CCME and IMA celebrate the centenary of Driss Chraïbi in Paris

Sunday 31 May 2026 - 16:00

The Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) and the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) will commemorate the centenary of renowned Moroccan writer Driss Chraïbi (1926–2026) on June 6 at the IMA headquarters in Paris. The event pays tribute to one of the most influential figures in Moroccan and Francophone literature.

According to the CCME, this initiative aims to rediscover Chraïbi’s major works, which remain relevant today for their reflection on society, migration, equality, and cultural relations between Morocco and host countries. His writing, emerging in the 1950s, is widely regarded as visionary, addressing themes such as tradition versus modernity, exile, identity, memory, and transmission across generations.

The program will include several highlights, including two roundtable discussions featuring writers, researchers, and cultural figures. The first session will explore “Exile and Migration: The Resonance of Driss Chraïbi’s Work from the 1950s to Today,” while the second will focus on “The Legacy of Driss Chraïbi for Future Generations,” alongside the launch of a special box set of seven of his novels.

The selected works include Le Passé simple (1954), Les Boucs (1955), Succession ouverte (1962), La Civilisation, ma mère !… (1972), Une enquête au pays (1981), Naissance à l’aube (1986), and La Mère du printemps (2008). This editorial project, published by CCME and Le Fennec Editions in Casablanca, aims to introduce Chraïbi’s literary legacy to younger generations.

The event will also feature bilingual readings, storytelling performances by Halima Hamdane based on the character K’hal the donkey, and a screening of the documentary Conversations with Driss Chraïbi by Ahmed El Maanouni (2007), offering a rare insight into the writer’s reflections shortly before his death.

Organizers emphasize that this tribute seeks to reinforce the transmission of cultural heritage and highlight the enduring relevance of Chraïbi’s work in contemporary debates on identity and society.