Humour and sarcasm have been key tools in criticizing authorities in various MENA countries during the uprisings. A number of Lebanese activists have relied on humour as their main tool to criticize the Lebanese government’s handling of the garbage crisis.

In an interview carried out in May 2018, Lebanese activist Sabine Choucair of the group “Clown Me In” describes how humour can be a different way to deliver strong political messages. As she explains, illustrating problems such as corruption or failing public services through humour can serve as an effective alternative method for communicating political ideas and demands.

This video is part of a series of short videos by MENA youth activists, telling the stories of how they have sought to challenge in innovative and persistent ways “politics as usual” in order to bring about meaningful change. Click here to access all videos.

These videos are part of a wider project by ARI on Arab Youth as Political Actor, that explored how youth as political actors have been practising new forms of politics since 2011. It looked at how young women and men activists do politics differently, how they build or create agency even in highly restrictive contexts, and the generational gap they perceive in their understanding of “politics” and their action and methods to achieve change on the ground.