After independence in 1956, Morocco went through multiple governments, constitutional referendums, and civil uprisings, all during the early parts of the
years of lead. Political press and news coverage was heavily controlled and dissenting voices were suppressed by authorities. A few weeks after the
disappearance of Mehdi Ben Barka in late 1965, Daoud was offered to be the Moroccan correspondent at
Jeune Afrique, covering Morocco from Paris to avoid media crackdown. She declined the offer and decided, along with Loghlam, to start an independent magazine.
TelQuel described
Lamalif as "leftist enough to stay credible and on the right enough to be tolerated." As opposed to its
Marxist-Leninist counterpart
Souffles-Anfas, the magazine relied heavily on research on societal and political issues to legitimize its stances and avoid the explicit "linguistic guerilla warfare" that
Souffles engaged in., it was "a space for reflection and a force of significant challenge." The magazine featured ideological debates amongst journalists, economists, academics, and politicians. This diversity of perspectives helped
Lamalif become an intellectual reference and is cited as an inspiration by many Moroccan intellectuals. The cover pages featured works by contemporary artists and editorials were dedicated to
Moroccan cinema and
Moroccan literature, providing cultural commentary during the
years of lead.
Lamalif was initially tolerated, with the occasional seizure of issues throughout the decades due to certain sensitive political topics. Around the late 1980s, the Moroccan government began subsidizing the press and created competition to
Lamalif which received none of the subsidies. Furthermore, issues that shed light on the political and sociological situations of Moroccan regions started attracting the ire of Moroccan minister of the interior
Driss Basri, accompanied by threats of suspension. The readership had grown to more than 12,000 readers a month and the magazine's public appearances began making authorities uncomfortable. By June 1988, the magazine was financially unsustainable with the increasing competition and decrease in ad revenue. After political and financial pressure, Daoud decided to shutter the magazine that month for good. ==Arts and Culture==