ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Les frontières de l’humour: Does Comedy's Global Hierarchy Hold?

other · 2026-08-03

The podcast episode 'Les frontières de l’humour' from the series 'Ouvrir les vannes' explores whether moving to Paris is the best career move for comedians from Switzerland, Belgium, or other francophone regions. It questions this assumption for comedians in Abidjan, Douala, and Montréal, highlighting how individual career paths reveal invisible geographies and challenge the global prestige hierarchy in comedy. The episode features a performance by humorist Blessing Diaba at the 'Wassa' venue in Bangui, Central African Republic, on August 30, 2025. The series is produced by RTS as part of the Médias francophones publics collaboration, with production by Marie Riley and Pascaline Sordet. The episode was published on August 3, 2026, and includes contributions from various team members: animation by Marie Riley, direction by Jessica Ammar, original music by Madame Piou Piou, production assistance by Chloé Sedlatchek, music programming by Bastien Arnold, archival work by Jérôme Rufini, street interviews by Sheena Fins, Abdoul Aziz Diallo, and Marie Charlier, and voice-over by Sabrina Colongo. The podcast is available via RFI, which also offers a newsletter and an app for international news.

Key facts

  • The podcast episode 'Les frontières de l’humour' is part of the series 'Ouvrir les vannes'.
  • The episode questions whether moving to Paris is the best career move for comedians from Switzerland, Belgium, Abidjan, Douala, or Montréal.
  • It features a performance by humorist Blessing Diaba at the 'Wassa' venue in Bangui, Central African Republic, on August 30, 2025.
  • The series is produced by RTS as part of the Médias francophones publics collaboration.
  • Production is by Marie Riley and Pascaline Sordet.
  • The episode was published on August 3, 2026.
  • The team includes Marie Riley (animation), Jessica Ammar (direction), Madame Piou Piou (original music), Chloé Sedlatchek (production assistance), Bastien Arnold (music programming), Jérôme Rufini (archivist), Sheena Fins, Abdoul Aziz Diallo, and Marie Charlier (street interviews), and Sabrina Colongo (voice-over).
  • The podcast is available via RFI, which also offers a newsletter and an app for international news.

Entities

Artists

  • Blessing Diaba
  • Madame Piou Piou

Institutions

  • RTS
  • RFI
  • Médias francophones publics

Locations

  • Paris
  • Switzerland
  • Belgium
  • Abidjan
  • Douala
  • Montréal
  • Bangui
  • Central African Republic

Sources