Everyone loves democracy. So does the West, which insisted on democratic elections in Turkey. These actually took place with a record attendance of 80%. But when Erdogan won the elections, the West was not happy. Why, would you ask ? Well, because the West does not like surprises: it wanted democratic elections .... with a guaranteed victory of its preferred candidate! I gotta tell ya, sir, that those people*, they have a very particular conception of democracy... Benyounes Saidi * To parody the unforgettable Jacques Brel

Two countries that were enemies have decided to resume their normal diplomatic relations: Iran and Saudi Arabia. But this is not coincidence; it took China's persistent diplomacy, alongside Iraq and Oman, to achieve this result. One cannot help drawing a parallel with what is happening in Europe. A bloody conflict opposes Ukraine and Russia. Instead of helping the two countries to find a solution, the United States - followed by their European proteges, some like Germany, against their will - went into complete hysteria, sending tons of weapons (over 100 billion dollars) and using illegal sanctions against the Russian people. The difference is between those who seek peace and cooperation and those who prioritize the instigation and continuation of military conflicts, causing death and destruction. But once again History is on the move, and it is the will of the peoples to live in peace that will prevail. Benyounes Saidi

The war in Ukraine caused the death of 8,000 civilians. Western humanitarian aid to date amounts to over $7 BILLION (in addition to almost $100 BILLION in military and financial aid). The earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria killed nearly 50,000 people. The same West has pledged to send about... $300 MILLION. I did the math - ashamed of having to do it - to discover that the value of a Ukrainian life is worth 23 times that of a Syrian or a Turk. Benyounes Saidi * I borrowed the title of this post from Heinrich Maria Remarque, author of the wonderful novel "All quiet on the western front" - which I invite everyone to read, because it gives a vision of the war far from the usual films of glory and adventure - thinking he wouldn't have disavowed such borrowing, although I used it a way different from what was intended by the author.

Here he is gone, Abderraouf! This talented artist - Abd al-Rahim al-Tunsi in his real name - made several generations of Moroccans laugh and reflect on the depth of things at the same time. My only regret is that this artist did not receive the support he could have had to carry out his projects. And for this, the “compensation” that he can get after his departure is the recognition of his work, the recognition of his status and the preservation of his memory *. It is about collective memory, which is absolutely vital for this country to move forward. May Allah have mercy on you, Abderraouf. Benyounes Saidi * From what I have read, Abderraouf wrote his memoirs. If so, I hope it gets published.

Through the story - drawn from real events - of a Palestinian teenager who wants to realize her dream of continuing her studies, we witness the beginning of the tragedy that has turned upside down the lives of Palestinians who lived peacefully on their land before being subjected to brutality and ethnic cleansing by Zionist colonizers from Europe. Such is the Nakba lived in her flesh by an innocent adolescent girl. Thanks to an apparent sobriety, an efficient camera, superb music, deep symbolism, the film speaks volumes and achieves excellence. A very beautiful film by Jordanian director Darin Sallam; it is broadcast by Netflix, has received an extremely favorable audience around the world and will be presented at the 2023 Oscars. Benyounes Saidi

The UN passed a resolution to commemorate the 75th year of the Nakba next year. The Nakba represents the date of the colonization of Palestine in 1948 and the expulsion and expropriation of Palestinians from their land. At the same time a bill was introduced in the US Parliament to recognize the Nakba. Thus the colonial character of the Zionist entity is revealed more and more and the condemnation on a world scale of the colonization of Palestine extends while the movement of support of the Palestinian people in their struggle for decolonization and their independence widens more and more. Benyounes Saidi

Reaching the semi-finals, i.e. being part of the 4 major world teams in 2022, is undoubtedly a huge success and all Moroccans are rightly rejoicing.  Now there is another cup to be held in 2040 - that of Economic Development - and reaching a similar performance would a highly desirable goal. The Morocco team is ranked 113th out of 193, in terms of per capita GDP*, has 40 million regular and substitute players, mostly young, experienced (several Development Plans), capable of self-confidence (as they showed it just after independence and recently during the 2022 World Cup), with a great spirit of innovation (patents of invention to their credit) long organized in a Federation (State), with Moroccans coaches ( governments) , who trained the team for 60 years, and played matches during this period against all the other teams, refereed impartially (UN). It also has many assets: located in a strategic area, the team owns nearly 9 million ha of agricultural land, 3,500 km of coastline, s...