Hicham Lasri, a Moroccan movie director, uses his films to characterize an original and a quite offbeat approach to the different aspects of the city of Casablanca.

In a recent interview, Lasri made a comment that drove Moroccans crazy and sparked a huge controversy. Personally, his remark didn't feel hurtful or untrue, but knowing Moroccans' hypocritical attitude, his words were utterly blown out of proportion. 

Lasri rhetorically asked himself, "Why do we always say that we must return to the origins?" His answer to his own question was considered provocative to Moroccans, thus sparking the controversy. 

He answered, "And what do the origins say? We Moroccans were good people ("zouinine," as he calls them) when we were reconciled with ourselves. We had fun all week and went to pray on Fridays. On Saturday, we got drunk and hungover on Sunday. And on Monday we went back to work," which is the reality of the situation that all Moroccans already know but whenever someone says it publicly, people get upset. Thank God we have bars and alcohol in Morocco, as it's one of the only things that helps people forget that they exist in a different type of Hell. The ultimate dream for many is to leave the country for a better life abroad. 

Lasri took to his Instagram to express this spontaneously and additionally stated, "I did not insult anyone, so there is no problem," saying his opinion freely as he is known for either in a personal way, in his writings, or through his cinematographic works. To calm down his harsh critics, he was torn between those who claimed they live in a "Moroccan, Muslim and conservative society" and those who accused him of generalizing all Moroccans through simplistic clichés. 


I had the pleasure of having dinner with Hicham Lasri at the Moroccan restaurant Casablanca Moroccan Kitchens in Los Angeles, CA, where we bonded over our shared audacity in the Moroccan entertainment industry. 

Do those who take it personally but aren't being personally attacked still feel the need to be outraged because they're really hiding something?! The question remains unanswered while the Moroccan drama continues…

By Simo Ben