I’m writing my ISP on microcredit in Morocco, but that isn’t nearly the most interesting thing I have experienced while being in this country.
How insightful are facts? If I were to look at the world factbook’s description of Morocco, it wouldn’t at all match what I have seen with my own eyes. Granted, that’s what percentages are there for; to make people realize what the majority is and that there exists a minority. But that minority is a very real aspect that we can’t ignore. I have seen the extremes of Morocco; the isolated village in Litoushina with barely any electricity and no running water, to a five-star resort in Agadir where the simple thought of knowing Arabic, let alone Darija, is mind shattering for the Moroccan staff. I’ve been to the busy, metropolitan cities of Marrakesh but have lived in a homestay in the old medina of Rabat. I’ve stayed at the Hilton in the film-based city of Casablanca but have also trekked through the Sahara in a sandstorm. I’ve seen cities that have tourism as a pastime but have dragged my way through streets of screaming vendors and Euro menu prices. I’ve seen the shittiest streets in Essouiria but yet the most beautiful image of my life in Chefchaowen. I’ve been to places whose inhabitants swear that Mohammed the fifth is the current, divine king of Morocco, and have walked through the streets of Fez where it’s impossible to go 2 seconds without seeing a banner or poster dedicated to His Highness Mohammed the VI.
Generalizations are scary. And this is just about one country. People group North Africa together, the Middle East, Middle East and North Africa, Eastern hemisphere…
I couldn’t’ for one second sum Morocco up in a list of statistics, facts, or percentages. Each city has its own culture, made for one tourist but maybe not the next. I’ve only been here 3 months and I’ve probably only scratched the surface on how multifaceted this country is, it scares me to think what else is out there. And then we debate and make assumptions about other nations and their politics, economy, social agenda… but if the diversity that exists in Morocco is also true for all these other nations, how can an outsider possibly believe that they can make political agendas, policies, or any kind of statement as to the current status or furthermore the direction a country should move towards. I hold that the people who live and run a country must know the most about that country, and if this is true, internal corruption is quite possibly the most detrimental force on a nation. If it’s own people, those who best know the state and potential of a country aren’t working in its best interest, and international actors are making blind assumptions about it… how effective are economic theories, political policies, or social programs?
So when I go back to Northwestern and Maryam hugs me and says “So… What’s Morocco like?” I guess I’ll give the majority percentages in relevant categories. Beautiful. Hot. Muslim. Developing. Progressive.
