"Moroccan Immigration in Spain" is the opportunity to present the result of the partnership between the CCME and the news website Hespress taking the form of a compilation of 41 profiles of Moroccans living in Spain who managed to break the stereotype on migrants by highlighting their unique stories.
This conference was moderated by Mohamed Chaib first parliamentary of Moroccan origin in Spain and attended by Tarik el Atifi, editor of Hespress, Hassan belarbi, Phd in chemical engineering from the University Almeria and Ahmed Benyessef, a renowned painter. The panel went around the issue of Moroccan immigration in Spain, its issues and challenges it faces
Indeed Tarik El Atifi says breaking stereotypes related to immigration is the driving idea of this project, the choice of Spain is motivated by the large Moroccan community, which amounts to nearly a million people.
The choice of profiles was based on scientific criteria for a representative sample of this community, the book includes profiles of young people and older people, women and men, etc. Fieldwork was also conducted to meet these people to ensure the authenticity of these stories.
The painter Ahmed Benyessef resident in Spain for his part spoke of immigration as a natural need that determines the desire of learning in order to secure a better future. He also talks from his own experience about the transition that took place in Spain which is now undeniably a host country.
Meanwhile, Hassan Belarbi refutes the image of the immigrant who arrives in a overloaded car to recognize that the face of Moroccan immigration in Spain has changed, it has grown from a working-class immigration to an intellectual immigration as evidenced by this book that puts an end to this kind of assumptions, he also advocates for a more serious thinking about migration and reviewing migration policies and the role of institutions in charge of immigration.
His intervention is a call to boost the participation of the Moroccan community in Morocco's affairs beyond the economic component (currency repatriation) to make it more a political and cultural participation, a challenge that requires the establishment of a legal arsenal and a real political will.
The panel made it clear that this initiative isn’t exhaustive and will be followed by others to shed light on the achievements of the Moroccans of the world.