Year of the Elephant

North Africa

Leila Abouzeid

Moroccan writer, radio and TV journalist, and prominent cultural figure promoting Moroccan Arab identity

Map of Morocco

Morocco Colonized

Prior to colonial rule, land of modern-day Morocco composed of different governing structures

Makhzen in cities and siba in the country/tribal areas

Sultan of Morocco fought French and Spanish takeover attempts and helped Algerian emir to fight against them as well

Nonetheless, France established a “protectorate” in Fez in 1912, sharing power over Morocco with Spain, which it would hold until 1956

Moroccan Struggles for Liberation

Less than a decade after the Protectorate was instituted, the Rif revolt began

Rif, the mountainous northern tier of Morocco, was home to a large coalition of tribes who united under a wealthy landowner against the French and Spanish

Rebellion lasted 5 years (1921-6) Money collected for rebels from as far

away as India, the rebels success bolstered hopes in Tunisia and across North Africa

• In 1947, the Moroccan sultan joined forces with the major nationalist party, Istiqlal, against the French occupation

• 1952 Casablanca Massacre: “several hundred” Moroccan civilians shot down by French police and army militias

• After this event, support for the nationalists spread to the masses of ordinary Moroccans

• Independence finally gained in 1956 and Mohammed V reinstated as official ruler, first king of independent Morocco

Independence Gained

The Place of French Language and Culture

French became the language of the conqueror and Arabic the language of resistance.

French had become the official language: the language of commerce, education, and power. Arabic was relegated to religious affairs and the family.

Leila Abouzeid on French: "I was in a private school in Rabat where Arabic and French were the languages of instruction. I loathed reading in French and developed an aversion to using it outside the classroom. This early position against the language of the colonialist proved fortunate, as it kept me from becoming one of the post-colonial Maghrebi [North African] writers producing a national literature in a foreign language. My intense aversion toward French may explain why I turned to English as my means of communication with the West" (Abouzeid, The Last Chapter 153).

Hajj at the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Birds protect the Kaaba

Battle of Algiers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeMWdueGTZ4