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Why Bassem Youssef is One of the Most Important Voices of the SWANA Region Today

November 25, 2023
Photo Credit: Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef performing in the Sydney Opera House, November 2023. Photo credit: Bassem Youssef on Facebook.

Having just sold out five Sydney shows, including one at the iconic Sydney Opera House as part of his world tour, Bassem Youssef is a comedy force to be reckoned with. Bassem’s initial rise to fame followed his Egyptian show Al-Bernameg (The Show), where he criticized the Muslim Brotherhood, and satirized aspects of the Egyptian ruling class following the Egyptian revolution in 2011. The impending threat to his safety subsequently led him to seek refuge in the United States in 2014 – a country he announced at his show he recently became a citizen of. Despite the Egyptian government’s rejection of the surgeon-turned-comedian’s wildly successful show, Bassem has since been continuing to do both Egyptians as well as the Middle East, also known as South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), proud – not only for his sharp wit, but for his unequivocal public stance against the Palestinian genocide of 2023. Although already prolific amongst Egyptians both in Egypt and in the diaspora, Bassem’s iconic interview with Piers Morgan in October made him a household name internationally, totaling a whopping 21 million views to date on Piers’ own YouTube channel…


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