AlKhariqun is a culturally driven movement run by a collective of eight professionals of the artistic field.
The concept was born out of the necessity to meet different needs and come up with alternative ways to tackle social issues in Morocco. Specialized in the production of comic books and literary productions, its different functions are the following: Edition, publication, and diffusion.
First, with Alkhariqun, we aspire to connect artists with cultural operators and the public and set up collaborations between them. Second, we provide for the artists a follow-up of their works before and after publishing. Third, we support them financially and technically in the publishing of their work and set our operating system to increase the profitability of their work and their visibility in the Moroccan and international art scene. Thus, Alkhariqun will play its role as a dynamic organization that supports Moroccan artists all while enriching the cultural sector of the country.
In fact, at the core of Al Khariqun’s activities and services is a genuine aspiration to promote the expression of Moroccan artists, to support them in their research, and help them gain more visibility. There is also a keen love for the Moroccan country and a strong determination to participate in the development of its human resources, and thus to transcend all hardships and barriers that keep the masses from benefiting from art, culture, and education. Humanist values shall make the metanarrative aspects of the produced works, among which are the respect of diversities, the protection of personal freedoms, the promotion of multiculturalism, raising awareness in regards to ecological problems, encouraging the pursuit of dreams and personal fulfillment.
At Alkhariqun, we envision the edition as a multifaceted process that takes into consideration different purposes. First, depending on the case, a preliminary step that implies a first coming together with the artist to discuss his work may take place. This meeting of give-and-take, and constructive interaction involving cultural operators and our team, can be an important stage that enriches the artist’s perspective and initiates or deepen further research that would positively affect the outcome of his work. Our main goal is for the artist and his or her work to reach its full potential. This process would be followed by the main step of the edition process. When the artist submits his work for edition, our team reviews the works and puts it under scrutiny for possible mistakes. Thus, when the work is ready for publishing, it would not contain any elements that could possibly affect negatively its quality. Last but not least, because we deem it crucial to promote the artistic expression of the Moroccan authors as well as to make their work accessible to the Moroccan population, translation services are provided. In fact, if the artist approves, his work can be translated into one or several languages commonly spoken in Morocco: Moroccan dialect, English, Amazigh, Arabic, and French. Thus, the works can be read and benefited from by a wide audience, on a local level and a global one.
The publishing of the books takes two forms. In fact, in the digital era, it is necessary to make available to the readers a soft and a hard copy of the books, depending on their needs and preferences. Depending on different factors such as the targeted audience, the chosen price range and the available budget, the hard copies of each work take different formats and qualities that are more suitable for the given book to publish. In addition to the comic strip, the hard copies will contain articles and or even photos belonging to the artist so that he is even closer to the public. They will then be made available during sale events. As for the soft versions, each work takes different formats, i.e. PDF (being one of the most currently used in Morocco) and Kindle (format created by Amazon, which makes it practically available for audiences living abroad). The digital versions of the books will be made available on our website, as well as online libraries like Amazon. We take charge of all expenses related to the publishing process.
For Alkhariqun, the diffusion of the works is as crucial as their editing and publishing. As our team ensures to support the production of original and high-quality works, making them accessible to a wide readership is considered the ultimate goal. The conclusion of our market study has led our team to take the decision of relying on online advertisement in joining or planning events where we would present and sell the books and derived merchandise. A solid investment in internet advertising, coupled with media interest, will be a good boost to make numerous sales.
Although financial profit is important for the sustainability of our activities, the intellectual and educational aspects of the works and their impact on society are at the core motives of our work. Therefore, aside from a marketing strategy, we set up a system of a free charges diffusion, that involves the public and researchers from multiple disciplines and fields of expertise. In fact, we organize events with partner organizations around works edited by Alkhariqun, that are open to the public for free, and that invite other cultural actors to discuss and reflect upon the works and the themes and problematics they tackle.
One of the major reasons Alkhariqun is dedicated to comic art is because it being a form of art that can easily be accessible to the masses while preserving a deep intellectual charge that can be used to treat and reflect on different social contemporary issues. Consequently, we make sure that this type of diffusion does not remain limited to intellectual debates, but also gets extended to reach the masses and individuals who are unable to afford the books. Hence, work hand in hand with different organizations ranging from primary schools to cultural institutions to make this art a common good.
there is the post-modern claim that legitimations occur through the telling of narratives, and that it is from and through the latter that cultures generate and derive meanings. Questioning the narratives is not enough in the postmodern tradition, but it goes deeper into questioning that which is beyond them, namely, the Meta-narratives. Through this critical approach, the multiplicity of perceptions and the relativity principle are given more importance than ever before. In fact, it is through embracing different narratives that humans can see a bigger picture of their experience, be sensitized to the different subjects that cause problems in their societies. Following this claim, we are well aware of the importance of telling stories, and making them constructive tools as well as venues to spark research. Thus, we believe that the lines that separate the so-called high and low culture should be erased, for art to be a common good. Firmly believing in a multicultural inclusive vision of a fulfilled Moroccan society, we have set for Alkhariqun a number of missions that we strive to accomplish.
A focus on Moroccan Culture as a source of inspiration and research
The first and primary one is to probe into our Moroccan culture and history and make it a source of inspiration that comic artists can use to come up with contemporary and new concepts. This would help nurture Moroccans’ sense of identity, and through narratives, make them revisit Moroccan history, see the present and the future through multiple perspectives. One way we intend to attain this goal is by making the Moroccan dialect an important subject of study, but also a central creation and communication tool. With the growth of our collective, we will be able to assemble linguists and creative writers to work on and with this language, for it to be inclusive of regional variations in pronunciation, and increase the number of works written in Moroccan dialect. Making stories available in the spoken language of the country will make them accessible to the majority of people, even when they can speak none of the other three languages taught in school. Another way to accomplish this mission is to work with artists and sociologists on studying Moroccan cities and landscapes, as well as the different Moroccan populations, in order to elaborate novel illustrative styles to represent the geographic and demographic aspects of Morocco. Hence, through creative works, our readership, be it Moroccans or foreigners, can see different versions of the country that do not necessarily portray real events, and learn how to dream, all together, new versions of reality.
Making the most of Comic art as a channel
The second aim we are striving to achieve is to provide our readership with an important amount of quality comic books, and thus, narratives. We deem it to be a necessity to provide an environment where creative skills are developed, creative expression is promoted and the resulting works disseminated. Comic strips require fewer expenses than movies and thus are an efficient medium to boost local cultural productions. The aim is not to provide an alternative to movie making, but rather to accompany it and open a channel through which creative expression can find its way to the public. For instance, comic stripes production can be a remedy to the lack of fantasy stories in local productions. In fact, as fantasy movies require the use of advanced technologies and software to create special effects, the necessary budget represents a major challenge that faces movie makers. All that is required to make a fantasy or sci-fi comic strip come to life, is but the skills of the author/illustrator of the story. Our wish, in the near future, is for Alkhariqun to become prolific, with a central achievement of quality works, and talents development.
A set of basic humanist values to be respected
Our third mission is to make sure that every publication of Alkhariqun respects a set of basic humanist values and promotes them, all for the benefit of society. In fact, the respect of personal freedoms, fostering tolerance and inclusivity of minorities all while the works can stay faithful to their author’s self-expression is a balance that we strike carefully. It is with the utmost attention and focuses that we approach this mission, to make sure to neither fringe on the artist’s freedom of expression, nor to harm the constituents of the story at the expense of maintaining these values. Therefore, our interactions with artists are a time for reflection and scrutiny in order to come up with a perfect, so to speak, the formula for his story.
