Episode details

World Service,12 May 2018,26 mins
Truth and Taboo from Malaysia to the Middle East
The Cultural FrontlineAvailable for over a year
On this week’s Cultural Frontline: censorship and the artists and satirists who use their creativity to evade it. Malaysian writer Bernice Chauly discusses her taboo-breaking political protest novel, Once We Were There, after Malaysia's historic election result this week. Reporter Milly Chowles meets comedian Hasan Minhaj of US TV’s The Daily Show, to find out what it's like to perform at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and to ask whether jokes can change the world. Sodienye Kurubo, head writer at Nigeria’s only satirical TV show, The Other News, and Isam Uraiqat, Jordanian founder of Middle East satirical website, Al-Hudood, compare the red lines of ridicule that exist in their parts of the world. Plus, award-winning actor and activist Sir Ian McKellen reveals the comic film that transformed his acting technique. Presenter: Tina Daheley Producer: Kirsty McQuire (Photo: A supporter wearing a T-shirt showing Mahathir Mohamad, the former Malaysian prime minister who was newly elected in May 2018. Credit: Manan Vatsyayana/ AFP/ Getty Images)
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