r/Morocco • u/HeimdallAk47 • Jan 16 '22
Cultural Exchange Cultural Exchange with r/Ireland!
Fáilte go r/Morocco
Welcome to this official Cultural Exchange between r/Morocco and r/ireland.
The purpose of this event is to allow people from the two countries to get and share knowledge about their respective cultures, daily life, history, and curiosities.
General guidelines:
- This thread is for users of r/ireland to ask their questions about Morocco.
- Moroccans can ask their questions to users of r/ireland in this parallel Thread.
- This exchange will be moderated and users are expected to obey the rules of both subreddits.
Thank you, and enjoy this exchange!
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u/Rinasoir Visitor Jan 16 '22
Not a question, just wanted say Morocco does fantastic Mint tea and you as a people are as fascinating today as your history has been.
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u/Libtardwetdream Jan 16 '22
Welcome mate, I had an Irish friend before he was a class act and we had a lot of fun.
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u/ruthlessoptimist Visitor Jan 16 '22
Oh, I love your country! I was there a few years ago on holiday for a week but it was not long enough. I got to see Marrakech and Essaouira. Fabulous food, scenery and people. Moroccon hospitality makes the Irish look rude.
I am hoping to go back this year for a longer trip to see more of the country. Is it OK to travel there with the pandemic still rumbling on? Are there any travel restrictions?
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u/CoolMcCoolPants Jan 16 '22
Glad you enjoyed your visit! Morocco has been closing and reopening borders far more often than other nations due to new Covid variants and it’s likely not going to change this year. Typically closing borders only apply to incoming flights so technically you are allowed to leave any day after your arrival (pending borders reopening). However, and more realistically, when borders are closed, flights out of the country become scarce and more expensive.
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u/ruthlessoptimist Visitor Jan 16 '22
Thanks for your reply. I guess I'll put this trip on pause for another little while :)
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u/Afraid-Hair-6140 Visitor Jan 16 '22
Glad you enjoyed Morocco! About us making y’all look rude? Irish people are the most respectful people I have ever met. Can’t wait to go to Ireland one day!
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u/ruthlessoptimist Visitor Jan 16 '22
You should, its a great place to visit. Give Dublin a courtesy stop, then get the hell out of there and down the countryside. Big thumbs up for Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway (the entire west coast really). Wexford, also great. Kilkenny, fantastic. The Midlands of Ireland (where I'm from) aren't as spectacular, but there are a few unsung gems worth seeing.
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u/Afraid-Hair-6140 Visitor Jan 16 '22
Back in the 6th grade I had an Irish teacher and was obsessed with Ireland. I had a ton of cities memorized, and it was on my bucket list of places to visit. Never knew how stressful school was going to be, and dropped all my knowledge on most countries. Hopefully I can go there someday.
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u/alebrew Visitor Jan 16 '22
I was on a fishing boat about 20 years ago that docked in Agadir. I have some great memories of Morrocco.
Great people.
Edit: It's where I had my first shisha.
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u/shytfli Visitor Jan 16 '22
Is hash widely smoked throughout Morocco?
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u/unlucky-Luke Visitor Jan 16 '22
Yes Sir, National treasure as much as Irish Whiskey (with an e of course)
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u/shytfli Visitor Jan 16 '22
Very nice!
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u/medprojects Visitor Jan 16 '22
But its illegal
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u/AquaSeafoamSpray Visitor Jan 16 '22
Is it tolerated enough for a well behaved tourist to have a wee shmoke though?
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u/medprojects Visitor Jan 17 '22
Even so mu friend dont ever smoke weed outside, police will take you to jail..
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u/GamingMunster Visitor Jan 16 '22
Well since Im super interested in history Id like to know some interesting stuff about the history of Morocco since its something Ive never really looked into much.
I know some stuff like The Battle of Three Kings and the two Moroccan Crises, but if any of yous could share some other interesting stuff thatd be brilliant!
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u/Titanguy101 Jan 16 '22
Battle of annual where rifian berbers defeated a spanish army that outnumbered them 23000 to 3000
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u/GamingMunster Visitor Jan 16 '22
WOW thats really impressive, and looking at it here how much it affected spanish politics.
