Morocco's One and Only Eurovision Appearance

MAY 15 1980 · 12:05

Samira Bensaïd · "Bitaqat Hob" · Morocco · 1980 Placement: 18 · Score: 7 · Language: Arabic · Composers: Abdelati Amenna, Malou Rouane · Venue: Nederlands Congresgebouw · Host: The Hague, Netherlands · Type: national debut · Broadcast: color analog Bensaïd, Casablanca-born, Paris-trained, 21 years old, takes The Hague stage in a floor-length caftan of deep blue and gold. 'Bitaqat Hob' means 'love letter'. The arrangement blends Moroccan string ornamentation with Eurovision orchestra. She finishes 18th with 7 points, ahead of Norway's nul-point Teigen by default. Morocco never returns to Eurovision. Context SNRT Morocco was the only Arab nation to ever compete at Eurovision. King Hassan II's government saw participation as a signal of Mediterranean cultural openness. Israel had withdrawn from 1980 due to Yom HaZikaron scheduling. Once Israel returned in 1981, Morocco quietly withdrew and has never reapplied. Legacy Bensaïd, later known as Samira Saïd, became one of the Arab world's biggest pop stars, with over 40 albums across Morocco and Egypt. In 2003 she won the Pan-Arab 'Super Star' duet competition. Her 1980 Eurovision appearance remains the entire continent's archive of Morocco's participation, a one-night door that opened and closed.