Gad Elmaleh Raises Over 4.7 Million Dirhams for Morocco Earthquake Relief

The special Solidarity Morocco gala was a great success. The Dôme de Paris welcomed more than 4,000 spectators on Monday who came to support the event organized by Gad Elmaleh in solidarity with the violent earthquake that occurred in Morocco on the night of September 8-9 and which caused nearly 3,000 deaths, more than 5,500 injured and millions of euros in damage. 4,711,811 dirhams were raised during this evening. As promised by the Moroccan comedian, this amount will be donated to the "special fund 126" set up by the Moroccan authorities to coordinate the emergency measures following the earthquake, reports Le Parisien.

"This is a special evening. First time in 28 years of career where everyone paid for their ticket! Very expensive tickets while we... well, it’s the first time we won’t be paid! It’s very special," Elmaleh said in the preamble, provoking laughter in the room. "You are all here to contribute your little stone to the edifice that will rebuild the country, thank you!" The tickets cost between 75 and 300 euros. The honor fell to Bouder to launch the show alongside his colleagues from Gad, Roman Freyssinet and Redouane Bougheraba. "I didn’t know we weren’t getting paid," he pretends to be surprised before delivering his sketches. "I’m of Moroccan origin, I come from a village where we have a reputation for being misers: we’re the Auvergnats of Morocco! My father thanked God all his life for giving him small children, so we didn’t have to change our clothes. This pair of pants, I’ve had it since high school."

Together, the four comedians entertained the audience. "We came together for the worst, but also in joy and happiness," summarizes Oumkeltoum, a young spectator from Reims. "I’ve already participated in other collections, but it was important to me to come and support Morocco through this. Today, I feel like it’s helping me get over the traumas we’ve been through since the earthquake." With Moroccan flags in hand, Soukaina and Hassna, from the 18th arrondissement of Paris, express the same happiness. "It was important to come and support our country of origin, to make a gesture, we who are not present on the spot," they explain. "They have nothing to rebuild for a new life, we try to participate at our level in this project. It is unity that makes strength, in the best as in the worst."