International comedian Nemr performs in Winnipeg for the first time

A Lebanese-American comedian aiming to change the way people think about stand-up comedy in the Middle East is performing in Winnipeg this weekend.

Nemr grew up in San Diego but moved back to Lebanon with his family, where he started taking up comedy. Becoming a comic was something very few people were trying when he started.

“In Lebanon there was a lot of conflict at the time that I started doing it professionally and I felt that it would be a good way to bring people together,” Nemr said on Global News Morning Winnipeg.

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“In the Middle East I would try to get people to understand they can express themselves in a very funny way even if it’s about an angry topic.”

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After performing all over the Middle East he is now touring across Canada and the United States.

“When I came to the U.S., it was really about bridging the gap between the Middle East and the west,” Nemr said. “I want to humanize that part of the world…. I want everybody to laugh as opposed to be angry.”

Nemr will be at Rumours Comedy Club in Winnipeg Friday Aug. 26 and Saturday Aug. 27.