When a joke could get you killed, should you say it anyway? A group of Syrian comedians test the limits of their newfound freedom, a year after the fall of the brutal Assad regime.
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Aubin Eymard
Note: The internet version of this episode contains un-beeped curse words. BEEPED VERSION.
Prologue
Under the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, comedian Sharief Homsi knew which jokes were too dangerous to say on stage. Now that Syria is under the control of a new government, Sharief and the other comedians of “Styria” set out on a national tour to see how far their comedy can go in this new Syria. (6 minutes)
Too Soon?
The comedians test out risky material and get big laughs on early tour dates. It’s going smoothly until they find out that their show scheduled in the conservative city of Hama is in danger of being cancelled. (13 minutes)
The Drama in Hama
The comedians go to battle with local officials. (18 minutes)
Is This Thing On?
The comedians try everything they can think of to keep their shows from being cancelled. (20 minutes)


