Community and people of the city of Mohammedia

Cinema Najah

For so many years, Cinema Najah was one of the perfect places to go to in a city of Morocco named Mohammedia. Many people found nothing as exciting as an afternoon of going to the movie theater alone or with friends, especially on a Thursday where the new big movie posters were glued on Cinema Najah’s walls.

Usually, movies are a kind of storytelling; they try to describe an idea or record an observation about our culture, but Cinema Najah’s movie were never about Moroccan culture! They were either American movies like Rambo or Indian movies that had song and dancing for hours; in most cases, they were picture movies, too long to watch, and not translated to Moroccan Arabic.

Although most of Cinema Najah’s moviegoers were not able to understand the language of the movie they were watching, surprisingly they were able to get its main idea. For instance, in American movies, the main character was always the hero, and America was the world saver.

Cinema Najah in Mohammedia had two levels. The upper level and the lower level. The upper level ticket was expensive, whereas the lower level ticket wasn’t. The difference was about four dirhams, knowing that the lower-level ticket cost five dirhams per person. The funniest thing was that even if you came late, and it doesn’t matter how late you were, you could always enter. It would cost half the price, but sometimes you could negotiate the ticket price with one of the two brothers who owned Cinema Najah’s business. In addition, unlike the upper level, which provided better view and comfort, the lower level was very tiring for the neck, and the movie’s sound was too loud.

Today, Cinema Najah is a ghost building; its big doors are closed, and its facade is barely recognizable. Its sign at the top is missing “N” and “J” And its walls are peeling off.

If you have ever visited Mohammedia, make sure to take a picture of Cinema Najah’s building, who knows, it may vanish for ever.