The events of Boufekrane

In a correspondance published by the newspaper in its number 61 of september 6, 1937, one could read a report on the state of nervousness of the people after the general strike which paralysed the city of Meknès and exposed it to a siege in due form by the armed forces. The military authority had invested the main arterial roads to proceed to a strict control of the swaying movements of the crowd by carrying out systematic inspections on all the passers by. But, despite all these measurements, the meetings succeeded to one another and the protest movement continued in a perfect discipline and occured, as far as the organisation was concerned, according to plan and received watchwords.

As regards the affair itself of the waters of Boufekrane, its origin was intimately tied with the policy of settlement of the French colonists in the areas belonging to the nationals, and in particular the arable lands of the region of Meknès which count among the most productive areas of the country. The land confiscation to the profit of the colonists newly arrived from France was conducted with the support of the General Resident of France to Rabat who put all the necessary logistics to conclude the operations of the distribution of the lands thus confiscated from their owners to the newcomers.

However, the city of Meknès with its mosques, its palaces and gardens as well as the arable lands which surround it were provided with the water of the natural reservoir of Boufekrane which receives the waters coming down from the source of Aït Bourzine in the Middle Atlas area of El Hajeb. It was precisely the waters of this unique source which supplied all these fields of vital activity that the colonial Authority tried to share between the city of Meknes and the confiscated lands by taking for this purpose a decree dated november 12, 1936 and published in the Official Journal on april 12, 1937.

This arbitrary measurement had harmful consequences on the city. The inhabitants raised motions of protest to His Majesty rhe King, to the General Resident of France to Rabat and to the French Governor of the Province of Meknès. A "Commission of Defense of the Boufekrane Waters" has been constituted and used as a motto the slogan "The water belongs to us, we will sacrifice ourselves for it". Five members of this commission have been brought to justice, and since they were under arrest, many demonstrations were organised in Meknès. A confrontation took place between the French army and the demonstrators on september 2, 1937. During this confrontation, heavy casualties and 20 dead demonstrants were reported. The city of Meknès has endured pain and suffering with courage and bravery but could safeguard the exclusive use of the waters of Boufekrane.

(To know more about the events of Boufekrane, one can consult the study devoted to this affair by Professor Brahim Al Hilali, who was himself an eyewitness of the events reported above.)

The Asian Pact or "Pact Saad Abad"

In its number 61, "Almaghrib" has reported the news of an event of a very particular importance, although it did not have any impact on the Arab and Moslem nations which are accustomed to live in ignorance from what occurs around them. But the importance of this event is revealed by the extreme attention paid by the European countries to any union being agreed upon between the Arab or Moslem countries, and the attempts made by the western powers to condemn the efforts of the latter to end in failure. The event in question concerns the Asian Pact or "Pact Saad Abad" which has been concluded between Turkey, Irak, Iran and Afghanistan. Quoting a review of this period, the newspaper published the following comment:

With this spirit, the Europeans followed and controlled the political situation of the Moslem states, and succeeded in introducing reasons for hostility into the rows of these countries, in order to make them fail in any attempt of constituting an islamic unit, and this with the firm intention of saveguarding the interests of their military factories and their bank institutions.

Statistics concerning the radio sets in Morocco

The newspaper published in its number 104 official statistics according to which the total radio sets in Morocco have reached at the beginning of the year 1939 the figure of 38714 including 7000 which belonged to the Moroccans.

The plague of typhus in the city of Fès

"Almaghrib" reported in its number 873 of the year 1942 that typhus outbroke on a large scale in Fès and reached epidemic proportions, succeeding to the wave of measles, and made a lot of victims among the the young people and the notabilities of the city. The newspaper did not fail to dispense to the inhabitants councils of cleanliness and to advise them to avoid the gatherings in the public places.

King of Irak's death

The newspaper published in its number 126 of march 5, 1939 the news of the death of Irak's King Ghazi in a car accident. It informed that the crown Prince Faysal ascended the throne at the age of 4 and that the Prince Abdul Ilah was designated as Crown Counsellor. "The prayer of the Absent" was said in Fès and Rabat in homage to the great King who passed away.

The rationing of the city of Rabat in 1942

"Almaghrib" has published in its number 875 the list of the quantities fixed by rationing for each inhabitant, namely 800 grams of sugar, 20 grams of tea, 350 grams of oil, 125 grams of soap, 20 grams of rice. Coal is granted to all those who need it in the practice of their professional activities. Oil is distributed at a rate of half a liter per family not using the electrical current. Each person is entitled to 3 kilos of coal. As for the families exceeding 15 people, they are granted 20 kilos. The newspaper does not specify wether these quantities are weekly or monthly

In number 808 of the same year, the newspaper published an official statement relating the rationing of the meat as a consequence of the closing of the european butcheries during the two months of februar and march. The quantities of the meat of pig will increase in favour of the Europeans who will have, moreover, the right of a revalorization of the oil and eggs quantities which are distributed to them, while the Moroccans will continue to practice the sticking of the animals intended for their consumption. However, it is strictly forbidden to serve meat at dinner in the public restaurants.

Denunciation of the retrograde traditions

In its number 134 of the year 1939, "Almaghrib" required to put into execution the order of prohibiting certain perverse demonstrations organized by the brotherhoods during the commemoration of the prophet's birth. This order was carried out in Rabat but not in Salé. The newspaper asked for the opening of an enquiry to find out who neglected to execute the orders, and more especially those which were taken by dahir forbidding the revival of the retrograde traditions by the brotherhoods. But it was established that the responsibility of the non application of the above mentioned dahir was assumed by the French Authority which had intervened in favour of the maintenance of these traditions with the motiv that they constitute an attraction for the tourists to whom they offer an exotic spectacle that cannot be seen anywhere else.