Moroccan Author Abdellah Taia Explores LGBTQ+ Issues and Colonial History in New Novel

In an interview with Diario.es, Abdellah Taia goes into detail about his latest literary work, published in France last year and translated into Spanish. The Moroccan author discusses the three events that marked the life of his mother, Barka Aliali, and which in a way have also shaped his personality. The protagonist of the novel, under the name of Malika, the mother is outraged by the role of Moroccan rural women, their extreme poverty and the inequality between the sexes. His son describes her as "a fighter, a warrior".

"Malika is my mother. Although a book follows a structure, it does not prevent me from modifying the autobiographical elements so that the story of my mother makes sense. Even if they call it a novel, for me, everything is real... ’Live in Your Light’ is much more than a book about the history of my mother. It is a story written by herself. The encyclopedia of her life is in me," says Abdellah Taia, adding that his mother "was much more than a victim of colonialism. She was a courageous woman with a lot of rage".

The writer says he is filled with "shame and repentance" for not having paid the deserved attention to his mother during her lifetime. "In Morocco, we tend to remember our family and closest friends when they are gone. When they are dead. This anger in me has also helped me realize that she was a revolutionary woman, that she never asked for help and that she was always able to meet my needs and those of all my brothers".

Speaking of the situation of Moroccan women today, Abdellah Taia believes that nothing has changed. "In everyday life, the Moroccan woman does not feel inferior, even if she really is in the eyes of others," explains the first Moroccan author to openly declare his homosexuality in his book "Homosexuality Explained to My Mother". The Moroccan says he continues to face difficulties as a homosexual in a country like Morocco. According to him, only the younger generation can change things and not the laws which "continue to provoke hate speech and homophobia".