori.

We filmed that process and aired a documentary.

Am filmat tot procesul si am transmis un documentar.

I called it "Three Guys and Wonho."

L-am numit "Trei tipi si Wonho"

It really is his name.

Asta e numele lui.

And all this TV and Internet exposure

Si toata aceasta expunere de la TV si pe internet

has led to a great many

a dus la o multime de

recruits to our cause.

recruti foarte buni pentru cauza noastra.

In Dubai this year, we've just had

In Dubai anul acesta, am avut

the first all-women's, homegrown stand-up show.

primul spectacol standup numai cu femei.

And notice two of them are wearing headscarves,

Si remarcati ca doua dintre ele porta batice,

and yes, even they can laugh.

si chiar si ele pot sa rada.

Dubai, to me, is like a hand

Pentru mine, Dubai este ca o mana

that supports anyone who wants to make things happen.

care sustine pe oricine vrea sa realizeze ceva.

20 years ago,

Acum 20 de ani,

no one had heard of it.

nimieni nu auzise de Dubai.

Look at it now.

Priviti-l acum.

With an inspirational leader, I think this year,

Cu un conducator inspirat, cred ca anul acesta,

the opening of the tallest tower in the world

deschiderea celei mai inalte cladiri din lume

is like adding a finger to that hand,

este ca si cand ar adauga un deget la aceasta mana,

that points at all those

sa arate spre toti

who spread fallacious stories about us.

cei care imprastie povesti rautacioase despre noi.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

(Applause)

(Aplauze)

Now, in three short years, we've come a long way

In acesti trei ani, am parcurs un drum lung

with stand-up comedy shows happening even in Saudi Arabia.

cu spectacole de comedie standup chiar si in Arabia Saudita.

These comics are now going to the New York festival.

Acesti comici vor merge la festivalul din New York.

And the Lebanese, brilliant Lebanese,

Si libanezul, acest libanez genial,

Nemr Abou Nassar, we featured in our first tour,

Nemr Abou Nassar, care a luat parte la primul nostru turneu,

has just been performing in L.A.'s legendary comedy clubs.

are spectacole in cluburi legendare de comedie din Los Angeles.

So clearly, from the inside, we are doing our best to change our image,

In mod clar, din interior, facem tot ce se poate sa ne schimbam imaginea,

and it's exploding.

si lucrurile explodeaza.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

So, as for the outsiders looking in,

Cat despre cum ne privesc strainii,

watch the CNN report on the second Amman Comedy Festival.

urmariti reportajul CNN despre a doua editie a Festivalului de Comedie Anman.

The reporter did a great job, and I thank her,

Reporterita a facut o treaba buna, si ii multumesc pentru asta,

but somebody forgot to send the positive PR email

dar cineva a uitat sa trimita emailul de PR pozitiv

to the person operating the automatic news ticker that appears at the bottom.

persoanei care controleaza sistemul de afisare a stirilor din josul ecranului.

For example, when Dean talks,

De exemplu, in timp ce Dean vorbeste,

the ticker says, "U.S.: Suspect gave 'actionable intel."

in josul ecranului apare, "SUA: Suspectul a furnizat informatii incriminatoare."

Well, if you're used to listening to comedians,

Ei bine, daca esti obisnuit sa asculti comicii,

then I'm not surprised.

atunci nu sunt surprins.

Sadly, this leads me to another three Bs

In mod trist, asta ma duce la alti "3"

that represents how the media in the West

care reprezinta modul in care media din Vest

talks about us as bombers, billionaires

vorbeste despre noi: ca fiind teroristi cu bombe, miliardari

and belly dancers.

si dansatori din buric.

Enough.

Destul.

We're not all angry fanatics

Nu suntem cu totii fanatici suparati

who want to kill the infidel.

care vor sa omoare necredinciosi.

We have a positive story to tell

Avem o poveste pozitiva de spus

and image to sell.

si o imagine de vandut.

In fact, one thing's for sure, in my experience,

De fapt, un lucru e sigur, dupa experinta mea

we love to laugh like hell.

ne place sa radem foarte mult.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

Here are three questions that I like to use

Iata trei intrebari pe care as dori sa le folosesc

to test the truthiness of our representation

pentru a testa cat de adevarata e reprezentarea noastra

in any media story.

in orice poveste din mass-media.

One: Is the Middle East

Prima: Este Orientul Mijlociu

being shown in a current time

portretizat actual

and correct context?

si intr-un context corect?

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

Two: Do the Middle Eastern characters

A doua: Personajele din Orientul Mijlociu

laugh or smile

rad sau zambesc

without showing the whites of their eyes?

fara a-si arata albul ochilor?

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

Three: Is the Middle Eastern character

A treia: Este un personaj din Orientul Mijlociu

being played by one?

jucat de o persoana din Orientul Mijlociu?

Clearly, there are wrongs that need to be righted.

In mod clar, sunt lucruri gresite care trebuie indreptate.

We've started in our region.

Am inceput in regiunea noastra.

My challenge to the rest of the world

Provocarea mea catre restul lumii

is please, start using

este sa folositi, va rog,

positive Middle Eastern images in your stories.

imagini pozitive despre Orientul Mijlociu in povestile voastre.

For inspiration, go to one of our festivals,

Pentru inspiratie, mergeti la unul dintre festivalurile noastre,

go online, drop us a line.

intrati online, si scrieti-ne un rand.

Let's change the narrative together

Haideti sa schimbam povestea impreuna

and let's start righting writing wrongs.

si sa incepem sa indreptam greselile.

I'd like to end, before going back to the Middle East,

As dori sa inchei, inainte de a ma intoarce in Orientul Mijlociu,

with a quote from one of the greatest Sheikhs

cu un citat din unul dintre cei mai mari Seici

to put quill to parchment.

care au pus pana pe hartie.

As my father likes to call him, "Asheikh Azubare;"

Dupa cum tatalui meu ii place sa il numeasca "Asheikh Azubare,"

as my mother would say, "Shakespeare."

si dupa cum mama mea ar spune "Shakespeare".

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

"And now we go in content

"Si acum mergem multumiti

to liberty and not to banishment."

catre libertate si nu catre exil".

Thank you.

Va multumesc.

(Applause)

(Aplauze)