Fez — The Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) and the Arab World Institute (IMA) will celebrate the centenary of Moroccan writer Driss Chraïbi on June 6 in Paris, with a cultural program dedicated to his literary legacy.
The tribute will take place at IMA , bringing together writers, researchers, cultural figures, and members of the Moroccan literary diaspora to revisit Chraïbi’s work and its continued relevance. The event is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to the CCME.
This tribute follows his recognition at last year’s SIEL book fair, where an entire exhibition space was dedicated to his life and work.
Born in 1926 and widely regarded as a major figure in Moroccan and Francophone literature, Chraïbi built an influential body of work around themes of exile, identity, memory, social change, and the tension between tradition and modernity. His writing remains central to discussions about Morocco’s literary modernity and the experience of migration between North Africa and Europe.
A legacy shaped by exile and identity
The June 6 program will feature two roundtables examining Chraïbi’s writing from different angles. The first will focus on exile and immigration, exploring how his work has resonated from the 1950s to the present day.
The second discussion will look at Chraïbi’s legacy for future generations, particularly through a new boxed set of seven novels published by the CCME and éditions Le Fennec in Casablanca.
The collection brings together several key works, including “Le Passé simple,” “Les Boucs,” “Succession ouverte,” “La Civilisation, ma mère !…,” “Une enquête au pays,” “Naissance à l’aube,” and “La Mère du printemps.” The CCME has also announced that a second boxed set compiling four Arabic translations of Chraïbi’s novels is in preparation.
Literature for adults and children
The homage will also highlight a lesser-known part of Chraïbi’s writing: his work for young readers. Moroccan storyteller Halima Hamdane will present a performance inspired by the adventures of K’hal, the donkey, one of Chraïbi’s children’s literature characters. IMA describes the performance as an opportunity to discover this more playful side of the author’s universe.
The day will close with a screening of Ahmed El Maanouni’s documentary “Conversations avec Driss Chraïbi,” filmed in 2007, shortly before the writer’s death. The film offers a direct encounter with Chraïbi’s voice, humor, and reflections on the questions that shaped his writing.
The Paris tribute forms part of a broader 2026 program dedicated to Chraïbi’s centenary, with the CCME describing the year as an occasion to help new generations rediscover one of Morocco’s foundational modern writers.
More than a commemorative event, the centenary places Chraïbi’s work back at the center of conversations about Moroccan literature, migration, and cultural transmission.
His books continue to speak to readers navigating questions of belonging, memory, and identity across Morocco, France, and the wider Francophone world.
