Making fun of presidents should be and is no crime. Some presidents around the world, especially those in Africa, want to maintain a mystical air around them so that people should only speak about them in a whisper or not at all. However, the art of making fun of presidents tends to cut these figures down to size, showing the sometimes deplorable aspects of their humanity. In Cameroon, for example, fun is made of the dictator only in codes because artists are generally concerned that doing so in an open manner will get them in trouble. In Egypt, however, a brave soul has come out of the need of speaking in codes after the Arab Spring and is now openly making fun of the power grab of Mohammad Morsi. This has landed him in trouble because it is claimed that he is undermining the standing of the president. This is just another demonstration of Morsi's power grab and his wish to return to the time of Hosni Mubarak when the people were afraid of the president. Given that many African presidents tend to rule through fear, Morsi is now concerned that the removal of this fear is not good for him. However, making fun of the foibles of the president is no crime. Morsi should put this in his pipe and smoke it. We are living in a different time now.
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