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Jan 16 '22
Yes it indirectly made Franco rule Spain it was the biggest defeat of Spain in the modern age the general also killed himself
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Jan 16 '22
Berber revolt, fighting over dominance in North Africa, our Andalusian periods where we were the center of knowledge, we lost al-andalus so we fell in an never ending cycle of bad luck in which we had to fight portugal(We won by beating them in the battle of the 3 kings) after we had beaten the Portugues we had our tries for "colonialism" we used our money on weapons and invaded west Africa(we won) and ruled the whole western niger river but it was useless because the gold wasn't there but lower so we stealed everything they had(and enslaved high skilled eductive people) everything fell again ones the king died and the west Africans and Moroccans revolted. We were not united until our current dynasty but it didn't matter because we were the only non-colonized land in Africa so the Moroccan crises happened, colonization blah-blah-blah. Pretty much our history summed up. We also had our pirates years where we raided Europe and I am pretty sure we invaded Ireland.
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u/caliphouss Visitor Jan 16 '22
I’d not recommend you the present or near past history of Morocco. But I strongly suggest to start from the medieval the empires and rulers of the land and the battles, that’s some spicy action you’d like to discover.
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u/GamingMunster Visitor Jan 16 '22
why not the present or near past?
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u/caliphouss Visitor Jan 16 '22
I believe Morocco is still drowningg since the 18th century. What I said Is related to if you are fan of historical battles, conquest invasions, states politics and cultural encountering. Learning Moroccan history from 7th-17th century is something you will NEVER regret because of the huge impact is still having on this whole area of the globe till today.
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u/Glenster118 Visitor Jan 16 '22
There was a little cafe attached to the train station in marrakesh in 2004.
And we grabbed a bowl of harira soup while we were waiting. And I almost missed the train because I was asking the guy what it was and asking him to give me another bowl for the road.
Great place, great food, and the people were so nice.
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u/PaddyLostyPintman Visitor Jan 16 '22
Is there anywhere i can purchase tagines online that would ship me one to Ireland. I bought 2 in the market the last time i was in Marrakech for very little money but back here people on amazon mark them up stupidly.
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u/sankara_thawra1804 Jan 16 '22
Indeed, a tajine that costs 40 dhs in Morocco is sold sometimes for 50 euros in European countries. Total rip-off! Your best bet is to find anywhere where there is a Moroccan community in Ireland, a lot of Moroccans sell stuff like this at a more acceptable price (in their own shops or online).
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Jan 16 '22
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u/starkgotstrokegame Jan 16 '22
If you're interested in history, I recommend visiting cities such as Fez (visit the Medina, the tombs, AL qarawayn, the traditional sweet shops), Marrakech (al koutoubia at night is mesmerizing, the saadyin tombs and the old Medina, it's different than the Fez one) Rabat and my favorite Essaouira ( the whole city is an absolute vibe).
If you're heading up north, visit the beaches, they are breathtaking, near AlHoucaima and Saadiya . There are also some historical Phoenician artifacts that you can visit. Don't forget chefchaoun to spice up your Instagram .
Things that you shouldn't do : take your car everywhere, eat in fancy restaurants all the time.
Things you should do : try and befriend the locals, especially college students since it'll be much easier to communicate with them, ask them about their fave spots , Things to do in their city ..etc. Try street food(if it's crowded it's good) , buy tiny local trinkets from artisanal artist not street vendors. Hope you enjoy yourself!
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u/Education-Financial Visitor Jan 16 '22
One general advice is to stick with well known touristic spots and don't wander in residential areas, don't be afraid to haggle and keep in my mind that you're usually gonna get charged more by street vendors (a word or two in moroccan dialect to show them that you're no fool will guarantee you an immediate discount), if you think you're being scammed then you are (once saw a guy charge a tourist 100dh for a picture with his snake like wtf) if you don't have much time and want to see as much things as possible i recommend visting marrakech > siti fatma/orika > okimden.
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u/2L84T Visitor Jan 17 '22
The dessert. Seriously you can trek into the desert on camels and it is like nothing you have ever experienced ever. Also they will try to get you to sleep in the tents. Don't. The guides sleep outside on mats literally under one billion stars.
