Think Forward.

Le style c'est l'homme. 2822

Aziz Daouda, 2 y.
Voilà quelques années, je signais l'article ici-bas dans la revue marocaine VH. C'était à l'occasion d'une édition spéciale consacrée au Roi Mohammed VI, Roi du Maroc. L'accueil réservé cette semaine à "Qasr Al Watan" à Abou Dhabi, à Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI par Son Altesse Cheikh Mohammed Ben Zayed Al-Nahyane, Président de l’État des Émirats Arabes Unis : l’entrée du palais par le portail "Zayed", l'escorte des cavaliers, la marche jusqu'au portail "Al Hisn", la revue des troupes folkloriques, l'équipe nationale de voltige "Al Fursan" dans le ciel, les 21 coups de canon en signe de bienvenue, l'arrivée au portail "Al Hisn" et l'accolade chaleureuse ont encore une fois souligné la classe, l'élégance et l'aisance de Sa Majesté le Roi dans les grands moments protocolaires et les décorum fantastiques, exactement comme dans une grande surface, habillé d'un jean et d'un tee-shirt, un bonnet sur la tête ou encore au volant d'une voiture au milieu des foules. Sa personnalité forte, son naturel, son pas déterminé et rythmé sont tant d'indices de traits de caractère particuliers et donc de style. Ces images fortes et attachantes, venues à nous des Émirats Arabes Unis, relevées et vécues avec fierté par les Marocains et bien d’autres encore, m'ont rappelé cet article, alors je le partage ici avec vous. Il est plus que jamais d'actualité. **** Aussi loin que l’on remonte dans le temps, l’empreinte particulière d’humains exceptionnels a jalonné l’histoire, pour ne pas dire fait l’histoire. Plus tard, au 17ᵉ siècle, Blaise Pascal évoquera la question et l’expliquera par le respect. Il dira que le respect de la personne se fonde sur son caractère. Il résumera ses traits de caractère dans le style : « Le style, c’est l’homme ». Le comte de Buffon, sans doute marqué par la rigueur des sciences exactes, martèlera dans un discours resté célèbre à l’Académie française : « Le style est l’homme lui-même ». Même si Buffon ne parlait alors que de littérature et de sciences, le style devient ainsi une constante objective de chacun de ceux qui marquent l’histoire par un legs particulier. Évoquant la projection de ce qu’allait être le prince héritier une fois roi, feu Sa Majesté Hassan II reprendra la notion de style, citant justement Blaise Pascal. Il dira dans une interview restée culte : « Le style, c’est l’homme ». Sans doute voulait-il annoncer que le règne de Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI allait être différent du sien, quoique dans la continuité logique de l’histoire. Aujourd’hui, la tendance est de confondre le style avec une notion plus moderne, empreinte d’éphémère : le look. Si le look, que va résumer une tenue vestimentaire, une coupe de cheveux, des couleurs, est circonstancié et obéit donc au code de la circonstance et du moment, le style lui est une constante de la personne et l’accompagne tout au long de sa vie. Le style connaîtra sans doute une évolution, mais dans un continuum logique. Si le style force l’histoire par l’objectivité qui finit par l’imposer, le look n’est pas forcément en symbiose avec le style, car il est entaché de subjectivité. Il dépend de la perception de chacun, de l’image et de l’imaginaire. Il est marqué par l’appréciation que l’on se fait de la personne rencontrée dans une circonstance particulière, un environnement particulier. Le look est une composition subjective qui peut se modeler simplement à travers une photographie qui vous tombe entre les mains, une vidéo visionnée dans un train ou dans un avion, des images qui s’invitent dans l’intimité de soi en forçant l’écran d’un téléphone ou d’une tablette, à travers les réseaux sociaux. Le look peut aller jusqu’à contraster avec le style. Il est l’appréciation subjective que l’on fait de la personne scrutée et sera encore plus biaisé si elle est accompagnée d’un commentaire, même s’il est à l’antipode de l’objectivité. Un acteur de cinéma peut ainsi se faire coller, par son look et son jeu, les traits de caractère d’un personnage, alors qu’il n’aura fait que réussir à nous les restituer le temps d’un film. Le look est apprécié dès lors qu’il coïncide avec l’image que l’on se fait de la personne à l’instant même de la rencontre. Il dépend de la réussite de l’approche et de la réaction de la personne rencontrée. Il est conditionné par les circonstances de cette rencontre, le degré de surprise et le niveau émotionnel qu’elle suscite. Le premier coup d’œil va être ici déterminant. Le look suscite l’admiration : chacun se fera une idée de la personne rencontrée en fonction de sa propre appréciation, de son affectif et de son état d’âme sur le moment. Le degré de sympathie dégagée ou partagée peut ainsi pousser à l’idolâtrie. Le style, lui, force le respect et suscite l’amour. C’est une constante qui évolue lentement, sûrement, et devient marquante. Il est apprécié sur des critères plutôt objectifs et vérifiés. Le style est indélébile et est lié à l’action par l’art et la manière. Il grave à jamais une empreinte. C’est cette empreinte qui permet d’en juger et d’en définir les contours. Le juge ici, c’est l’histoire. Aziz Daouda
Aziz Daouda

