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Following are excerpts from an interview with Ahmad Al-Sanousi "Bziz", a Moroccan political satirist, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on February 20, 2008:
Host: Political satires that make fun of presidents of Western countries, using comedians or puppets, have become the most famous TV shows, and they are very popular in France, the U.S., Britain, and most European countries. None of these presidents has ever banned or prohibited any political satire, or places any artist on trial, even though they make a mockery of these presidents. [TV shows] join other forms of satire – first and foremost, theater and caricatures. In our Arab world, however, the Arab information ministers have convened, and issued revolutionary edicts and resolutions, threatening with fire and brimstone and with an iron fist anyone who gets it into his head to insult, whether explicitly or implicitly, a ruler, a minister, or even a guard working for an Arab government. In keeping with these edicts, our guest today is the artist Al-Sanousi, one of the most prominent political satirists in the Arab world.
[...]
The viewers should know that for the past 18 years, Ahmad Al-Sanousi has been forbidden to perform, or even to appear in the state-run media in Morocco.
[...]
Following is a short satirical sequence featuring the host and Al-Sanousi. Al-Sanousi is sitting at his seat, bound and gagged.
Host: We've had you bound and gagged, because we cannot trust you to watch your tongue. From now on, we intend to implement the resolutions on all our guests. We will not allow anyone to insult any leader, or his wife, his children, his grandchildren, or his great-grandchildren – down to the 100th generation. We will not allow this.
Al-Sanousi tries to argue, but he is gagged so his words cannot be heard.
Host: We will not allow any guest to insult any minister or even a guard working for the government. The only ones you are allowed to criticize as much as you like are the downtrodden peoples.
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Mmmm...
Host: Enough! We will keep you tied up. What do you say? Do you accept the terms? Will you be polite and refrain from insulting anyone?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Mmmmm...
Host: Look... if you try to make fun of me – are you familiar with this rod? You've been beaten with it in the past, right?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Mmmmmm...
Host: In 1996.
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Along with the unemployed.
Host: This rod is ready. If you deviate to the left or to the right – the rod is here. Have you ever experienced this whip? We will be using these instruments on some of our guests. We will use the rod and whip on our guests. If this is enough to keep him polite and make him adhere to the rules – okay. Otherwise, we will cut off his tongue with these shears, and serve it as an offering to the rulers and governments. All the insolent guests – we will chop off their tongues. We adhere to the resolutions.
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: The resolutions of the minister?
Host: Of the Arab information ministers. Are you going to abide by the rules, or shall we keep you tied up? Do you see the men I have brought here, the ones who tied you up? Each of them has a rod. If you don't abide by the rules, I will unleash them on you. So are you going to abide by the rules? Guys, release him.
The men untie Al-Sanousi and remove his gag.
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Are these...
Host: Enough!
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Are these the Arab information ministers? Is this an Arab information minister?
Host: No, I got them from the Ministry of the Interior. They specialize in torture. If you deviate, I'm keeping the instruments right here.
Here begins the actual interview
Host: What do you think of the monumental resolutions made by the Arab information ministers?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: First of all, these are Arab "execution" ministers.
Host: What, you are being [insolent] already?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: No, it was just a pun. I did not break the rules. This is the first time that the ministers have made a resolution, Allah be praised. They convened and made a resolution, and that's great.
[...]
Our state-run TV channels have become an instrument of torture.
Host: In what way?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: For instance, they arrest somebody, place him in a solitary cell with no windows, and make him watch the state-run TV channel 24 hours a day. You know that on state-run channels, they air news bulletins and other programs which are dedicated to glorifying the ruler – but no news or information. After a few hours of watching, the detainee collapses.
Host: He collapses?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Yes, because he has been watching Arab state-run TV for 12 years. Then he confesses to things he has done and things he has not done. Another guy was watching...
Host: In other words, state-run TV has become an instrument of torture?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: It has become an instrument of psychological and physical torture. If I put you in front of a state-run TV channel for 24 years... 24 hours will seem like 24 years, and you will confess to things you did and things you didn't do.
Host: What should they do to improve these channels?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: I think one of the ministers who convened in the "League of Arab Censorship" should have suggested making the news bulletins musical.
Host: In what way?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Today, the public runs away to satellite TV channels...
Host: Which are full of killings and bombings...
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: State-run TV talks only about the regime and its achievements.
Host: Can you give us an example?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: I think, for instance, that when the anchor reads the news, he should make it interesting.
Host: Give us an example.
Al-Sanousi takes out a lute and begins to play.
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: For instance (sings): "Now on the news, on the news, on the news... His presidential highness has received several ministers."
[...]
Host: You must be obedient and loyal, and glorify the president or the ruler every day, so they will be pleased with you.
Ahmad Al-Sanousi:Brother, our problem today is this.
Al-Sanousi brings out a miniature chair.
Host: What is this? A chair?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Our problem is this chair.
Host: You too are sitting on a chair.
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: But I will vacate this chair an hour from now. The ruler does not vacate his chair even after 50 years. Our problem is this chair.
Host: What can I do? He is stuck to the chair, and whenever he tries to get up, the chair calls him back.
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Brother, our rulers have fallen in love-at-first-sight with their chairs. You know they suffer from a dangerous disease...
Host: Is it called "chair-philia"?
Ahmad Al-Sanousi: Yes, but scientifically, it is known as "chair-titis." This disease inflicts people who sit on their chair all the time. When some of our tyrant rulers die, they leave a will instructing that their chair be buried along with them.
[...]
I'm not talking about criticizing Arab rulers. Today, I cannot criticize even Bush. Some of our rulers evoke the name of Bush more than the name of God.[...]
By now, some of our rulers pray in the direction of the White House, and instead of saying Bismallah, they say "Bushmallah".
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