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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Aamna Mohdin

UK Palestinian comic Sami Abu Wardeh: ‘I committed the cardinal sin of comedy’

Sami Abu Wardeh
Sami Abu Wardeh: ‘We should feel sad. We should grieve. But we’re the lucky ones.’ Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

The war in Gaza is a topic many avoid discussing, let alone joke about. But for Palestinian comedians, humour has become an essential tool for keeping life going while loved ones live under occupation and bombardment.

“A lot of Palestinian solidarity events are, rightfully, about grieving,” said the British Palestinian comedian Sami Abu Wardeh. “They’ll read out the names of children and all these atrocities, and then you leave depressed. We have to avoid that at all costs.”

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