Tickling Giants thoughts

Tickling Giants was awesome! I really loved every minute of it. One of the reasons I liked it most was how informative it was about what had gone on and what is currently going on in Egypt. This information was presented through an extraordinary character who struggled to cope with the repercussions of expressing his views, and a lot of the country’s views, in a society where political jokes will put you in prison. It’s so sad to know that the people in that country don’t have a voice. There was a lot of moments where Bassem is visibly anxious before walking out of stage to do his regular routine of laughing and making jokes. It was hard to watch the story unfold through his character because of what he and his family and staff had to go through. It makes me think about how despite some of our country’s downfalls, at least people can joke about politics without being silenced to the point of jail time. In a way I feel elated that the staff made the show happen. They wrote jokes and were able to express their voices through Bassem’s show. Working in a likeminded environment like that is the kind of thing that builds a strong community of people and that strength can ultimately lead to change. Having Bassem as their leader of sorts must have been truly inspiring, especially when he gave those short speeches before a show to remind them that what they are doing means something and to be confident in that. This brought Bassem’s humanity to life. How can you not fall in love with his character? He is such a genuine person. It got me thinking about humanity. How did Bassem get to be such a thoughtful person when he grew up in a such a suppressive place? To me, this represents hope for the Egyptian people and for societies everywhere.