Tuesday, 19 March 2024 03:57

Editorial

  • African communities at the heart of universal change

    This edition of the International Book and Publishing Fair (SIEL) is being held in a unique and unprecedented context. It will be the first event of international scope hosted by our country after a two-year suspension due to the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a large influx of Moroccan and foreign visitors. This is a fine way to celebrate the Kingdom's inspiring success, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in overcoming the most perilous undertakings to breathe new life into Moroccan cultural and intellectual life, this time from Rabat, the city of light, the capital of culture in the Islamic world and the cultural capital of Africa, which qualifies it, exceptionally, to host the continent's biggest cultural event this year.

    The Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) has chosen to focus its participation in the current edition of the SIEL on the theme "Africa in the eyes of its communities", with the aim of placing the issue of African migration at the centre of the societal debate and the cultural and intellectual current affairs of this global event, which this year has chosen Africa as its guest of honour.

    Africa is one of the priority themes for the CCME, which had decided, due to the anchoring of the African tributary in the Moroccan identity, to dedicate its participation in the 2014 SIEL to Africa, being a continent at the source of human mobility. In addition to the achievements of the different works undertaken in this sense, the council intends to deepen the debate on the contemporary challenges of African migration, particularly in Europe, in the context of the profound political and cultural changes that are taking place in its societies, where the migration issue, in this case African, is becoming a major issue, the pivot of political conflicts and electoral programmes.

    The debates on immigration in Europe in recent years reflect the dominance of nationalism due to the rise of extreme right-wing waves and the revival of conservative ideological theories that reject pluralism and advocate introversion as a way of life, making people believe that immigrants are a threat to the existence and culture of European societies based on misleading arguments and erroneous data that have been disproved by all the official statistics of international institutions.

    Migration is an ancient phenomenon, but its treatment is currently being unjustifiably amplified. If we stick to the real facts, migrants constitute only 3.5% of the world's population, so 96% of them live in the countries where they were born. Moreover, African migrants represent only 14% of the world's migrants, a much smaller proportion than European (24%) and Asian (41%) migration, bearing in mind that more than 60% of migration in the continent is intra-African. Thus, adopting an objective and scientific approach to the treatment of African migration, whether in elections or in media debates, is one of the greatest challenges to be overcome.

    On the other hand, an accurate understanding of the migration phenomenon requires a deeper understanding of several related changes. The structure of migration has undergone a radical transformation in terms of composition, since it is no longer undertaken solely by a labour force of workers with a view to returning to their countries of origin, but has become a rooted migration that has produced intellectual and scientific elites who have risen to high ranks in their fields of competence. This intelligentsia then expresses expectations that go beyond the thresholds of the first generations, their social interaction is no longer limited to migrant or worker services in the host countries but extends to state institutions as they enjoy full citizenship and hold two or more nationalities. More than that, these elites have become capable of developing visions and theories that question the intellectual and philosophical structures of the state and society.

    Thus, addressing the issue of African immigration cannot be done in isolation from the issue of our time, that of the international race to attract highly qualified talent in such advanced fields as health, engineering, agriculture and modern technology. This is one of the modern and complex issues that are widening the gap between developed and developing countries, which are threatened with losing their skills due to the temptations and opportunities.

    Therefore, addressing the issue of African immigration cannot be done in isolation from the issue of our time, that of the international race to attract highly skilled talent in cutting-edge fields such as health, engineering, agriculture and modern technologies. This is one of the modern and complex issues that are widening the gap between developed and developing countries, which are threatened with losing their skills due to the temptations and opportunities for professional and financial advancement offered by the countries of the North.

    Finally, the Covid-19 pandemic has also had a profound impact on the world of migration. For the first time in contemporary history, the movement of people is confronted with closure measures in all continents, as almost every country in the world has imposed a general quarantine. Immigrants in Europe have lived through a most difficult period as they represent one of the vulnerable fragile groups, but these extremely difficult conditions have above all been an opportunity for them to assert their added value and to affirm that all the components of a plural society contribute, each thanks to their uniqueness, to the destiny of humanity. Immigrant communities working in vital sectors have found themselves in the forefront of providing basic services to the community of residence, and supporting materially and morally their family members in the countries of origin, through financial transfers and intercontinental civil initiatives.

