Usif Musa is one of the comedians at the next Arabs Are Not Funny! comedy night at the Royal Albert Hall Elgar Room on Friday, September 26.

You might have thought that Arabs couldn’t get any funnier. Think again. Regarded as one of the hottest comedy nights among the Arab community and beyond, Arabs Are Not Funny! sees comedians with roots in the Arab world showcasing their talents and attempting to prove the naysayers wrong.

The full line-up features Stanela Khalil, Mo Magaleo, Usif Musa, Tarek Turjam, Wafa Jawad (Please note that line-ups are subject to change)

Stanela Khalil
Dublin-based, but globally confused, Stanela is a Lebanese comedian who has been escaping the tech world to bring you the funny. Recently certified as officially hilarious by the Gaiety School of Acting's stand-up comedy program, Stanela has spilled the tea in Arabic and English in Dublin, London, Beirut, and Tokyo! Her observational comedy takes the crowd on a journey through the contradictions of being a woman, an Arab, and someone who still gets triggered by songs from the 90s!

Mo Magaleo
A British-Moroccan comedian whose laid-back delivery and sharp observations have made him a standout on the UK comedy circuit. Drawing from his experience growing up in a working-class household while navigating his Moroccan Arab roots and Muslim identity, Mo brings a grounded, honest perspective to the stage — thoughtful without trying to be deep, and funny without trying too hard.

Usif Musa
Iraqi British Usif Musa has already established himself as a promising young talent. He has beaten notorious gong shows such as the Up the Creek Blackout four times, Ding dong gong show winner (Vauxhall comedy club), and he’s a Chortle student comedy semi-finalist. He’s already doing weekend spots at some of the country’s most loved venues, and his calm and charismatic stage presence allows him to deliver stories and punchlines with an almost effortless demeaner that captivates everyone.

Tarek Turjam
A queer Palestinian stand up comedian, born in Guatemala and living in Miami, Florida, Tarek is currently also an improv actor and producer at Villain Theater. He has opened for Carlos Santos, Francisco Ramos and Gianmarco Soresi. Last June, he headlined Villain Theater’s annual queer comedy festival “No fear, We’re Queer”. He has performed at the Miami Improv, The Tiny Little Cupboard in New York and The Comedy Store in London.

Wafa Jawad
A bilingual stand-up comedian based in Paris performing in English and Arabic, Wafa is the only hijabi standup comedian in Paris. She’s been featured on Don’t Tell Comedy Paris and Awkword Comedy, a hugely popular Arabic comedy showcase. Wafa has opened for top comedic acts including Wary Neichen, Jimmy Shin, Tamer Kattan, and Mina Liccione. Wafa has participated in the Syrian Art Festival in Paris, and appeared as a guest on podcasts  such as The Comedy Couch , World Radio Paris and Laughing in Different languages. Wafa draws from her experiences as an Arab woman navigating identity, culture clashes, and Parisian absurdities.

The last thing I do before going on stage is that I look at the floor to ground myself. And also plan how I’m going to take the mic out of the stand. It might seem simple in your eyes but believe me I’ve fumbled with this so many times throughout my career. There’s an art to it, you don’t want to pull out too hard or too quick cos you could both look to aggressive and you’ve gotta make sure you don’t mess up the the wiring and the sound. Stuff like that comes with experience. Might be worth going to a music store and testing out every popular mic and mic stand. 

What irritates you?

At 25 a lot of things have started to irritate me but I tell you what … I’m personally broke like 70% of the time. I grew up watching those tense family centred dramas where the family always ends up telling the kid that they should be grateful. Your dad has worked way too hard, the amount of times he’s taken an extra shift to support you guys. Okay stop right there, I thought growing up and having a job meant you can always ask for extra shifts. So in my head between 15-19, if I’m ever in a tough spot I’ll just take extra shifts. Fast forward to real life … there’s no extra shift you can take on demand. And if you ask your manager for extra work you look like a beg. The real scenario is, they have to ask you when they need extra help. And normally when they ask you, you can’t do it at all that day. Bottom line is, I grew up a spoilt brat but I have responsible parents. You might not always get what you want but if you try sometimes … you might not even get what you need.

