> ## Content Index
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# The Making of a Griot | United States of Comedy, Ep 1
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/independent-lens/specials/united-states-of-comedy-episode-1-bcjv5m/
- Published: 2024-11-08T23:30:51.000Z
- Updated: 2025-08-21T05:48:29.000Z
- Description: Haitian-born, Brooklyn-based comic Tanael Joachim mines comedy from being a fish out of water.
- Author: Cascade PBS Staff
- Tags: Independent Lens, #ZZZ_Show_0b7db2c5-17c9-47e3-a2fa-022bad749896, #v1.7, #ZZZ_Special_66d18592-8599-48db-9c02-c020d7404fe4, #special

With comedy on lockdown, Haitian-born comedian Tanael Joachim a.k.a. TJ shows what it means to be a griot storyteller in Brooklyn. He wrestles with performing during a pandemic, whether "wokeness" is a thing, and mining comedy from being a fish out of water.