Moroccan hairdresser Zakaria El-Sem recounts hardship in Paris
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Bladi
Moroccan hairdresser Zakaria El-Sem recounts in the book « Le coiffeur mal béni » his precarious life in Paris, where he lived without a residence permit and slept under a tent. His account, co-written with Antoine Jobard and published by Lux Éditeur, also describes a psychiatric hospitalisation, reports Bladi.
In the book « Le coiffeur mal béni », published with Antoine Jobard by Lux Éditeur, Zakaria El-Sem recounts his journey as a Moroccan hairdresser who became undocumented in Paris. His account describes police checks, racism, unsuccessful administrative procedures and nights spent under a tent, according to Bladi.
Zakaria El-Sem’s journey was also marked by a deterioration in his mental health and a psychiatric hospitalisation. He explains that he gradually learned to live with voices he calls his « jnoun », referring to the jinn of Moroccan tradition. Friends housed him and supported him after his hospitalisation.
The autobiographical account is 256 pages long. The book was released in Europe on 16 October 2026 and is being published in North America on 4 November, the date of a meeting organised at La Livrerie bookshop in Montreal. Another presentation is scheduled for 26 November at L’Atelier bookshop, in Paris’s 20th arrondissement. The story is also the subject of a documentary project directed by Clément Jandard.
