“COP28 sponsored by Sultan Al-Jaber is a bit like the neighbors’ party sponsored by Vladimir Putin. » For two years, the Greenwashing Comedy Club, a collective of comedians committed to the environmental cause, has been touring theaters in Paris and its suburbs. The objective: to talk about the climate through laughter.
While COP28 opened its doors in Dubai, 20 minutes spoke with Rafaëlla, member of the collective.
Where does the Greenwashing Comedy Club come from?
It is a collective of comedians, founded two years ago by Anne Dupin, which deals with subjects linked to climate and ecological transition. Its goal: to plant seeds in the minds of people who are not initially sensitive to them and to relax those who, on the contrary, are very aware of these issues, including the eco-anxious.
The Greenwashing Comedy Club offers to laugh around these subjects not to de-dramatize them – because we know that climate change is serious, and we will never say the opposite – but firstly to allow us to take a breath , create community and restore the desire to act.
How did you get involved in it?
In my “civilian” life, I work in a company on subjects related to sustainable finance, and I started writing sketches. So naturally, it focused on these subjects. I’ve been doing comedy for two years; before, I was doing improvisational theater, but I quickly joined the collective.
How do we mix stand-up and climate?
When we do stand-up, we talk a lot about our lives, it’s a very personal art. We talk about our relationships with our parents, work, our romantic relationships… We often talk about our contradictions, some of my friends are not green, for example. It is above all about making people laugh and not politically convincing the public; we are not giving moral lessons.
Where can you watch Greenwashing Comedy Club stand-up shows?
At the moment, we have around ten performances per month. This is done quite often in places with committed DNA, such as the Climate Academy (Paris 4th), HOBA (17th), the Zero Waste House (12th) or Dock B in Pantin. We also play during association events, and increasingly within companies involved in or with a transition process.
Is your audience still made up of people aware of climate issues?
The audience varies quite a bit, it all depends on where we play. Sometimes it takes place in places where people are not particularly sensitive. For example, a few months ago, we were at 6B, in Saint-Denis, and it was the first event of this kind there. I think a lot of people first came to see stand-up and not particularly the Greenwashing Comedy Club.
In the end, we would just like to open up to as many people as possible and not only play in front of the convinced.