Hani Ramzy, a famous actor and comedian, has said that comedy is a cure for Egyptians, helping them escape the depression they have been living in for four years. He added that he decided to perform comedy roles in order to make people laugh, moving away from the ironic political works that he had engaged in before.
He added that it has become hard to make people laugh, and that the comedy presented by Ismail Yassin and Fouad al-Mohandes was different from the one endorsed by the new generations. It is similar now, he says, due to the conflicts and crisis of the the past few years.
Ramzy said that art and tourism are correlated, and neither of them can fully recover without the recovery of the other. According to him, the experiences of many neighbouring countries prove that the promotion of tourism can profit a lot from fine arts, drama, concerts and other forms of art.
He also spoke about his last visit to Luxor, where he was shocked to see street vendors littering around historic sites. Seeing the disrespect for Egypt's most valuable historic monuments has made him sad, he said.
Ramzy was recently honored by Nawar Masr campaign in Alexandria, for his role in tourism promotion.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
