This cultural event, organised from 30 January to 02 February in the Ochre City, was an opportunity to highlight the cultural and artistic influence of Africa through rich discussions and varied events.
This year's edition particularly focused on the voices of women in Africa and the many ways they are reflected within world literature, with the participation of the great writer and literary icon Ananda Devi, alongside the former French Minister of Justice and human rights activist, Christiane Taubira, who shared her social and political commitment as well as her passion for literature.
The varied programme of this edition included a series of panels and round tables on a variety of subjects, notably "memory, African identity and cultural transmission", "women's literature as a mechanism for social transformation", "the issues and challenges of the African feminist movement", as well as book signing sessions for several new publications.
The festival also presented an exhibition by the Haitian artist Marie-Denise Douyon, as well as literary cafés, masterclasses and evening events, with a particular focus on youth.
The 3rd edition of FLAM was "a new edition successful on several levels, notably through the quality of the speakers and the themes addressed", indicated the festival's general delegate, Younès Ajarraï, in a statement to MAP, noting that the festival has managed to establish itself on a national, continental and international scale.
He affirmed that the festival saw broad international participation, with participants from different countries and continents, which strengthened the international dimension of the festival and provided a space for discussion on issues of literature and culture on the continent.
The festival's programme this year gave particular attention to youth, through the organisation of writing workshops, training sessions and literary meetings in partner schools and universities, in order to involve young people in the cultural dynamism that the festival seeks to consolidate, he added.
The closing of the event was marked by the presentation of the Marrakech High School Students' Literary Prize, which aims to encourage reading and writing among young people and to promote the role of literature in the development of their cultural awareness.
The prize aims to highlight the social commitment of FLAM to share its knowledge and transmit it to young generations, within the framework of a global vision that aims to promote cultural and intellectual activity among young people.
In this regard, the writer and journalist Myriam Jebbor, winner of the Marrakech High School Students' Literary Prize for her novel "Trahison", expressed her joy at winning this prize, considering that it represents for her a great encouragement and motivation to continue writing, especially since it comes from young people who have shown a passion for reading and interacting with literature.
In a statement to MAP, she praised the meetings held during the festival with her young readers, where she felt their great cultural curiosity, their intellectual openness and their profound questions, which made the festival a "very rich and reciprocal" experience.
A true meeting place bringing together writers, thinkers and intellectuals from Africa and its diasporas, FLAM was founded by Mahi Binebine (writer and visual artist), Fatimata Wane-Sagna (journalist), Hanane Essaydi (academic) and Younès Ajarraï (cultural entrepreneur).
Supported by the "WE ART AFRICA//NS" association, FLAM is intended to be an eloquent celebration of African literature and culture, which aims to contribute to the cultural and artistic influence of the continent while highlighting the richness of its literatures and arts.
