Emily Keene

Emily Keene, Cherifa of Wazan or Ouzzane of Morocco (1849–1944) was a British expatriate, adventurer and travelogue.[1] She went to Morocco in 1871 as a governess and fell in love with the Sharif of Ouzzane, a powerful regional governor in Morocco She married the Sharif of Ouzzane in 1873 even though there was strong opposition from both families.[2] This was one of the first widely known cases of interracial marriage between a British expatriate and a Moroccan.[1] She is known for bringing vaccination to the region.[3]

Emily Keene
Keene in 1910
Born1849 (1849)
Died1944 (aged 94–95)
Tangier, Morocco
OccupationWriter
Notable workMy Life Story
Spouse
Sharif of Ouzzane
​
​
(m. 1873, divorced)​
Children2

She had two sons, one of whom succeeded his father as the Sharif of Ouzzane. She eventually divorced the Sharif after finding out about an extramarital affair. The Sharif died in 1891.[4] Keene's son Moulay Ali ben Abdeslam then became Sharif of the region. He served as an officer in the French Army.

She was a prolific writer and notetaker of her daily life, which was collected and published under the title My Life Story, published in 1912.

She died in 1944 in Tangier.[5]

References
  1. Chaouch, Khalid (2013). "When East Meets West in Emily Keene's My Life Story (1911)". Middle Ground: Journal of Literary and Cultural Encounters. 5: 277–296.
  2. Keene, Emily (1912). My Life Story. London: Edward Arnold. p. 1.
  3. "Tale of Moroccan Romance". Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954). 1940-01-21. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  4. pippabiker (2013-05-18). "Finding Emily Keene, Shareefa of Wazzan: Tangier, Morocco". Pippa's Peregrinations. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  5. Bekkaoui, Khalid (2011). The British Bride of Tangier. Moroccan Cultural Studies Centre.
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