"Walls have ears"... As a child, I used to hear this proverb every time we spoke about politics in Morocco.
Social aspirations were reluctant, often nipped in the bud.
But on February 20th, 2011, a Moroccan revolution emerged.
The young generation, whom we often viewed as apolitical and lacking in ideals, were the ones who marched under the banner of the "Movement of February 20th ".

It was the young who rallied hundreds of thousands of Moroccans onto the streets. They called for dignity, freedom, justice and an end to the culture of fear.
In order to avoid the social upheavel witnessed in other countries in the region, King Mohammed VI, announced reforms and ordered the drafting of a new constitution.
Officially, the draft was approved by 98,6 %...

The King swiftly called for parliamantary elections. On November 25th, 2011, the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) were announced as winners, and Abdellilah Benkirane was appointed by the King as head of government.

The Islamist government, which is often described as moderate, has been forging a close relationship with the monarchy. The slow pace of reforms, coupled with the hasty transition of power to the Islamists, led to the frustration, anger and anxiety among the secular and democratic segments of society.

For "The movement of February 20th", the fight goes on.

Artists, who are not many and have often lived in silence, are now taking a stance. They are speaking for the people on the street, who have finally begun to demand change and express their hopes and dreams without censorship.

Today I return to Morocco, and I discover that there is no longer any fear to talk about politics.

After all, when it came to the race between the rabbit and the tutrle, how many of us bet on the turtle to win ?

Jawad Rhalib

A film by Jawad Rhalib