Lebanese actor Jean Bou Gedeon gestures during an interview with AFP at a television studio in the Mediterranean town of Jounieh, north of Beirut, on September 18, 2008. Bou Gedeon immitates the voices of Lebanese politicians in a new satirical TV puppet show titled "Dumacratiyah", written and directed by Charbel Khalil. Photo by: AFP

"We don't laugh enough especially given the desperate situation we're facing," Khalil told AFP. "A small anecdote may convey a message better than a long moralistic speech," Khalil added. The show, which is similar to other satires that include comedic imitations and songs, is performed using 52 French-made figurines. "Each requires three people to operate them," Khalil says as he checks the puppets of Christian leaders Samir Geagea, of the anti-Syrian coalition, and Sleiman Franjieh, an ally of Damascus. The show doesn't spare anyone except those protected by Lebanese law including "the president of the republic, religious leaders and the judiciary," according to Khalil. "That's why you only hear the voice of Maronite Bishop Nasrallah Sfeir mimicked by actor Jean Boujadaoun," he explained.

Though the satires can be scathing, they are generally well-received. Despite Lebanon's sharp political divisions and its history of violence, the productions have mostly avoided provoking strong repercussions. In June 2006, dozens of supporters of the Shiite Hezbollah movement burned tyres and blocked off roads in Beirut when Boujadaoun imitated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on "Basmat Watan." "I parodied a political leader. He is not a religious authority," said Boujadaoun, who has not played the character since.

Khalil said: "MP Nayla Mouawad, widow of assassinated President Rene Mouawad, is the only one who has criticized us and it was through an intermediary. She was offended by an imitation of her singing a song 'Ana Nayla' (I am Nayla) to the tune of 'Ana Haifa' (I am Haifa) by Haifa Wehbe," he said.