Talking fists?
Egyptian candid camera show launches 'war' on Israel
Show 'surprises' celebrity guests with Israeli practical joke leads home viewers to believe violent reactions are unscripted
Joke's on who? Egypt's
Al-Nahar satellite TV network's Ramadan
programs may have gone just a bit too far – with an extreme example of a practical joke.
A talk show shown daily during the Ramadan where a celebrity guest is brought in for a TV interview seemingly conducted by a German TV channel for a show called 'Dialogue with the Other' which discusses daily news issues has been making waves in Egypt.
Candid camera or scripted TV?
During each show, the host asks the guest random questions, then slowly the questions turn to issues related to Israel – the peace agreement, normalization etc… After which viewers come on live to ask questions, but speaking in strange languages.
The guest then begins to feel that something is wrong, after which he realizes – he is not on a German show, he is in fact on an Israeli show. Then the colors of the Israeli flag appear behind him.
The guest then starts to panic and think the host may in fact be Israeli, he even fights with the staff on the show that come into the studio – impersonating Israelis – after which he says he is not willing to remain on the show. This is the usual line each episode follows.
In one of the recent episodes, the joke hit new heights when Egyptian artist Ayman Kandeel came on the show.
The show went smoothly as he spoke about his artwork, but then a critic came on to the show claiming that Kandeel held Israeli and American citizenship which led to an argument. A viewer who said she really admires his work but couldn't believe he was willing to be on an Israeli TV show followed.
At that point, the artist realizes that something was not right so he starts to ask the presenter questions, as the show is supposedly on a commercial break.
Meanwhile the show's 'producer' comes in and accuses Kandeel of anti-Semitism, and introduces himself as an Israeli. Then he goes on to claim: "Comedians should not discuss weapons." He also tells the artist that he wants to make peace.
Kandeel responds coldly that "governments have made peace but we as nations have different criteria." Things then get out of control with Kandeel hitting the 'producer' and slapping the presenter who fell to the floor, all the while continuing to curse her, beat her and kick her.
The guest is finally told that he was the victim of a prank and everybody claps.
The premise has been repeated in other shows. One night an Egyptian actress criticizes Israel saying: "In Israel everybody is a liar," then goes on to say "they (the Israelis) continue to cry over the Holocaust or whatever they call it."
Another visiting celebrity also gets into what was most likely a staged violent fist-fight with the production team when he's told the show is Israeli. When he is told about the prank the presenter says: "We are all Egyptian. Long live Egypt," then praises the guest for his patriotism.
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