Reporting

Ivory Coast: a "battle" between African comedians at the Mamane laughter festival

Audio 01:21

This weekend, Côte d'Ivoire hosted the 8th edition of the festival "Abidjan, capital of laughter", now an unmissable event for pan-African humor organized by Mamane (our photo), and of which RFI is a partner.

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This weekend, Côte d'Ivoire hosted the 8th edition of the festival "Abidjan, capital of laughter", now an unmissable event for pan-African humor organized by Mamane, and of which RFI is a partner.

With, as the highlight of the show, the highly anticipated

battle

this Sunday between two teams of comedians from West Africa and Central Africa, each come to defend their region.

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With our correspondent in Abidjan, 

Marine Jeannin

Two years ago, West Africa won the cup at home.

And this year, Central Africa intended to take its revenge.

Already during the rehearsals, the match was close.

Brice Annoh, Ivorian star presenter and referee of the competition: “ 

There are tests: who lies the most?

Central Africa, West Africa?

There is a debate on democracy in Africa, on the organization of the CAN… There are small rivalries like that.

There is also choreography: who dances the best?

We will also have who lies the best?

Yeah, that promises.

 »

Trust

In the locker room of Central Africa, the small team is confident.

Their dean, the Cameroonian Kalkaïssa Amadou, known as “Petit Gougou”: “ 

We are strong everywhere.

In fact Central Africa, that's it.

We are strong everywhere.

Because we have the Congo, which is very good at dancing, we have Cameroon, which is very good at lying… With French-English, and everything… In any case, we are ready, anyway.

There is a Gabonese among us… We, in any case, we are ready.

We are not afraid

.

»

Laughs out loud

But the West African team rose to the challenge.

The representatives of the two regions all made the public laugh out loud: “ 

The public is a bit like football fans… They can be for a team, but they appreciate good football! 

".

To the point that at the end of the show, the referee proclaimed the game a draw.

But the truce will not last: a return match has already been announced for one of the next editions.

►To listen also

: Haroun, humorist: "What is least avowable in us is where laughter comes from"

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