Those crazy kids over in Egypt love themselves prank shows. So much so, that every year, the controversy resurfaces over them during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This year, a member of the Egyptian parliamentary Media and Culture Committee, called on media bodies to stop all such prank shows during Ramadan.
I can understand why. These pranks don’t always go so well. Like a few years ago when the palestinian comedian almost got burnt to death. And the pranks involving Israel are particularly susceptible to failure.
But don’t tell that to the Egyptians. They sure love to use Israel as a source of their prank shenanigans!
Prank show “Al Sadma,” “The shock,” observed how Egyptians reacted to a vendor who was trying to sell them products saying “Made in Israel” in Attaba, a popular working-class shopping district in Cairo.
“These products are from Israel… Their quality is better than the others,” said the vendor, hawking his wares. Customers were shocked to hear his sales pitch. Some refused to buy from him and asked how could he bring these products; others just left him and walked away.
“Palestine isn’t Israel,” a man told to the vendor when the latter said there was no difference between products from Palestine or from Israel.
“You are free to bring your products from Israel, and people are free to buy them or not,” a passing woman said.
One woman, disregarding the others who turned away upon learning the origin of the products, did not seem to mind. “It’s okay,” she said. “I shall buy from him.”
“Al-Sadma” is aired on MBC Masr TV channel. It is a prank show that presents practical jokes and observes how people react to them. Most of the situations are shocking because of they present situations generally perceived negatively, and prompt people to take matters into their own hands and be more positive.
Given the attitudes of most Egyptians towards Israel, as well as the level of incitement directed against us, perhaps the most elaborate prank of all was the Camp David accords.
