The dynamism demonstrated in France by the cultural actors of the Moroccan diaspora in the service of rapprochement between the two countries is a source of pride, underlines Moroccan writer Zineb Mekouar.
“There is really a dynamism in all areas of culture: music, cinema, literature, theater… This shows a desire, almost unconscious, to show life, a drive for life”, rejoices, in an interview at MAP, the young novelist who, at 33, is already starting to leave her mark on the cultural scene in France with two successful works.
For the author of “The Hen and Her Cumin” (JC Lattès, 2022) and “Remember the Bees” (Gallimard, 2024), the cultural contribution of the Moroccan diaspora and also of Franco-Moroccans is of capital importance for better mutual understanding, especially since “they are, by their very existence, proof that we are far from the clichés that we sometimes hear, and that living together is possible”.
At this level, culture appears, in his eyes, to be “a more than necessary means, almost vital because we address people directly, in an intimate way”.
“It’s that through literature, novels, cinema, theater, we speak to both the head and the mind but also the heart,” she explains, believing that, through their creations, these actors of cultural life propagate the values of tolerance, diversity and living together.
Indeed, she explains, “through the diversity of the stories told, novelists and cultural actors in general depict the complexity of our humanity, and ward off the danger of the single story, often imposed and necessarily truncated.”
As a writer, Zineb Mekouar cites the case of literary creation, highlighting in particular the benefits of reading in terms of openness to others.
“When we read a book, we realize that whatever the period and the country where we find ourselves, the experience is the same, we live and feel the same thing, we become attached to the characters. In fact, we realize that this whole house arrest is shattering and that’s what interests me personally in literary creation”, affirms the one who assumes “committed writing” in her novels.
On the subject of Franco-Moroccan relations, she affirms that “with France, we have such a close culture and relationship, carried as much by Franco-Moroccans and the Moroccan diaspora as by the French who live in Morocco”, insisting on the contribution of literature to retrace the complexity of this relationship in the eyes of those who are still unaware of the reality of Franco-Moroccan ties and the history of Morocco.
Such an effort is, according to her, all the more important today that “Morocco is establishing itself as an African power and there is an equal relationship with France.”
Zineb Mekouar says she is delighted to see in this regard that “things are changing, particularly with art, culture, cinema, which show realities and complexities without judging”. It is in this spirit that she writes her novels, which are very well received in France.
