During the Civica Àgora gathering of culture promoters from around the world in Barcelona at the turn of September into October, Alexandra Xanthaki, law professor at London’s Brunei University and special rapporteur for the UN cited “an international and political scenario full of populism, polarization and inequality” and enjoined that, “cultural and sporting events should not tolerate, nor should they pretend that nothing is happening.”
With the Usanian Creed of Greed, such ambivalence is standard fare. Many U.S. golfers [and a president always on the grift] sold out to the greenwashing of Saudi Arabian human rights violations to join its LIV golf tour, and a passel of our comedians did the same at a Riyadh Comedy Festival while the Barcelona cultural meetings were in session.
The well-compensated Dave Chappelle intoned that it is “easier to talk” in Saudi Arabia – a country that executes critics – than at home.
If not green-washing, how well would Chappelle fare in a country where, according to Amnesty International, “Human rights defenders and others exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association were subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention, unfair trials leading to lengthy prison terms and travel bans.” Then there is the Saudis penchant for “forced labor and other forms of labor abuse.”
Whitney Cummings, a once-relevant comedy writer/producer/director/actress said the criticism of those in Riyadh was based on “racism.”
Vox cited Chris Distefano as saying that Cummings, too, said that “no one has treated her as well in the U.S. as the Saudis treated her.”
Well, I guess those who “have continued to arbitrarily detain women like Manahel al-Otaibi simply for posting about women’s rights and wearing what they choose,” according to Amnesty International, need a good laugh now and then.
In 2022, Al-Otaibi, a fitness instructor, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the “terrorist offenses” of her tweets “in support of women’s rights as well as posting photos of herself at the mall without an abaya [a traditional loose-fitting, long-sleeved robe].”
Amnesty International reported that since incarceration she has been subjected to solitary confinement and “brutally beaten by fellow prisoners and prison guards.” She was also stabbed in the face with a pen.
The Saudi state travel arm, Visit Saudi, told potential Riyadh attendees to “Brace yourself for a laughter-fueled spectacle” featuring “over 50 global stand-up legends, including Kevin Hart, Russell Peters, Gabriel Iglesias, Pete Davidson, and more. This extraordinary Riyadh stand-up comedy event is your passport to a joy-filled weekend, cultural discovery, and unforgettable entertainment.”
By contrast, Human Rights Watch on Sept. 23 accused the Saudis of an attempt “to deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations. … The festival dates include the seventh anniversary of the Saudi state-sponsored murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi and takes place just months after Saudi authorities executed a journalist apparently for his public speech.”
One scheduled comedian, Tim Dillon, bragged about his high moral standards in accepting a $375,000 gig: “I am doing this because they are paying me a large sum of money.”
But, when he added, “Do I have issues with the policies towards freedom of speech? Of course I do, but I believe in my own financial well-being,” Dillon’s well-being suffered a $375,000 cancellation hit.
Even less fortunate are Saudis who dare to express themselves.
Vox, citing Abdullah Aloudh, senior director for countering authoritarianism at the Middle East Democracy Center, noted that Saudi Arabia has a law which “criminalizes anything that they describe as threatening the public value or questioning the tranquility of society. These laws have led to the jailing of thousands, including former aid worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for tweeting some jokes about the Saudi government.”
Yuk, yuk, yuk, eh Dave, Whitney, Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Bill Burr?
Not all comedians were complicit in the greenwashing. Vox also reported, “other performers such as Marc Maron, David Cross, and Atsuko Okatsuka have strongly criticized the comedians who attended. They have accused their peers of helping to ‘put a fun face on their [Saudi Arabia’s] crimes against humanity.’”
On an Oct. 9 podcast from The Atlantic, Maron told Hannah Rosin: “I mean, how do you even promote that? ‘From the folks that brought you 9/11, two weeks of laughter in the desert! Don’t miss it!’”
