DUBAI // Walking to the front of the class, Shaima al Sayed said what she presumed everyone else was thinking: "I bet you're all wondering what a girl in an abaya is doing standing here."
Her statement, direct and honest, got the reaction she was looking for - a burst of laughter.
Ms al Sayed, an Emirati, was taking part in a three-day stand-up comedy workshop being hosted by Dubomedy, the Mena region's only comedy school. She was trying out her act for the first time, and most of the jokes revolved around the fact that she wore the veil.
"I saw it as a good opportunity to erase stereotypes about Emirati and Arab women in general because so many people still think that wearing the veil means we can't make our own decisions," she said. "Comedy is an excellent form of communication to redress these assumptions. When you laugh you feel happy and it is not possible to have negative feelings. That's why I wanted to learn."
Ms al Sayed was one of 20 students at the workshop led by Dean Obeidallah, a former member of the Axis of Evil comedy team who will be performing in Dubai tomorrow.
Dubomedy invited him to the workshop to reinforce the foundations of a stand-up comedy infrastructure it has been building since being established three years ago.
"In the rest of the world the performing arts are very well established, but here they are not so much," said Mina Liccione, the comedy school's co-director. "It has to start with education and that's what we were doing when we set up Dubomedy."
The workshop, which began on Sunday, aimed at teaching the finer points of how to set up a joke, deliver a punchline and find a character as a comedian.
Obeidallah will select two students to perform a short sketch prior to his performance at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall.
"Every time I do shows around the region I like to lead some kind of workshop because otherwise I would just be a western import," he said. "My Middle Eastern roots mean a lot to me and it is important for me to maintain that connection."
Obeidallah - half Palestinian and half Italian - was born in New York and has worked to promote Middle Eastern comedians in the US. "I feel excited to be part of the growing comedy movement here in the UAE and the region, and I hope the students here benefit from the small contribution I can make," he said.
aseaman@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
RESULT
Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
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.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
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Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
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Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
