TEDGlobal 2010
Jamil Abu-Wardeh: The Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour
Jamil Abu-Wardeh: Turneul De Comedie Axa Raului Orientul Mijlociu
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Jamil Abu-Wardeh a lansat scena de comedie in lumea araba punand bazele turneului de comedie Axa Raului, care aduce standup comici in atentia publicului dornic de comedie din Orientul Mijlociu. A descoperit ca prin evitarea celor "3" (glume obscene, glume despre credinte si glume despre politica), comicii din Axa Raului pot folosi o multitudine de glume transfrontaliere.
Jamil Abu-Wardeh - Producer
Jamil Abu-Wardeh believes in the community-building power of a shared laugh -- especially in Arabic. He jumpstarted the Dubai standup comedy scene and produced the Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour. Full bio
Jamil Abu-Wardeh believes in the community-building power of a shared laugh -- especially in Arabic. He jumpstarted the Dubai standup comedy scene and produced the Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
This talk is about righting writing wrongs.
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Aceasta prezentare este despre indreptarea scrierilor gresite.
00:19
No, the sound's not faulty -- righting writing wrongs.
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Nu, sunetul este bun -- indreptarea scrierilor gresite.
00:22
The Middle East is huge,
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Orientul Mijlociu este urias,
00:25
and with all our problems, one thing's for sure: we love to laugh.
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si in ciuda tuturor problemelor noastre, un lucru este sigur: ne place sa radem.
00:28
I think humor is a great way to celebrate our differences.
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Cred ca umorul e un mod minunat sa ne sarbatorim diferentele.
00:31
We need to take our responsibilities seriously,
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Trebuie sa ne luam responsabilitatile in serios,
00:33
but not ourselves.
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dar nu si pe noi insine.
00:35
Don't get me wrong: it's not like we don't have comedy in the Middle East.
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Sa nu ma intelegeti gresit: nu e ca si cand nu am avea comedie in Orientul Mijlociu.
00:38
I grew up at a time when iconic actors
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Am crescut in timpul cand actori celebri
00:40
from Kuwait, Syria, Egypt
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din Kuweit, Siria, Egipt,
00:42
used laughter to unite the region,
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foloseau rasul pentru a uni regiunea,
00:45
just as football can.
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la fel cum si fotbalul poate uni.
00:47
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
00:50
Now is the time for us to laugh at ourselves,
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Acum este timpul sa radem de noi insine,
00:52
before others can laugh with us.
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inainte ca altii sa poata rade cu noi.
00:55
This is the story of the rise and rise of stand-up comedy in the Middle East --
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Aceasta este povestea cresterii si cresterii comediei standup in Orientul Mijlociu --
00:58
a stand-up uprising, if you will.
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o revolta standup, daca doriti.
01:02
Working in London as TV maker and writer,
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Lucrand in Londra ca realizator TV si scriitor,
01:05
I quickly realized
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mi-am dat repede seama:
01:07
that comedy connects audiences.
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comedia uneste audientele.
01:10
Now, the best breeding ground for good comic writing
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Acum, cel mai bun teren de crestere a unui bun scris comic
01:13
is the stand-up comedy circuit,
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este circuitul comediei standup,
01:15
where they just happen to say that you kill when you do well
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acolo unde oamenii spun ca omori atunci cand o faci bine
01:17
and you bomb when you do badly.
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si ca pui bombe atunci cand o faci prost.
01:19
An unfortunate connection for us maybe,
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O relatie nefericita pentru noi,
01:21
but it reminds me
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dar imi aminteste
01:23
that we'd like to thank one man for, over the past decade,
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ca ar trebui sa ii multumim unui om, care, de-a lungul deceniului trecut,
01:26
working tirelessly
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a muncit neobosit
01:27
to support comedians all around the world,
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pentru a sustine comicii din intreaga lume,
01:30
specifically comedians
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si in mod special comicii
01:32
with a Middle Eastern background.
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originari din Orientul Mijlociu.
01:34
(Applause)
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(Aplauze)
01:37
Like my good friends, Dean and Maysoon, at the bottom of the screen,
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Ca si bunii mei prieteni, Dean si Maysoon, aici in subsolul ecranului,
01:40
who, two years after 9/11,
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care, doi ani dupa 9/11,
01:42
started a festival to change the way
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au pornit un festival menit sa schimbe modul
01:44
Middle Easterners are perceived in the world.
