This Wednesday 26 June a group of comedians will grace the stage at Mizan in Maadi for the fundraising event Comedy Cares. Rami Boraie, from Kit Kat Comedy Break, initiated the event to raise money for a worthy cause by making you laugh.
Asked what had inspired the initiative, Boraie said: “I felt that as a city, Cairo has given so much to us comedians and that it was our time to give back. It also happens to be right before the month of Ramadan, where people tend to be in a more giving mood.”
Boraie had the idea for a while and when he started talking about it with his fellow comedians it came together quickly. “Everyone has been a great help, from all the comedians to the venue and even my wife, who helped me decide on a charity,” he said.
The lineup for the event is impressive and reads as a who’s who of people guaranteed to get a giggle from the audience, from both Alexandria and Cairo. Eight stand-up comedians and two musical comedy acts will perform sets of five minutes each in a mixture of Arabic and English.
The show will be held at Mizan, a restaurant on Maadi’s road 9 that doubles as a venue for performances by musicians, writers and comedians. Deciding on the venue was easy, “I am close to the owners of Mizan, and I was talking about the idea one day and they insisted that I hold it there. They have been very supportive and it is just a cool space,” Boraie said.
Comedy Cares will be fundraising in two different ways, “We are asking a minimum donation of EGP 20 at the door and we are also accepting non-perishable food donations to give out so people can stock up on before Ramadan,” Boraie said. “All the money we raise will go directly to Dar El-Orman. It is a general donation and I trust them to know where it should be allocated and which programmes are in dire need for it.”
If the evening is a success Comedy Cares might be the first of many. “We definitely plan on doing this again. We already have a couple more charities in mind, like El Noor wel Amal, so we do hope to keep it going,” Boraie said. When asked if there was a target amount he aimed to raise, he replied: “Honestly, no. Every pound received is a pound that they would not have had if we had not put on the show, so our hope is to raise as much as we can.”
The evening will start at 7.30pm and will feature Khaled Adeeb, Mohamed Gamal, Ahmed Al Mojadidi, Alaa El Sheikh, Hashem El Garhy, No Talents, Omar Ramzi, Rami Boraie, Mohammed Morgan and High On Bodyfat.
