A Conference and a Concert

On Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a few sessions of the Intercultural University Forum at Moulay Ismail University. Daniel was playing in the concert that wrapped up the Forum, and some of our Moroccan friends were participating in the panels.

The format of the panels was a bit unique. A professor or two gave a short introduction to a subject and then a few students (either Moroccan, American, Chinese, or Spanish) shared some of their thoughts and opinions on the subject. Then students from the audience (presumably from a different country) were invited to give comments and ask questions. In principle, it's a good idea: students from different countries talk to each other about difficult issues. In practice, it didn't work out nearly as well.

The first panel I attended was about the International Studies Abroad and how it functions, or could function, as a cultural bridge, correcting common stereotypes, recognizing other cultures' humanity, and enhancing dialogue, mutual respect, and tolerance. The Moroccan professor introduced the subject by showing a clip from Obama's "A New Beginning" speech in Cairo from earlier this year. Although there is still a lot of distrust of America in the Arab world (especially after American inability to get Netanyahu to stop settlements in the occupied territories), many Arabs still see Obama's presidency as an opportunity to rethink our cultures' relations.

Some intriguing issues were raised during the discussion session. One student, who had previously been an immigrant in Europe, came up and started ranting about how students could wax eloquently about tolerance and diversity from their comfortable perches, but that in the real world, such talk meant absolutely nothing. I'm glad he said what he did, because some of the American students had shown incredible naivety about the issues. Another, more humorous comment, was an American inquiry as to whether Moroccans really believed that all American students were CIA agents and should be avoided. After laughing, the Moroccan panelists replied that one shouldn't believe rumors.

The second panel I attended began with an excellent introduction by Dr. Javier de la Puerta from the University of Sevilla. He addressed immigration, religion in politics, and Israel/Palestine, giving one of the best and most nuanced summaries of all the issues that I've heard.

He explained how the West needs immigration, but how there is often fear and misapprehension about terrorism, Islam, poverty, and cultural identity.

He discussed the three different models of the relationship between religion and politics: the weak secularization exemplified by the United States, the strict secularization modeled by France's laicite, and the Muslim world's closer mix of religion and politics.

And regarding the Israel and Palestinian conflict, he explained that the conflict has been so intractable because both sides refuse to recognize the other side's identity and suffering (the Holocaust from the Arab side and the Naqba from the Israeli side).

All of the panels went over, sometimes by more than an hour; the organization was absolutely ridiculous. They had to cancel the last three or four panels because of the lack of time. Even worse, all of the bands were permitted only two songs.

So after an extensive series of excessively self-congratulatory thank you's from every individual even remotely involved in the conference's (lack of) organization, the music finally got going.

First, an Andalusian group of one female singer and two guitarists did some amazing jazz and flamenco numbers.

As they were finishing, I headed backstage to confer with Daniel and his bandmates. The Berber group that was set to play last, after Daniel's band, was busy berating the concert's organizer that people were leaving and that they wouldn't be able to play.

When Daniel's band went on stage, I went back inside and filmed their "Roots Rock Reggae" and "The Wait". I was really disappointed by the audience's reaction: there was some cheering but no one got out of their seats to cheer or dance. I chalked it up to a very anti-party Moroccan spirit, and I tried to do more than my fair share of hooting and hollering.

And then the Berber group went on.

Dressed in traditional Berber robes and turbans, they began to play their drums and sing traditional melodies., and within a minute, the entire audience had left their seats and began to dance and sing along. All the Spaniards had left, and a few Americans had as well, leaving a mostly Moroccan audience that went bat crazy.

In no time at all, Daniel and I made our way to the front. I did my white man bop and tried to clap along, while Daniel really grooved with the Moroccans dancing and hopping and almost even moshing. Not pleased with my seeming lack of excitement, one of my Moroccan friends, one of the few women in attendance and who also happens to be veiled, complained that I wasn't shaking my ass enough. A bit surprised by this strange turn of cultural events, I tried to oblige as much as possible.

But I could only continue for so long. The Berber group went much longer than two songs. The dancing and moshing continued for almost an hour. As the drums slowed to a stop a few times I thought it was going to end, but inevitably the beats would pick up again and the crowd would come back to life.

When it was finally time to go, the Berber drum corps marched straight down the auditorium's main aisle and headed toward the university's gate, without missing a beat. The dancing and clapping crowd followed and the auditorium slowly emptied.

Thus, much later than scheduled, the 2009 Intercultural University Forum at the University of Moulay Ismail drew to a close.