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in care cei din Orientul Mijlociu sunt vazuti in lume.
01:47
It's still going strong, with positive press to die for.
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Inca merge foarte bine. Cu articole pozitive in presa, pentru care ai muri.
01:51
Also, three guys working for years in Los Angeles,
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De asemenea, trei tipi care lucreaza de ani buni in Los Angeles,
01:54
an Iranian, a Palestinian and an Egyptian,
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un iranian, un palestinian si un egiptean,
01:57
created the aptly named Axis of Evil comedy act.
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au creat programul comic, numit in mod potrivit Axa Raului.
02:01
And wherever they went,
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Si oriunde au mers
02:03
they killed.
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au omorat.
02:05
Now, I didn't start this fire, but I did pour petrol on it.
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N-am pus eu focul asta, dar am turnat gaz peste el.
02:08
I moved to Dubai as the head of original content
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M-am mutat in Dubai ca sef al unui program cu continut original
02:11
for a Western TV network.
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pentru o retea TV din vestul Europei.
02:13
My job was to connect the brand with a Middle Eastern audience.
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Treaba mea a fost sa conectez marca TV cu audienta din Orientul Mijlociu.
02:18
Now, the American head of programming
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Seful american al programelor
02:21
wanted new local Arabic comedy.
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a dorit o noua comedie arabica [cu un accent puternic american].
02:24
In a thick Arabic accent, my brain went,
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Cu puternic accent arabic, creierul meu a vorbit,
02:27
"Berfect."
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"Berfect."
02:29
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
02:31
Now, I had friends in the U.S.
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Acum, aveam prieteni in Statele Unite
02:33
who had started a successful new tribe.
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care pornisera un grup de succes.
02:37
And I had every intention of taking this tribe
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Si aveam intentia sa ii transform
02:39
from being outliers in the Middle East
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din exceptii in Orientul Mijlociu
02:41
and pushing them over the tipping point
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si sa ii imping peste punctul critic,
02:43
towards success.
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catre succes.
02:45
Now, as with any new idea, it wasn't easy.
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Ca si cu orice alta idee noua, nu a fost usor.
02:47
I had four phases to this plan.
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Am avut patru faze ale acestui plan.
02:49
First, we'd need to buy content from the West and air it.
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In primul rand, trebuia sa cumparam emisiuni din Vest si sa le transmitem.
02:52
Then I'd bring my friends, and we'd show local amateurs how it's done.
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Apoi ii aducem pe prietenii mei, si sa aratam amatorilor locali cum se face.
02:55
We would film that and air it,
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Am filma procesul si l-am transmite,
02:57
and then I could work with the local amateurs and write new comedy.
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si apoi as putea lucra cu amatorii locali si scrie noi texte comice.
03:00
I excitedly presented this to the big boss,
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I-am prezentat entuziast ideea sefului cel mare,
03:02
and his reaction was, "Um, I don't get it."
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si reactia lui a fost, "Mmm, nu inteleg."
03:07
So I retreated back to my cave
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Asa ca m-am retras in pestera mea
03:09
and continued to support and produce comedy
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si am continuat sa sustin si sa produc comedie
03:11
and let my friends use my couch
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lasandu-i pe prietenii mei sa imi foloseasca canapeaua
03:13
as a regional operations hub.
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ca pe un pivot operational.
03:16
Now, fast forward two years, to early 2007.
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Acum, doi ani mai tarziu, pe la inceputul anului 2007.
03:19
The earth rotated, as did our management,
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Pamantul s-a invartit, ca si conducerea noastra.
03:22
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
03:24
and as if by divine intervention,
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Ca prin interventie divina,
03:26
things came together
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lucrurile s-au combinat
03:28
to help this revolution take shape.
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pentru a ajuta aceasta revolutie sa ia forma.
03:31
Here's how the dots connected.
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Iata cum s-au legat lucrurile.
03:33
First, the Axis guys recorded a Comedy Central special
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In primul rand, tipii de la Axa au inregistrat un spectacol special pentru Comedy Central
03:36
that aired in the States,
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care a fost transmis in Statele Unite,
03:38
and it was getting great hits on YouTube.
