CANNES: The Arab region can be the next global center for the arts because of the burgeoning number of talented performers showing they deserve a spot on the world stage, says award-winning comedian and actor Mo Amer.
“Absolutely, it (the Arab region) can be the next creative hub. It’s all about how you nurture it, and how you take care of it, and how you groom it. It’s very hard to be conscious of those things,” Amer told Arab News recently at the annual Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity.
He emphasized that monetary investment can rarely produce quality talent, and championed the importance of education, practice, and reinforcing culture in creative industries.
“I think that you can be very progressive, but still very grounded in our historical roots … I think that there is a great opportunity right now to cultivate that, and I’m very excited to not only see it, but be a part of it,” he said.
The actor and comedian applauded the efforts of Saudis who are making their way on to the global entertainment scene, in particular comedian-turned-rapper Moayad Alnefaie, who appeared regularly on Amer’s hit Netflix TV series “Mo.”
“There’s an immense amount of talent that’s coming out of Saudi right now, and that’s a beautiful thing. I want to see more and more of that, and it’s my responsibility to help them if they ever asked me, or call for me, I would be there for them to help guide them through things that they might need,” Amer said.
He said many Arab-American artists are making significant progress in the creative world as performers and business executives. It is arguably, Amer said, more important to be on the business side of things, to create greater opportunities for the Arab region.
He said the artists coming out of the Middle East should be innovative and create genres, while also staying true to their roots.
“We come from a language that has trilateral roots, they come from a complex, deeply detailed language. What a privilege to have come from that. It’s our responsibility to inform the world of this, and I think that we’re living in a time where we can do that,” he said.
It is the artist’s role to also be educated on and articulate the history of the region. “You got to do your homework,” Amer said. When releasing works, whether music or TV or other creative ventures “being timely and timeless are really crucial,” he said.
Comedy is largely viewed as a palatable way to introduce controversial issues into the public sphere. In his own stand-up career, Amer has chosen to platform the events that have and continue to shape his life — being racially profiled at airports, difficulties in gaining US citizenship — and even debates on the origins of hummus.
He said: “Sometimes, it’s just okay to be entertaining … Not everything has to have thought behind it. I personally choose to do that, because it’s the most invigorating for me. It’s what makes me excited because it is different. It is informative, it is really funny, but also makes a point.”
Much of his work seeks to reframe the stereotypical narrative on the Arab region, seeking not to focus exclusively on conflict and political issues, but with a forward-looking approach.
“We are definitely one of the most underrepresented minorities in the entire world. Given what we’ve contributed to humanity, that’s just mind blowing … I think it’s really important just to focus on the future and not to look back. It’s against our own religious beliefs, actually. ‘What if’ is discouraged completely.
He said the question should be posed differently: “What do we do now? How do we move forward and create something special?”
Amer would not provide details of his future plans, and would only say he was “cooking something.”
