"How to Avoid Being 'Hamed' while Telling a Joke in Morocco!" by Dr. Rachid Touhtouh
Moroccans can still hysterically laugh though the joke is not funny! Try to translate a joke in Morocco and it will not work. It will become “hameda”, referring to the sourness of lemon, or “corny” in English. To entertain Moroccans, you have to really know how to tell a joke using gestures, body language and intonation. To avoid being “hamed”, try to be funny in the Moroccan sense of humor.
A leading Darija Magazine published in Morocco published a special issue on jokes in Morocco; the magazine is “Nishan”. It concluded that Moroccans joke about religion, sex, and politics. Unfortunately for the magazine, they mentioned a joke about the current king and then the authorities decided to censor the issue and closed the entire magazine. I told you, it is not easy to have humor in Morocco.
““SIDE NOTE: Don’t risk jail or censorship! So, when you’re in Morocco or even part of Moroccan social media, don’t tell jokes about religion, use Darija curse words, make fun of the royal family, or talk about sex.””
In order to master jokes in Morocco, you need to know Darija, navigate through euphuism, avoid direct language, and use body language. One piece of advice: the best way to learn a language and understand its culture is to learn how jokes are told in this language. I did the same with English.
But still, you can enjoy a Moroccan sense of humor when you visit Morocco or watch these famous comedians. Below you can find the ones I like and the ones you need to watch to understand the Moroccan sense of humor:
1. Gad El Maleh, is a Jewish Moroccan living in France. You can watch him on Netflix in English and French.
2. Jamal Debbouz, is a Moroccan living in France. You can watch him live if you come and visit Morocco during the “Marrakesh Festival de Rire”. Oh yes, we have our own Festival of Laughter where you can have fun, explode with laughter and visit one of the iconic imperial cities of Morocco, Marrakesh! The Red City, as it is also known, has a stereotype that its people are known to have the best Moroccan sense of humor.
3. Eko is a famous Marrakeshi comedian known for his festivals and Marrakeshi accent. He is famous for imitating singers. Even the famous singer Shakira, he turned into Darija. Shakira in Darija, yes, believe me, when you hear him sing a famous song of Shakira, you will hysterically laugh. Eko learned the art of joking by performing in the main square of Marrakech, Jma El Fnaa.
4. HUMORAJI Group is a hilarious group of comedians performing in Morocco and outside. It is a modern theatrical performance based on stand-up comedy.
““The need for a sense of humor sometimes is a therapy against societal imbalances and inequalities in this society. The sense of humor in our culture reveals the real Moroccan character...””
5. The emblematic Hassan El Fad and his creation, the character Kebbour. Who is Kebbour? He is an immortal rural persona, performed by the comedian, poking fun at gender roles in Morocco, rural vs urban sense of humor, societal contradictions, and relations to religion. His humor is a sort of black humor, a critique of Moroccan culture. Amusing episodes are available on YouTube without any foreign language subtitles! I am sorry for this inconvenience, but you need to come to take Darija lessons to watch it and understand it.
Morocco is a collective culture where group entertainment within families relies on telling jokes and “tell it and laugh about it” is the Moroccan adage. The need for a sense of humor sometimes is a therapy against societal imbalances and inequalities in this society. The sense of humor in our culture reveals the real Moroccan character, so please come and visit to enjoy and discover it. I was not so funny! I hope I am not “hamed”.
Dr. Rachid Touhtouh is the Academic Coordinator at AMIDEAST Education Abroad in Morocco.