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si a devenit celebru pe YouTube.
03:40
Our new French CEO
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Directorul nostru francez
03:42
believed in the power of positive PR ...
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a crezut in puterea PR-ului pozitiv... [cu accent puternic francez]
03:44
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
03:46
and ideas du bon marche.
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si in ideea unei marci bune. [cu accent puternic francez]
03:49
Let's just say "value for money."
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Sa-i spunem "valoare pentru bani".
03:51
I produced in Dubai a show for Ahmed Ahmed
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Am produs in Dubai o emisiune pentru Ahmed Ahmed
03:54
to showcase his new Axis special to a packed room.
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pentru a demonstra noul sau episod special al Axei in fata unei camere arhipline.
03:56
I invited our new CEO,
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L-am invitat pe directorul nostru,
03:58
and as soon as he realized we had a room packed full of laughing infidels,
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si cand si-a dat seama ca aveam o camera arhiplina cu necredinciosi care radeau,
04:01
his reaction was very simple:
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reactia lui a fost foarte simpla:
04:03
"Let's make this happen.
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"Sa-i dam drumul.
04:06
And one more thing: No, don't F it up."
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Si inca ceva: Sa nu F emisiunea." [cu un puternic accent francez]
04:09
So I quickly went to work
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Deci m-am pus pe lucru
04:11
with a great team around me.
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inconjurat de o echipa foarte buna.
04:13
I happened to find
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S-a intamplat sa gasesc
04:15
a funny guy to present it in Arabic,
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un tip comic sa prezinte emisiunea in araba,
04:17
who is originally Korean,
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tip care e de origine korean,
04:20
a perfect fit for the Axis of Evil.
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o potrivire perfecta pentru Axa Raului.
04:22
This is all true.
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Totul e adevarat.
04:24
Now, while preparing for the tour,
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In timp ce pregateam turneul,
04:26
I had to remind the guys to be culturally sensitive.
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a trebuit sa le reamintesc acestor tipi sa fie sensibili la diferentele culturale.
04:28
I used the three Bs of stand-up don'ts
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Am folosit cei "3" din lista de glume care nu trebuie facute
04:30
as I call them in the Middle East:
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asa cum le numesc in Orientul Mijlociu --
04:33
blue content, keep it clean; beliefs, not religion;
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Fara glume obscene, credinta: fara glume despre religie,
04:36
and the third B, bolitics.
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si al treilea: bolitica.
04:39
Stay away from bolitics in the Middle East.
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Nu faceti glume bolitice in Orientul MIjlociu.
04:42
Oh course, you might think, what's left
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Sigur ca va puteti gandi, si atunci ce mai ramane
04:44
without bolitics, sex and religion, how can you make people laugh?
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fara bolitica, sex si religie, cum mai poti face oamenii sa rada?
04:46
I'd say, watch any successful well-written,
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Eu zic sa va uitati la orice comedie de succes bine scrisa
04:49
family-friendly sitcom in the West
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si potrivita pentru toata familia, din Vest
04:51
for your answers.
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si aveti raspunsurile.
04:53
Now, were the Axis successful?
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Si, a avut succes Axa?
04:57
In five countries, in just under a month,
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In cinci tari, in mai putin de o luna,
04:59
we had thousands of fanatical fans come and see them live.
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am avut mii de spectatori fanatici care au venit sa ii vada in direct.
05:02
We had millions see them on TV and on TV news.
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Am avut milioane care i-au vazut la TV si la stirile TV.
05:05
In Jordan, we had His Majesty the King come and see them.
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In Iordania, Majestatea Sa Regele a venit sa ii vada.
05:08
In fact, they were so successful
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De fapt, au avut atat succes,
05:10
that you could buy a pirated copy of their DVD,
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incat puteai sa cumperi o copie pirat a DVD-ului,
05:12
even before it was released in the Middle East.
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inca inainte de a fi lansat in Orientul Mijlociu.
05:14
Anywhere you go.
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Oriunde ai fi mers.
05:16
So everywhere we went,
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Si orinde am mers,
05:18
we auditioned amateurs.
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am avut auditii pentru amatori.
05:20
We filmed that process and aired a documentary.
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Am filmat tot procesul si am transmis un documentar.
