Her audiences do not immediately know what to make of 33-year-old Lamya Tawfik. Comedy being a typically male-dominated industry - stand-up especially - the Egyptian woman, in headscarf and all, is quite a departure from your average funnyman.
But, Tawfik explains, the first step in making people laugh is to get them to relate to you. And she doesn't find that difficult: because she's based in Dubai, a place to which she says everyone moves and proceeds to pack on pounds, she breaks the ice by poking fun at her own corpulence.
"Sometimes my skinny friends will try to help me, you know. They'll be like 'Hey don't eat that piece of chocolate'. They're like, 'Lamya, where's your willpower?'. And I explain, 'I ate it.'" And right there, she's got them.
Simply being from Egypt also provides her with a ton of material, she says. "Seriously, bless the Bangles. It's amazing how much damage one song can do."
She is referring, of course, to the threesome's Walk Like an Egyptian, and explains: "When I'm chatting online I tell people I'm from Egypt and they're like, 'Whoa. Do you walk like an Egyptian?' Yes, that's exactly how we walk; the pizza man shows up with the pizza in one hand and the other one out like this, just for balance."
But comedy is a surprisingly serious business. Her background in teaching helped with the performance aspect of it, she says, explaining that whenever she could see a class losing interest she would crack a joke or make fun of things. Their attention returned immediately.
With her self-prescribed theme song Queen's Under Pressure, Tawfik describes being launched into stand-up comedy after the Middle East-based group Axis of Evil performed in Cairo and offered workshops, holding an open audition. Persuaded by her friends and sister to go, Tawfik explains she had about four hours to come up with truly funny material.
"I was like, 'Oh, I have to be funny tomorrow,'" she remembers. What relieved some of the pressure was the realisation that even the most mundane activities in Egypt can result in hilarious anecdotes. She chose a recent dining experience. It worked.
Positive feedback from the Axis of Evil crew encouraged Tawfik to take comedy more seriously. She enrolled in classes and began working on new material, doing her first gig in the UAE at the Comedy Cafe, an event that ran alongside the Dubai Shopping Festival last January. There, she met Aron Kader, a Palestinian-American comedian and member of the Axis of Evil, who pushed her to join a workshop and do the show.
Of this experience, she admits that while she does not get stage fright herself, her audience seems to get it on her behalf. This she attributes to her headscarf, which makes audiences wary even though her face is not covered.
"You know, stand-up is a cruel form of art. It's scary; the audience is not forgiving. If you're trying to be funny, you have to be funny," she says. "And I'm a veiled woman on stage, I can see what people are seeing when they look at me. They think, 'How can she be funny?' They think people like me are too pious to laugh, that we're not tolerant. Then I crack the first joke and I can actually see their faces relax."
And yet women are not a minority in Dubai's burgeoning comedy scene. Ali al Sayed, an organiser at Dubomedy, which runs Monday Night Funnies, at which Tawfik is a regular, says sometimes in getting a show together he and his colleagues have to make a point of getting more men on the stage.
"You'd be surprised how many women there are," he explains. "Comedy around the world is male-dominated, yes, but Arab women here have something to say. And they're using comedy as the tool to get to us."
Al Sayed was born and raised in Dubai, where he has seen the comedy scene grow to the point where he is confident it's "going all the way to the top".
His optimism lies in stark contrast to the perspective of Gail Clough, who has run the Laughter Factory in Dubai for the past 12 years.
"Our club's tiny, and comedy is not a big thing here. People are too busy making money," she says. "Most of our audience here have seen our comedians back at home in London. Then they come here and they lose their local references; our comedians aren't from the Arab world."
Which could explain why the acts don't work. Al Sayed describes the audiences at Monday Night Funnies as a pretty good cross-section of the city, and its comics appeal to residents of Dubai, easing their ability to reach such a diverse audience. With someone like Tawfik, though her appearance might at first throw the audience off, al Sayed describes what she does as "bringing people together".
"It's a challenge, so we localise," he says. "We make it about Dubai. The media in the West portrays us a certain way because we haven't spoken our own truth yet. So it's up to us to present ourselves."
Tawfik understands this. In one opening sequence, she asks the audience if they do a lot of online chatting. "You do it at home? Yeah? You do it at work? Hey it's OK, you can tell me; you're all going to get laid off anyway."
People want to laugh, al Sayed argues, and getting people from all over the world sitting in the same room to laugh at the same jokes amounts to creating community. Convinced the comedy scene will continue to improve and grow, he explains that the popularity of the comedy workshops means there are now hundreds of young people loose in Dubai who know exactly how to make you laugh.
And as the UAE's comedy world expands and the capital completes its plans to build more hotels, he predicts, we will see more venues opening up in Abu Dhabi, while the medium itself will broaden to include sketch comedy and improvisation.
Tawfik, meanwhile, continues to build on her stand-up, works a day job in Dubai Media City and is completing her PhD at a university in Cairo. What is becoming more difficult for her to ignore is the fact this comedy thing, which began only half seriously, is really beginning to take off.
"It's all going so fast," she says. "Now I'm like, uh oh, I really have to be funny. This has taken on a life of its own." Philosophically, she says she just goes along with it.
She describes her act as family-friendly: clean jokes, no politics, no swearing, no religion. But aside from expanding her routine and branching out into other forms of comedy such as sketch work, there's something that Tawfik really wants to figure out - and the sooner the better.
"I meet people and they know I'm a comedian and then they ask me to tell them a joke. Uhhh, I don't like that," she says, laughing. "I seriously need a comeback for that one. Do you have anything in mind?"
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
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RACE CARD
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
SPECS
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
ARM%20IPO%20DETAILS
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THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
More from Armen Sarkissian
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now