We docked in Casablanca, a city not liked by many of my Moroccan friends, and I can now tell why it might be your least favorite in Morocco. We visited Hassan the Second Mosque which is the biggest in Africa. Hassan the Second is called the mosque of the people because it was built by their money. Moroccans' salaries were cut by a certain percentage to build the mosque.
Interesting! It is good to let the people unite for one cause. However, and that's just my thought, I think that if the money was used to build a university or a hospital, that would have probably been more beneficial for Moroccans. The case is somehow similar to many other Arab and African nations. I am not undermining the value of the house of worship, but people would have definitely benefited more of a building other than one that is occupied by tourists more than Moroccans and whose entrance fees goes who knows where.
Anyhow, Casablanca was not my favorite city in Morocco because it is a little bit dry. Meaning, as an economic capital, there is really nothing to do and interacting with the locals is not as interesting as that when in Marrakech for example. I still love you Ghassane and Zineb :D
The following day we went to Rabat with the Global Music class. We met a band that plays Gnawa music and presented about Visa for Music festival to us. The festival aims at promoting African and Middle Eastern musicians on an International level. They performed, and it was fascinating how talented and hard-working they are. The show was so good and they played the drums, guembri and krakeb. It was so loud but so fun! We had delicious lunch as well, Tajine, Couscous and Moroccan mint tea. Okay, Rabat also did not impress me. It is the capital, but there is really nothing to do there either. I have to say though that the architecture is so nice. It is so different from the European style and Arabic style. The pin pointed arch is famous all over Morocco, and it is simply stunning.
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| Global Music field lab |
Finally the third day approached, and I took the train to Marrakech. I am going to meet Khaoula's family, my best friend from African Leadership Academy in South Africa. The 3 hours and 20 minutes ride was not bad. Khaoula's mum was waiting for me in the station and prepared a wonderful Moroccan dish for me. The dish is unique in the city of Marrakech. Marrakech's houses are all colored in red to symbolize the color of mud, so that Marrakech would always be known as the red Marrakech. In winter, the four colors of snow, houses, trees and the sky meet and the view becomes lovely.
Khaoula's friends are studying abroad in London, but they were in Marrakech for fall break.We all met that night and explored Jamee' El Fanaa' together. They were a fun group to hang out with, and I bargained for them so they appreciated that. I have to say that I surprised myself with my bargaining skills. I almost cut the price down to a third and sometimes to a quarter :D Jamee' el Fanaa' is a huge market where many things, mainly handmade, are sold. There are different quarters within the market. There is the main area where musical and animals' shows take place. And there are also markets for leather, shoes, olives,….and many more. It is a fun place to be at, but be careful of the motorcycles that run everywhere outside and inside the market. I also got henna for the first time ever in my life. I like it :D
The next day, I went to Jardins Majorelle and ran into some friends from semester at sea. We ended up visiting the gardens together. It is a peaceful place, and it has plants from all over the world. The ride back to Casablanca was pretty tough because I was sick, sitting in a noisy cabin full of people who did not stop talking, and it was so hot. I ran into my roomie at the train station, and we went back to the ship together.
I went around Casablanca the last day and bought some more souvenirs. I forgot to mention how sweet and generous Khaoula's family is. Besides hosting me, showing me around, feeding me, they gave me Moroccan Gifts. If I ever go back to Morocco, it will definitely be because of that family :) I then went back to the train station right next to the port to get lunch. I had Lebanese food. YUM YUM. I have been craving Lebanese food for a while, and it was like a dream coming true haha. All my Asian friends went for Chinese and Japanese food, but once they saw my food, they all bought Lebanese food. Even my International Relations professor had Lebanese food haha. I mean what can I say, Lebanese food is simply DELICIOUS.
Throughout Morocco, I could either hear American or Egyptian songs in stores and restaurants. I was looking forward to listening to Saad Lmjared, but it did not work out :/ I spoke Arabic during the entire visit, and I could to a great extent understand Dareja/the Moroccan dialect. Thanks to Khaoula and my two years at ALA :D Once people knew I come from Egypt, they spoke to me about movies, football, politics and said, "Om el Donia" (Mother of the world). I felt the love and appreciation for the country, and I felt so welcomed.
However, I was always asked whether I was Muslim and given that I am not, they insisted that I had to be in one way or another related to Islam. One guy even told me to research more about Islam and convert my religion. Are you kidding me? I am Egyptian which means I learnt more about Islam than my own religion! Don't get me wrong, I love Islam and adore my Muslim friends, but when on Earth would interfering with others' religions end?! This is nothing particular to Muslims, but you can witness it with many other faiths, as well.
Although Morocco is an Arab country, it is still different from Egypt. Athens and Rome reminded me of and were similar to Egypt more than Morocco. We share food and some cultural aspects with Greece and Turkey more than we do with Morocco. Even the Egyptian music, for example, sounds like Greek and Turkish more than that of authentic Moroccan. I also had huge expectations for Morocco in terms of development and liberalization, but it was not as I expected. The colonial effect is huge. The country has a lot to do in terms of development, infrastructure, etc. It was so different from what I pictured. It is a different culture from that in Egypt, none is right or wrong. It is just different.
Many students on the ship commented about how women are treated in Morocco. They forgot that to comment you need to witness and interact to understand. Not just see and judge from the cover. They don't get that the Arab world from within is so diverse, and that we are not all the same. They also don't get that because the Moroccan culture is different from theirs doesn't mean that theirs is better or more superior in anyway. I thought that when they visit Morocco, they will change their views about how Arab women are often presented in media, but guess I was wrong. Their views got worse and they now think of women in an inferior way and think that they are victimized. Excuse me, if the US got it completely right with women rights, why are there so many American NGOs calling for women's' rights. Also, why hasn't the US had their female president yet? Let's not make women's rights issue a Middle Eastern issue. Women have their problems all over their world, so please before judging another nation whom you don't understand and don't know whether they are happy or not, focus on your own problems!
P.S. Many people thought I was Moroccan, but once I spoke they confused me for either being an Algerian or Tunisian. A waitress thought that I was Moroccan who learnt the Egyptian dialect. Haha at least they did not think I was Indian :D
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