Summary
Overview
A group of Syrian comedians embark on their first nationwide tour since the fall of the Assad regime, testing the boundaries of free speech in the new Syria. Led by Sharif Homsi and Maliki Mardinalli, the comedy troupe Styria navigates government censorship, religious conservatism, and violent threats as they attempt to perform in 16 cities across 21 days. What begins as a hopeful experiment in post-revolution freedom quickly reveals the complex reality of expression under Syria's new Islamist-led government.
Comedy Under Dictatorship and the Birth of Styria
Sharif Homsi spent years as a stand-up comedian in Damascus under Assad's brutal dictatorship, keeping his most dangerous jokes in a folder labeled 'Lebanon' because telling them in Syria could get him killed. After the regime fell in December 2024, he and fellow comedian Maliki Mardinalli founded Styria, a comedy group combining 'Syria' and 'Hysteria.' Despite newfound freedom, they face death threats and uncertainty about what's safe to say under the new Islamist government led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
- Under Assad, Sharif couldn't make jokes about the dictator or his family - those jokes would get you killed or disappeared into prison
- Sharif kept his most dangerous political jokes in a folder labeled 'Lebanon' because he only felt safe telling them abroad
- The Assad family ruled Syria for 53 years, with the last 13 being a brutal civil war that killed over 300,000 civilians
- In December 2024, rebel groups overthrew Assad's regime in just 12 days, and Assad fled to Russia
- Styria was founded three years ago as a combination of 'Syria' and 'Hysteria' - because laughing in Syria under dictatorship felt like a manic release
" Listen, we have a lot of problems, but you don't have a president. And our problem is that we have one. So maybe if you take him, you can rent him for a bit. And if you like him, you can keep him. "
" That joke, if I say it over here, we will get killed. There is no joke with them. "
The Comedians and Their Mission
Sharif, a former drug dealer who spent three years in Dubai prison, emerged determined to pursue comedy and build something meaningful. He partnered with Maliki, a former bank employee, to create Styria. The group includes about 20 comics - mostly in their 20s and 30s, including two women, with day jobs ranging from dentistry to engineering. They're planning an ambitious 16-city tour to test what's possible in the new Syria, despite warnings that some people view comedy as a luxury when so many have lost family members in the war.
- Sharif was imprisoned in Dubai for drug dealing and received a life sentence, but was released after three years when his father wrote a mercy petition
- After prison, Sharif spent the first year acting like 'an animal' before refocusing on comedy and saving money for his dream
- Sharif and Maliki met through mutual friends and bonded over their shared dream of doing stand-up comedy in Syria
- Maliki quit his bank job the same day Sharif called to invite him to a stand-up workshop
- Some Syrians see comedy as a luxury, saying 'my house was destroyed and my brother was dead and you're going to make people laugh'
" Some people man they see what we do as a luxury. My house was destroyed and my brother was dead my mother was dead and you here in Damascus were having fun you didn't have anything wrong and you're going to make people laugh. This is like luxury you know so they cannot take the joke and I understand they have the right to be sad. "
" I really hope we don't have to feel this feeling again of us getting liberated because in order to feel it again another dictator would have to come. "
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