Comedy, Comedy, Comedy. It’s the only thing that keeps us going in this stressful life that we live. And the Middle East is also getting a taste of how that feels.
A determined young Egyptian comedian, Hashem EL Garhy took it upon himself and started a “Hezb” (political party per say) for comedy here in Egypt – Al Hezb El Comedy. Al Hezb’s turned 1 year old last thursday and what better way to celebrate than to put on a comedy Show? Taking place at Makan Cultural Center in downtown Cairo, the program for the event was jam packed with 11 acts of standup comedy.
Hosted by Hashem himself, the event was kicked off by Khaled Adeeb, followed by Omar “White Sudani” Ramzi performing for the first time in Egypt, Saif Abu Kandil (The AK 47 of Comedy), Rami Boraie (ramsville, know for his podcast on Egypt Monocle), Ahmed El Mojadidi (the aspiring pediatrician), Dr. Morgan, and 2 female comedians, Telle Senounsi and Noha Kato. Filled with jokes ranging from politics, culture, social media to our hilarious ongoing life in the Middle East, the show filled the room with laughter all night.
The closing act for the event, was a comedy musical performance by duet band, The No Talents, Ahmed El Sharkawy and Mohamed Farouk, who took the night on a swirl of hilarious songs mocking incidents here and there.
The event was covered on twitter with the aim to put Egypt on the map of worldwide comedy with hashtags #comedy, #egypt and #standup tagging the event #AHCLive, the audience was tweeting the night away with coverage by Scoop Empire, YallaBreak and Cairo360.
Getting to know more about the brand of Al Hezb El Comedy, we decided to throw some question at Hashem El Garhy to let us know whats up: –
1) So what made you start Al Hezb El Comedy?
I started Al Hezb El Comedy because I wanted to perform when I wanted to as opposed to waiting for someone to call me up and put me on a show. I was also sick of event organizers always trying to make a quick buck off the performers by just putting together a regular show, without really understanding the essence of stand-up comedy.
2) Do you do it for business or pleasure?
I call it professional passion. I love to perform and be in front of a crowd. I do it for pleasure but there is an extremely important business aspect to it. It takes a lot more effort to build a successful brand then to put on one good show.
3) Are you the sole founder, or do you have other “partners”?
I am the sole founder indeed. Any “partners” are through barter deals that become associated with my brand such as Red Bull, Cairo360, Ultimate Fashion Wear, Yallabreak and our new friends, Scoop Empire.
4) Where do you see Al Hezb going in the next couple of years?
I hopefully isA see Al Hezb El Comedy having a successful online presence and fans from all over the Middle East.
5) Are you willing to expand regionally/Internationally?
You know it! Just give me some time isA!
6) You’re a comedian yourself, do you use Al Hezb as your medium for stand ups or do you join other shows?
I just was invited to a show last July at Sakia but I do use Al Hezb to perform. Like I said earlier, I love to be in front of a crowd and making people laugh. With Al Hezb El Comedy, I’ve become the host rather than the performer but performing will always be my adrenaline rush so I can never give it up!
WE SAID THIS: Let the comedy roll in! Watch this space for a video from the night soon! And follow Al Hezb on twitter @AlHezbElComedy
