AA / Lome / Alphonse LOGO
One of the objectives of the Lomé International Laughter Meeting, which is currently taking place in the Togolese capital, is to strengthen the resilience of populations in the face of the burden of high cost of living and the food crisis which is hitting them hard.
This is what Bignang PIABALO, in charge of the organization and shows of the festival, told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.
This meeting, which started on Monday June 6, is in its sixth season. It continues until June 10 and mobilizes comedians from Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, France and Belgium around the issue of digital in their profession for the benefit of their audience. to various issues.
And one of the issues of the moment that the shows on the program do not elude at all is cost of living and food security.
“As comedians, we are also spokespersons for the society in which we live. We have a duty to talk about the problems that our societies and our populations are facing on the continent, to make them resonate further, so that those in power can hear them, for example. This is why this kind of subject is invited in our shows”, explained to the Anadolu Bignang PIABALO Agency.
He says he is convinced that art should no longer simply be art for art’s sake. But must serve and impact the population and politicians.
“In other words, everything we do must be able to bring something more to society. It is from there that politicians will understand tomorrow that artists are of public utility. Let art be of some use so that politicians can devote more investment to it than what we see today, ”added the person in charge of organizing the Lome laughter meeting.
— Laughter to de-stress in the face of crises
To set themselves up, neither as givers of lessons, nor as vigilantes, the organizers of the International Meeting of Laughter in Lomé, also want through various shows, which take place at the French Institute of Lomé, to bring the Togolese populations, “to forget a little the weight of their suffering in this period of food crisis and high cost of living”.
“Someone who is hungry and sad will die quickly, that’s for sure. But someone who is hungry and who keeps a smile and his morale, finds the strength in himself for the challenge in the face of the difficulties he encounters. And I also think that we prefer it in a society,” said Piabalo.
— Laughter is also food
He also assures that the role, however, is not to find food for the populations, nor to give them the means to buy it. But he is convinced that “laughter is another form of food”.
“We comedians don’t have food to give people, of course. But we consider laughter to be another form of nourishment that we give them. Which, we are sure, will help them keep going and continue to fight against everything that is happening in their lives right now. Instead of having negative thoughts that sometimes lead to suicide,” he says.
“Through performances that refer to current events, we try to tell people that despite everything, life is beautiful. So hanging on is necessary in the hope of a better tomorrow. This is the whole point of what we do,” concluded Bignang Piabalo.
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