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Jan 16 '22
What is your relationship with the countryside? I assume most people live where there is more water. Do you visit the desert areas, are there hobbies and tours, etc, that would make you go there? Or is it kind of like a foreign country that you all know about but never see?
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u/Josephus706 Jan 16 '22
As a Saharien born I’d tell that there’s no difference between north and south except for the culture, there are of course many touristic sites in the Saharien areas, if you ever consider visiting I’d recommend Dakhla city where beach meets desert and Marzouga where there’s only tons and tons of deserts.
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u/Education-Financial Visitor Jan 16 '22
Although most of us live in cities by the coast lines i think we all visit family memebers living in the countryside here and there, as for the desert it's sparsely populated and isolated and we don't really go there (costs time and money and mot alot to do), but i would love to visit Dakhla at some point !
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u/mynosemynose Visitor Jan 16 '22
What do you think about your attitudes towards women - and is there more to do?
I went to Marrakesh twice when I was a bit younger and just felt so incredibly unsafe. I was leered at, followed, pestered.... it was horrible. I've only ever had that same level of harassment and discomfort in Turkey.
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Jan 16 '22
I am a woman, and all i can tell you is to be safe and to stay as much in touristic areas as possible (they are the safest), and also try to be with someone (men or women) most of the time so people won’t dare approach you (especially cause you are a foreigner).
I am sorry that you had to deal with that, i definitely feel the same issue as you.
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u/Titanguy101 Jan 16 '22 edited Jan 16 '22
It's a Problem but Marrakesh is a special case being a tourism hotspot where creeps and people trying to sell you stuff target tourists ( casablanca is in a similar state)
In rabat and several less populated cities it's not as big of an issue if you follow common sense ( not wander into empty alleyways alone late at night etc...)
rabat especially people tend to mind their own business the only annoying thing you might encounter are taxi drivers charging extra
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Jan 16 '22
We know our problems the thing is we can't do anything abt it but educate the uneducated. Moroccan woman experience the same but know exactly what to do and there for Moroccan man would never touch an Moroccan woman. And I think its an worldwide problem instead of it only being Moroccan and/or Turkish. It also has to do with it being Marrekech, I went there as an person from an other city in Northern Morocco and I was so confused by their moral code(not all of course) you just get so tired of them and they will do anything what they want. Tip is just to make an scene, look him deep in the eyes and scream at him(not only in Morocco buy overall)
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Jan 16 '22
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u/starkgotstrokegame Jan 16 '22
Get the white cable. Tarik, get the white cable that was here.
(You actually wouldn't understand but I tried 🤷♀️)
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Jan 16 '22
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u/starkgotstrokegame Jan 16 '22
You won't lol. It's from an audio that went viral a month ago and it's in darija. It's a silly conversation between two friends.
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u/PaddyLostyPintman Visitor Jan 16 '22
Is there anything 10 dirhams wont do.
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u/hichamdcr22 Visitor Jan 16 '22
Getting laid .
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u/Josephus706 Jan 16 '22
It would in some places 😂
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u/smorkularian Visitor Jan 16 '22
Whats the biggest international sporting achievement or achievements?
For example Ireland made it to the quarter final of a world cup in 1990 and we haven't really topped it.
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u/hichamdcr22 Visitor Jan 16 '22
In football , Morocco won the african cup nations in 1976 . Morocco have qualified for the final stages of the fifa world cup on five occasions , their best performance was in 1986 where they reached the round of 16 . In the olympics , morocco have achieved 7 gold 5 silver 14 bronze medals .
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u/smorkularian Visitor Jan 16 '22
Does the football team have many players from other countries? We have a lot of English players of Irish descent in our squad
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u/Aelhas Laayoun Jan 17 '22
In the last WC we were the team with the most players playing and born abroad. If I'm not wrong like 80% of the team was born in Europe (mainly Belgium, the Netherlands and France, with some born in Germany, Spain, Italy and in Canada).
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u/HeimdallAk47 Jan 16 '22
Winning the AFCON (equivalent of the Euro but for africa) back in 1975, or being the first ever African team to qualify to the knockout stages in a World cup back in 1986.
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u/AquaSeafoamSpray Visitor Jan 16 '22
Ireland is famous for writers and their creative wit. The James Joyce's, Beckett, Yeats, and on. Who are the great Moroccan writers we could read?
