Zates Atour

Born in London, sent to live with my grandparents in Northern Morocco at 6 months old. In Moroccan culture, everyone had a story and loved sharing it with its tribe. It was a form of communication. Thinking about it, we never had conversations, we would just tell stories and that was what connected everyone. You learn 3 act structure form a young age.

When I returned to London in the late 80’s/ early 90s. it was as if I was on a different planet. I had to adjust very quickly to a British way of life. I missed hearing and telling stories. I felt I had lost my right to express myself, that’s when I picked up a pen and paper and started writing. I wrote stories about fitting in, what it was to be muslim living in England at that time. I wrote about my adventures in Morocco. I would turn these exerts into mini plays and direct my siblings in them to perform in front my parents and community.

My goal was always about connecting people. No matter where and what we looked like, we shared a common and universal language. Emotion. My father and uncle were my biggest inspirations as they were the OG’s of story telling.