Comedy, the best way to break cultural barriers: Khalid Al Ameri

Dubai - Smashing cultural divides and telling stories on the ground are the DNA of the brand that Khalid Al Ameri has become.

"When you go home at the end of the day, how do you greet your wife? Do you wave from afar? Do you even share the same room?" These may seem like bizarre questions to the layman, but for well-loved Emirati influencer Khalid Al Ameri, they're all par for the course.

The popular blogger, who commands a million followers on Instagram, dropped by the Khaleej Times office on Sunday afternoon, for a lively interaction, during which he revealed how people's curiosity about Emirati culture knows no bounds - and how he's hoping to change the world, one video at a time.

Questions like the ones above don't offend this content creator - on the contrary, they inspire his next post. "We have our culture and our traditions but, at the heart of it, we're all the same," Khalid said. "We all want a happy home, loving relationships, kids who grow up to be amazing human beings.For some reason, people around the world don't envision us sharing the same stories they do because of an ideology they have about our culture and religion. And I see no better way to break that barrier than through skits and comedy."
Smashing cultural divides and telling stories on the ground are the DNA of the brand that Khalid Al Ameri has become. Case in point: His video on the gurudwara in Dubai, or the time he visited Kerala and Islamabad.
"My team and I have this rule now: We visit [places], we understand, and then we share the story. If you ask me what I think of Pakistan and I haven't been there, I won't tell you - because I don't know."
That approach, he said, will be crucial to dismantling the stereotypes from narratives pushed in the media. "The work is the legacy that I leave behind - and that's what I love."
(Catch the full interview in WKND on Friday, August 21.)
karen@khaleejtimes.com 

• Dubai