The Moorish Wanderer – The diary of a confused radical in Morocco.

The Moorish Wanderer

Here is a look at why this blog was nominated for the 2011 Bombies.

What would be the impact of a policy that would ensure state neutrality in matters of religious nature? Apart from the deafening clamour of Al Adl and their moderate pals of PJD, nothing much. Apart from their activists’ ranting -which are not that numerous, or shall we say not that influential- there will certainly not be roadblocks, barricades and certainly no civil war over one of the so-called “fundamentals of our country”.

We have to assume beforehand that the monarchy no longer holds extra-constitutional powers from the spiritual title of our monarch -Commander of the Faithful-. It does not necessarily mean its abolition, but whatever powers that can be derived from it and that contradict positive law are no more. Indeed, an executive authority that wields such power is sheer contradiction with the essential axioms of democratic proceedings. In facts, It has to comply with one course of action: either the monarchy keeps the spiritual title but loses any direct authority over everyday politics, anything that can be derived from that title that is, or the Command of Faithful title is to be abolished so that the Monarchy can be a fully-fledged constitutional monarchy with dynastic continuity as the main -if not the sole- source of legitimacy, nothing more. I’ll elaborate later on why the first course is first-best option.

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A Moroccan About the World Around Him – The commentaries of a Drift Generation poet and fiction writer who has left Morocco and has been wandering ever since!!

A Moroccan About The World Around Him

Here is a look at why this blog was nominated for the 2011 Bombies.

It seems evident now that to nudge the Moroccan collective psyche out of its narcosis and get a goading message through to the lower stratum of society, one has to use toons or Middle Eastern soap operas and stream them through satellite television feed to circumvent Naceri’s censorship. The forceful indignant reaction and public clamoring for a tough governmental action in response to what is perceived as a gross affront to Morocco’s honor by the “Bu Qatada and Bu Nabeel” animated series, Egyptian television drama, and Saudi Arabia’s age restriction on Moroccan women traveling for ‘umra so incensed me. It is not as though, all of a sudden, the Moroccan public realized that the reputation of Moroccan women in the Gulf countries has putrefied. The public and the government both have known about it for decades, but they’ve always opted to look the other way.

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Ben @ Morocco, Peace Corps, Round 2 – the journal of a peace corps volunteer from USA, who loves Morocco as much as his own country.

Ben @ Morocco

Here is a look at why this blog was nominated for the 2011 Bombies.

My team won!Spent a nice day after a deluge this morning cheering my homeboys on. Walking back, a guy asked me all about American sports. He knew a lot, and I told him how I played american football in high school (really, middle school but noone’s counting). He’s Mimoun, a guy from my town that really cares and loves American culture and movies. He later asked what a Yankee means, so this turned into a conversation about the civil war, the North/South divide and the racial makeup of the US. He was surprised to learn that 80 percent of my high school was black and that Latinos are the second biggest group in the US after white people. It’s nice when you can immediately get into a more meaningful conversation about US culture, but the people here able to do that are rare.

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Tassourt – Echoes From Essaouira Morocco.

Tassourt

Here is a look at why this blog was nominated for the 2011 Bombies.

Tending our last fires
we fail to acknowledge your greetings.

Don’t write commandments
from your new steel god for us.

Don’t demand peace treaties from the dead.
There’s no one left to greet you in peace,
which is nowhere to be seen.

We lived and flourished before the onslaught of
English guns, French wine and influenza,
living in harmony side by side with the Deer People,
learning our oral history by heart.
We brought you tidings of innocence and daisies.
But you have your god and we have ours.
You have your past and we have ours.
Time is a river
blurred by the tears we gaze through.
But don’t you ever
memorize a few lines of poetry, perhaps,
to restrain yourself from massacre?

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Muriel In Morocco – Observations, Comments and Revelations from the Oldest Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco.

Muriel In Morocco

Here is a look at why this blog was nominated for the 2011 Bombies.

My project will be put on line by Peace Corps staff when they review & OK it. Enshallah! Until then I’m just holding my breath and waiting for a response from them.

The proposal had been e-mailed 2 weeks ago, but the signature page required originals and a lot of travel to get the Ministry of Education approval. Finally got it all together.

As requested by PC I snail-mailed the cover sheet containing original signatures and rubber stamps on Friday. Since it is the holiday of the birthday of the Prophet Mohamed everyhing has been closed and will be until at least March 1, so PC will receive the signature page sometime in the future. Bureaucrats are not known for their speed.

The sands of time move slowly through the glass, as I wait impatiently.

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One of the oldest festivals in Morocco takes place right next to the Souidi house. The Sefrou Cherry Festival has been around for about a hundred years. Sadly, most of the cherry trees are gone now, cleared out to build new developments and villas for rich Fassi people who want to enjoy the country life a bit. At this point, the Souidi house sits surrounded by luxury developments in various states of completion and the big field that the Cherry Festival gets held in. One would be tempted to think that perhaps the Souidi fortunes have turned, but because the justice system in Morocco is hardly just (and really, where is justice to be found anywhere in the world?) and the nebulous nature of real estate law, the overwhelming power of those who have money and connections versus those who don’t, and really, the corruption that runs rampant in Morocco and you can be sure that nothing is guaranteed.

Case in point, Selim Souidi just lost a court battle to save a property he and his family have owned, lived on, and improved for over 40 years. It’s another piece of property that could make him a rich man, but the judge has recently issued the order to give it to people who are already wealthy…and thus, have the ability to sway the courts more than a simple shepherd like Mr. Souidi.

