Independence Manifesto Day

Each 11 January, Morocco celebrates Independence Manifesto Day, which is also sometimes referred to as “Independence Resistance Day”. In 2027, Independence Manifesto Day falls on Monday 11 January. The holiday will be on Tuesday 11 January in 2028. The holiday looks back to the day in 1944 when Mohammad V and his political supporters sent an official letter to their French colonial rulers demanding independence. They also sent the letter to the U.S.A. and to the U.K. since those two nations were allied with France during World War II and both were active in Morocco and North Africa in their struggle against Nazi Germany. The manifesto demanding independence was not heeded by France, and it was not until 1956 that Morocco would actually gain independence. And in fact, Mohammad V was exiled to Madagascar in 1953 and only allowed to return to Morocco after much agitation continued in French Morocco to the point France was effectively “brought to the independence negotiation table”.