From the Classroom: Proficiency Presentations 3

The third presentation in my Proficiency class dealt with Marrakesh and tourism in Morocco.

Since 2001, Morocco has very actively pursued foreign tourism as a means to boost the economy. In 2001, there were 4 million tourists, a number officials sought to raise to 10 million within a few years.

Morocco has a long tardition of tourism: it is an exotic destination with a romantic image in the Western world. It has great diversity in geography, ethnicity, cooking, and languages. It is very close to Europe and not too expensive. And with the assumption of the throne by Mohammed VI, there was more political impetus behind reform that would help increase tourism.

One key change was the issue of human rights--many Westerners choose travel destinations with human rights in mind. So there were changes put in place to reform Morocco's image on human rights. Infrastructure was improved and money was invested in areas crucial for the tourism industry.

The section on Moroccan tourism in general ended with a discussion about the problem of identity. If Morocco is always selling its own culture, at what point does it become only a product to be consumed by Westerners and not actually their own culture anymore. Sex tourism was also mentioned as a downside of this tourism boom.

The second part of the presentation, given by a student from Marrakesh, dealt with the history and sites of Marrakesh. It has been an important city since 1062, and the succeeding dynasties (Almohades, Merinides, Saadines, Alaouites) all have used it in some way or another.

Important tourist sites include Jamaa EL Fna, a gigantic open square with big restaurants in the open, snake charmers and modern shopping. Night clubs like Pascha, local swimming pools and food were all also mentioned.

The conclusion was that Marrakesh is a beautiful mix of tradition and modernity.

Scenes From Morocco: Meknes Medina

A minaret soars above the alleys of Meknes' medina

From The Classroom: Proficiency Presentations 2

The second presentation in my Proficiency class dealt with the relations between parents in children in Morocco and how they have changed drastically as of late.

The basic argument was that in the past the relationships were very strong: younger children listened to their parents and adult children took good care of their aging parents, but that has changed substantially in the past few decades.

The presentation was given by a male-female duo, but it was obviously driven by the man. He spoke most forcefully, citing Koranic verses that required children to take care of their parents and submit to their will. He also emphasized the traditional model of the family in which women stayed at home and there were no kindergartens or nursing homes because the woman always was able to take care of the young and the old of the family.

In contrast, today Moroccan children are wilder and more rebellious as a result of their education outside of the home at an earlier age. Furthermore, adults push their parents away into nursing homes, breaking up the extended family living structure that dominated Moroccan family life for centuries.

The two students cited a couple of main reasons for this decline: the lack of religion and Western influence. A growing selfishness reflected a turn away from Koranic precepts and an imitation of Western culture.


In the question and answer period, they were both pressed hard on their claims. I asked if they thought that all the other Moroccans in the room were awful children, as they had indicated in their presentation. They said that no one was perfect and that, despite the best intentions, all participated in this general shift in society.

Another asked if kindergartens were always bad. The male student replied that nothing can replace the mother and that there are no good kindergartens that safely keep the chidlren.

At that point, the female presenter chimed in: "I am for working women. And some kindergartens are safe. I went to one when I was younger and I turned out ok."

Another student asked for possible solutions, and the presenters asserted, "Religion can help. It was the solution in the past and can be now too."

The oldest member of our class, a college professor, told the story of his parents and how unhappy they were in their arranged marriage. He concluded by cautioning against a nostalgia for some ideal past that never existed.

From The Classroom: Proficiency Presentations 1

I teach the Proficiency Class, which is the highest level we offer. Earlier in the semester I required my students to read an article about the Muhammad Cartoon Controversy, which portrayed the Islamic world in a very negative light. The discussion was excellent.

Afterwards, I asked my students to prepare a 10-12 minute presentation that shared an aspect of Moroccan or Islamic culture with the Western world. I emphasized that the audience was Western, because I really want them to think about translating their own culture and beliefs into a different, and sometimes hostile environment.

For a week or so, they worked on the presentations during class and then the last two weeks they presented them to the class.

I figured that I would summarize them for my readers so that their hard work does not go totally unnoticed.

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The first presentation was about feasts and ceremonies in Morocco. The five Moroccan religious feasts, which are celebrated according to the Islamic lunar calendar, are Achoura, Mawlid Nabawi, Ramadan, Aie El Fitr and Aid l'Kbir.

Achoura commemorates when Moses and the Israelites were saved from Egypt. Moroccan children generally receive toys and pound on drums. Water is sprayed in the street and there is a special meal.

