Death of the playwright and lyricist Ahmed Tayeb Laâlej

The Moroccan playwright and lyricist Ahmed Tayeb El Alej passed away on Saturday in Rabat at the age of 84, according to his family.The deceased will be buried on Sunday in Fez, his hometown, it was added.With the passing of Ahmed Tayeb Laâlej, the artistic scene has lost one of the iconic figures of national theatre and one of the great masters of Zajal in Morocco.In a statement to the MAP, Mustapha Kabbaj, Secretary General of the Ahmed Tayeb El Alej Foundation for Theatre, Zajal, and Popular Arts, indicated that the late deceased "was a genius" who enriched Moroccan culture, highlighting his contributions of inestimable cultural value, particularly in the fields of theatre, Zajal, and studies on popular arts and tales."Self-taught, generous, and enjoying the respect of all, the deceased has left behind a prolific body of work," continued Mr. Kabbaj. Born in 1928 in Fez, Ahmed Tayeb E…