DR ‹ › The significant contributions of artists and creators of Moroccan descent to Belgium's cultural and artistic landscape were celebrated on Thursday evening at the Migration Museum in Brussels. This event, titled «Belgica Biladi: A Belgo-Moroccan Story», honored the rich legacy of Moroccan immigration to Belgium. The event culminated in a roundtable discussion, part of a series launched in 2024 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Moroccan immigration to Belgium. This initiative was spearheaded by the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in collaboration with the City of Brussels and the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME). During the discussion, participants shared personal narratives and explored topics such as the creative process, their connection to their cultural roots, and strategies for establishing a presence in the cultural landscape of their adopted country. The roundtable featured prominent figures such as rappers Benny-B and Rival CNN, who are trailblazers in the Francophone hip-hop scene, alongside writer Fatiha Saidi and emerging filmmaker Samira El Mouzghibati. Benny-B and Rival CNN, who left a lasting impact on urban music in the 1990s, discussed how Moroccan values and cultural traditions have served as both inspiration and a guiding force in their work. Writer and politician Fatiha Saidi shared that her journey as an immigrant woman championing migrant rights has influenced her political career—as a member of the Brussels Parliament, senator, and alderwoman of Evere—as well as her cultural pursuits. Her work often addresses themes of women's issues and migration, against the backdrop of Moroccan culture experienced in the diaspora. Samira El Mouzghibati, a young filmmaker who gained recognition with her debut documentary «Les Miennes» (2024), emphasized her focus on fostering intergenerational dialogue within migrant families. In a statement to MAP, Fatima Zibouh, co-curator of «Belgica Biladi», noted that this roundtable marked the conclusion of the initiative. The event also featured a traveling exhibition and the publication of a collective work, both celebrating the Belgo-Moroccan migration story since the 1960s.