Aziz Daouda

Directeur Technique et du Développement de la Confédération Africaine d'Athlétisme. Passionné du Maroc, passionné d'Afrique. Concerné par ce qui se passe, formulant mon point de vue quand j'en ai un. Humaniste, j'essaye de l'être, humain je veux l'être. Mon histoire est intimement liée à l'athlétisme marocain et mondial. J'ai eu le privilège de participer à la gloire de mon pays .


7500

33.0

Dreams 80

Boucharfou, 4 h.
- Lifestyle - Poetry - Romance -
0.6 min read.
Dreams Every morning when I wake up I remember my dream I think I saw it in my dreams I'm caught in a fear that eats away at me And my heart is beating with fear and desire. Unfortunately, the unfolding of my dreams is unremarkable A collection of illogical events All my memories with her fade like autumn leaves who yield to the caresses of the breeze And they ended up washing up on the ground wet with my tears Witnesses of my misfortunes I sailed against the winds and tides Looking at the horizon In search of a country that would inhabit me But in vain A kind of forward flight It doesn't bode well What memories born in pain I apprehended happiness I hoped with glow I waited patiently But it's been a long wait Very long Feeling the storm approaching I hung on the mast And then I landed at the first port of oblivion I fell into alcohol and its alchemy And suddenly my dreams resurfaced I was shaking and not standing there anymore And nightmares haunt my targeted nights And replaced my shattered dreams Dr Fouad Bouchareb All rights reserved October 24, 2025

The compagnonnage, a forgotten path for reintegrating young NEETs... 195

Aziz Daouda, 18 h.
- Politics - Society - Business -
3.1 min read.
If there is a situation requiring a quick, very quick response, it is that of the NEETs. These young people will not just disappear. As they get older, their problems, and therefore ours, will become increasingly difficult to manage and contain. The government must find sustainable solutions to reintegrate these young people who are neither employed nor in education or training, the famous NEET: Not in Employment, Education or Training. An old path could prove surprisingly modern: le compagnonnage. Inherited from artisanal traditions, this form of direct apprenticeship, which has proven itself throughout our history, has not been abandoned elsewhere. In many European countries, workshop-based learning is a cornerstone of vocational training. The idea should inspire a new Moroccan model of integration and skills transmission, restoring meaning to learning through contact with crafts. Not so long ago, this was the case even for some modern trades: hairdressing, mechanics, and others. It is time to rethink all this and also to look at what happens elsewhere in countries where childhood and its rights are perfectly protected, but where learning a trade in a workshop is not forbidden, in fact, quite the opposite. In Switzerland or Germany, the so-called "dual" system combines theoretical teaching and practical experience in a company. It enables young people to acquire a recognized qualification while participating in the productive life of the country. It is, for example, the essential pillar of Swiss excellence in watchmaking. This learning model values transmission and the accuracy of gestures, and helps keep manual and artisanal professions alive while reducing youth unemployment. Yet today, it is clear that many traditional Moroccan trades are in decline and risk disappearing due to a lack of Maâlems. Le compagnonnage places the relationship between master and apprentice at the heart of the training, along with mobility between workshops and the creation of masterpieces in which the apprentice proudly participates and sees their efforts realized, with client appreciation being the sole measure of evaluation. Vocational schools cannot offer such an emotional connection to trades. Le compagnonnage values patience, excellence, and pride in one’s craft, values that resonate with Moroccan artisanal culture. In Morocco, the situation is surprisingly paradoxical. Policies combating child labor have certainly made spectacular progress: the number of working minors has dropped by nearly 94% in twenty years. But the legislation, in its protective zeal, does not clearly distinguish illegal work from supervised apprenticeship. The result is unequivocal: workshops where knowledge of wood, leather, or metal was once passed on are closing one after another, unable to welcome apprentices without breaking the law, while hundreds of thousands of young people are abandoned to the street and its risks. This confusion between "exploitation" and "practical training" deprives hundreds of young people today of a genuine path to apprenticeship and weakens an entire sector of the national artisanal heritage. To quickly reclaim this historic force for absorbing NEETs, a revised, flexible legal framework is urgent. Once again, the lesson can come from Europe. International comparisons can offer valuable insight. In Switzerland, vocational training relies on a true alliance between schools, businesses, and local authorities. Apprenticeship is valued as a path to excellence. Young people have the opportunity and good fortune to alternate between classes and workshop practice. They gain solid experience and obtain a recognized federal certificate. This system ensures rapid integration into the labor market while guaranteeing clear protection for minors and institutional recognition of the apprentice status. The result of this pragmatism is that manual and artisanal trades remain alive and respected. In Germany, the dual model also combines theoretical training and work-based apprenticeship. It allows young people to enter the workforce early with protected and supervised status. The system is recognized for its ability to prevent youth unemployment and maintain a high level of technical skill, especially in industrial and artisanal trades. Morocco, by contrast, still struggles to structure this link between apprenticeship and training. Artisanal apprenticeship remains largely informal, subject to restrictive legislation that tends to confuse formative supervision with illegal labor. While protection for minors is generally strong, it remains unclear when it comes to practical training. This results in unequal integration of young people depending on the sector, while many traditional trades that create wealth are now threatened with disappearance due to lack of successors. The guiding philosophy of the necessary reform today should be the rehabilitation of the Maalem's role. Fortunately, Morocco still has a priceless asset: its network of master artisans, or Maâlems, guardians of centuries-old traditions in ironwork, jewelry, carpentry, and pottery. Giving these masters a legal and formative place would be a first step toward creating a Moroccan compagnonnage, adapted to local realities and oriented towards modernity. This would require reforming child labor laws to distinguish structured apprenticeship from precarious work and creating institutional bridges between traditional crafts and formal vocational training programs. This is a future path for young NEETs and these thousands of out-of-school Moroccan youth. Apprenticeship with a Maalem is not a step backward but a modern reinvention of the link between knowledge, work, and dignity. The Maâlems is a master, an educator, a transmitter of strong values. And let us not forget that this is how Fès was an industrial city, how Marrakech has kept an authenticity giving it its unique charm, how Ouarzazate is Ouarzazate, and how Chefchaouen is Chefchaouen. Framed by the state, recognized by institutions, and supported by local incentives, this model could help restore hope to a youth searching for meaning, while preserving the heritage trades that form Morocco’s cultural wealth, which sets it apart and makes it strong. In every apprentice, there is the seed of a good citizen; in every apprentice lies a small or medium enterprise.

