The Discourse of Protest In "Ultras” Chants A Rhetorical Reading

Abstract

This paper examines the significance of one of the most famous songs of the “Ultras” bands in Morocco, the song “Fi Biladi Zalmouni”, which has gained popularity around the world, thanks to its aesthetic structure and its ability to evoke emotions of marginalized youth. In order to clarify the effective mechanisms in the song, we looked at it as rhetorical discourse, harnessing its artistic and expressive tools to portray the problems of youth, especially exclusion, marginalization, and neglect. It aims at pinpointing the flaws and oppression of the state in its treatment of citizens in general, and the youth in particular. Our analytical investigation in the article is based on two rhetorical entries that can be formulated into two basic questions: What is the argumentative value of sequencing in the song? And how is its stylistic component able to serve the song's persuasive dimension?