As people's idea of marriage turns more materialistic by the minute, traffic reaches a new level of chaos everyday and education levels topple further, Egyptians put on their creative hats in an attempt to brush off such realities, at least for one night. Sawy Cultural Wheel's monthly Jokes Café, held last Sunday, was nothing out of the ordinary, but the positive energy and the enthused crowd made for a rather delightful evening. The content of the show was mostly mediocre, but the likes of husband/wife jokes and the inevitable Sai'di (Southern Egyptians) punch lines were quite amusing nonetheless. The evening kicked off with a slideshow of caricatures created by contributors and members of the audiences alike. While some of the drawings played on existing realities of Egyptian culture, others mirrored the complexities of world affairs. The first two of the cartoon series featured parent/child relationships in seemingly bizarre situations. In the first, a mother is seen explaining to her teenage son the meaning of the word "puberty : "It's what your father does when the maid is around. The second juxtaposed a scene from the past with another from the present. In the first, parents threaten their children that they'd tell their teachers to beat them up if they don't do their homework. In the second the parents say "If any teacher touches you or speaks to you, call me and I'll know how to deal with him. The second strip sheds light on the dwindling quality of education and the destructive cycle of nepotism that has taken over Egypt, the common belief that "if I call my father, he'll get me out of trouble. Two following illustrations stood as accurate portrayals of some of the new social ills Egypt has experienced of late. One focuses on marriage, which has become a difficult and a costly venture. Women no longer fantasize about being swept away by the knight with shining armor; now, it's all about the wedding gown, the jewelry, the pretty house, the expensive car. and the list goes on. Another illustration pokes fun at the sorry condition of the Egyptian street. Much of Egypt's chaos stems from round the clock grid-lock. Not only that, but cars made for five are forced to fit up to 12. And while numerous accidents take place because of over-capacitated vehicles, at this point, there seems to be little to do about it. This reality is depicted in a straight-up photo of a truck overloaded with people. Political strips included a clever one of a TV anchor seen gradually drowning in a rising stream of blood on screen, signifying the gory realities that have increasingly filled our news bulletins in recent years. Another depicts a meeting of "national dialogue where all members of different groups sit round a table frowning and facing outward, clearly mirroring conflicting views within political bodies that result in dead-end roads. The second half of the show involved an open mic type segment, where the floor was open for audience members eager to share their jokes. While the host of the show, Culture Wheel's director Mohamed El-Sawy, squeezed in a few jokes of his own, most of the second part was left in the hands of the audience. Some stuck to the one-liners while others recited satirical poems. A roar of applause soared as Emad took the stage, a twenty-something year-old man who appeared to be a regular at the Café. He started off with the classic husband and wife one-liners. Following that, Emad moved to the Egyptian's persisting key source of jokes: The sa'idi. While the sai'di jokes were a little longer, they elicited bigger laughs. Much of what Egyptians poke fun at is the cause of their aches. Making fun of it doesn't make people forget the reality; it's simply just another way to cope with the outrageous madness of this country.
