Anwar Al Joundi: An Icon from the Era of Legends

The artistic scene and the Moroccan public lost last Tuesday a great artist: Anouar Al Joundi. He died at the military hospital in Rabat, at the age of 59, after suffering from heart problems and diabetes.

Anwar, whose hospitalization costs were covered by HM King Mohammed VI for many years, is a descendant of the great and creative Al Joundi family. His father is the late Mohammed Hassan AL Joundi and his mother is the late artist Fatima Benmeziane.

The Moroccan audience knew Anouar Al Joundi through several television series such as “Awlad El Halal” and “Al Ghariq”, but his ultimate love was theater. For his first time on the stage, when he was only 12 years old, he played the role of a Palestinian child in a play entitled “Al Qadia” written by his father in 1974. This play has been performed in several Arab festivals which allowed Al Joundi to meet the legends of Moroccan and Arab theater, such as Tayeb Saddiki, Abdessamad Dinia, Ahmed Taieb El Alj, Samiha Ayoub and Hani Al Roumani.

From a very young age, Anouar Al Joundi loved writing, acting, directing and art in general. He was interested in the theater for children and presented a wide range of creations in various fields of theater, cinema, television and radio that marked the audience positively and traced his name alongside the legends of Moroccan theater. This was especially true after the foundation of his troupe “Massrah Founoun” in 1983, which became “Massrah Founoun of the Hajja Fatima Benmeziane”, as a tribute to his deceased mother. Anouar Al Joundi has presented several projects that appealed to his audience, such as ” Al wassiya “, ” Rabii’ Qurtuba ” and ” Zahr Al Batoul ” which was his last television appearance after years of absence and where he played alongside the actor Rabie Kati and the singer Salma Rachid. Al Joundi also played roles in movies, such as in the film “Abdou chez les Almohades”.

Anouar Al Joundi was characterized by his strong performance, especially since his high and strong voice sounded a lot like that of his father’s. He was an intellectual artist who wrote, adapted and directed several international theatrical projects.