Afghans mourn comic who mocked the powerful
KABUL: Afghanistan has been mourning the death this week of one of its most treasured celebrities, comedian Hanif Hamgam, known for ridiculing the powerful in a region where poking fun at warlords is no laughing matter.
Hamgam’s daily show Zang Khatar (The Dangerous Bell), which aired on Afghanistan’s largest private TV channel Tolo from 20072013, was so popular that squadron leaders on the front line against the Taliban would demand televisions so as not to miss an episode.
“After the fall of the Taliban (in 2001) and freedom of media, his show was the first that critically looked at important issues,” his old friend and Zang Khatar colleague Nehmat Haidari said.
“He had a big impact on society, even people in remote areas knew him,” he says sadly.
A 56-year-old graduate of Kabul Theatre and Art School, Hamgam died on Saturday from a long illness.
Politicians, artists, civil servants and fans risked security fears on Monday to attend a religious ceremony marking his death in Kabul and express their condolences to his family.
A large portrait of his round face, thick beard and mischievous eyes hung on the mosque’s facade.
On the poster, an old Persian poem reads: “The man does not die in death ... Once a name is popular, it never dies easily.”
The commander of the Kabul garrison, Murad Ali Murad, arrived amid shouting sirens and an imposing military escort to praise a man who “fought through comedy”.
“All the government officials were watching Zang Khatar and were trying to fix the flaws brought up by the show,” he said.
“We have lost one of our best comedians,” said director Salim Shaheen, who became a hit at Cannes in 2017 for his starring role in the documentary Nothingwood, and who directed Hamgam in his film career.
Hamgam’s show awakened many people to their rights, Shaheen – known as the “Afghan Spielberg” – continued.
“Zang Khatar would also target powerful and corrupt officials. (Hamgam) was on the front line ... His life was threatened several times by such officials, but he strongly fought them all off. The legacy of such men lives on.”
“In many countries, there aren’t many jokes directly targeting senior officials but here almost all our jokes are political,” says Nabi Fakhri, another of Hamgam’s long-time associates.
“We would get threatening calls after each show, but we were determined to target them with our comedy,” Fakhri said. — AFP