Rif 1958-59: Briser le silence (Rif 1958–59, Break the silence) is one of the first documentaries to be made about the 1958–59 bloody repression of the Riffian people (the inhabitants of the Rif region in northern Morocco) by the Moroccan military. Tarik El Idrissi’s second documentary, in collaboration with Spanish screenwriter Javier Rada, spotlights an event that was up until the 2000s a taboo subject in Morocco and has only recently begun to enter public awareness. The film’s main goal is to expose the secrecy that surrounded the systematic and intentional repression of the Riffian people by the Moroccan military under King Hassan II in the years immediately following Moroccan independence. Using the testimonies of numerous interviewed victims, El Idrissi documents the tactics employed by King Hassan II to suppress any dissention or political uprising in Morocco, beginning shortly after independence in 1956. The Rif region, known for its poverty, unemployment and arid landscape which make farming difficult (made famous in the novel, Le Pain nu, [For Bread Alone], by Mohamed Choukhri, published in 1973), is famous for its long-standing historical role as a stronghold for the rebels who resisted the Spanish and French colonizers. After independence, the regional leaders were at constant odds with the Makhzen, the secret state police force of the Moroccan monarchy. Riffian leaders demonstrated for political autonomy in the early years of Moroccan independence, fueling the fires of populist movements throughout the region, all of which were considered treasonous by King Hassan II.

In the documentary’s numerous testimonies by elderly victims, El Idrissi makes clear that the Moroccan government had one aim: to bring the Riffian people to their knees, in the process effectively destroying their culture, political structure and local economy. During Les Années de plomb (The Lead Years, 1963–1999) under Hassan II, this repression and the ensuing cover-up were silenced, effectively burying all accounts pertaining to the disappearance, torture and imprisonment of thousands. “People were too scared to talk,” notes one witness interviewed in the film. This fear was so ingrained into Riffian culture that it has taken fifty years for the stories of 1958–59 to be brought to light. Being able to complete the entire film in Morocco is, thus, a validation of the influence of King Mohamed VI, who has dedicated his reign to increasing transparency and to uncovering and rectifying the human rights abuses committed under his father. This more socio-politically relaxed climate has allowed journalists, filmmakers and authors to delve into the previously untold stories of prisons, torture and disappearance that all occurred during The Lead Years. El Idrissi’s documentary is enhanced by the animation of Omar Abouleyazid, whose beautifully illustrated scenes are particularly evocative for contextualizing the complex history of these targeted years of the Riffian repression.

El Idrissi’s film also uncovers other hidden truths about the brutality of King Hassan II’s over forty-year reign. One of the most important historic revelations is the Riffian people’s opposition to the militarization of the Rif region, which was masterminded by the infamous Mohamed Oufkir, a long-time general under Hassan II. The Arabic $$ (No to militarization) chanted by Riffians in village streets across the region ended in mass slaughter. 20,000 soldiers of the Army’s Royal Forces were sent by Oufkir to put down what the monarchy deemed a rebellion. Witnesses claim in the film that for the most part the protest, while primarily resisting militarization, was also against the burdensome taxation of the region’s inhabitants which was imposed immediately after independence. Taxation was viewed by Hassan II as one way to repress the populist movements led by leaders such as Abd el-Krim, who had led rebels against the French and Spanish and then subsequently lobbied for Riffian autonomy after independence. As one witness notes: “We had to pay taxes on a donkey, a goat. We paid taxes for everything. Three years after independence and it was like it was under colonialism. We remained in the same situation.” Entire villages were razed by the army, and the number of Riffian deaths is estimated at 8,000. For the nearly sixty ensuing years, the Rif region has remained under military control. Therefore, El Idrissi’s film can be read not just as a condemnation of past abuses during The Lead Years but also as an opening up of critical debate on the continuing tensions between the current monarchy and the people of the Rif.

This documentary makes a crucial contribution to Morocco’s ongoing efforts to rectify lacunae in the documentation of its history. It also offers a small token of justice to those who have, since The Lead Years, suffered silently from the losses of family members who were the victims of torture, imprisonment and disappearance.