Little notes about Morocco

Unfortunately time has been very rare in the last week, which hindered me from finishing my blog entries about our trip in Marrakesh. Thinking back to the last week in this exciting country, it sometimes still feels like a dream that has passed by at night. There are these moments I still can´t grasp the idea that we have been there. Nevertheless so many impressions, ideas and feelings have been caught in my mind within this single week.

Muslim countries have suffered from many non-sense stereotypes in the last few years, as many people correlate Muslim countries with danger of terrorism or violence against women. As a result, tourism in countries such as Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, where tourism had always been blooming, have suffered big drops in their tourist industries. Franzi´s and my experience in Morocco (regardless of it being only a week) confirmed my guess that such assumptions are just silly and narrow-minded. If you don´t provoke anyone (like anywhere else) you will probably feel pretty secure.

What I love about traveling is not only the excitement of seeing new things or experiencing “cool stuff” but also the observations one makes when intending to understand other cultures and people. People´s identities develop within their proximate environments in which they grow up and emerge in. Their attitudes, understanding of values and norms are embedded in education and experiences. So when coming to another country, we do not only come with our suitcase full of clothes and shampoos but also with our suitcase loaded with our views on how we see the world and how it should be. Views on gender roles, on how to perceive inequality, on how to deal with unknown situations, on the importance of materialistic indulgence, on the value of individualism or of collectivism etc…We see the “other” through our biased eyes and draw our own conclusions about the “other”, which we perceive as different from us. In the end we define ourselves by defining the other. I hate to make generalizations but at the end of the day I still have my own impressions about a culture and its sense of modernity I am confronted with.

When going through the streets of Marrakesh and paying attention to small details, I have tried to grasp different elements of the Moroccan society without giving it to many judgments. But this is hardly possible. I have grown up in modern, mostly secularized countries, where individualism is explicitly promoted and desired. Women fight for equality in terms of roles, rights and wages. I have been taught to stand up for my opinion and be an independent human being. And after only one week of being in Morocco, I already know that it would not be a place for me I would like to live in as a woman. As previously mentioned in an another blog, Morocco seems to be a male dominated society, where women do not appear in public life ( of course they do but not in terms of working, having fun in the cafes, restaurants..). They dominate in the informal sector but are rarely seen in the streets. Women do not seem to be able to participate in modern life as much as men do. They are restricted to their role as wives and mothers.

Individualism seems secondary meanwhile many Moroccans seem to be integrated into cohesive strong groups of families, where the We-consciousness prevails. Religion maintains an immense role in society, determining public and private life. Imams calling for prayer five times a day, words like Inschallah (If it is Allah´s will),Alhamdulihla ( Praise to be God) or Mash`llah ( What God wants) dominate everydays´ speech and parole. People in Morocco are warm-hearted , open and curious. They seem to be pretty good at languages too ( I know Marrakesh is very touristy ,but in Barcelona nobody speaks anything else than Spanish despite the booming tourism). They are not afraid to ask you things and talk to any stranger. As I always point out, any observations I make are not applicable for all Moroccans. They are many modern women working in public spheres too. People are not the same everywhere and still remain individuals. For instance in a week it is hard to grasp an entire society and its elements. However, when walking through the streets with open eyes, anyone will realize what is different from back home and your little (or big) suitcase.

Inequality plays a big role too, when seeing the big Ryiads ( often owned by foreign investors) on the one fancy side of the city and seeing all the beggers, physically amputated or blind people in the backstreets receiving absolute no support despite the little charity given. This makes me sad, want to shake people and say “don´t you see them? Is there nothing you can do about it?”. And unfortunately until this problem is resolved many years (if not eternity) will pass. But the more I travel, the more I see of this Earth´s beauty, I realize so much can be done and that small contribution from everyone can make our planet a better place EVERYONE.

A week in Marrakesh is not enough to understand the Moroccan culture and people as it is. People in Marrakesh might be and probably are very different than people in Tanger or Rabat. But in the end, this week has already given me many little insights in the culture and made me realize that if you want to understand people as they are, you have to emerge in their society, lives and culture. In a week though, I have learned to deeply appreciate this place with its strength and its flaws. The food, the music, the lively people and streets have impressed me and made me want to come back. We have visited beautiful palaces, souks, the mountains, a Koran school, rode camels, drank tea and ate amazing couscous and Tajine and let this lively city impress us.

Thank you Franzi for joining me in this little adventure. You make every moment sweeter.