I have been living in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, for the last fifty years. Happy people surrounded my childhood, proud of their history. My education followed the ancestral Moroccan tradition, which encouraged openness to cultures and languages worldwide. The joy of life taught me the art of quiet existence. I decided to start traveling in 1992. At the moment, I’m continuing my journey with no specific destination in mind. My name is “Khalid Leo FAKHAR” and this is my travel story.
I have worked exclusively in audiovisual production since 1996, when I started my career as a fixer (producer). This decision was motivated by my unwavering passion for travel, which has allowed me to discover Morocco in depth by meeting its inhabitants, living with them, and exploring the remote or forgotten regions of the country to contemplate all the nuances and lights it has to offer. Once I had started to discover Morocco, I could not find a good reason to stop this cultural adventure.
The Prophet Zarathustra climbed the mountain intending to stay there for several years. He waited for a divine message from his god, Ahura Mazda, who remained silent. In the end, Zarathustra decided to leave the mountain because he realized that all the answers to our questions do not come down from the sky. Thus the journey became sacred, an inexhaustible source of knowledge for mankind. So I had the opportunity to discover Morocco by connecting with its land and its people, looking them straight in the eye, listening attentively, and feeling deeply. After more than thirty years of traveling, I can now explain what Morocco is.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of exploring different countries in West Africa. I’ve been privileged to cover wars, to meet artists, and to capture the daily lives of people living in West Africa. My cultural quest has taken me through more than a hundred towns and villages, through vast forests and deserts. This is how I discovered Africa inside me.
Morocco is more closely linked to West Africa than to the Arab world. Its link with Africa is blood, while its link with the Arabs is cultural or religious. This is a scientific fact that may be uncomfortable for a lot of intellectuals in Morocco and in the Arab world. I am an African who speaks Arabic, just like a South African who speaks English.
The world’s oldest Homo sapiens was found in Morocco in 2017. Morocco was populated during the second wave of Homo sapiens immigration from East Africa 200,000 years ago. According to scientists and archaeologists, Morocco has been a source of immigration throughout its history, rather than a destination. The human traces in Morocco confirm this fact. Populations have always been in this region of the world to develop their way of life and to continue to exist, and they have succeeded.
The Moroccans are an ancient nation that has faced several events throughout its modern history. The current political state was founded in 1663, and Morocco continues to exist under the same flag and political regime, this has allowed the Moroccan people to preserve their culture and their well-being. Today Morocco deserves to be visited as the oldest political state in Africa.
25 Oct 2024 – Rabat (Morocco)
By: Khalid Leo FAKHAR – Producer & Consultant
