What better method for handling social issues than to do it through comedy? That’s precisely what Hatoon Kadi in Saudi Arabia is doing. Even though she was one of the first and only women in the Kingdom’s comedy scene, Kadi got the idea in 2012 after watching other Saudi comedians on YouTube. Around 700,000 people viewed her first episode in just one week, which went viral.
However, her travels were not exactly neighborly. She was confident she could handle the criticism brought on by her mentor’s constant warnings and was prepared to deal with it. In the CNN interview, Kadi stated, “Then they started commenting on my look, which I didn’t expect at all.” I was prepared to answer all those questions because I was aware that I would be told that comedy was not something I should pursue as a woman and that I belonged in the kitchen. Yet, what I didn’t expect is for individuals to remark on my looks.”
“They would say I was ugly, fat and even asked me if I didn’t have a mirror,” she said. “That hit me so hard that I actually thought about quitting.”
She didn’t, however. Kadi is certain that the content of her videos is never derogatory or offensive. “I will never insult anyone, and I will never discuss sensitive topics like politics or religion; that is not who I am. Therefore, we only deal with social issues,” she stated.
The mother of two was a part-time speaker at Jeddah’s Dar Al-Hekma College and the Institute of Business and Regulation and desires to have her own television show from now on.
Kadi was part of the changes that happend in the Saudi Arabi couple of years ago. It was a significant change and everyone was sitting up and paying attention.“The changes we’ve seen alone are comparable to those that take ten or twenty years in other societies.” On the sidelines of VIDXB,” a gathering devoted to online video content that took place in Dubai on the 8 and 9 of December, Saudi YouTube star Hatoon Kadi stated, “We’ve been waiting for these decisions for so long.”
Although it would be a stretch to say that online content creators like Kadi from the Kingdom are directly responsible for any of the significant changes that have taken place in Saudi Arabia this year—Kadi herself would certainly not make that claim—it is fair to say that the rise in popularity of Arabic-language content has provided a public voice to those who have traditionally not had one. Important social issues have also been brought to light as a result.
Take, for instance, the video that Kadi made in 2013 about women driving in the Kingdom. “The most important man in a Saudi woman’s life is her driver was my slogan in that video,” Kadi said. On her extremely popular Noon Alniswa channel, which has more than 350,000 subscribers, Kadi generally uses a lighthearted approach to make a serious point.
Kadi claims that she will never be able to determine whether she had any real effect. However, She is aware that she fulfilled her obligation. Additionally, she had additional episodes dealing with other social or women’s issues, and she will also be awaiting those decisions. Kadi is glad that she did her part. At least, she is aware that she used her voice for the benefit of her society when she had the chance to do so.
