Morocco: Controversy after the withdrawal of a cultural prize from 9 writers and creators

The 9 winners of the prize affirmed – in a joint press launch – their adherence to their proper to resort to administrative justice, “after having despaired of closing the door of the Ministry of Tradition all through this era”, in keeping with the press launch. , whereas a supply from the Ministry of Tradition defined that the Minister's choice was authorized and that the authorities involved took it in a authorized method. .

Rabat- The choice of the Moroccan Ministry of Tradition to withdraw the Moroccan Writers Prize for the 2021 session from 9 writers, writers and translators who gained it equally in 5 classes has sparked extensive controversy in Morocco.

The prize is among the highest honors within the Kingdom and is an annual spotlight of the very best Moroccan books revealed within the fields of humanities and social sciences, literary and creative research, poetry, translation, tales and tales.

The ministry mentioned it acquired a collective letter from 9 winners requesting that they obtain the complete quantity of the prize they acquired in equal shares.

After describing this request as “a precedent within the historical past of the prize, which has exceeded half a century of affect primarily based on the invocation of its authorized points and its ethical worth”, the ministry regretted that every one the connotations of the prize have been lowered to its materials worth. , noting that the precept of parity is universally relevant and relies on the sharing of the quantity of the prize between the winners.

Earlier and unlawful

This choice provoked contradictory reactions amongst intellectuals and activists on social networks, amongst those that supported the ministry's choice and criticized the discount of the value to its materials dimension, and who thought-about it a precedent within the cultural historical past of the Morocco, a violation of the legislation and an insult to the topped.

Moroccan author and educational Yahya Bin Al-Walid, who gained the prize equally within the social sciences department, expressed his astonishment on the tradition ministry's choice, which he described as “hasty”.

Bin Al-Walid mentioned – to Al-Jazeera Internet – that the minister was to work together with a response letter to the casual petition submitted by the topped, explaining his ministry's place and opinion on the request they submitted. or contacting them instantly as an alternative of escalating and making a hasty choice.

Yahya bin Al-Walid – who was topped among the many winners of the Katara prize for Arabic fiction within the research and analysis class final 12 months – believes that this choice doesn't have an effect on the outcomes introduced by the scientific committees.

He mentioned: ‘The scientific committees are those who awarded the prizes and are approved to withdraw them, and this has not occurred regardless of the ministry contacting the heads of the committees and urging them to overturn the outcomes.'

Go to court docket

Al-Tayeb Amkrud, co-winner of the prize within the class of Amazigh literary creativity, defined that after the announcement of the outcomes, the winners of sure branches of the prize additionally submitted an unofficial petition to the Ministry of Tradition in January explaining their studying. of article 13 of the decree regulating the allocation.

Article 13 specifies that “the winner of the Moroccan Writers' Prize will probably be awarded: a diploma, a memento and a internet sum of 120,000 dirhams”, or roughly 12,000 {dollars}.

Amkrod mentioned that this text speaks in regards to the winner of the prize, and that it applies to every candidate introduced by one of many prize committees as a winner, stating the absence of any authorized clause which speaks of awarding it in any manner equal, as is the case with worldwide awards.

The spokesperson mentioned: “As a substitute of offering clarifications or opening channels to speak with us, we have been stunned by the division's e-mail message withdrawing the award from us and linking the matter to monetary causes,” stating that among the many winners are many well-known names and it's not acceptable that the Ministry of Tradition imposes free charges on them.

He added: ‘The ministry doesn't have the correct to withdraw the award as it's not the awarding physique, however quite a specialist scientific committee.

Amcrod despatched a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to intervene urgently to rethink the choice to withdraw the Moroccan Prize for Writers by the Ministry of Tradition, which is identical measure taken by the remainder of the winners.

Amkrod pressured that the subsequent step is to go to administrative justice to resolve the matter, stressing that “justice will resolve whether or not the choice of the Ministry of Tradition to withdraw the award is authorized or not, and likewise within the interpretation of the article 13 of the legislation governing the allocation”.

Justice choice

Whereas the 9 sacred individuals affirmed – in a joint press launch – their adherence to their proper to resort to administrative justice, “after having despaired of closing the door of the Ministry of Tradition throughout this whole interval”, in keeping with the press launch.

The supply added – to Al Jazeera Internet – that article 13 of the legislation regulating the attribution has been misinterpreted, and that the attribution has been lowered to its materials worth, which is a logic that can't be accepted. .

He identified that the Ministry of Tradition began working two months in the past on amending the legislation regulating the Moroccan Writers Prize, in order that it consists of clauses that might financially and legally enhance the worth of the prize.

The Ministry of Tradition introduced in mid-December the ultimate outcomes of the Moroccan Writers' Prize, following the work of the scientific committee chaired by the author and educational Abdelali Oudgiri.

The prize was awarded equally in 5 classes, for the reason that poetry prize was awarded to the poet Muhammad Ali Al-Rabawi for his assortment “Rayhin Al-Alam”, and to the poet Rashid Al-Momani for his assortment “Of Something “.

The Humanities Prize was awarded equally to Boubacar Bouhadi for his e book “Morocco and the Spanish Civil Struggle 1936-1939” and to Yahya Yahyaoui for his e book “The Digital Knowledge Atmosphere”.

As for the Prize for Social Sciences, it was awarded equally to Yahya bin Al-Walid for his work “The place are the Arab intellectuals? Contexts and representations”, and to Idris Maqbool for his e book “Man, city planning and language: a message on the decline of kinds within the Arab metropolis”.

The interpretation prize was awarded equally to Ahmed Buhassan for his translation of the e book “The adventures of Ibn Battuta: the Muslim traveler within the fourteenth century of our period” and to Muhammad al-Jarti for his translation of the e book “The Finish of Jewish Modernity: A Turning Conservative Historical past.

The prize for Amazigh literary creativity was awarded to Hassan Ibrahim Amoury for his novel “Titberen Tirhaddh” (The bare pigeons), and to Tayeb Amkrod for his e book “Arokal” (the embers underneath the ashes).