Aicha: The Representation and Resistance of Moroccan Women in Popular Culture and Cinema

This research paper explores the figure of Aicha in Moroccan popular culture, which represents the historical, mythical, and cultural imagination of Moroccan women. Aicha is portrayed as an intelligent, witty, and powerful woman who challenges and resists patriarchal authority in Moroccan society. The figure of Aicha is rooted in historical and religious discourses, particularly Aisha Bint Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s wife, who symbolizes autonomy, power, and resistance in the Arab-Islamic context. This paper also examines how Aicha is shaped by other historical and cultural figures, such as female saints in different Moroccan regions, who reinforce Aisha’s representation through their ideals and actions. The paper argues that marriage in Moroccan culture is used to oppress and configure women to traditional gender roles. Aicha challenges this patriarchal order by presenting a female protagonist who refuses to be silenced or dominated through marriage. Through a detailed analysis of Fatima Bobakdy’s Aicha Douiba (2003) and Farida Belyazid’s Kid Nsaa (1999), this paper examines how these movies present an alternative discursive structure that resists the dominant patriarchal order and offers a new representation of Moroccan women in cinema. The research paper also highlights the historical approach to analyzing movies by examining their socioeconomic and cultural context.