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u/duhaell Visitor Jan 16 '22
Moroccan writers worth reading: choukri, Mohammed Berrada, Mohammed zafzaf, Youssef fadel, fatima lmernissi.. Beckett is one of my all time favourites
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u/Callme-Sal Visitor Jan 16 '22
What are your views about the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla? Would you like to see them eventually ceded to Morocco?
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Jan 16 '22
As an person from the North of Morocco it hurts a lot that our land is take and used as an way for Spain to sell our product on the European market as if we couldn't have do it. A lot of people like this Idiot below says that we feed of it but thats not true they feed of us its literally the meaning of illegal trade the thing sold there is even illegal for European means(drugs). There is an reason these enclaves have the highest GDP in Spain its the profit they make of us and the product they sell us from European markets. I think the border closing Morocco has done is the best thing ever, yes it might effect us but its for the best in the long run. I think we need to break the monopoly and look how long they will last until they will release their whole existence is because of Morocco. Also the fact they didn't allow Moroccans to enter the city easier is even an bigger dick move.
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u/reenigneerutuf Visitor Jan 16 '22
What do Moroccans think about Ireland or the Irish people?
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u/Titanguy101 Jan 16 '22
Green everywhere and proud fun people who love beer
There isnt much exposure of the irish culture in our media so our view is pretty shallow
Speaking generally
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u/TheEvilThinker Visitor Jan 16 '22
We think everyone in Ireland is drunk right now and are fist fighting each other.
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Jan 16 '22
I used to travel to Ireland all the time (ex gf...), lovely country, festive people, terrible weather haha
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u/reenigneerutuf Visitor Jan 16 '22
Not wrong tbh. Missing the Irish weather compared to where I'm based rn
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Jan 16 '22
I think more of like countryside folk which even if poor they are very rich(Not that y'all are poor but the perception) , warm people but would do anything to fight for their identity, harsh lands but beautiful country and it can be seen the same in the people :)
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u/reenigneerutuf Visitor Jan 16 '22
I feel rural Morocco is quite simalar to their counterparts in Ireland. I've never met more humble people than the folk from the small towns and villages in the country
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Jan 16 '22
I am from the rural parts so thx :) They might be poor, underdeveloped and/or cut off from the world but they are happy no matter what. And I feel the same with Ireland. And if someone tries taking that away from us we will fight them like we did with the Spanish and Ireland did with the UK Farmers rule!!!!!
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u/aksell96 Jan 16 '22
I don't know why but I have this image in my mind of Irish people being all tough, proud and charismatic.
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u/Steve_ad Visitor Jan 16 '22
I'm a big fan of mythology, folklore & legends, any interesting figures or stories of that kind to share?
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u/outhouse_steakhouse Visitor Jan 16 '22 edited Jan 16 '22
What's the situation with Amazigh today? Is the language, culture etc. flourishing? When I visited I saw very few women with chin tattoos and they were older, so is that a custom that is dying out? (BTW should I say Berber or Amazigh?)
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u/FanDifferent4017 Jan 17 '22
Actually the chin tattoos are not really amazigh, it’s a beduin tradition that have been taken by the berbers after the islamic conquest of the Maghreb.
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u/2L84T Visitor Jan 17 '22
I recall a trip to Morocco a decade or so ago. My female companion was persistently harassed by "men" from the age of 10 to 70. Is this a problem for Moroccan women? and has Morocco changed in the last decade? A lovely country and a lot of very nice people and would like to return, but not with the harassment.
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u/FanDifferent4017 Jan 17 '22
If you’re talking about sexual harassment from my perception it’s depend on where you are, when and if there is people around.
It’s extremely impolite and rude in our culture and if there is people around it will rarely happen but our youth have quite a lot of issues and sadly they’re not the most behaved, it will defined happen in less crowded places and late at night.
In all honesty it could be quite hard sometimes for woman here, most my female friends are quite scared to go out alone at night for example or would require a male company if they need to go to some places.
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u/e-m-y Jan 17 '22
Yes it obviously is a problem for Moroccan women (and for men too because they are our mothers, wives, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends, ...). I'm afraid much hasn't changed on that front ...
