Marrakech English Book Festival Celebrates Art and Literature

Rabat – The inaugural Marrakech English Book Festival’s second day featured a diverse set of lively events spread throughout Marrakech, including a cooking class with award-winning chef Anissa Helou, a storytelling cafe with John Row, as well as other workshops and panel discussions with literary professionals.

Helou is a food writer, journalist, broadcaster, consultant and blogger.

The multifaceted chef is half-Syrian, half-Lebanese, and specializes in Mediterranean and North African cuisine.

The award-winning chef delivered a cooking class where she taught women how to prepare Biryani and Muhallabieh (Milk pudding) at La Maison Arabe cooking school.

In an interview with Morocco World News, Helou discussed her interest in North Africa’s culinary heritage.

Helou said, “My first book was about Lebanese cuisine, but I didn’t want to be pigeonholed as just a Lebanese food expert, so I thought I would expand and my next book was about Moroccan street food which I enjoyed very much.”

She recalled her frequent trips to Morocco saying, “I had a friend who owned a house in Tangiers, and you have a great food street tradition here.”

The distinguished chef highlighted the festival’s importance noting this is the first event of its kind in Marrakech “I think it’s a great initiative, it’s really interesting.”

Anissa Helou’s cooking class

Celebrating literacy and English

The festival’s co-host, the British Academy School Marrakech (BASM) has hosted several events and activities to celebrate literacy and the English language in Morocco.

The activities included several performances for younger audiences, including an Ariouli puppet theater with Salma Kamal, a workshop and theater simulation by Amina Hachimi Alaoui, a storytelling cafe with famous storyteller John Row, a children’s poetry workshop with Houda Elfachtali, and a sculpture workshop with Lori Park.

Expressing satisfaction with the event Head of school at the British Academy School Marrakech Nicola Bussetil told MWN, “It’s amazing to see how we have had literacy promoted through many different mediums with illustrative artists, sculptors, storytellers, literary people from around the world, and even a virtual storytelling exhibition.”

Amina Hachimi Alaoui reading Alya and the Three Cats

Echoing Bussetil’s statement, deputy head at the BASM Natasha Compton said, “We have been delighted to be involved in the first-ever Marrakech English Book Festival – promoting English literacy in Morocco.”

Award-winning international artist Lori Park spoke to MWN about her work.

Park visited Morocco in 2005 and had several exhibitions at Dar Cherifa and the Museum. The artist was awarded the “Trophee: Femme, Art et Climat” award by Morocco and the UN Development Program at COP22 held in Marrakech.

“It’s been a great honor and great inspiration being here in Morocco, everything from the culture, the people, the inspiration, everything about it, I feel more alive,” Park said.

The inaugural Marrakech English Book Festival (MEBF) is taking place between the 25th and 27th of November in Morocco’s red city of Marrakech.

MEBF 2022 is organized by the Marrakech English Book Association, and is chaired by Yassin Adnan alongside a multinational team of volunteers.

Nabeel Obaid and Uk Ambassador to Morocco Simon Martin

The British Business Association Morocco and the British Moroccan Society are co-hosting the inaugural festival, along with the British Academy School in Marrakech, the British Embassy in Rabat, Cadi Ayyad University, and the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.

Additionally, the festival is hosting a fund-raising gala dinner to help girls from rural areas to complete their secondary school educations.