Jordanian TV show hosts unique guest

A Jordanian satellite channel has taken a novel approach to on-the-ground reporting, inviting a donkey on as a pundit.

The guest, whom the presenter introduced as a “strange and wonderful” addition to the show, was hosted as part of a programme covering the rise in feed prices affecting Jordanian farmers, but also offered his opinions on international topics of the day.

During the show, broadcast live on private satellite channel al-Mustaqbal, the guest was asked about the suffering of his fellow beasts as a result of price rises and rampant corruption.

The reply came in the form of a loud bray in the presenter’s face, which the donkey’s owner explained as an expression of the animal’s “anger at the question.”

Asked about the danger to Jordan posed by the militant group calling itself Islamic State, the guest was quick to give a similar reply.

This time, the donkey’s decisive statement on the pressing issue was interpreted to mean that any danger to Jordan’s security will come from the interior and not from abroad.

The show’s presenter, Hisam Abdel Lat, is known for his opposition activities, rising to prominence during the 2011 Arab Spring.

This is far from the first time that donkeys have been used as political analysts or symbols.

In 2011, protesters complaining of a failure of a project to implement an express bus service in Jordanian capital Amman took instead to riding a donkey bedecked with a sign reading “Express Donkey.”

The following year, Palestinian youths stirred controversy when they daubed a donkey, described by the prominent blog Hadithna as “Palestinian” with an Israeli flag.