He thinks 396

Boucharfou, 2 d.
- Lifestyle - Poetry - Romance -
0.6 min read.
He thinks.... He thinks that in his nailed hands I'm nothing but a toy. I don’t think I’ll go back to him. Today, everything has changed — As if nothing had ever happened. And with the innocence of angels from the skies in the look in his eyes, He tells me: I am the keeper of this place, And that I am his one true love. He brought me flowers. How could I not accept them? And all the naivety of youth I found again in his gentle smile. I no longer remember... the fire in your eyes. How did I find myself in his arms? I laid my head on his chest, proud, Like a child returned to their father or mother. Even my long-abandoned dresses danced at his feet, all of them. I forgave him… and asked how he had been. And I cried for hours under his armpit. And without thinking, I gave him my hand, So it could sleep like a bird in his. And I forgot all my hatred in a fraction of a second. Who said I held a grudge against him? How many times did I say I’d never return? And yet I came back. My return is wonderful. To my first love. Dr. Fouad Bouchareb All rights reserved Toulouse, May 29, 2025

Managing Science is not a numbers game 411

Tariq Daouda, 2 d.
More people in science does not necessarily mean better results: there is an equilibrium to find, a sweet spot. There is a fundamental difference between technology, industry and science. In an industrial setting, production is mostly defined by how many units of production you have, and how much ressources are available for production. As long as input ressources are available, you can in theory scale production somewhat geometrically. Double the number of factories, double the output. Science works differently. Historically groundbreaking scientific discoveries and theories have been made in times of small tight knit communities. The most famous example being the iconic photograph from the Fifth Solvay Conference in 1927, held in Brussels, often referred to as "the most intelligent photo of all time". All the great minds that defined modern physics from relativity to quantum mechanics fit in one single photograph. In science, instruments are not the means of production, they are the tools used to assess theories. Doubling the money and the people does not imply doubling the output. Science is not about producing stuff it's about producing new ideas. Science thrives when highly intelligent individuals, extremely passionate about a single topic, get to meet to exchange often and freely over a long period of time. A hyper focused kernel driven by a similar passion. Adding more people dilutes the potential of highly meaningful interactions. That's the first reason why more people can lead to less groundbreaking discoveries. Even if the constituents of that kernel exists, it can never crystallized and reach it's full potential. Too many people to talk to, too many papers to read and too many unaligned objectives. This also promotes the apparition of dogmatism and "consensus thinking". When there are too many ideas to assess, it is tempting to go with what the majority thinks. However for science, freedom is more important than consensus. Consensus is a political tool used by human beings to govern themselves in matters of opinions. This is irrelevant to science because science is empirical. It doesn't matter how many people think something if it can be demonstrated to be false. Freedom of thought, on the other hand is the essential mechanism that keeps on generating new ideas and points of view. A necessary part of scientific development.