He bought the land over 40 years ago when he first came to Sefrou. At that time, contracts were fairly simple deals and it was more a matter of a handshake and the exchange of cash. Everything was fine until the man he bought the property from died a few years ago. Until that time, the Souidi family lived there. All of the Souidi kids were born there. A few years ago they bought their present property and moved most of the family there leaving is son Mohammad and his wife Samira on the old homestead to start the next generation with their sons Amine and Taha.

Then when the man the property was purchased from died, his heirs started looking at the property with greedy eyes. They started legal proceedings against the Souidis and made a case that Mr. Souidi had never actually purchased the land. Never mind that they had been living on it for forty years and that in fact, he had purchased it. You can be sure that the family who is stealing the land has all the advantages of wealth and power with at least one judge, several police officers, and some government officials in their family tree. And of course, all of this happened about the time that land in Sefrou started booming, all the cherry trees were cut down on the surrounding acrage, and the value of the property became something worth stealing.

I’ve only just found out about this family drama recently and I’m told it is too late to do anything. The judge has issued the order that the land be vacated and given to the thieves. Mr. Souidi is appealing that Mohammad and his family be given time to find another place to live, but with luxury developments going up all around the property, it is doubtful whether he will win even that, especially since he is a simple shepherd and he is fighting against a family with wealth and position.

http://joyinmorocco.blogspot.com/

Here is a recent post that illustrates some of the difficulties a PCV encounters.

A Peace Corps Volunteer’s job description is not quite like any other. The more I examine the realities of my job, I see myself as a behavior change agent. I can’t give them the magic formula to running a successful craft business. I don’t have the foresight of which retailers will continue a steady, if not growing, business relationship with them. However, I can teach them some basic business skills and knowledge. I can impart some advice on colors, styles and customer tastes. I can teach them new crochet techniques. I can lead them through trial and error. And I can model good behavior. All of this is done in hopes that one day my counterparts see the value in changing their current habits.

I’m finding that two years service is not enough time for dramatic behavior changes. The challenge is that they need to decide to change. This goes back to the constant nagging question of motivation. How badly do they want this small business to succeed? I wonder.

Filling and shipping orders in a timely fashion is a key component for business success. An RPCV had placed an order of bracelets back in late October. The ladies did not finish the bracelets before she left Morocco in November. When I left for vacation in Spain, I gave them an envelope with her address.

Before I left, I told them, “Whenever bracelets are done, send it in the mail.”

In hindsight, I should have said “Next week, when you finish six bracelets…” Then again, maybe not. I’m not the boss. Time passes. It doesn’t occur to me to follow-up. Until February, when I realize no one has made the bracelets. Why? I don’t understand. In the meantime, they made plenty of tea kettle holders and lace doilies. (Note: none of those items are for sale.) Time doesn’t seem to be the limiting factor. Hmm. Lucky for them, the RPCV is forgiving and still wants her order. I personally mailed the bracelets. It’s almost five months since the secretary recorded the order in the Association notebook. I wonder.

I face the same confusion when trying to understand why ladies refuse to buy their own crochet hook. There’s one extended family that share one crochet hook between three ladies. To me, sharing one crochet hook is an unnecessary hassle. Some ladies have their own hooks but only have one. I repeatedly talk about the importance of gauge and needing various crochet hooks for different threads. For the new line of headbands, I want a loose crochet for a softer feel. Ladies need to work with a number 5 crochet hook. I reiterate this concept during the product critics. Hooks sell for 2dhs. Why do some ladies still refuse to make this investment? Why do they come everyday to the nedi and pester others (myself included) to borrow a crochet hook? They just spent 3 dhs on half a sardine sandwich the other day. See why I wonder about their motivation?

The issue of motivation makes me question my purpose here. If they can’t pay 2 dhs for a crochet hook, why am I trying to teach them new crochet techniques? Why am I attempting product development? Why am I working harder than them when this isn’t my life?!

Thankfully, at the end of the day, I find this in more ways fulfilling than frustrating. You might argue that I’m wearing rose-colored glasses. I delight in small successes as if they were huge milestones. And maybe they are.

The Association still haven’t started construction with the approved grant money. The legal paperwork to start construction have been stalled at the local municipality level. Yesterday, I ran into the President and Secretary after they had a meeting with the qiad. They were pressuring him to expedite the paperwork process. Sweet! Look at them take initiative and responsibility!

We recently had great success with a new line of headbands. In January and February, the ladies learned and perfected these new headbands. At the American Club Bazaar, these headbands sold like hot cakes. However, the production process has several holes. The thread is purchased unwound. Currently, a local tailor, Robio, winds the thread for us at 2 dhs a spool. Two spools produce one headband. With approximately 20 ladies, needing two spools of wound thread each, in addition to wooden beads and elastic bands, raw material cost adds up fast. Additionally, Robio misunderstood the proper thickness for the thread. On two occasions, we sent a bag full of thread to be rewound. Amina, who helped me send and collect the thread, was well aware of these costs. About two weeks ago, she bought her own thread-winding machine for 150 dhs. What great foresight! Go Amina! She’s learning how to wind the thread for future headband orders at 1.5 dhs a piece. What a good personal investment!

In honor of International womens day, we are proud to present a blog made by and for women in Morocco. Celebrating women of today, yesterday, and tomorrow. Featuring Education/Politics/ Culture/Creativity, Health/Body/Soul, Opportunities, Support for Women, and Events.

Women4Morocco.moroccoblogs.com

Welcome to Women 4 Morocco, the website and blog created by and for the women of Morocco and launched to coincide with International Women’s Day, March 8 2010.

We invite and encourage you to share your stories here with other women of Morocco. We also welcome your content contributions and feedback.

We hope that you find this site informative, stimulating, nurturing and helpful.