The city of Fès is hosting, from 28 March to 2 April, the fifth edition of the Humour Festival on the theme "Fès smiles".
The fifth edition of the Fès Humour Festival will take place from 28 March to 2 April 2016 at the "Al Hourria" cultural complex and will occupy several spaces in the city. "Fès smiles" is the theme chosen for this edition initiated by the Association of Humourists United for Culture and the Arts. The festival will pay tribute to the Moroccan comedian Hassan Foulane, one of the founders of the theatrical troupe "Masrah Al Hay" which has produced a series of popular comedies, including "Bab Al Wazir".
Organised with the support of the Ministry of Culture in partnership with the urban commune of Fès, the Mohammed V National Theatre, and the Regional Directorate of Culture, this festival will be enhanced by a rich programme of "one man show" performances with the show "Sakouila" (school) by the comedian Abdelaali Lamhar, nicknamed Thalès, and "Two men show" with the hilarious comedy "Marocologie" by the comedy duo Driss and Mehdi. Humorous theatre plays are also scheduled, including "Saad al banat" by screenwriter Hicham El Jebbari, "Koulchi fi chakouch" by director Hassan Hjieij, "Oulad al houma" by the United Humourists troupe, and the show "Chaabane oua Ramdane" and other sketches by comedians Jawad Enkhili and Nabil Cherradi. The festival will also be marked by the organisation of a round table on the theme "Comedy and the elevation of consciousness", which will be moderated at the headquarters of the Regional Directorate of Culture by a galaxy of professors, including Fettah Abtani, Driss Dahbi, Hamid Tchich, and the student researcher Mohammed Alami.
Similarly, a theatre workshop will be organised at the "Al Qods" youth complex during the festival period. This training workshop, which is intended for young theatre enthusiasts wishing to perfect their talents, will be supervised by confirmed theatre professionals from the city of Fès. "This fifth edition of the Humour Festival constitutes a new opportunity to institutionalise a cultural event in Fès with an artistic and humorous character, despite a series of constraints and obstacles that stand before us as organisers, due to the lack of sponsors and patrons," explains the president of the Association of United Humourists and director of the festival, the artist Mohammed Alami. He concluded: "Every year, we strive to improve the level of this event by forging personal relationships with guest artists of honour who give more quality to the festival and allow its improvement over the years".
