FLAM 2024 : Marrakech celebrates African Literature with Le Clézio as Honorary President
Discover the Marrakech African Book Festival (FLAM) 2024, a literary and artistic immersion like no other. With the prestigious honorary presidency of Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Nobel Prize winner in literature, FLAM provides a vibrant platform bringing together authors, thinkers, and artists from the continent and its diasporas.
By the Editorial Team
The Marrakech African Book Festival (FLAM), created by Mahi Binebine, Fatimata Sagna, Hanane Essaydi, and Younès Ajarraï, and organized by the association WE ART AFRICA//NS, is a pioneering initiative on the African continent, taking place in Morocco. This event aims to gather authors, thinkers, and intellectuals from the continent, its diasporas, and descendants.
At the heart of FLAM, you’ll find literary cafés, interviews, book signing sessions, a bookstore, a youth program, educational activities, as well as interventions in academic and school environments. Festival evenings are animated with music, readings, storytelling, poetry, and cinema. Additionally, the festival provides an exhibition opportunity for a visual artist.
The 2023 edition was a success in terms of public participation and media coverage, with the presence of forty writers and intellectuals from 25 countries, attracting over 8,000 participants and more than 30,000 live and streaming viewers. Over 40 journalists and around twenty radio and television programs covered the event, generating press coverage of over 300 pages.
A « spirit of oasis » linked to African identity
Starting from 2024, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Nobel Prize laureate in literature, becomes the honorary president of the festival. His commitment to rich, sensitive, and abundant literature, combined with his African roots, adds a particular dimension to FLAM. Le Clézio emphasizes the festival’s importance in the context of Marrakech, evoking a « spirit of oasis » linked to African identity.
Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté, a major figure in the visual arts in Africa, illustrates the poster for FLAM 2024. His artistic practice, blending tapestry, craftsmanship, painting, and sculpture, reflects a duality between sociopolitical commitment and pure aesthetics.
A major innovation for 2024 is the Giant Dictation, a world premiere. Through writing workshops involving hundreds of school participants, a text is selected to be dictated, creating a connection through writing. This activity, open to all audiences and multilingual (Arabic, French, English), celebrates the plurilingualism and multiculturalism of Morocco and the continent. Registrations will soon be available on the FLAM website.
For more information : FLAM Website
