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Moroccan theatre in the post-Lead Years*:
language, society & politics
A country in transition
In the last decade, Morocco has started a process of democratisation
and development, introducing wide ranging reforms touching education,
human rights, the status of women but also the role of minorities and the
fight against corruption have been introduced.
King Mohammed VI has managed to avoid the instability devastating its
neighbours and is leading the country through a slow, controlled
transition. Despite severe issues related to poverty and unemployment,
young Moroccans are more daring, more creative and more politically
aware than ever.
Research questions: How does theatre reflect social developments?
What does language reveal about contemporary Morocco? What does it
promote?
Methodology: Focus on Moroccan theatre as an art form and as a
social and political tool. Qualitative approach: I have analysed a number
of popular recent plays with socio-political themes and interviewed a
number of theatre professionals, cultural policy makers and scholars.
Theatre between East and West
Language and its meanings
In the Moroccan context, where multilingualism and codeswitching are the norm, the choice of language is particularly
important and reflects different ideals. Classical Arabic remains
the language of administration and official discourses, but Berber
dialects were recognised as state languages following the Arab
Spring demonstrations in 2011. Darija and French however are
the most in use in homes and in the work place.
4 main possibilities for theatre-makers:
• Classical Arabic  Promotes pan Arabism,
nationalism, sacred language of Islam.
• French 
Elitism, reference to the
French theatrical repertoire, French culture.
• Moroccan darija  Represents the urban
quotidian, popular, non-elitist
• Berber dialect 
Refers to the rural
quotidian, promotes Amazigh minorities and
Amazigh* transnational history
Contemporary Moroccan theatre is fundamentally a hybrid
medium, hovering between the Western repertoire discovered
through colonisation and the traditional performance heritage of
popular dances and songs, storytelling and festivals, between
the closed space of the Italian stage and the open space of the
market place.
Young theatre-makers are concerned with issues of identity and
authenticity, modernity and globalisation, creating a theatre that
is challenging and multifaceted and that reflects the issues
encountered by Morocco, a country transitioning towards the
global era while trying to protect its specificities.
Making a stand
From its early years in the beginning in the 1920s, Moroccan
theatre was used as a means of resistance against French
colonialism, with Classical Arabic and traditional narratives
used to foster nationalism and pan-Arabism. In the last
decade, theatre has become increasingly visual and
experimental in its form, while retaining its early activism.
Amazigh theatre has also greatly developed since its birth
in the 1980s, with a number of dedicated festivals,
questioning notions of identity and nation.
Daba citoyen
festival, by
Dabateatr, 2011
CONCLUSIONS
Case study : Huwa by Driss Ksikes (2010)
• Written and published in French, considered as the
language of literature, but performed in darija
• Characters switching to French when addressing
taboos such as religion or sexuality.
Complex evolution of the language between speech
and text
•
Theatre as a document, capturing many
of the paradoxes of a globalising but
culturally conservative society.
•
A cultural renewal, reflected in plays
through inventive uses of language
•
Mutilingualism offers opportunities to
make social statements, particularly by
referring to political ideologies such as
pan-Arabism or pan-Berberism.
• Lead Years: commonly refers to the most violent part of King Hassan II’s reign, starting from the late 1960s until the early 1990s
• Amazigh: it is the term Berber communities use to refer to themselves, emphasising their belonging to a transnational community from Morocco to Egypt
Arrabouz by Theatre Vies-Age, 2014
Cleo JAY
SOAS