Egyptian Cartoons: Elections, Mubarak and Belly dancers eager to star in movies about the infidels
By Iqbal
Tamimi
Cartoonists in
Egypt are contributing to this stage of Egyptian politics with humorous
illustrations.
In this
illustration circulated on line, someone is asking a belly dancer, named
Lawahez, about her future and what is she going to do should an Islamist won
the elections:
{jcomments on}
The man: ‘What
R U going to do Lawahez that Mursi won the elections?’
Lawahiz the
belly dancer replies ‘Surely they will start producing films about Jaahiliyyah
(pre Islam) era and they will need people to play the roles of the infidels?
Following the
news of Mubarak’s death, once more, the Cyber Sphere is swarming with jokes.
Egyptians are
very well known for their sense of humour even in the worst situations. This
humour has been occupying social media networks regardless of how the political
events turn to be. The new wave of jokes and satirical comments were recycled
on the internet through Facebook, Twitter and other on line social media. I
took the liberty of translating some, concerning the news of Mubarak’s death
last night.
One was
accompanied by a photo of Mubarak addressing the Egyptians, ridiculing their
overwhelming interest in his health and wellbeing:
‘You are a
stupid nation…being preoccupied with my death, even though I have never been
preoccupied with your living’.
Another
suggests that news about Mubarak’s death is a strategy to preoccupy people and
divert their attention from other issues saying ‘Every time the Military
Council feels under pressure, Mubarak dies’.
The next joke
is about media exaggeration in Egypt. The joke is a hybrid of a caricature, a
photo and a satirical comment, reflecting the news of the supposed funeral of
Mubarak shown on a television screen, sponsored by seven different local
television channels with a sketch of a viewer empty seat and someone saying: ‘
It has been established that Hosni Mubarak, is the first overthrown president
ever to watch his own funeral live on TV’.
Another
published response online is pointing at the psychological effect of the
recurrent news of Mubarak’s death, not on the audience, but on Mubarak himself.
It says ‘News reported a relapse in Mubarak’s mental health while he was
following the news of his death on TV’.