Meanwhile in Morocco...

Part 1: documentary screening

22 May 2011

During the reign of Moroccan king Hassan II in the 70s and 80s, many people went missing. Our Forbidden Places (Nos Lieux Interdits) depicts the stories of four Moroccan families in search of their sons. Fatna El Bouih, human rights activist and former political prisoner, survived those times and will give an introduction.

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Fatna El Bouih with prison guards - El Bouih, center, flanked by prison guards during an OMP Ramadan party, Oukacha Prison, Casablanca. Protographer unknown, image found on Middle East Report

Fatna El Bouih

In 1965 King Hassan II dissolved Parliament, leaving himself the sole ruler. Two attempts were made on his life in the early 70s, and during the following decades violence and oppression ruled the country. Those who opposed Hassan's rule often disappeared and ended up dead. One of the surviving political activists is Fatna El Bouih. Fatna El Bouih was first arrested as an 18-year-old student. Over the next decade she was arrested many times, tortured and kept imprisoned under harsh conditions. In prison, she fought for the rights of political prisoners. Tales of Darkness, published in 2008, tells her story. Find out more tonight.

Documentary

Nos Lieux Interdits tells the story of mistreated families during the notorious 'Years of Lead'. This period started in the 60s, worsened in the 70s, and by the 1980s thousands of Moroccans were deprived of their freedom. After a long period of forced silence three generations of women tell their story. The documentary follows a grandmother, mother and daughter that live in uncertainty because of a missing relative.

After the screening there's time for discussion. This evening is the first part of a two-day program. Find out more about Meanwhile in Morocco... Part 2 here, on Monday May 23rd.

More information

This event takes place at Mediamatic Bank, Vijzelstraat 68 Amsterdam. Doors open at 18.30 and the program starts at 19.00. Tickets are €5,-.

The evening is part of the Pièce de Résistance exhibition.