While on an official visit to Morocco this week as France's Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, daughter of a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother, was the special guest on local radio station Hit Radio's Momo's morning show, hosted by Mohamed Boussfiha. On air, Momo asked the France-born magistrate and former Justice Minister, «What Moroccan film would be your Moroccan portrait?» «A series, with incredibly long seasons», she responded, laughing. «Moroccan life itself is a film, a series with endless seasons», she exclaimed, recalling her trips to Morocco, family members' calls back home, and all the calls, questions, demands, and complaints from cousins and family members whenever she decides to visit her father's homeland. «When you arrive in Morocco, as soon as you step off the plane at the airport, a new season begins», she joked. «Your aunt asks for something, or your cousin isn't going somewhere. There's always something going on», she added. «Then there's the one who's gotten divorced, the one who wants to remarry, and the one who failed at school. So, we're in an endless season of life», she continued, laughing about her trips to Morocco. She also recalled how her late aunt, her father's sister, reacted to her appointment as Justice Minister. «She was like a mother to me since I lost my own mother. When I became Minister, she was there for my father, who was moved», she remembered. «My aunt said, 'But Minister of Justice, what are you going to do?' I replied, 'Well, it's good, isn't it?' She said, 'But you're not married'», Dati recalled. «For her, marriage was much more important than being the Minister of Justice in France», she joked. Dati was on an official visit to Laayoune, Monday, strengthening ties between France and Morocco, especially after France recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara. The visit, during which Dati wore local attire and met with officials from Laayoune, follows the state visit of President Emmanuel Macron in October 2024. During Macron's visit, a declaration was signed regarding the «enhanced exceptional partnership» between the two countries, including specific agreements in the cultural field. Dati's visit was criticized by both the Polisario Front and Algeria, which described it as a «provocative» step by France.
