Friday, December 28, 2007

Ramadan and TV (2/3): Comedies, Social Critic and Censorship

High Season for TV watching, Ramadan also is a time for more freedom in TV programs which deal, in a way or another, with social and sensitive issues.

For TV watchers of the Arab Peninsula, the big thing is, no doubt, a program called Tash Ma Tash (something like “Got it, Lost it!”). Since some 15 years (!), that incredibly popular TV serial succeeds in addressing sensitive issues in rather non conformist and “progressive” ways.

That year, Tash Ma Tash writers decided for instance to deal in a not so respectful way with the religious TV channels phenomenon mentioned in our previous post.

As they need more than one scandal for their TV season, they also spoke of the debated religious courts and it has been said that an Islamic judge pressed charges against them in Dubai.

But Tash Ma Tash writers broke that year with the tradition as they dedicated one program to the critic of the “liberal wing”.

Such an unusual tone for Tash Ma Tash writers was of course the subject of many discussions. Apparently, many people think that such an attack on the progressive wing was a clever move in order to look more neutral.

All Ramadan TV writers are not so successful with censorship. You’ll pay for your faults sooner or later (for the Arabic "lil-khataya thaman"), a TV serial due to be aired on MBC TV, was “postponed” after violent demonstrations in Kuwait.

To read the original and more detailed post in french

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