What is the most stupid thing you have ever done?

okay I’ll give you two, but unfortunately for you and fortunately for me. They’re both dumb but they make me look intelligent. I was born in the UK to British Iraqi parents. At the age of 5 we decided to move to Lebanon and stayed there till 2015. School there, we had english and Arabic classes. Now in English (which btw I knew more than everyone obviously) the student if they wanted to go to the toilet, they tell the teacher “May I go out” because that’s more polite and private at the end of the day. But my dumbass early on thought “may I go out” meant that I can literally leave the class do whatever I want then comeback when I feel like it. You know … a child’s version of a cigarette break. But nope, after about 30 minutes they came looking for me and I got in trouble. I also used to run like sonic with my hands pushed back and all aerodynamic. So you can tell it took them a while to catch me (it didn’t I surrendered immediately due to confusion). 

Second was that I retook a whole year of uni because I got addicted to chess during covid. Queens gambit man.

What has surprised you the most during your career in comedy?

What has surprised the most is that people think I’m funny. I could barely make my friends laugh growing up I was more seen as the endearing, weird and neurotic kid. Yeh big personality glow up. 

What do your parents think of your job?

Stand up is a hobby to me still, maybe one day it’ll be a full time job but I’ll have to be on slam dunk mode. In terms of jobs, I’m still working on retail while I try and do my law degree. So to answer your question on what parents think. The status is … constant prayers and anxiety. 

What’s the worst thing about being a comedian?

The worst thing about being a comedian is bombing on stage. There’s nothing worse than bombing infront of a good crowd. Your comedian friends look at you like you’re today’s disease and don’t wanna get close to you until they’ve done their set. The sad part is, no matter how experienced you get, you can never control the chance of bombing. That’s not denying that your level won’t rise, but you could be bombing every one hundred gigs (that’s elite level btw). You can never fully avoid it but you can get really comfortable with it and that itself is a foundational weapon for a comedian.

I think you are very good at what you do (that’s why I’m asking these questions). What do you think of you?

I think I’m alright, lots of work to do but I’m alright. 

How important is luck in terms of career success – have you had lucky breaks?

Luck is important, but luck only comes when you put the miles in. There are times where I take things for granted and never ended up okay. But if you push for it and succeed, that is luck. Mainly due to all the intricacies that happened for you to get there. 

Alan Davies has said that comedians fall into two categories - golfers and self-harmers. The former just get on with life, the latter are tortured artists. Which are you – or do you think you fit into third category?

I think I’m a self harmer, every time something good is happening I tend to want to abandon it or run away from the responsibility of it. Hope it ends after turning 25 but who knows. I’m okay as it is, or maybe I’ve just been very lucky who knows.

Do you keep your drawers tidy and if not why not? (please think long and hard about this question, it's to settle an argument with my girlfriend. The future of our relationship could depend on your response).

Listen when it comes to keeping my drawers tidy it depends. important stuff there. But when it comes to clothes, I normally hang and care well for my favourite items of clothing. But when it comes to undergarments I don’t care at all. I shower everyday and I pull stuff out form that draw everyday. Therefore there’s no point in constantly making it look good. Put it this way, you’re serving tea to a guest at your house and you’ve got two cups in a tray with hobnobs on the side. That guest picks up the tea and then puts it back in the tray but not exactly in the right spot you put it originally when serving the.. Does the position of the tea cup bother you or irk you that much? Most likely … no because you know your guest is going to constantly pick and put back the tea in the tray. Same goes with undergarments … if you’re a person of well hygiene. 

Arabs Are Not Funny!, Friday 26 September, Elgar Room, Royal Albert Hall. Information and tickets here.

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