A French comedian of Moroccan origin raises controversy at the Carthage Theatre

The French comedian of Moroccan origin, Azzedine Benjlali, known as “AZ”, sparked widespread anger in Tunisia after he uttered an obscene Tunisian word on more than one occasion in front of an audience of families at the Carthage Theater on Sunday evening, July 16th.

Video clips circulated documented the French artist presenting his comic show, which included phrases described as “obscene” and “obscene”, which made some families leave the stands.

The artist offered his apology to the Tunisian audience, saying: “I do not have anything from Tunisian culture, and my use of the phrase was unintentionally. I apologize to anyone who was disturbed by my use of the word, and this was not my goal from the stand-up.”

The incident sparked widespread controversy on social media, and activists denounced what they saw as an assault on artistic and tasteful controls, and disrespect for public taste and the oldest festival in Tunisia.

Tunisian President Kais Saied, in turn, interacted with the incident and expressed his dissatisfaction during his meeting with Hayat Katat, Minister of Cultural Affairs, because of what happened, and confirmed that festivals in Tunisia, such as the Carthage Festival, have preserved their valuable and noble goals in the past sixty years, and have contributed to the dissemination of culture and thought and the upgrading of society. He considered what happened as an “attack on the history of the festival” and amounts to a crime punishable by law.