    These transformations and contractions experienced by the immigrant community, including the Moroccan community and all African communities, must be apprehended according to a global, scientific and objective approach in order to understand the contemporary migratory reality from all its angles and to anticipate responses to the issues and challenges of the future. Above all, it will be necessary to measure the cultural and intellectual wealth that African migration has produced and to value the contribution of African migrants to development, whether in the host countries or in the countries of origin. The ultimate goal is to develop a unified vision involving all civil actors of African migration in order to succeed in the process of integration and coexistence and to change the reductionist mentalities of certain groups in Western societies.

    To this end, the stand of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad offers a rich and diverse intellectual and cultural programme on various aspects of African migration at the Rabat International Book and Publishing Fair, while presenting an important set of recent publications of the Council on several migration-related topics. The program is not limited to the stand area but extends to cultural and intellectual activities in other areas, in partnership with academic institutions and civic organisations, to make our participation in this year's edition a unique contribution to the influence of Rabat, capital of lights.

    Abdellah BOUSSOUF

    Secretary General of CCME

Activities

Rabat: the CCME hosts a visit of an Italian delegation from the University of Rome III

Rabat: the CCME hosts a visit of an Italian delegation from the University of Rome III

Mr Abdellah BOUSSOUF, the Secretary General of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME), hosted, on 5th February 2024, a meeting...

Morocco - Italy: the CCME and the Italian employers' association Patronato ACLI sign a partnership agreement

Morocco - Italy: the CCME and the Italian employers' association Patronato ACLI sign a partnership agreement

Mr Abdellah Boussouf, Secretary General of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) and Mr Ricotti Paolo, President of Patronato ACLI...

Rabat: Moroccan competencies abroad discuss education reform

Rabat: Moroccan competencies abroad discuss education reform

In partnership with the council of the Moroccan community abroad (CCME), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) hosted on January 9, 2023 in...

Benguerir: Mr. Abdellah Boussouf in favor of the establishment of an agency dedicated to Moroccan skills abroad

Benguerir: Mr. Abdellah Boussouf in favor of the establishment of an agency dedicated to Moroccan skills abroad

At the conference on water scarcity held on Friday, October 21 2022, in Benguerir, Mr. Abdellah Boussouf, secretary general of CCME has...

Conference: the Moroccan expertise abroad and the structural water shortage in Morocco

Conference:  the Moroccan expertise abroad and the structural water shortage in Morocco

The Council of the Moroccan Community -Living- Abroad (CCME) and the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic are organizing, October 21st 2022, in Benguerir,...

The CCME holds a series of meetings with global Moroccan experts on the management of water resources and climate change

The CCME holds a series of meetings with global Moroccan experts on the management of water resources and climate change

The Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) organized, on Saturday 17 September 2022, a meeting about " good governance in the...

Exhibition: "Al Qods and Palestine in the Correspondences and Speeches of the Commander of the Faithful"

Exhibition: "Al Qods and Palestine in the Correspondences and Speeches of the Commander of the Faithful"

Mr Abdellah Boussouf, Secretary General of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) and Mr Mohamed Salem Cherkaoui, President of Bayt...

Publications

Study : "The legal status of Moroccans living abroad"

Study : "The legal status of Moroccans living abroad"

The Council of the Moroccan Community Living Abroad (CCME) has recently released a research in two volumes on » the legal status of Moroccans living abroad » conducted by the researcher Mohamed Benyahya.

Study: « Islam of Spain and the legal status of religious leaders »

Study: « Islam of Spain and the legal status of religious leaders »

Entitled "Islam of Spain: legal status, the question of the training of religious leaders", a collective work, recently published by the Council of the Moroccan Community living Abroad (CCME), has been realized by experts, academics and specialists who took part...

