Binebine, A: Tazmamart

The infamous secret prison Tazmamart, still a powerful symbol of contemporary political oppression, was built in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco in 1972 specifically for political prisoners, following the coup d’état against King Hassan II the year before. As a young army officer, Aziz BineBine was driven to the king’s summer residence, ostensibly for large-scale training exercises. There, officers and cadets were led to believe that the king was in danger, and were ordered to fire on visiting dignitaries and diplomats. Chaos broke out and a bloodbath ensued, though the king escaped assassination. Among the last to arrive, BineBine witnessed the horrific massacre; he did not fire a shot, but was nonetheless imprisoned in Kenitra prison and later transferred to Tazmamart. The conditions there were nightmarish: the underground cells were small concrete cubes, impossible to stand up in and visited by rats and snakes. Prisoners were confined in the dark for 24 hours a day, with no protection from the extreme weather. There was no medical treatment, even though gutters overflowed continuously and the stench was constant; the total absence of hygiene caused dysentery and death. BineBine realised that the only way to survive this ordeal was to forget everything outside his cell and prison: the past, his family and his friends. He came to terms with the situation, managed to keep his mind active, found refuge in God - and ultimately survived. Tazmamart is a testament of BineBine’s, and his inmates’, imprisonment. It is a detailed account of the practical and mental measures he took in order to survive, and an unfiltered depiction of the agony of prison life. Written with touching simplicity and tremendous tenderness, Tazmamart is a hellish journey through the abyss of despair. This powerful and at times searing tale of human tragedy is set to become a cult classic of survival literature.