Morocco World News
Morocco World News
Rabat, December 2, 2012
Moroccan songwriter and playwright, Ahmed Tayeb Lalaj, passed away on Saturday night in Rabat. He was 84 years old. The defunct, who was born in Fez on 9 September 1928, was one of the most successful songwriters in Morocco.
Self-taught par excellence, Tayeb Lalaj was also the author of the successful plays such as “Sidi Kaddour Alami,” “Wali Allah” and others that marked the history of theater and singing in the country.
Through some of his acclaimed songs, such as“Mana illa bachar” (I am just a human) and “Marsoul lhob” (the messenger of love), he was one of the few artists who made the Moroccan Arabic easier to understand by other Arabs in the Middle East.
Before reaching the pinnacle of his career as one of the most famous songwriters in Morocco, Tayeb Lalaj started his professional life as a carpenter during in the 1940’s in Fez, before moving to Rabat where he started building his name as a successful artist.
He was a charismatic artist who epitomized Moroccan Arabic in its best and most sophisticated forms.