Culture : "This is not a suitcase"by Taha Adnan

Culture : "This is not a suitcase"by Taha Adnan

Taha Adnan, the writer and Moroccan poet living in Brussels has published :"This is not a suitcase" with the support of the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) and the Ministry of Culture.

New release of the CCME: Idbihi; Journey of a Moroccan 1968-1987

New release of the CCME: Idbihi; Journey of a Moroccan 1968-1987

The Council for the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) has just published the book "Idbihi 1968-1987, course of a Moroccan from Renault-Billancourt to the Olympia" (ed. Publisher Talent), in partnership with the Association of former Renault-Billancourt workers.

Moroccan Journalists of the world: Profiles

Moroccan Journalists of the world: Profiles

The idea of this book comes in accordance with the CCME activities that promote thinking about the relationship between media and migration , a symposium held during the first conference of Moroccan journalists in the world, in Al Jadida in...

"Women and religions, views of Morocco’s women»

"Women and religions, views of Morocco’s women»

Conceived and directed by Hakima Lebbar, psychoanalyst. This book brings together texts and visual works of over sixty women in Morocco of different religious cultures mainly Jewish, Christian and Muslim.

Moroccans of the world

Souad Elmallem, a success story in aeronautics

Souad Elmallem, a success story in aeronautics

Souad Elmallem is one of those women who succeeded in what was once a field strictly reserved for men: aeronautics. Chief Representative of Bombardier Aerospace and of Strategy and International Business Development, Africa, Originally from Casablanca, Souad Elmallem has moved to Canada where she settled and started a family.

Zineb Mouline: The Moroccan chemist who conquered Japan

Zineb Mouline: The Moroccan chemist who conquered Japan

Zineb Mouline is an assistant professor of organic chemistry at Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan. The young Moroccan prodigy is part of the select coterie of scientists controlling the separation of greenhouse gases.

Meet Nawal, the Moroccan activist saving Syrians at sea

Meet Nawal, the Moroccan activist saving Syrians at sea

Human rights activist Nawal Soufi, 26, born in Morocco and raised in the Sicilian city of Catania, coordinates support for migrants and refugees through a Facebook page. Migrants lost at sea contact her on the phone, as she speaks Syrian, asking for the help of coast guards.

Chokri Moussaoui; the rise of a cleantech Moroccan entrepreneur to the top

Chokri Moussaoui; the rise of a cleantech Moroccan entrepreneur to the top

At only 31-year-old, Chokri Moussaoui managed to get his name propelled in the world of cleantech. Originally from the region of Al Hoceima and graduate of Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands), he co-founded with his classmate Stefan Roest, the company Eternal Sun which will revolutionize the solar industry in the world.

Noureddine Bellaoui aka "MagicNoor", an outstanding international illusionist.

Noureddine Bellaoui aka "MagicNoor", an outstanding international illusionist.

Noureddine Bellaoui, aka "MagicNoor" made his first appearance before the Moroccan public in 2012, invited by comedian Hassan El Fad in Marrakech laughter festival to present a magic trick in his "halqa".

Innovation: The Moroccan defying Giants

Innovation: The Moroccan defying Giants

At 22- year-old, Yousef Taleb wants to revolutionize the tablet segment in the world. Combining two cutting-edge technologies in a single device, this little genius gives us his story.

Rezrazi El Mostafa, a Moroccan in the land of the Samurai

Rezrazi El Mostafa, a Moroccan in the land of the Samurai

Mr Rezrazi El Mostafa is seemingly a calm person. Although his resume is out of the ordinary, he has this modesty and restraint inherent to Japanese culture that has managed to combine high-tech and tradition. That of samurais and many Nobel Prize winners. The one that has allowed the country to recover from the first and only nuclear attack in history, in Hiroshima-Nagasaki.

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