“I speak to you about (almost) happy times”, the eclectic work by Abdeljalil Lahjomri, Perpetual Secretary of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, has just been published. It is an initiatory journey between places and memory of Morocco
In collaboration with the information and analysis site “Quid.ma”. This book, spread over 200 pages, offers a fascinating exploration of Moroccan places of memory, weaving a subtle link between historical vestiges, emblematic figures and the cultural identity of the country.
A journey through time through art and history
The work opens with an in-depth analysis of “A certain history of painting in Morocco”. Abdeljalil Lahjomri explores the evolution of Moroccan pictorial art, while focusing on “Elsewhere” which inspired the first Moroccan painters. These paintings become echoes of a collective memory, where each brushstroke carries a fragment of history.
Places full of meaning and mysteries
The exploration continues through emblematic places, starting with the funerary stele of Abu Yacoub Youssouf al-Marini in Chellah. This historic site, with its intriguing 12-centimeter orifice, invites the author to a meticulous “interrogation”, confronting the object with legendary and historical stories. The Chellah, imbued with ghosts, myths and superstitions, proves to be much more than a place of passage: it becomes a space where history meets the imagination.
Throughout the pages, Lahjomri guides us through other sites rich in memory: from Aghmat and its exiled poet Mo’atamid Ibn Abbad, to Marrakech and Sidi Belabbas, including the fascinating figure of Ahmed Al-Alj Al -Inglizi in Morocco of Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah. Each place, each character becomes an element of a puzzle that tells the soul of Morocco.
-When the remains speak…
In the second part entitled “Places of memory”, Lahjomri continues his journey with particular attention to traces of the past. Chellah, in particular, is a theater where the author confronts the stones with their apparent silence, seeking to extract hidden meanings. Rabat, described by his pen as “the most imperial of imperial cities”, emerges as a still unexhausted field of exploration.
A tribute to Moroccan identity
Abdeljalil Lahjomri’s erudition and passion shine through in each of the chronicles. Whether it is the “Republic of Salé which never existed” or the “misadventure of the Malian writer Yambo Ouologuem”, the author revisits the twists and turns of the past with the conviction that beneath every stone lies the roots of history and the foundations of Moroccan identity.
“I tell you about (almost) happy times” is more than a book: it is an invitation to rediscover Morocco through its places, its people and its memories. With meticulousness and intelligence, Lahjomri opens doors to a fascinating past, while reminding us that these vestiges are echoes of a common history, both real and timeless.
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