Marrakech – I used to think I was funny. Then I spent one afternoon with a Moroccan auntie, and I’ve been questioning my entire comedic identity ever since.

In Morocco, humor is not just entertainment — it’s a lifestyle.

From the souk vendors who roast you while you bargain, to the taxi drivers who moonlight as stand-up comedians, Moroccan humor is fast, unfiltered, and unapologetically clever.

It’s the kind of wit that makes you laugh, blush, and question your choices all in one breath.

It’s a particular art — the belly laugh that explodes out of someone when the joke lands just right. It usually happens in a living room with at least three generations and an accidental audience.

Moroccan humor doesn’t ask for permission — it just enters the room, removes its slippers, and starts roasting you with love.

Take our beloved sketch comedy, for instance. From legends like Hassan El Fad to today’s TikTok comedians who somehow make existential crises funny in 15 seconds or less, Moroccan comedians have always known how to mix satire with everyday chaos.

Politics? Fair game. Mother-in-laws? Always trending. Weddings? Don’t even get me started.

And then there’s the language acrobatics. Moroccan Darija is a playground for puns, sarcasm, and double meanings.

Add in some French, a dash of Amazigh, and the occasional “ya Latif,” and you’ve got yourself a joke that can only be translated with facial expressions and a disclaimer.

But perhaps the best part of Moroccan humor is that it doesn’t punch down — it teases up.

It’s self-aware, self-deprecating, and never takes itself too seriously.

Even during hard times, Moroccans have a way of laughing through the storm with a sarcastic smile and a dramatic “Hadi hia l7yat.”

So yes, comedy might look like Netflix specials and open mics elsewhere, but in Morocco?

It’s your uncle at dinner, your cousin’s meme account, and your grandma’s savage comebacks — wrapped in tradition, rolled in sarcasm, and dipped in mint.

Because here, humor isn’t just funny — it’s therapy. And if you haven’t been lovingly roasted by a Moroccan, have you even lived?