05:23
I called it "Three Guys and Wonho."
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L-am numit "Trei tipi si Wonho"
05:26
It really is his name.
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Asta e numele lui.
05:30
And all this TV and Internet exposure
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Si toata aceasta expunere de la TV si pe internet
05:33
has led to a great many
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a dus la o multime de
05:35
recruits to our cause.
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recruti foarte buni pentru cauza noastra.
05:37
In Dubai this year, we've just had
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In Dubai anul acesta, am avut
05:39
the first all-women's, homegrown stand-up show.
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primul spectacol standup numai cu femei.
05:41
And notice two of them are wearing headscarves,
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Si remarcati ca doua dintre ele porta batice,
05:43
and yes, even they can laugh.
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si chiar si ele pot sa rada.
05:46
Dubai, to me, is like a hand
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Pentru mine, Dubai este ca o mana
05:48
that supports anyone who wants to make things happen.
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care sustine pe oricine vrea sa realizeze ceva.
05:51
20 years ago,
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Acum 20 de ani,
05:53
no one had heard of it.
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nimieni nu auzise de Dubai.
05:55
Look at it now.
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Priviti-l acum.
05:57
With an inspirational leader, I think this year,
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Cu un conducator inspirat, cred ca anul acesta,
05:59
the opening of the tallest tower in the world
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deschiderea celei mai inalte cladiri din lume
06:01
is like adding a finger to that hand,
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este ca si cand ar adauga un deget la aceasta mana,
06:03
that points at all those
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sa arate spre toti
06:05
who spread fallacious stories about us.
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cei care imprastie povesti rautacioase despre noi.
06:08
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
06:11
(Applause)
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(Aplauze)
06:13
Now, in three short years, we've come a long way
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In acesti trei ani, am parcurs un drum lung
06:16
with stand-up comedy shows happening even in Saudi Arabia.
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cu spectacole de comedie standup chiar si in Arabia Saudita.
06:19
These comics are now going to the New York festival.
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Acesti comici vor merge la festivalul din New York.
06:22
And the Lebanese, brilliant Lebanese,
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Si libanezul, acest libanez genial,
06:24
Nemr Abou Nassar, we featured in our first tour,
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Nemr Abou Nassar, care a luat parte la primul nostru turneu,
06:26
has just been performing in L.A.'s legendary comedy clubs.
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are spectacole in cluburi legendare de comedie din Los Angeles.
06:29
So clearly, from the inside, we are doing our best to change our image,
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In mod clar, din interior, facem tot ce se poate sa ne schimbam imaginea,
06:32
and it's exploding.
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si lucrurile explodeaza.
06:34
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
06:36
So, as for the outsiders looking in,
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Cat despre cum ne privesc strainii,
06:39
watch the CNN report on the second Amman Comedy Festival.
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urmariti reportajul CNN despre a doua editie a Festivalului de Comedie Anman.
06:42
The reporter did a great job, and I thank her,
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Reporterita a facut o treaba buna, si ii multumesc pentru asta,
06:45
but somebody forgot to send the positive PR email
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dar cineva a uitat sa trimita emailul de PR pozitiv
06:48
to the person operating the automatic news ticker that appears at the bottom.
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persoanei care controleaza sistemul de afisare a stirilor din josul ecranului.
06:51
For example, when Dean talks,
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De exemplu, in timp ce Dean vorbeste,
06:54
the ticker says, "U.S.: Suspect gave 'actionable intel."
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in josul ecranului apare, "SUA: Suspectul a furnizat informatii incriminatoare."
06:57
Well, if you're used to listening to comedians,
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Ei bine, daca esti obisnuit sa asculti comicii,
07:00
then I'm not surprised.
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atunci nu sunt surprins.
07:02
Sadly, this leads me to another three Bs
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In mod trist, asta ma duce la alti "3"
07:04
that represents how the media in the West
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care reprezinta modul in care media din Vest
07:07
talks about us as bombers, billionaires
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vorbeste despre noi: ca fiind teroristi cu bombe, miliardari
07:09
and belly dancers.
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si dansatori din buric.
07:12
Enough.
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Destul.
07:14
We're not all angry fanatics
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Nu suntem cu totii fanatici suparati
07:16
who want to kill the infidel.
