The departure of Mustafa Dasouki, the pioneer of Moroccan comedy

could The comedian Moroccan Mustafa Al-Dasoukin, who passed away the day before yesterday, managed to carve out his own unique way of comic acting and enjoy great popularity in Morocco over six decades of presence in front of… Camera And on stage. His bet was to make people laugh. The audience With a simple performance that breaks with exaggerated emotions, excessive changes in features, and hiding behind the Bedouin dialect. A short sentence from Dassoukin would make the entire hall laugh, and his cheerful movement in front of the camera would bring joy to television. Mustafa Dassoukin (born in 1942 in Casablanca) was the pioneer of family comedy par excellence, bringing laughter to the faces of different generations, and winning the love of young and old. He chose for his comedic roles to be in harmony with his vision of art. For him, acting is something we can all enjoy without embarrassment, and share this pleasure within the family, whether in theatrical, television, or cinematic works.

Al-Dasouki was a pioneer in forming comedic duos. He and his friend, the artist Mustafa Al-Zaari, started presenting comedic works since 1963 based on a two-way dialogue, which is performed in a fast and harmonious manner, and is based on the idea that one of them will set the other up, where there is a difference of opinion and a cheerful confrontation.

The duo started out in summer camps in the Atlas region, where they performed comedic roles for campers, with topics that were close to people’s hearts, such as marriage problems, housing constraints, and the pressures of daily life. Dasouki then worked with the “Arab Brotherhood” troupe, which was headed by the late artist Abdel Azim El Shenawy, then moved with his friend Al Zaari to work with the late pioneering theater artist Abdel Qader El Badawi, and they started with a comedy called “Al Nawaqsiya” in 1967.

Talent and humility

Moroccan comedian passes away at 82 (Artists Syndicate in Morocco)

Dasouki’s first appearance on television was in 1966, when he presented a comedy sketch with the late artist Habib Kadmiri, entitled “Renko and Djinko”, which was a parody of cowboy movies. Interestingly, the late King Hassan II watched this show on television, so he called Dasouki and Kadmiri and expressed his admiration for their performance, and thanked them for providing Moroccans with an enjoyable work.

Dasouki has been a star since the 1960s in a number of plays, including “Bint El Kherraz”, “Half Mind”, “Jilali Travolta”, “El Zawak Yteer”, “El Qadeya Fiha En”, “Qoulou El Aam Zain”, “Sharab Aqlu”, “El Mudir El Jadid”, “El Mashgaen El Mananeen” and others. His presence was noticeable in television series that were highly appreciated by Moroccans since the 1970s, such as “Khamsa wa Khamis”, “Sita min Sittin”, “Bouchta and Boughataya”, “El Ghalia”, “Tears of Men”, “Sidrah Thorn”, and “Si Marbouh’s Family”, in addition to his distinguished presence in a number of sitcoms such as “Khair wa Salam”, “Radio Wak Wak”, “El Dahk Fih wa Fih”, “El Harban” and “Khater Men Ndir?”

The Moroccan artist devoted his time, effort and focus to television at the expense of cinema, so his participation in the field of the seventh art was limited compared to the abundance of his works on the small screen. He stood in front of the camera of director Farida Bourquia in 1983 to participate in the film “Al Jamra” which was shown daily for a long time, achieving record numbers at the box office during that era. He also acted in the film “Al Warith” by director Abdel Rahman Tazi, and “Out of Coverage” by Nourredine Doukna. He also participated in short films with the French mission, and acted in one of the films of American director Richard Harrison during the eighties.

Mustafa Al-Dasoukin had talent, but at the same time he was humble and had a desire to develop his performing skills. Therefore, he would listen to his colleagues and fans, and pick up signals and directions from them spontaneously, without any selfish tendencies. In the various evenings and festivals in which he participated, you would find him close to the audience, always interacting with them. He was even keen to respond to anyone who wanted to communicate with him, relieving himself of all the considerations that most artists take into account when it comes to their direct meeting with the audience.

Forgetting after fame

The Moroccan artist worked with a number of theater groups, and dealt with directors and actors from different generations. When he founded the “Stars of the Theater” group, his obsession was to take the mother of all arts to small cities and remote villages that most theater groups do not reach, those who prefer to present their works to city audiences. Dasouki believed that art should not be the preserve of one social class over another, so he would head with his group to the villages of the south to bring joy to remote areas where television was not available at the time.

For six decades, Dasouki has been active and present in many artistic works and cultural events, yet he has not fallen into the trap of stereotypes. However, in recent years, he has disappeared from sight, no longer having a presence on television, in theater, or at festivals. This disappearance was not voluntary. The Moroccan artist has suffered from exclusion and marginalization, and has even been forgotten, with the emergence of new faces in the world of comedy who have monopolized the field, and their presence has become overwhelming on Moroccan television channels. This was not the fate of Dasouki alone, as the presence of many artists from the pioneering generations of comedy has declined, even though they are still alive. Dasouki recently stated that artistic life in Morocco has become subject to the logic of cliques, yet he has continued to face all this oblivion with his well-known calm and his wide smile.