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With each printed page, Sara Faqir, a Moroccan residing in London, embodies her son's learning journey, transforming language challenges into an opportunity to spread the richness of Moroccan Darija and culture through establishing «Dar Lilei Publishing». After about 15 years of working in the financial sector between Paris and a brief three-year stint in Morocco, Sara married a Lebanese man and moved to live with him in Cyprus, where she spent three years before relocating to London in 2020.
Speaking to Yabiladi, Sara explained, «When I left Morocco at eighteen, I felt a great nostalgia for my country. With my son's birth, this longing to return to my roots intensified. In Cyprus, where my son was born in July 2019, I lost my mother at the same time, and I was very far from Morocco, thousands of kilometers away. Despite speaking French and loving French culture, I found myself singing Moroccan songs to him like 'Nini Amomo' and 'Ashta Tata'».
During that period, there weren't resources available for Moroccan families abroad, like Sara, a daughter of Marrakech, who wanted to pass on her culture and language to her children. She said, «Every night, while reading him a story, I would translate it into Darija and share stories from my childhood and memories. I started using some Arabic books, but it was difficult. I felt an urgent need for resources to facilitate this, so I searched YouTube for age-appropriate songs, but couldn't find suitable content or illustrations».
«The idea of starting a publishing house began from this personal need, as I realized when speaking with my Moroccan friends in France, Spain, the United States, and England that I wasn't the only one feeling isolated and disconnected from our roots. There was a real need for books addressing this topic because traditional Arabic books don't meet this need».
This Moroccan mother's journey began with research and learning, enrolling in online courses to understand the publishing world more deeply. She aimed to gain knowledge about language fundamentals and how children learn to speak. She targeted her audience of Moroccans, whether those who grew up in Morocco then moved and established families abroad, or first and second-generation Moroccans living in diaspora.
In April of this year, she launched «Lilei Publishing» (dar.lilei), and «So far, I've sold more than 200 books, receiving incredibly touching feedback from various Moroccan families; many parents told me they cried when opening the book, moved by seeing their culture and traditions depicted in it. This is rare in traditional Arabic books, as stories usually aren't based on our experiences as Moroccan Arabs. Therefore, the reactions to my first collection of books were very touching and encouraging, and this is what I was aiming for; for these books to be more than just a cultural product, but an experience that reconnects children and their parents with their roots».
Dar Lilei, in addition to its website, aims to strengthen the connection «with our Moroccan roots and strengthen our ties with our families and culture as a Moroccan diaspora community. Therefore, it focuses on presenting stories that address folk songs and daily expressions». The illustrations in her books support this message. Sara named her first published collection «Klimati», which depicts scenes inspired by Moroccan daily life and traditional dress, but what makes it unique is that it also includes audio.
She continued telling Yabiladi : «When I studied the publishing world myself, I discovered there are two types of books; 'window' books and 'mirror' books. Window books open new worlds to us, where children need to see diverse representations of their daily life to become more accepting of the world around them. Conversely, they also need 'mirror' books that reflect their identity, values, and origins, helping them grow as confident children».
Her path wasn't strewn with roses, as she faced many obstacles in her quest to launch the publishing house. She explained, «The project requires significant financial investment, as large companies dominate this field. Additionally, there are aspects of design, distribution, logistics, and marketing, all of which are complex. But the first challenge I faced was psychological; I came from finance and wasn't qualified for publishing, although I grew up surrounded by books and always loved reading. Between the moment of making the decision and actually starting work, it took two or three years».
Sara also spoke about «the difficulty of distribution, while distribution in Europe is relatively easier, in the United States and Morocco remains it is more complex. My Moroccan identity has become clearer since living abroad; when I was in Morocco, my Moroccan-ness was something taken for granted».
«I wanted the reading experience in our books to be truly immersive; when a parent or child opens the book, they should feel like they're in the heart of real Morocco : the Morocco our grandparents lived in and where we grew up, not just an imaginary or simplified image. Moroccans abroad suffer from a sense of loneliness, especially since we live in countries where we don't speak Moroccan dialect daily, and in some places, Arabic is viewed negatively».
She said that since launching «Dar Lilei», she has received touching feedback from families, especially mothers, and also from Morocco, where people contacted her asking about shipping possibilities to the kingdom, which made her realize that the need for cultural and Darija language representation exists even in Morocco, and that parents there are thirsty for such resources.
«My dreams and ambitions for this project are big. I started with audio books, but I have many other ideas. I want to revive Moroccan colloquial language and care for our heritage, which might be somewhat complex even for adults. Perhaps I'll simplify it to make it more widely accessible».
Her eldest child was instrumental in launching her publishing house, and through him, Sara was able to reconnect with her Moroccan roots and mother tongue. She said, «He is my main motivation; I started this project for him and his siblings, so they could learn Darija. He always gives me immediate feedback, and when I launched the first collection of 'Klimati' audio books, I noticed their great interaction and saw how the book images affected them, and how they wondered about them».
Sara concluded by saying, «When I add new resources to the publishing house's website, I test them first with my children. I watch their reactions to see if they elicit a positive response, and this is the motivation that keeps me continuing on this path. They feel proud of me and the work I've accomplished».
