BUREAU OF LOST CULTURE – Bowles Burroughs and The Tangier Interzone (01/03/2025)
Tangier was a magnet for artists, writers, musicians, and political exiles throughout the mid-20th century.
From 1924-1956 the city operated as The Tangier International Zone under several European powers. It had a sense of lawlessness and freedom, attracting a diverse mix of expatriates, spies, smugglers, and avant-garde intellectuals. Its permissive attitude towards drugs, homosexuality, and radical political thought made it a particularly alluring destination for members of the counterculture.
Composer and writer Paul Bowles, settled there and drew members of The Beat Generation to the city to be inspired, to complete their projects and to live the Moroccan dream.
William Burroughs’ time in Tangier in the 1950s deeply influenced his novel Naked Lunch. He christened the city THE INTERZONE.
Multimedia artist and curator Abdelaziz Taleb, director of The Arab Media Lab Project came to the Bureau to tell of the reality and myth of The Interzone and the enduring mystery of Tangier.