Mawlid Nabawi commemorates the birth of the prophet. It is coming up this weekend.

During Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims fast all day and then break their fast after sunset with a large feast.

Aid El Fitr, is the first day following Ramadan. The month-long daytime fast is broken and Muslims are required to tithe. When the men return from prayer the families eat pancakes and children receive new clothes, followed by numerous family visits.

Aid l'kbir, the only one I have actually experienced so far, commemorates when Abraham almost killed Ishmael to fulfill God's command. The celebration involves the killing of a sheep and numerous meat dishes, followed by family visits.

The important ceremonies of Moroccan culture include the engagement party, wedding, baptism and circumcision.

The engagement party is less important than it used to be, since men have so much more access to women these days, but it is still an important time for the families to meet and agree on a date for the wedding and exchange the dowry.

Weddings generally occur in houses, not in churches as in the Christian tradition. Moroccan Pastilla, Chicken, meat with prunes and cookies and tea are all consumed.

The baptism of a Moroccan child usually occurs on the second day after birth. There is a slaughtering of a sheep and the child is named.

Only men are allowed to the circumcision ceremony, which purifies a male's body and helps to identify it with the Muslim community.

The Ignorance of the American Dream

Yesterday I sat down with a fellow English teacher to discuss a project of his.

A married man with two children, working two jobs and trying to finish his PhD dissertation, Najib is more than just a little busy. But he agreed to help me with my Arabic in return for my help on his project. My end of the bargain requires me to transcribe English newscasts and write questions for students of English, the results of which Najib will examine in his research.

After we worked out the details for my transcriptions and his Arabic help, we sat in the cafe and chatted as if time did not exist.

Unlike many of my other Moroccan co-workers, Najib lived in the United States at length. He won the US visa lottery and spent a number of years in North Carolina and the Northeast.

Leaning back, his right ankle propped on his left knee, he took a long drag from his cigarette. "You know, I almost married an American girl."

"No, really?" I smiled, eager for the story.

"Yeah, I was younger then. Long hair...a soccer player. Her mother hated me, and she let me know it."

I mentioned the negative attitudes of the parents' of one of the other American teachers towards her Moroccan boyfriend. Najib, sporting a crew cut and stylish business attire, affirmed the similarities.

Staring off towards the corner of the cafe, he continued, "I was really attracted by America. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life there...America..."

"But you just liked it too much back here?"

"Well, I was going to enroll at UNC, get a degree...but it was just too expensive. I had to work two jobs just to live. I couldn't afford tuition."

"That's true for a lot of immigrants I think...they have big plans but then they just start working and a few decades later they're doing the same thing."

Najib paused for a moment, "I worked in a kitchen for a while." Then he looked at me directly. "It was a good job," he said waving his hand away. "But it wasn't for me. I moved to New York and worked as a taxi driver for a while. And then I decided to come back here. I applied to teach English, got the job. I got married..."

His voice faded as he stared once again into the furthest reaches of the cafe.

Scenes From Morocco: Meknes Mosque

A few days after the collapse of the Meknes mosque, a barrier has been erected around it, guarded by police.

Life continues as normal in the neighborhood, but many Moroccans stop to gawk and discuss the collapse.

Volubilis

Yesterday I visited the Roman ruins of Volubilis for the first time. Since it's February, the Moroccan landscape looks like Ireland instead of say, well...Morocco.

Volubilis is remarkable for a number of reasons. For one, it's fairly well-preserved given the lack of European-style attention to archaeological sites. The patterns of mosaics are still visible. Walls two millenia old are decayed but visible. The outline of streets that children used to play in centuries ago are clear as day.

But it's also amazing that the Roman Empire penetrated this far inland in this part of the world. This isn't Tangiers, Ceuta or Melilla, let alone Marseilles or Genoa. Volubilis is a very long march from the Mediterranean Sea, and yet the ruins are quite large. I went with a German obsessed with the Roman Empire, and I couldn't help but point out to her that this remote African location was in the Roman Empire while her birthplace was not.

What's more, Volubilis is a reminder of the connection between the Roman Empire and the Islamic kingdoms and caliphates that filled in the southern half of its domain. A few centuries after the Romans withdrew from the southern half of the Mediterranean basin, the Muslim Arabs filled it right back in, bringing a new religion, language, and culture but also maintaining many aspects of Roman civilization.

The public baths, for instance. The Romans loved their baths. The Arabs were required to use them regularly for religious reasons. Medieval Christians, in contrast, detested bathing. In this area at least, the Arabs were much better holders of Roman heritage than Christian Europe.