We saw Joe Haddad’s show, PalestEENian! in London and had a thoroughly good time. So, we reached out to see if he would do a benefit for SPaCE in Sheffield. We are so pleased he has agreed! YOu can buy tickets here
We arranged the date around another show on October 24th at the Library Theatre, Arabs & Asians Stand-up Comedy Show Sheffield. Staying an extra night in the Northern Badlands is not so hard!
We asked Joe a few questions about life growing up in London and being a Palestinian comic.
What was it like growing up as a Palestinian?
That’s what the play is about! It was confusing. Your country isn’t on the map when everyone else’s is. So you feel the odd one out. Even growing up in multi-cultural South London, I didn’t see any other Arabs or anyone else’s parents speak this ‘strange’ language and I wasn’t really educated that much about Palestine at home and the first time I visited was when I was 7, nor did Palestine ever appear on the UK school curriculum…I wonder why?
Did your parents try to protect you from being Palestinian if so how?
I think so. Rather than protect as such, I think it was their lifetime of living in occupied Jerusalem, a sort of fear and occupation was sadly normalised as that’s all they knew. I think that ingrained subconscious fear, along with a real lack of knowledge surrounding the Palestinian struggle here in the UK, certainly in the 1980s, always meant they didn’t speak too much about it .
How long have you been in the comedy business. Did it choose you or did you choose it?
I started watching lots of comedy when I was 16. I’ve always loved sit-coms and stand-up, and whilst at University at the tender age of 18 I did my first set…and was dreadful and didn’t know what I was doing and quite frankly didn’t know who I was as a person yet alone have the comedy IQ to write. I dabbled in and out in late teens and early 20s as a hobby and one dreadful night when I was 19 lead to me not doing it for a little while. What was nice though was when I did return to comedy I used my surname and was owning my Arab identity more, up until another hiatus due to the pandemic.
How did you come to decide to be a Palestinian comedian
Well I didn’t decide to be Palestinian that was kinda a birth thing lol – but when I re-entered that circuit in July 2023 it was a few months prior to the 2023 genocide, so I knew that I had to use my voice for a greater quest, and show us Palestinians for who we are and demonstrating resistance in art.
Do you think you have an especial responsibility as a Palestinian artist; if so for what?
100% Absolutely! I can’t be Palestinian and shy away. I have to talk about it. I think being silent as a Palestinians artist is like being complicit. I have a responsibility to say the word Palestine on stage and keep it in people’s minds, even when they are in a comedy show and talk about the issue in a digestible, educational and ofcourse funny way (i hope). I think just even saying the word Palestine on stage is a form of resistance. I just wish I could push a button to end this genocide and occupation, I hope to never have to do another fundraiser show, go on another protest or go another day where Palestine isn’t on the map.
How does it feel to be part of a troupe of Arab and Asian comedians?
I think you may be referring to some of the shows I’m doing currently called Arabs Vs Asians (don’t worry we don’t fight each other). It is really fun and think important to have our voices and humour on show, because we’re a bunch of funny people and we get to raise money for Palestine in the show and reach people who aren’t typical comedy goers!
Thanks to Joe for this: don’t forget to but tickets to his amazing one man show.
And to see him in full stand up mode as well, he is performing the night before at the Library Theatre