At the Olympia, Comediablanca highlights the new Moroccan comedy scene

The Olympia was tinged with red on Monday evening, not to celebrate the victory of the Atlas Lions in the opening match of the African Cup of Nations the day before, but to honor the gems of the Moroccan comedy scene. Until October, Comediablanca is scheduled to perform in Brussels, Abidjan, Montreal, Casablanca, Marseille and Taghazout Bay. And to launch this ambitious tour, the young festival chose the IX^e Parisian district. “This is where it all started for us, where we had the idea of ​​creating this meeting after seeing the play Paris-Barbès-Tel Avivtells the Figaro Saad Lahjouji Idrissi, president and co-founder of Comediablanca. There is a large Moroccan diaspora and a very good Arabic-speaking population in France, so it was logical to start in Paris. »

In 2023, the humor festival made its mark in Casablanca with a first edition. The objective for Saad and his partner Myriam Bouyad was to “create a different place” of what can be done, for example, in Marrakech of Laughter. “The cultural offering in Morocco is not extensive enough, particularly in terms of comedy clubs, so it seemed important to us to be able to highlight local artists from Casablanca, who have enormous talent”explains the president of the festival. For now, the bet has paid off. In two years, Comediablanca has brought together more than 11,000 spectators and invited some 32 artists on stage, including big names in stand-up like Roman Frayssinet and Hanane El Fadili.

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Gad Elmaleh headlines

This year, the “line-up” is led by a certain Gad Elmaleh, considered one of the greatest comedians in the country by his peers. He is neither a godfather nor an ambassador, Saad Lahjouji Idrissi wishes to clarify. It is, certainly, the “locomotive that made it possible to sell” the 1950 seats at the Olympia, but above all he is a luxury advisor for the seven other actors who make up the bill, namely Oualas, Sarah Lele, Ethan Lalouz, Mimo Lazrak, John Sulo, Jalil Tijani and Meryem Benoua. “Gad wants to push this young generation of comediansnotes the co-founder of the festival. He’s not looking to be the star of the event. »

His entry on stage, at the very end of the performance, aroused immense enthusiasm in the aisles of the Parisian hall. But the public is also present throughout the evening. Every comedian is a hit. This is evidenced by the numerous laughter and laughter in the crowd for almost two hours. The Comediablanca owes them first to its MC of the evening, Oualas, who launches the hostilities with a single on stage lasting more than a quarter of an hour where he makes fun of the first names given in Ivory Coast, his country of origin. It also benefits the public, the Lebanese and the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, recently renovated to host the CAN and the 2030 World Cup.

Lots of self-deprecation

The other comedians build their sketch around self-deprecation, like Ethan Lalouz, 22, who regrets looking more like footballer Adrien Rabiot “who works in a Zara store in Bastille” than a Moroccan. “The French don’t believe that I am North African […] My last name is Lalouz […] and my origins are the equivalent of the route of the Zara pants I wear”he jokes. The actor also addresses more serious subjects such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the difficulties of being both Jewish and Moroccan in the current geopolitical climate. “A lot of people in France think it’s antonymous, but I’m proud of this identity and I think we can laugh at everything”he told us before going on stage.

Young Mimo Lazark also receives applause and laughter from the audience as he talks about his new Parisian life. “I lived for 20 years in Morocco, where there is a certain modestyhe said. I’ve been living alone in France for five years. Here I do what I want. I can bring girls…” Meryem Benoua also delighted the Olympia crowd with a single in scene around street harassers. She explains in particular how to respond to them: “by traumatizing them. » And she does it in her own way. Lots of gimmicks, craziness and idiocy.

Traditions et ambiance festive

Comediablanca is also an opportunity to highlight artists from other African scenes. Like Sarah Lele, a Belgian comedian of Cameroonian origin. In particular, she discusses marriage, homophobia, feminism, the return to the “boondocks”, the nicknames of African football teams… “The only white people in Africa are usshe adds. When we go back, that’s the message we get. It’s true, there are no white people struggling there, selling beef bourguignon at bus stops! » John Sulo, who has been opening for Roman Frayssinet for several weeks in the same room, talks about parenthood, his three children, snorers and sharing the bed with his partner. And despite his Senegalese origins, he claims to be “the most Moroccan of the non-Moroccans of the evening”.

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The third edition of Comediablanca ultimately stands out thanks to the variety of subjects covered on stage. However, we can regret that certain jokes are aimed at an essentially Arabic-speaking audience. Jalil Tijani’s passage leaves those who only speak French perplexed. The extravagant comedian, who enjoys certain qualities as an imitator, spends half of his sketch speaking in English and Arabic. Result ? Many jokes are incomprehensible to many. But this does not detract from the overall atmosphere of the evening, very festive, marked by traditional songs and the closeness between the artists and the public.