It took France and Spain years to agree on how they wanted to share Morocco. Negotiations were concluded on the 27th of November 1912 by signing the Treaty of Madrid. This agreement was later interrupted by new political actors who wanted to get a slice of the cake.
Behind every strong man is an even stronger woman, a saying that applies to Zaydana. Known as a black, tall and manipulative woman, Lalla Aisha Mubarka was the chief spouse of Moulay Ismail who managed to sow seeds of mistrust between the sultan and his favorite son.
Morocco has played in the 40s a crucial role in World War II, helping the Allied forces to defeat fascism in Europe. Following the Anfa conference held in Casablanca, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised to support Morocco’s wish to be independent of French.
Iconic actor Charlie Chaplin visited Morocco in the 50s meeting the country’s most powerful Pasha, Thami El Glaoui. In Tangier, the comic actor has attended a slapstick performance.
Although the kingdom was proclaimed an independent state on the 2nd of March, every year; Moroccans celebrate independence on the 18th of November. The latter commemorates King Mohammed V accession to the throne and his notorious speech delivered to announce the end of the French control.
By the end of the 19th century, Spanish religious men in Morocco started to show interest in learning the Amazigh language, especially in the Rif region. The best example in this case is Pedro Hilarion Sarrionandia, a Franciscan priest who traveled to Morocco in an African mission. During his twenty-year stay in the Kingdom, he wrote a grammatical book for the Riffian language and a Spanish-Riffian dictionary.
Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo are two Moroccan-born producers and song writers who rocked the music industry in the 70s. Their approach to music has given birth to one of the most famous gay reference songs. Flashback.
On the 12th of November 1984, Morocco withdrew from the Organization of African Unity, during a summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Protesting against admitting the Polisario Front, Morocco left the Panafrican body for 33 years. During this period, the organization was named the African Union. Flashback.
In November 1942, amid the Second World War, Allied forces planned an Anglo-American invasion of North Africa, targeting Morocco, Algeria, controlled by the French back then. Unlike expectations, from the 8th to the 10th of November, the landing of US forces in Morocco went the wrong way. In fact, the French defenses took a toll of the American landing forces. The kingdom played a central role during the Operation known as Torch, especially through the Casablanca Conference held at the Anfa
A few days after the French protectorate forced Sultan Mohammed Ben Youssef and the royal family into exile, the national resistance movement decided to move up a gear, declaring the beginning of the armed struggle against the colonizer. On the 7th of November, 1953 and after heading a sabotage operation against the train linking Casablanca to Algiers, two men targeted the same railway line. They have put bombs on the train killing and injuring several French soldiers. History.