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Belgica Biladi celebrates Belgian Moroccan history in Nador, Saïdia and Al Hoceïma
Collectively shaped and enriched by the unique stories of those who live them, migration narratives have always had faces and names. It is these intertwined journeys, filled with personal testimonies, that the exhibition «Belgica Biladi: A Belgian-Moroccan History» seeks to celebrate in Morocco. After its presentation in Brussels in 2024, the event is now being hosted in three northern cities, recognized as the places of origin for many families in the diaspora settled in Belgium: Nador, Saïdia, and Al Hoceïma.
On Friday, August 15, 2025, the exhibition opens in Nador, where it will run until August 24. Initiated by the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME), the event marks the 60th anniversary of the 1964 labor agreement between Morocco and Belgium, serving as «a tribute to the journeys of the pioneers of this migration, but also to their children and their many contributions to Belgian society, in fields as varied as literature, theater, cinema, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, media, and even politics».
Speaking on the special Marocains du Monde program on Radio 2M, in partnership with Yabiladi, the exhibition's general commissioner, Ahmed Medhoune, highlighted that, in addition to the 37 panels on display, a collective publication and a series of eight radio programs extend the tribute. Medhoune, who also serves as Director of Community Services at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) and teaches there, emphasized the originality and significance of Moroccan immigration to Belgium.
Celebrating diversity
Medhoune recalled that «six to eight million Moroccans live abroad, spread across a hundred countries on five continents». Belgium, with its 30,000 km², is home to 600,000 Moroccans, half of whom live in Brussels, within a national population of just over ten million.
«This migration story did not start in 1964. In reality, men had already given their lives before then, just as Senegalese soldiers did during the First World War. The same happened again in the Second World War. We want to dismantle the negative stereotypes about Moroccans and share their stories with compatriots who know them poorly», he said.
Also on the program was Marouane Touhali, president of the Circle of Laureates of Belgium (CLB), who spoke about his association's role in organizing and promoting the exhibition, at the CCME's initiative, particularly in the three Moroccan cities. «These regions have many graduates from Belgium. We reached out to local NGOs in each of the three cities to collaborate and organize parallel events», he explained.
For Medhoune, this inclusive approach also serves to «remind people that these migrants gave their lives and were active in political struggles for various rights». He cited «the defense of rights in Belgium, such as fighting discrimination, as well as in Morocco, including contributions to debates around the Moudawana», along with other issues.
He noted that the 2020 health crisis «highlighted important questions about where to grow old and where to be buried». «We wanted to address all of these aspects, both in the exhibition and in the book containing around 20 contributions, while honoring these men and women, elders at the end of their journey, who deserve recognition after a lifetime of being overlooked», he added.
Medhoune describes this Belgian-Moroccan moment as one where «we shine a light on immigration and all it has brought, while recognizing the complexity of these identities that have evolved into a form of transnational citizenship—between Belgium, the world, and Morocco. Like the men and women who now live as professional nomads between these two shores, they are building the Morocco of tomorrow and the Belgium of tomorrow».
Deconstructing stereotypes on both sides
In Morocco, the CCME ensured the exhibition was translated into Arabic and Amazigh (Tifinagh) to adapt to local linguistic contexts. In Nador, it is displayed along the corniche; in Saïdia, in the Medina of the new seaside resort; and in Al Hoceïma, in the emblematic Mohamed V Square.
Sociologist Merouane Touali noted that this choice reflects the importance of reclaiming the migration narrative at the local level, across generations. «This exhibition is a tool, rich in information, telling a story marked by sacrifices, struggles, and difficult moments, but which ultimately produced a community deeply rooted in its environment», he said.
He praised the exhibition's visual identity, commending Medhoune and co-curators Andréa Rea and Fatima Zibouh for choosing a photo depicting a grandmother and a young girl. «These are two generations, symbolizing the feminization of Moroccan migration and the arrival of new generations. This image tells the whole story of Moroccan immigration», Touali remarked.
Addressing the diversity now represented by successive generations of Moroccan migration between the two countries, Medhoune observed that «mixing reshuffles the cards».
«The definitions of identities are not self-evident. In the decades to come, we will likely need to invent new words to describe these complexities—and to affirm, everywhere: 'Do not confine my infinity within your finitude.' It is a way of being in the world, and perhaps one of the defining traits of Moroccan identity», he said.
In the same spirit, Medhoune praised the CCME partnership, acknowledging its president, Driss El Yazami, for supporting numerous initiatives aimed at reclaiming the migration narrative through both memory work and forward-looking projects. Beyond the one-off nature of this event, both speakers expressed hope that the exhibition will be displayed in public spaces in other Moroccan cities, making it even more accessible.
