The Famous People from Morocco
We have compiled an interesting list of famous Moroccan people, however feel free to send us suggestions of other famous Moroccan people who you believe should be added.
Mohammed Hajoui
Born into a prestigious Moroccan family in the city of Fez, Mohammed Hajoui went on to hold the office of governor of Oujda for a period of seventeen years. Despite taking the French side during the Protectorate, he remained governor of Oujda after Independence in 1956, returning to Fez for his retirement.
Mohammed Khair Eddine
Counted among the most famous of the 20th century Moroccan literary figures Mohammed Khair Eddine often featured the cities and towns of Agadir and Tiznit amongst others in his works. He was a controversial writer who defied conventionalism by raising pertinent sociological and political questions, drawing his inspiration from the people and life around him.
Leila Abouzeid
This Moroccan author writes in Arabic and has the distinction of being the first female Moroccan literary figure to have her work translated into English. Abouzeid explores issues that her readership readily identifies with, such as the struggle against poverty and interfamilial conflict, as well as the conflict between modernism and traditional culture, presenting them from a woman’s perspective.
Mohammed Berrada (Beradah)
Considered to be one of Morocco’s finest modern authors, Berrada is a novelist, literary critic and translator. He writes in Arabic and teaches Arab literature at the Mohammed V University in Rabat. He is also an active member of the advisory board for Prologue, a Moroccan literary magazine.
Mohammed Choukri
Best known for his autobiography For Bread Alone, which would later be translated into more than thirty languages, this Moroccan author was born in a small village in the Rif Mountains. As a runaway living on the streets of Tangier, Choukri was determined to lift himself out of the poverty that surrounded him, which he did successfully. He also wrote of his encounters in Tangier with noted writers Paul Bowles, Tennessee Williams and Jean Genet, as well as a further two autobiographical works, Streetwise and Faces, which together with For Bread Alone were combined into a trilogy.
Abdelhadi Tazi
As a scholar, historian and writer, Abdelhadi Tazi is a member of academic societies in Morocco and several other countries. He has received numerous awards and decorations, including the Gold Medal of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco in 1992 and the Intellectual first Class Merit Medal of Morocco in 1976.
Halima Ferhat
As a Moroccan historian and an expert in the middle ages of the Maghreb, Halima Ferhat is a professor at the Mohammed V University. She has had a number of books and articles published which are related to her field of expertise.
Mohammed Kaghat
In addition to writing plays, many of which he produced as stage director, Kaghat directed several feature films and wrote a number of books based on drama the theater in Morocco. He also acted in more than twenty films and television series.
Mohamed Zafzaf
Writing in Arabic, this forward-thinking Moroccan novelist and poet displayed a talent for weaving tales that addressed the concerns of society in a way that has held the attention of his readers for decades. He was also known as an outspoken critic of cultural ignorance.
Mostafa Nissaboury
Considered to be one of the pioneers of modern Moroccan Poetry, Mostafa Nissaboury was a co-founder of the avant-garde magazine known as Anfas/Souffles, which featured essays, poetry and fiction and was banned in 1971.
Fouzia Rhissassi
Currently holding a position on the UNESCO Chair on Women Rights, Fouzia Rhissassi is employed at the Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra as a professor of social science and faculty of arts. The professor has authored and co-authored a number of publications with regard to gender studies and women’s rights.
Imad Kotbi
As a popular radio presenter and disk jockey presenting a program called “Ze Kotbi Show” on Casa FM, Imad Kotbi’s claim to fame is holding a Guinness World Record for broadcasting for fifty hours non-stop at the end of December 2006.
Mohammed Abed Al-Jabri
Born in 1936, Mohammed Abed Al-Jabri was a Moroccan critic, as well as a professor of Islamic thought and philosophy, and an expert in Arabic literature. Before his death in May 2010, he published several important books about Arab philosophical tradition and is also renowned for his work "The critique of the Arab Mind".
Click here for more on Moroccan History and Folklore.
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User Comments & Reviews
2010-06-29 15:55:50
I totally agree that this list should be reconsidered because the order of merit is not taken into account. Thank you for considering my point of view. Fatima Rhorchi; University professor and a translator.
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2010-06-10 20:06:40
Mohammed Abed al-Jabri should have been at the top of any such list - he is absent though. Seriously, whoever chose to fill this category, this way, possesses a deficient mind.
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2010-03-21 15:27:04
Dear Friends , I would like to write a new book about the novel in Morocco , so I ask you kindly to help me contact the Moroccan novelists for the last 50 years . with my best regards Nihad Abdul Sattar Rasheed Storyteller , translator and free- lance journalist
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