What place does the "La Halqa" programme occupy at the Marrakech du Rire Festival?Hassan El Fed:

For this third edition, we have chosen to propel the Halqa to the heart of the Marrakech du Rire Festival. The kick-off will be given with the Halqa in an original participatory show format. It is a strong tribute to this age-old art which will take on the appearance of a true manifesto of humour, a celebration of memory and transmission to speak with one voice of the riches of a plural Morocco.

There is this desire to revisit this old theatrical tradition on which the great names of the national fourth art have worked, notably Tayeb Seddiki, Ahmed Tayeb El Alj, Abdelkader El Badaoui... And I tried to work especially on the humorous side of the Halqa by adapting this tradition to contemporary stage language.

After the great success that the "La Halqa" programme has met with for two years at the Marrakech du Rire, we have decided to renew this original concept with a more contemporary touch.

And it is also the first time that the Halqa is opening up to all types of humour. For this, I have teamed up with some Moroccan comedians from here such as Aziz Dades, Abderrahim El Meniari and from elsewhere such as Rachid Badouri, Haroun Kheldoun or even foreigners like Patrice Thibaud to present this genre in a more modern form. I would even say that the Halqa is in itself a festival.

Yes, it is my first experience in stand-up. Until now, I have always done "one-man shows". But, I have always introduced stand-up motifs.

I chose to title this first attempt "Aïn Sebaâ" to immerse the spectator in the heart of the atmosphere of my childhood, my playground. It is a rather offbeat show where I share my questions, my emotions, a good part of myself. This is to say that it is an autobiographical story. A very interactive contact with the public.

Both at the same time. A break because it is my first experience in stand-up. And a continuity because it fits with my approach to humour that I was already adopting in my one-man shows. These were tests throughout the performances to prepare me for this genre which is completely new to me. Today, "Aïn Sebaâ" presents itself in my career as a challenge to be met.

The festival aims to be unifying. It celebrates the artists of today, pays tribute to those of yesterday, but also prepares those of tomorrow. This is part of the soul of the event, a commitment made to young talents. There are, on the one hand, the open stages where a competition will pit this year, in addition to the Moroccan winner, the winners among the laureates from Quebec (Grand Rire Festival), Belgium (Voo Rire Festival), Paris (Humour en Capitales and Dejbam Comedy Festivals). We will also note the master classes which will be led by Oscar Sisto. I myself spontaneously sponsor young comedians. The festival remains a real springboard for the comedians of tomorrow. The festival's approach consists of unearthing talents to ensure the succession of humour in a spirit of adoption of these future great stars.

From 5 to 9 June, Marrakech will be the Mecca of humour, but also that of live performances. Here, the kick-off will be given with "La Halqa" at the Royal Theatre at 9 p.m. It is an original "participatory" show format presented by Hassan El Fed who will welcome many Moroccan comedians from the diaspora, including Rachid Badouri (Canada), Haroun Kheldoune (France) and the darling of French humour Patrice Thibaud.