El-Sadma: a prank show respecting humans, not offending them

CAIRO - 31 May 2017: Middle Eastern TV show El-Sadma (The Shock) is considered the only prank show which addresses humanity and aims to respect humans, unlike other similar programs which depend on scaring and degrading people in order to attract viewers and make more money.

The second season of El-Sadma currently screening this Ramadan takes place in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, U.A.E and Saudi Arabia. Its format uses provocative scenarios staged in public places to attract people’s attention and see how members of the public react.

The first episode showed a girl insulting her mother-in-law in public; the hurt and shock was obvious by the reactions of the bystanders. Some stood and watched, whilst some shouted and even cursed the girl and her husband and tried to help the mother.

The real shock however came with the second episode which has since become extremely popular on social media. Starting in Egypt, a girl asked random people in the street for a jacket as she was feeling cold. Surprisingly, passers-by totally ignored her for hours, until a kind-hearted woman showed up and did not hesitate to give the girl her scarf. The same response was seen when the scene was repeated in Iraq and Tunisia.

The message is clear: don’t forget your humanity, do good and show mercy.
“We were shocked how people ignored the girl when she felt that cold,” Editor in Chief Wael El Sadat said, adding that the upcoming episodes will be even more controversial as they will address bold topics such as Islamic State and terrorism.

Some commentators and social media users have criticized those who reacted negatively towards the girl, but others justified their behavior by noting that an increase of street crime varying from theft, rape and kidnapping has unfortunately forced people to be afraid of helping any strangers.

While watching El-Sadma, you may unconsciously think how you would react if you were in the shoes of the people featured in the show, and you may also re-think your actions towards poor and needy people. The show will definitely touch your heart and bring tears to your eyes and this proves that the show’s real hero is not person but the idea.