Said El Jadidi, the voice of Tetouan in the Spanish-language Moroccan press

His absence is not only the loss of a person, but the fading of an entire journalistic and cultural school that built its presence with patience and serenity, leaving an indelible mark on Moroccan journalistic memory.

I remember my last meeting with him at the residence of the cultural advisor of the Spanish Embassy in Rabat a few months ago, where we shared a friendly evening with a group of Spanish-speaking Moroccan journalists. It was a moment of deep communication, when I gave him a copy of my new book, still in revision and to be published in Spanish. Said had agreed to review it and write the prologue. It was not a simple professional gesture, but the continuation of a human and fraternal bond that had united us for years.

I knew Said El Jadidi as a kind man, always smiling, humble in his manner, even though he was an influential figure in Moroccan journalism. Our common roots in Tétouan, a city with an Andalusian soul that has produced generations of intellectuals and journalists, brought us closer together. We met as children of the same city, breathing in a shared memory and recovering its millennial history forged in cultural diversity.

The first time I saw him was at a cultural event at the Cervantes Institute. I was then an enthusiastic young man, and when he spoke to me, he recognized from my accent that I was from Tetouan. He smiled with that expression that never left him and gave me his book translated into Spanish: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Culture of Tolerance and Coexistence. It was a moment that remained etched in my memory, because it revealed to me that I was in the presence of a man who did not conceive of journalism as a simple profession, but as an ethical and spiritual message aimed at building bridges.

Said El Jadidi was not just any journalist, but a complete school in himself, from which generations of communicators drew inspiration. When we were children, we watched the news in Spanish on Moroccan public television, and his voice was present in our homes, reflecting the image of Morocco to the Spanish-speaking world. Through him, we learned that journalism could be a cultural bridge and not just a tool for transmitting news.

Over time, I got to know him closely, as a journalist and writer, and discovered that what we saw on screen was a true reflection of his character in real life: serenity, depth, and a sincere conviction that communication should serve to unite rather than divide.

The deceased played a key role in promoting Spanish-language journalism in Morocco, turning it into a space for interaction with its Iberian neighbor. He was not only a transmitter of events, but a true architect of Moroccan-Spanish rapprochement through the media.

He provided decisive support to the Anbaae Express portal, especially in the translation of articles into Spanish. He did not do so as a passing duty, but with the firm conviction that communication should be a space for sharing between both sides.

To speak of Said El Jadidi is to speak of a man who knew how to bring together journalism and literature, translation and writing, national belonging and human dimension. A native of Tetouan, he always carried the spirit of Al-Andalus in every journalistic project, making it tangible in articles, coverage, books, and even in his attitudes. He lived clinging to the idea that Morocco could not shut itself off, but was part of a larger space governed by a common memory with Spain and the Spanish-speaking world.

He was one of the first to believe that Spanish in Morocco was not only a colonial legacy, but also a cultural window, and for this reason he made journalism in this language a strategic project for cross-border dialogue. He belongs to a generation that believed that the media could redefine international relations through human and cultural discourse. He did not get carried away by the hype of slogans, but worked quietly, convinced that true impact is that which accumulates in memory and endures over time.

His departure today takes me back to years of conversations with him: about the future of the media, about Morocco's place on the Mediterranean cultural map, about the responsibility of journalists in times of crisis. He always argued that journalism was not a luxury or a simple bureaucratic job, but an ethical commitment that requires courage and clarity of vision. That is what he embodied in his career, both on public television and in his writings and support for young journalism projects.

With his death, Tetouan loses one of its most loyal sons, and Morocco loses one of the journalistic voices that took on the difficult task of transmitting the voice of the nation to the Spanish-speaking world without losing the warmth of its roots. He was a bridge between cultures and the continuation of a school of journalism that we always dreamed would take root in our country.

In bidding farewell to Said El Jadidi, we are not only saying goodbye to a friend or colleague, but also to a part of the collective memory that shaped a particular face of Moroccan journalism. His voice on Spanish-language news programs, his translated books, and his articles will remain as witnesses to a career spanning decades, and his figure will remain a reference point for future generations who believe that communication can be a human endeavor.

May God have Said El Jadidi in his glory and welcome him into his paradise. His smiling face, his kindness, and his sincerity will continue to be luminous traces in the history of Moroccan journalism, and Tetouan will continue to be proud of having given birth to a man who built bridges of affection and rapprochement in both Arabic and the language of Cervantes.

Abdelhay Korret, Moroccan journalist and writer