2024-04-24 08:09:14
Speaking during an interview with MAP in anticipation of this cultural event organized by the WE ART AFRICA//NS association, Mr. Ajarraï specified that the festival is in line with the important policy adopted by the Morocco towards the African continent at all levels: political, economic and human.
The cultural dimension is of great importance in this context to the extent that it contributes to bringing the peoples of the continent together, allowing each party to know the other and explore their imagination and their way of writing and expressing themselves, he pointed out.
The FLAM aims to contribute to the achievement of this rapprochement between the components of the African continent, with its centuries-old history and numerous assets, he added, affirming that it is an “opportunity to better know and combat negative stereotypes on the continent.
In the eyes of the general delegate of the festival, writers are qualified to assume this role, because “they take us through their creations and their imagination into the world of other cultures with their differences and their common points”.
As for the choice of the city of Marrakech to host this event, Mr. Ajarraï responded that this is explained by several reasons, including its long history as a city having experienced the cohesion of various human communities over the centuries, including communities originating from sub-Saharan Africa.
The organizers have chosen to hold this festival simultaneously with another cultural event of an African nature, which will take place in Marrakech from February 8 to 11, namely the Contemporary African Art Exhibition, thus transforming the ocher city into a large platform and an international “agora” for African literature bringing together dozens of writers, thinkers, artists, creators, journalists and hundreds of lovers of books and the arts from Morocco, Africa and the world.
In response to a question about the major new features of this edition, Mr. Ajarraï said that one of the most important is the launch of the “outside the walls” program, because “we will go out this year to meet an audience who could feel distant from the culture.
In this regard, he explained that 25 high schools in the city were mobilized, as well as two universities: the Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech and the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Benguerir, specifying that the program includes various activities such as writing workshops, master classes and literary cafés.
In terms of figures, Mr. Ajarraï noted that the festival is aimed at three thousand young people who will directly meet writers for the first time in their lives.
Another innovation of this edition is the holding of a giant Dictation competition, a world first, he detailed, specifying that this dictation will take place in three languages: Arabic, French and English.
“We decided not to limit ourselves only to the French language, but to broaden the idea to include our Arabic language and the widely spoken English language. Thus, we celebrate the linguistic diversity in Africa,” he said. said.
To succeed in this competition, which will take place on February 10 and will welcome three thousand participants, the general delegate of FLAM noted that 50 teachers in Arabic, English and French languages were mobilized for two months to prepare the text which will be used in the competition. .
It is a text on the theme “My Africa to Me” which encourages us to know ourselves better, to dispel negative stereotypes and at the same time to encourage reading and writing, he continued. .
It should be noted that FLAM was founded by Mahi Binebine (writer and visual artist), Fatimata Wane-Sagna (journalist), Hanane Essaydi (academic) and Younès Ajarraï (cultural entrepreneur).
The FLAM 2024 program includes the organization of literary cafés as well as interviews, signings, a pop-up bookstore, but also a youth program made up of educational activities and “outside the walls” interventions, in a university environment and school.
The evenings of the festival will be enlivened by musical performances, readings and poetry. Writers and the public will have the opportunity this year to come together in different daily meeting formats.
The FLAM will see the presence of several figures of African literature such as José-Eduardo Agualusa (Angola), Leïla Bahsaïn (Morocco), Abdelkader Benali (Morocco), Souleymane Bachir Diagne (Senegal), Ali Benmakhlouf (Morocco), Sophie Bessis ( Tunisia), Siham Bouhlal (Morocco), Boum Hemley (Cameroon), Yasmine Chami (Morocco), Touhfat Mouhtare (Comoros), Fanta Dramé (Mauritania), Wilfried N’Sondé (Republic of Congo), Saad Khiari (Algeria) and Mia Couto (Mozambique).
2024-04-24 08:09:14