Latest news with #CounciloftheMoroccanCommunityAbroad
Ya Biladi
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Morocco honors first-generation immigrants in France for their enduring legacy
The Embassy of Morocco in Paris hosted a ceremony Thursday evening to honor the pioneers of Moroccan immigration in France, recognizing their remarkable journeys and lasting contributions to strengthening ties between their homeland and host country. Thirty Moroccans who immigrated to France between 1952 and 1962 and now reside in or around Paris were each awarded a personalized medal of merit in tribute to their legacy. «We are very pleased to welcome our elders and receive them here in their home, so we can once again acknowledge their life paths, honor them, and remind them how important they are to Morocco, their country of originas, well as to France, their host country, and to the relationship between the two», said Samira Sitaïl, Morocco's Ambassador to Paris, in a speech delivered at the event. As members of the first generation of immigrants who played a decisive role in France's economic growth and Morocco's development, those honored embody the Kingdom's diverse and layered identity, the ambassador emphasized. «This diversity, part of our identity, our history, and a source of pride, is fully represented here. We are Hassanis, Muslims, Berbers, Jews, Arabs, Andalusians, and Africans, all at once», she said, highlighting the many elements that shape Moroccan national identity. The ceremony, held in coordination with similar events organized by Morocco's Consulates General throughout France, was attended by Ambassador Sitaïl, Morocco's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO Samir Addahre, President of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) Driss El Yazami, Royal Air Maroc's Director for Europe and the Americas Amine El Farissi, and several figures from civil society, community organizations, and the Moroccan diaspora.
Ya Biladi
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Ya Biladi
300,000 people grooved to the beat of the Gnaoua Festival
From June 19 to 21, music lit up Essaouira. The guembris spoke to Senegalese drums, Gnaoua voices merged with jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms, and for three days, the Gnaoua and World Music Festival drew over 300,000 people into a celebration rich in memory, emotion, and human connection. In the alleyways, along the beach, and in front of the stages, the crowd was as diverse as the music itself: local families, curious travelers, and young people from near and far. The mix was everywhere, on stage and in the audience. A total of 350 artists from more than a dozen countries (Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mali, Syria, Iraq, France, the United States, Turkey, Ivory Coast, and Cuba) spoke a common language: music. At the center of it all was Morocco, alive through its Maâlems, its rhythms, and its evolving traditions. From the opening act, Hamid El Kasri and the Bakalama Company set the tone: fusion, encounter, and generosity. Until the final notes, artists from around the world made the city pulse—Cimafunk, CKay, Dhafer Youssef, Fehd Benchemsi, Khalid Sansi… each one left their mark. But the festival is also a space for thought and dialogue. The Human Rights Forum, organized with the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad, brought together writers, scholars, and artists around the theme of «Migrations and Cultural Dynamics». Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman moved the audience with his reminder of «the necessity to move, despite the walls». Other powerful voices resonated: poet Véronique Tadjo, historian Pascal Blanchard, filmmaker Faouzi Bensaïdi, and writer-essayist Elgas. Rare and intimate moments also allowed Maâlems to engage in dialogue with scholars through the UM6P Chair. These were unfiltered, deeply human exchanges where trance and knowledge listened to each other. The next rendezvous is set for June 25 to 27, 2026. Between the ramparts and the ocean, music will once again transcend borders.
