Rabat – As Morocco celebrates women leaders and highlights their achievements this week, Morocco World News is shedding light on the journey of Moroccan Ilham Benzakour, who has been an outspoken supporter of women leadership and entrepreneurship for many years.
Born in 1971 in the city of Casablanca, Benzakour is the editor in chief at Hola! Maroc, the French-speaking Moroccan version of the Spanish magazine Hola!, which she co-founded in 2009.
Speaking about the vision of Hola! Maroc, Benzakour stressed that the magazine is “an exceptional setting that radiates success and achievement, a brilliant medium that makes everything sparkle in its path.”
Benzakour is known for her dynamic, creative, and adventurous personality. Combined with her passion for journalism, her love for human relations pushed her to launch several initiatives with the aim of creating positive change.
Earlier this year, Benzakour, alongside Visage Du Maroc, founded the #lesfemmesurleur31 movement, French for “Women on their 31.” The initiative is a feminist movement that aims to highlight Moroccan women leaders and entrepreneurs in three fields; crafts, agriculture, and the environment.
“The movement is proud to lead this adventure … which represents a feminism made in Morocco,” Benzakour highlighted. The movement includes the participation of 31 prominent female figures from Moroccan media, including journalist Hanane Hachimi.
The participants of the movement “put themselves on their 31” every other month (during months that have 31 days), with the aim of highlighting the struggles, challenges, and achievements of Moroccan women. They participate in competitions and challenges to support 31 associations in the fields of crafts, agriculture, and the environment.
Diverse career
In 1995, Benzakour was at the heart of the team that created Citadine, the first women’s magazine in Morocco, where she worked as sales director until 2001.
Benzakour then worked as a general director for the Séjour Casablanca Magazine, which was dedicated to featuring the artistic scenery of Morocco’s economic capital, Casablanca.
She then co-founded fashion magazine C’Glamour. After discovering her passion for fashion, she went back to working with Citadine as a fashion journalist, focusing on the latest trends, events, as well as Moroccan and international fashion.
In 2016, she founded “Ça Marche Féminin Sport Magazine”, featuring women in sports. According to Benzakour, the magazine aimed to “promote women’s sport in Morocco through a committed and continuous highlighting of Moroccan sportswomen in the country and elsewhere.”
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The cover of the first edition of the magazine featured Moroccan football manager Lamia Boumehdi, wearing a red Wydad Athletic Club jersey, a skirt, and high heels. The contrasting components of the cover created widespread buzz.
In addition, Benzakouri puts Moroccan culture at the heart of her work at Hola! Maroc. The cover of the magazine’s recent edition featured Miss Diva Universe 2015, India’s Urvashi Rautela, wearing a red Moroccan caftan.
Benzakour shared the cover on her Instagram page, with a caption saying: “Open up internationally, welcome languages, immerse yourself in world cultures, mingle with excellence, embrace luxury and love beauty… The ultimate dream.”
Her first name, Ilham, which means “inspiration” in Arabic, is truly a reflection of both her personality and career, as she never ceases to inspire, uplift, and encourage others
