Puppet shows, political parodies, ridiculing politicians -- in a Lebanon faced with bombings, violent clashes, and political conflicts, it's better to laugh than cry.
In a country where almost every major political party has its own television station, comedy shows satirising the political culture flood the small screen, with some stations airing three shows a day.
The constant bickering and nervous tics of the country's top political leaders provide comedians with a wealth of material to help relieve the frustrations caused by Lebanon's often slow-moving political processes.
"It's better to die laughing than to die altogether," said Lebanese comedian Andre Jadaa, who with partner Pierre Shammassian and their troupe of singers has performed musical theatrical shows for many years.
"In 25 years, our troupe has changed, unlike the Lebanese political scene," Jadaa told AFP.
"Even when a leader disappears, is killed or dies of natural causes, his brother, wife or son succeeds him," Jadaa said. "Laughing is a safety net. It's better to break into laughter than have a nervous breakdown."
For about a year now Jadaa and Shammassian have had a show called "14 or 8" on the Lebanese Broadcasting Channel (LBC).
The name of the show refers to the tensions between two main rival political factions, the Western-backed parliamentary majority known as "March 14" and the Iran- and Syria-backed coalition led by Hezbollah known as "March 8."
LBC is not alone. The OTV station belonging to Christian "March 8" leader Michel Aoun has a hidden camera show called "Maqlab Maratab" that targets politicians.
New TV, close to the March 8 coalition, has "Erbet Tenhal" (The solution is near) while Future TV, owned by parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri has its "Al-Nashra," a parody news broadcast.
The latest is a puppet show on LBC called "Duma Cratia," a play on the word "democracy," the first part of which means "doll."
Its creator, Sharbel Khalil, is best known for a show he made for the same channel named "Basmat Watan," another play on words that means both "the smiles of the nation" or "when the nation died."
"We don't laugh enough especially given the desperate situation we're facing," Khalil told AFP.
"A small anecdote may convey a message better than a long moralistic speech," Khalil added.
The show, which is similar to other satires that include comedic imitations and songs, is performed using 52 French-made figurines.
"Each requires three people to operate them," Khalil says as he checks the puppets of Christian leaders Samir Geagea, of the anti-Syrian coalition, and Sleiman Franjieh, an ally of Damascus.
The show doesn't spare anyone except those protected by Lebanese law including "the president of the republic, religious leaders and the judiciary," according to Khalil.
"That's why you only hear the voice of Maronite Bishop Nasrallah Sfeir mimicked by actor Jean Boujadaoun," he explained.
Though the satires can be scathing, they are generally well-received.
Despite Lebanon's sharp political divisions and its history of violence, the productions have mostly avoided provoking strong repercussions.
In June 2006, dozens of supporters of the Shiite Hezbollah movement burned tyres and blocked off roads in Beirut when Boujadaoun imitated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on "Basmat Watan."
"I parodied a political leader. He is not a religious authority," said Boujadaoun, who has not played the character since.
Khalil said: "MP Nayla Mouawad, widow of assassinated President Rene Mouawad, is the only one who has criticized us and it was through an intermediary."
"She was offended by an imitation of her singing a song 'Ana Nayla' (I am Nayla) to the tune of 'Ana Haifa' (I am Haifa) by Haifa Wehbe," he said.
Copyright 2008 AFP Global Edition
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