Thousands tune every morning to the most successful radio show in the history of Jordan, making Bisaraha Ma’al-Wakeel part of their daily routine
This is a man said to be able to solve all of your problems – well, Jordan-related ones at least – with a phonecall. In the process, he also laughs a lot. That in itself might be the best tonic for an Ammani breakfast time. Mohammad al-Wakeel, the loud, unmistakably Jordanian radio host of Bisaraha Ma’ al-Wakeel (Honestly Speaking with Wakeel), has become a morning institution since his gravelly tones first said “sabah al-khayr” on Fann FM in 2004, and his daily phone-in show, in which he fields calls from troubled citizens from across the Kingdom, now has the familiar reassurance of coffee from your favourite mug. Unreasonable hospital fees, a dispute between neighbours and an insurance company not meeting its obligations represents a typical morning’s work for al-Wakeel, who then, on air, challenges the alleged perpetrators of the crime.
Naturally enough, the power of public retribution has created an almost messianic appeal, with many Jordanians turning up in person to petition the great man. Indeed, when NOX was invited to watch al-Wakeel in action, the address of the studios was only revealed after our appointment was confirmed by senior management. The “undisclosed location” is actually in an unremarkable Shmeisani office building that also houses the Chamber of Commerce, and the cab driver on the way over was, naturally, listening to Fann FM. The innocent inquiry as to whether the driver also listened to Mohammad al-Wakeel is regarded as an insult. “Where have you been living for the past five years, in a cave?” he asks, no doubt rhetorically, before describing the show’s importance and the optimum times for tuning in. Sundays, apparently, have the best complaints, no doubt stored up over a weekend.
At 7.20am, I reached my destination, and the station’s caution appears justified; while waiting for the door to open, an old woman ran up to me, begging me to let her in. She told me about how she’d just come from Irbid and that she wanted to meet al-Wakeel in person. Having escaped from the clutches of the 5ft, tattooed grandmother, the door opens and I fall into the arms of al-Wakeel’s personal assistants, who usher me into a small room. Here sits Emeel Karam, aka Emilio, the show’s DJ who is obsessed with his repertoire of comedic noises. On the other side of the glass is al-Wakeel himself, smoking a cigarette and drinking coffee while talking into the mic.
The first 30 minutes of the show are devoted to songs requested by listeners. Sadly for the listeners, the music obscured the witty dialogue between these two friends; a shame, since it somehow gave a depth to the partnership. After a news brief, it’s time for the calls.
The first caller is a nurse working in a small government hospital, calling to complain about the ill-treatment of patients and nurses by the management. True to form, al-Wakeel calls her boss on air to respond to the accusations, turning a routine morning into a radio version of Jerry Springer. The boss denied the nurse’s tearful accusations, only for the nurse to claim that, off-air, she’d been threatened with the sack if she persisted. The host then became the hero, protecting the innocent from such scurrilous behaviour. It made for superb entertainment, and more importantly entertainment with a cause.
It’s a blistering start, and sets the tone for the next two hours. Al-Wakeel trips through the complaints and the accompanying defences with aplomb, making his interlocutors comfortable, safe, guilty or defensive, depending on the situation. After the final conversation, he rips his headphones off, laughs warmly and comes to shake my hand. A man who spends his life dealing with the problems of others, some incredibly petty and others genuinely heart-breaking, and still come out smiling must, I conclude, be someone from whom every Jordanian man can learn. “Well,” he said, “You have to be like the palm tree amidst all of this. They throw rocks and you reply with love.”
