Egyptian TV host and satirist Dr. Bassem Youssef delivers the keynote address, emphasizing how the health of a country’s democracy depends on a free press and on free speech. Youssef emphasizes how satire is often the only form of protest that makes sense in the face of the absurdity of a dictatorship’s propaganda. Propaganda feeds on fear but laughter, he explains, alleviates fear and provides hope. With the help of a free press, Youssef stresses that individuals will always ultimately be able to see through the propaganda of tyrants.
