Laila Abouzeid, A Moroccan Writer who loves her language

Laila Abouzeid is the first female Moroccan author whose works are translated to English. Though an expatriate of her own country, she is one of the icons of Moroccan literature. As a woman who lived in post-colonial Morocco, Laila Abouzeid contributed to Moroccan independence by resisting French “intellectual colonialism” in a unique way.

She was privileged to receive a BA in English studies from Mohammed the 5th University in Rabat and she also studied at the University of Texas. She worked as a writer and translator then decided to express her voice through different dimensions; a world to which only the media could open the door to. Subsequently, she became a journalist on the National Radio Channel.

Usually, acquiring a new language makes expressing ideas and voicing opinions and feelings that sound awkward in your native language easier. However, Leila recognized this as “cultural appropriation” and defied the colonialists’ attempt to deprive the country of one of its official languages, namely Arabic.

Laila’s radio shows were streamed in Arabic. Despite her Anglo-Saxon background, she chose to use a language that would make colonialists roll over in their graves. Not only did the use of Arabic in her radio show demonstrate Laila’s explicit resistance to the legacy of colonialism, the translations and the works she referenced were exceedingly provocative. In fact, a very famous translation of Laila’s was Malcom X’s autobiography which she translated from English to Arabic.

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Laila Abouzeid, A Moroccan Writer who loves her language