The anniversary of the Independence Manifesto is a public holiday celebrated annually in Morocco.
On January 11, 1944, the Istiklal party sent a manifesto to Sultan Mohammed V and the governments of France, the United States and Great Britain. Referring to the paragraph of the Atlantic Charter on the right of peoples to independent development, the party demanded that Morocco be granted independence.
In Morocco, January 11 is a public holiday and an official weekend. On this day, schools, government offices and many businesses are closed. Various celebrations dedicated to this event are held throughout the country.
Since 1912, the country’s territory has been divided into two main parts: French Morocco and Spanish Morocco. These units were under the administration of France and Spain, respectively. In each of the parts, the population by the 1950s began to actively advocate independence and as a result, Morocco officially gained independence from both metropolises on March 2, 1956.
