On July 8 2015, Jounieh international Festival Reserved a special spot for “Banque Libano Francaise” BLF so they can put together a stand and welcome guests as they walk in the festival to attend “Jamel Debbouze” show later that night.

With the aim of drawing a smile on the face of our troubled country, Jounieh International Festival hosted as part of its scheduled festivities for the summer 2015, French-Moroccan Comedian, Jamel Debbouze in a special show filled with socially engaged amusement and superb humor.

This young man has managed to conquer the hearts of the French from the very start. He first appeared in stand-up comedies, to switch later on to TV programs, and eventually make it to the big screen where he shined amongst other great names in the show business.

It is Jamel Debbouz we're talking about here! The secret behind his success lies in his sense of humor and his peculiar style both intertwined with the ability to mix comedy with social criticism, and stuttering with expressive improvisation - a thing we only encounter amongst the emigrants.

According to Jamel, handicap has always been the key to his success and has never stood in the face of his ambitions: During his childhood, he was struck by a train while crossing the railways. Following this unfortunate accident, his hand stopped growing. Thereafter, he grew famous and became known as "the single arm artist" - the hand of the other arm always hidden in his pocket.

Jamel Debbouze was born in Paris in 1975. The following year, his family moved back to their motherland. The family returned to settle in France when Jamel was only 5 years of age. He grew up in a poor Parisian neighborhood, and then moved to the "Yvelines" in the suburbs, where he lived in a low income housing apartment. There, he was spotted by a theatre director who integrated him into his troop of young talents. At that stage, Jamel excelled and achieved an unprecedented success.

Jamel has beautifully succeeded to entice the hearts of both the Lebanese and the Arabs during Jounieh Internatinonal Festival. The public embraced him as he is, with all his characteristics and his peculiarity:  his broken French and Moroccan accent. In parallel, Jamel stayed authentic and real humbly avoiding the game of praise seeking.

Indeed, Jamel didn't hesitate to offer an amusing and humoristic show in which he made fun of everybody and everything; he sarcastically criticized the racists, the extremists, the idlers and even the politicians. Nevertheless, he was keen to highlight every single virtue which singles out the poor neighborhoods and labor districts. In that respect, we can consider him a socially engaged and committed comedian, whether he likes it or not. In fact, Debbouze embodies the image of the new emigrant who has succeeded in his field and respectfully dealt with others, while having for sole aim to cope with the new community.