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care vor sa omoare necredinciosi.
07:18
We have a positive story to tell
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Avem o poveste pozitiva de spus
07:20
and image to sell.
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si o imagine de vandut.
07:22
In fact, one thing's for sure, in my experience,
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De fapt, un lucru e sigur, dupa experinta mea
07:25
we love to laugh like hell.
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ne place sa radem foarte mult.
07:29
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
07:31
Here are three questions that I like to use
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Iata trei intrebari pe care as dori sa le folosesc
07:33
to test the truthiness of our representation
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pentru a testa cat de adevarata e reprezentarea noastra
07:36
in any media story.
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in orice poveste din mass-media.
07:38
One: Is the Middle East
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Prima: Este Orientul Mijlociu
07:40
being shown in a current time
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portretizat actual
07:42
and correct context?
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si intr-un context corect?
07:45
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
07:50
Two: Do the Middle Eastern characters
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A doua: Personajele din Orientul Mijlociu
07:53
laugh or smile
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rad sau zambesc
07:56
without showing the whites of their eyes?
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fara a-si arata albul ochilor?
07:58
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
08:00
Three: Is the Middle Eastern character
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A treia: Este un personaj din Orientul Mijlociu
08:03
being played by one?
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jucat de o persoana din Orientul Mijlociu?
08:08
Clearly, there are wrongs that need to be righted.
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In mod clar, sunt lucruri gresite care trebuie indreptate.
08:11
We've started in our region.
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Am inceput in regiunea noastra.
08:13
My challenge to the rest of the world
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Provocarea mea catre restul lumii
08:15
is please, start using
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este sa folositi, va rog,
08:17
positive Middle Eastern images in your stories.
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imagini pozitive despre Orientul Mijlociu in povestile voastre.
08:19
For inspiration, go to one of our festivals,
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Pentru inspiratie, mergeti la unul dintre festivalurile noastre,
08:21
go online, drop us a line.
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intrati online, si scrieti-ne un rand.
08:23
Let's change the narrative together
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Haideti sa schimbam povestea impreuna
08:26
and let's start righting writing wrongs.
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si sa incepem sa indreptam greselile.
08:29
I'd like to end, before going back to the Middle East,
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As dori sa inchei, inainte de a ma intoarce in Orientul Mijlociu,
08:31
with a quote from one of the greatest Sheikhs
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cu un citat din unul dintre cei mai mari Seici
08:33
to put quill to parchment.
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care au pus pana pe hartie.
08:35
As my father likes to call him, "Asheikh Azubare;"
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Dupa cum tatalui meu ii place sa il numeasca "Asheikh Azubare,"
08:38
as my mother would say, "Shakespeare."
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si dupa cum mama mea ar spune "Shakespeare".
08:40
(Laughter)
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(Rasete)
08:42
"And now we go in content
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"Si acum mergem multumiti
08:44
to liberty and not to banishment."
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catre libertate si nu catre exil".
08:46
Thank you.
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Va multumesc.
08:48
(Applause)
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(Aplauze)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jamil Abu-Wardeh - ProducerJamil Abu-Wardeh believes in the community-building power of a shared laugh -- especially in Arabic. He jumpstarted the Dubai standup comedy scene and produced the Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour.
Why you should listen
After fifteen years working in UK television, Jamil Abu-Wardeh moved to Dubai with a big idea: to bring modern standup comedy to the Middle East. His grassroots efforts to build a standup scene in Dubai, and then across the region, led to the first standup comedy time slot in the programming of Showtime Arabia. And this led to a ground- and record-breaking tour of five Arab countries: The Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour. Lines around the block, performances for royalty -- the tour tapped into a shared desire to laugh.
Standup comedians on the tour avoid the three B's (blue material, beliefs and "bolitics") but are free to poke fun everywhere else. One of Abu-Wardeh's stars, protegé Wonho Chung, is a Korean kid who speaks perfect Arabic and is wildly popular on YouTube in Saudi Arabia -- proving to Abu-Wardeh that lines between national groups can be broken down if you're just funny enough. The impresario is constantly creating content and chances for aspiring comics, and his work has helped touch off a new flowering of standup comedy in the region.
Jamil Abu-Wardeh | Speaker | TED.com