Jamel Debbouze Furious as Brother Karim Revives Comedy in Marrakech Without Him

The torch of stand-up comedy is officially being passed in Morocco. From June 4-6, the Palais des Congrès will host the first edition of the Marrakech Comedy Festival, an initiative orchestrated by comedian Malik Bentalha and produced by Karim Debbouze. This new event moves away from the historic Palais Badi to offer a concept focused on modernity and tradition. The stated objective is to spotlight emerging talent from the African and French comedy scenes, featuring artists like Meryem Benoua and Nordine Ganso. The show will benefit from international broadcast with transmission on 2M and TV5 Monde, followed by availability this fall on Disney+, the platform for which the comedian is also preparing an autofictional series.

On Bladi.net : Marrakech Comedy Festival: Malik Bentalha launches his own event in... Marrakech

This surprise announcement has caused ripples behind the scenes. The historic founder of Marrakech du Rire could only witness the creation of this competing event launched by his own younger brother and his former protégé. As africaintelligence.fr points out, this initiative sits very poorly with Jamel Debbouze. This new project further cements the Franco-Moroccan comedian’s sidelining from the kingdom’s cultural affairs, a situation of isolation that has persisted since 2022.

On Bladi.net : Jamel Debbouze, Marsupilami and Morocco: Can He Win Back the Public?

This rupture with the Moroccan public had indeed manifested dramatically in 2023. Invited as a surprise guest by rapper Gims at the major concert "Stars in the Place" on Jemaâ El Fna square, Jamel Debbouze was heavily booed by the crowd. Spectators reproached him for his behavior during the World Cup semifinal in Qatar between France and Morocco. The artist had chosen to wear a jersey divided in the colors of both nations, a refusal to unilaterally support his country of origin that had placed him in a situation of profound embarrassment.