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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.
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Leila Abouzeid Moroccan writer, radio and TV journalist, and prominent cultural figure promoting Moroccan Arab identity
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
Independence Gained 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
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).
Battle of Algiers • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeMWdueGTZ4