Commemoration ceremony in memory of Moulay Ahmed Alaoui, a great servant of the nation and an eminent statesman

Born in Fez, “Moulay Ahmed Alaoui was also a great minister, a great servant of the nation and a statesman, and many called him the minister of everything, because for 38 years he led several ministries which he marked with his imprint, his knowledge and with the effectiveness and efficiency of his action”, specifies Prof. Mostapha Bousmina, President of Euromed University of Fes. 

20 years after his passing, it is the hometown of the late Moulay Ahmed Alaoui that hosts the 20th anniversary of his death in the presence of his family, Mrs. Assia Alaoui Bensaleh, his wife and SM’s Traveling Ambassador, his son Mr. Abdelmalek, and his daughter Lalla Nouzha, as well as prominent personalities: Mr. André Azoulay, Advisor to SM the King and member of the UEMF Board of Directors, Mr. Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry, Mr. Ahmed Réda Chami, President of the CESE, Mr. Mehdi Qotbi, President of the National Foundation of Museums, Mr. Lahoucine Tijani, Vice President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, as well as Mrs. Bahija Simou, Director of the Archives of Morocco, Mr. Moustapha Niasse, former Prime Minister of Senegal, Mr. Mohamed Hassad, Mr. Mohamed Kabbaj, Chancellor of the UEMF, Mr. Omar Fassi Fehri, Mr. Rachid Benmokhtar, Mr. Saïd Amzazi, Mr. Moulay Hafid Elalamy, and journalist François Soudan, Editor-in-Chief at Jeune Afrique, Mr. Essaid Zniber, Wali of the Fès-Meknès region

The opening of this tribute ceremony took place in a solemn atmosphere marked by the reading of the Royal letter from SM King Mohammed VI by Mr. Abdelmalek Alaoui addressed to the participants, while HRH Prince Hassan Ibn Talal of Jordan expressed his homage via videoconference, describing his relationship with the late Moulay Ahmed Alaoui as solid, friendly and fraternal, which helped forge indelible ties between the two royal families, Alaouite and Hashemite. 

In a session of testimonies moderated by journalist Khadija Ihsane, the deceased’s close associates unanimously emphasized Moulay Ahmed Alaoui’s predominant role in Morocco’s development in his era. He was a multidisciplinary man: an outstanding politician, an insightful journalist and writer, and a fervent defender of territorial integrity and Moroccan heritage. A companion of the late His Majesty Mohammed V, the late H.M. Hassan II and H.M. King Mohammed VI upon his accession to the Throne, the late Moulay Ahmed Alaoui bore Morocco and the Monarchy as an emblem on his chest. 

For his part, Mr. Azoulay described with deep sincerity and emotion the life course of the late Moulay Ahmed Alaoui, notably in promoting national heritage, as well as his role as a statesman and intellectual “for whom pedagogy was always welcomed,” adding that he was “tireless, insatiable and a great traveler before the Eternal.”

The Director of the Royal Archives, Mrs. Bahija Simmou, for her part, highlighted the phases that marked the personal and professional journey of the late Moulay Ahmed Alaoui by organizing an exhibition at the Euromed University of Fes under the title "Moulay Ahmed Alaoui, witness and interpreter of his time" tracing the life of a great Moroccan figure according to 3 key stages:

1. 1919 -1936 : Moulay Ahmed Alaoui, a young activist

2. 1936 - 1956 : Moulay Ahmed Alaoui, an anti-colonial activist on French territory 

3. 1956 - 1998 : Moulay Ahmed Alaoui, statesman. 

As a closing of this commemoration, Lalla Nouzha Alaoui reiterated her family’s allegiance to the monarchy while reading a word of tribute and thanks.