Racist tropes in Ramzan TV satires anger Arabs

Dubai, June 23: In order to boost ratings on Arabic satellite channels during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan, two comedies struck the wrong chord with audiences when their lead actors appeared in blackface, a form of makeup that darkens the skin to represent a caricature of a black person.

The shows — one produced in Egypt and the other in Kuwait — also poked fun at Sudanese culture, making a mockery of Sudanese Arabic dialect and portraying dark skinned people from Sudan as either poor or lazy.

In the Egyptian show Azmi We Ashgan, that aired on privately owned Al- Nahar channel, comedian Samir Ghanem and his daughter Amy Ghanem appear in blackface, wearing wigs with Rastafarian-looking braids.

In another sketch aired on Kuwait TV, in the show Block Ghashmara Kuwaiti actors appear in blackface, wearing traditional Sudanese turbans and jalabeyas, the long garment worn by men in Upper Egypt and Sudan.

In the show, Kuwaiti actor Dawood Hussein’s character lounges around on a bed and constantly falls asleep. He repeatedly says “ayy” in a horse- like pitch, exaggerating the Sudanese dialect.

THE SHOWS — one produced in Egypt and the other in Kuwait — poked fun at Sudanese culture, making a mockery of Sudanese Arabic dialect and portraying them as either poor or lazy

THE LEAD actors appeared in blackface, a form of makeup that darkens skin to represent a caricature of a black person in the Egyptian show Azmi We Ashgan and Kuwaiti show Block Ghashmara