Rabat – An Algerian channel has stirred controversy and a new wave of criticism after claiming that Algeria’s squad deserves the “Atlas Lions” title more than Morocco.
Algeria’s channel “El Heddaf” invited Algerian journalists, who expressed dissatisfaction with the “desert fennec fox,” the official nickname of their national football team.
A video viral online from a televised program shows the journalists “certain” that the Atlas lions have “lived in Algeria.”
One of the journalists added that the Atlas lions nickname is “originally an Algerian name and belongs to the Algerians.”
“The Atlas Lions nickname adopted by the Moroccan national team is originally an Algerian designation… Because Algeria owns 70 % of the Atlas mountains. Algeria is more worthy of carrying this nickname despite the absence of lions in the country,” the journalist said.
The Atlas lion, also known as the Barbary lion, was named after the Atlas Mountains, which stretch over 2,500 kilometers from southern Morocco to northern Tunisia.
Unlike the other lions, the Atlas lions preferred to live in the mountains.
In December, Morocco announced the discovery of 110,000-year-old Atlas lion fossils in Essaouira.
The Atlas lion traces were found for the “first time in the history of archaeological research.”
In addition to the controversial remarks on the Atlas Lions, the Algerian journalists also expressed dissatisfaction with the mascot adopted for the 2023 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The journalists criticized the mascot, stressing that “it is not done well.”
“His eyes are big… it’s not a fennec,” a journalist said, claiming that the 3D version of the mascot is “much better.”
This is not the first time Algeria’s media as well as its government have sparked controversy and an online backlash for appropriating Morocco’s culture and heritage.
In October 2022, Algeria’s International Exhibition of Real Estate featured zellige, a type of Moroccan mosaic tilework, claiming that it is part of “the Algerian heritage.”
The exhibition stand included mosaic tilework identical to the one printed in Adidas’ controversial sportswear collection that was released in September 2022
The sportswear company issued a new jersey for the Algerian national club, claiming that the collection was inspired by the “architectural design of the iconic El Mechouar palace in Tlemcen.”
In response Morocco’s Ministry of Culture filed a lawsuit against Adidas, emphasizing that zellige is part of Morocco’s cultural heritage.
Morocco also patented zellige of Fez by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
“The Zellige industry dates back to the tenth century AD, when it flourished during the Marinid era [in the 13th to 15th century] in the honorable Kingdom before moving to neighboring tribes during the following centuries,” Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
In November 2022, King Mohammed VI echoed concerns about the danger and challenges of cultural appropriation that affects Morocco’s heritage.
The monarch stressed Morocco’s determination to challenge any attempts seeking to undermine Morocco’s identity and intangible heritage, recalling that a number of countries are illegally appropriating and blindly imitating the cultural heritage of other countries.