Ya Biladi
05-06-2025
- Health
- Ya Biladi
Addressing Morocco's medical brain drain : Driss El Yazami advocates global dialogue
Driss El Yazami, president of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME), called for «an active international policy» to strengthen dialogue with global organizations and attract medical expertise, both national and foreign, to address Morocco's healthcare worker shortage. Speaking at a study day organized by the Istiqlalian group on the migration of Moroccan medical professionals, he stressed the importance of a «territorial policy involving regions and communities». The event gathered Minister of Higher Education Azzedine El Midaoui, former Health Ministers Houcine El Ouardi and Abdelouahed El Fassi, medical faculty deans, doctors, and members of the second Chamber. El Yazami advocated for «openness to foreign talents» and promoting the «Moroccan dream» as a means to strengthen ties between Moroccans worldwide and their homeland. He highlighted that physician mobility is a global phenomenon, not unique to Morocco, urging avoidance of "alarmist approaches" in favor of proactive national and international strategies. Migration, he said, «is neither a crime nor a scourge but a fundamental right and a reflection of deep social changes in Moroccan society». El Yazami noted that migration reasons extend beyond economics to include personal fulfillment, emphasizing the crucial role of Moroccan talents abroad in shaping the debate. The CCME insists that citizens abroad should be «fully integrated into discussions about Morocco's future, especially regarding health, education, and public policy».
Ya Biladi
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Morocco: A groundbreaking study on the integration of migrant women and minors
The result of several years of research, the collective work Women and Minors in Migration – Journeys, Resistance, Integration has just been published by La Croisée des chemins, in partnership with the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME). Coordinated by Fatima Ait Ben Lmadani and Hicham Hafid, the book explores «a little-known reality in Morocco, despite the debates—and even stigmatization—it provokes beyond our borders». With contributions from Rachid Benlabbah, Khalid Chegraoui, and El Mouassaoui El Ajlaoui, the book examines «the impact of Morocco's immigration policy on reducing the vulnerability of Sub-Saharan women and minors and facilitating their integration into Moroccan society». The authors address issues such as housing, employment, healthcare, education, and cultural rights, as highlighted by the publisher and the coordinators. The book also delves into «the role of both institutional and non-institutional actors, with a focus on how Sub-Saharan migrants navigate integration mechanisms and assert their capacity to negotiate». What sets this study apart is its long-term perspective, a deliberate choice that enabled the researchers to «closely track this population, the evolution of their needs, and the public authorities' responses over time». In other words, the authors seek to explore «the integration process of women and minors through the lens of migrants as active participants in shaping these policies». This focus builds on the findings of a previous study by the research group on the regularization of Sub-Saharan migrants. The study combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including «individual interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires conducted along the Casablanca–Rabat–Salé and Tangier–Nador–Oujda corridors». This is further complemented by an analysis of legal and administrative documents, as well as «statistical, demographic, and economic data».
Ya Biladi
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Ya Biladi
Migrations and World Literatures : A global journey by Salim Jay
Migrations and World Literatures is the latest work by French-Moroccan writer and literary critic Salim Jay. In collaboration with the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) and published by La Croisée des Chemins, this book presents an anthology of novelists from around the world. Drawing from personal experiences and collected testimonies, they narrate «the intimate ins and outs of migration». The author continues his exploration of themes first addressed in Mediterranean Literatures and Migratory Horizons, expanding «towards Somalia and its connection to Italy, Iraq and Syria, not forgetting Cameroon and the United States, Mexico and Hungary, Senegal and Guinea», while also featuring writers from the Maghreb. «Readers will not be surprised by the candor and subtlety of Mohammed Khaïr Eddine recounting his return to Morocco. More surprising is discovering Badawi by the Franco-Syrian Mohed Altrad, now covered in gold, and the harsh reality once lived by George Orwell in Down and Out in Paris and London. Readers will be charmed by Miguel Torga with Senhor Ventura, who takes us to China, and moved by I Did Not Want to Leave by Abdoulaye Soumah, among three dozen fraternal voices that make up Migrations and World Literatures», notes the publisher. Salim Jay particularly questions «the idea that we are human beings and that Earth is our address», hoping to «one day legitimize that no one, anywhere, is confined to their home». Until «the world becomes the country of all and the countries of the world open to everyone», Jay offers a journey through literatures. This anthology is part of that journey, constituting «an invitation to read others, all others, without discrimination, just as we would like it to be possible to approach and welcome others without discrimination».
