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Ali G is controversial but popular. |
What do Ali G, a UK comedian known for his satire of hip-hop culture and outrageous interviews with public figures, and Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory, have in common? Well, for one Britain’s best-known urban ruffian is the alter ego of Sacha Baron Cohen, a Jewish graduate of Christ’s College Cambridge, which Darwin also attended. But that is where most of the comparisons end.
Ali G, the creation of Cohen, first made his mark on Britain’s Channel 4 11 O’clock Show in 1998. He then graduated to his own program, Da Ali G Show, in 2000 and then went on to a silver screen appearance in 2002’s Ali G In Da House. Wearing garish tracksuits and laden with more ostentatious amounts of gold jewellery, Ali G satirises hip-hop culture through an exaggeration of stereotypes and innuendo. He is known worldwide, while Baron Cohen never gives interviews as himself.
Sacha Baron Cohen was born in 1972 to Gerald Cohen and his Israeli wife Daniella, who London’s Observer describes as being “a forceful Jewish mother”. He had a standard orthodox Jewish upbringing and continues to be an observant Jew who keeps kosher.
Cohen started his education at Haberdashers’ Aske’s private school and then went on to Christ’s College, Cambridge University to study history. At Cambridge he wrote theses on Black and Jewish culture and the similar difficulties both ethnic minorities have historically encountered. There is a touch of irony to Cohen’s educational choices considering that some members of Britain’s Black community have accused him of racism.
But Ibrahim Maiga, a 19-year-old Londoner originally from Mali, does not see Ali G as racist. He can see “a similarity between him and the old comedians wearing shoe polish as black” but believes “imitation is the best form of flattery”.
For Maigia, it’s a question of values. “A lot of black people are really hard on black this, black that,” he observes. “I’m more concerned with Islamic issues.”
Maigia goes on to note that for most British Muslims, Ali G is seen as a “relevant parody of society.”
Mohammed Abu Nazed Mannan, a 21-year-old from Lutton says that even famous interviewees like former politician Tony Benn and Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed “think he’s the joke but the jokes are at other people’s expense.”
Jewish.co.uk shares does not share such views. In an open letter to Cohen, the publication stated, “Your attitude doesn't win the Jewish community any respect.” It then decided to stop coverage of Ali G, until he becomes “less insulting to others.”
Despite the controversy Ali G remains popular with the public and people still find him funny.
20-year-old Ashfaq Bashir of Yorkshire observes that his type of humour is “completely unislamic, but hilarious.”
“He’s taking a stereotype,” asserts Mannan. “We’re conditioned in this society; some people just want to live the way he does.”
Others feel differently. Maigia finds his humour “sometimes funny, sometimes pathetic.” He reckons Ali G’s success is “determined by the success of black culture” though it “does have a positive effect – exposure.”
Ali G has plenty of that. Music video cameos with Madonna and Shaggy have cemented his fame.
Many people claim to have created the personage of Ali G. Harry Thompson, a former producer with the 11 O’clock Show is one such individual. The Observer quotes him saying, “If he had a whiff of Islam about him, we thought people would be afraid to challenge him.”
Yet does Ali G’s name court controversy among Muslims? British Muslims seem more apathetic than annoyed. “He takes the mick out of everybody, not just Muslims,” says Bashir. “He’s not politically correct but it depends on how you look at his programs.”
Maigia finds the name “part of the parody of Asians trying to be black.”
“Don’t take Ali G too seriously” seems to be the overall message.
The new series of Da Ali G Show will soon air on America’s HBO channel. Britain will view the shows in April. For some British Muslims, this migration to the U.S. market signals the beginning of the end for Ali G’s popularity. “He’s finished all his tricks and has moved off to different markets,” says Bashir.
Maigia agrees, calling Ali G, “a novelty.”
Ali G’s interview techniques rely on him being unknown. As such, his celebrity status is his downfall, with public sentiment toward him becoming more cynical. “It’s something that sells,” says Bashir, “They’re tired of it in this country.”
So is Ali G a one-gag gangsta? Time will tell. Sacha Baron Cohen has other ideas. He has other characters like Borat, the naïve TV presenter from Kazakhstan who asks stupid questions innocently. Ali G’s days may be numbered; yet Sacha Baron Cohen follows the theory of his fellow Cambridge University alumnus Charles Darwin: Survival of the fittest means evolving in the changing face of adversity.
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