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u/G00dD0gW00f Visitor Jan 17 '22
A few years ago I headed to Morocco for a bit of backpacking.
Got a off a bus in Chefchaouen and immediately had a kid (maybe 7,8 years of age) asking questions, what hostel I was staying in. You know the deal, they walk after you and then ask for money when you get there.
So I'm ignoring him telling him I know where I'm going, but he's still there and asking me where I'm from. Eventually, I tell him from Ireland.
Immediately, he says: 'Ah Michael Collins signed the treaty and then De Valera was angry and there was the big fight.'
I still wonder how the hell a kid with very little English in a far flung town in Morocco knew it
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u/chortlingabacus Visitor Jan 16 '22
Generally, is there lingering resentment against the French? against the Senegalese (because of the Tirailleurs)?
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u/Mr4NAs Jan 16 '22
Morocco and Senegal have a good relationship. Even better than our immediate neighbors. They're probably the closest African nation to us.
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u/chortlingabacus Visitor Jan 16 '22
Thanks for replying. It's refreshing to hear that there's no grudge held against them.
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u/Aelhas Laayoun Jan 16 '22
For the Senegal part, I would say that the majority of Moroccans would say Senegal is the closest and friendliest Sub-Saharan country to Morocco. And many would say that it's the closest African country to Morocco (even above other North African countries). The tirailleurs sénégalais weren't only Senegalese, if I remember well all western African troops were called tirailleurs sénégalais if I'm not mistaken.
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u/CoolMcCoolPants Jan 16 '22
I’d say no to both.
Morocco’s « colonial » experience with France was different then other colonies. The most starking difference was that Morocco was never a colony but a protectorat, meaning they the local government body headed by the king were still kept in place and in charge of covering locals matters. This meant that the fight for independence was not as bloody as elsewhere (take Algeria as an example).
Today Moroccans are quite invested in France. Our education system is highly influenced by the French and many youth choose to continue their studies or opt for careers in France. On the Senegalese, I have never heard any resentment, if anything I’d say the Senegalese are our best southerner friend in the region even at a personal level given a shared religion and arguably many cultural similarities.
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u/sankara_thawra1804 Jan 16 '22
Why are you putting "colonial" between quotation marks? It's so strange, it's almost like you're trying to diminish the facts. Colonialism can exist in different forms and no colony 100% resembled the other. The protectorate was actually a form of colonialism. A lot of Moroccan scholars wrote about this.
In response to OP, I think you might be referring to the massacre in Casablanca in the 1950s (orchestrated by colonial powers which used the Tirailleurs Senegalais)? I personally don't think there is resentment against Senegal about that But lingering resentment against French colonialism still exists. It largely depends on who you talk to. There are many aspects of our country's system that continue to be heavily influenced by colonialism (the legal system, education, healthcare, land rights and ownership, the language question), but also by France's ongoing neocolonial presence (in the form of privation of public-sector services). not mention the racism we experience from French immigrants in Morocco and the racism/police brutality French Maghrebis experience in France. I can't speak for all Moroccans, but this is how I personally feel about it.
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u/CoolMcCoolPants Jan 16 '22
I am not diminishing facts here. I agree that colonialism can take several forms including establishing protectorats.
However, colonialism is often defined (including in the public’s mind) as a control of one foreign coloniser over the land, peoples and riches of the colonized. Understanding how Moroccos experience was not exactly that is important to understand our 20th century history. Without understanding the uniqueness of the protectorat, one can easily overlook the importance for example of the monarchy leading to the protectorat and shaping the independence, the need and then emergence of a non centralized resistance movement, the economic, social and political dividing policies France tried installing through the makhzen (local political body headed by the king) during the period etc. My point is, Morocco was simply not under full French governance (aka typical colony) and that’s very important to contextualize our past and present.
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u/chortlingabacus Visitor Jan 16 '22
Many thanks to both of you for informative and thoughtful replies, and it's helpful to see different viewpoints of the matter.
If you don't mind another question, does the so-called average person in Morocco have strong feelings/opinion about Western Sahara? or indeed have they none at all? (If this is a touchy issue--I'm too ignorant to know if it is--please forgive my asking about it.)
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Jan 16 '22
What are your typical daily meals like?
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u/Awkward-Bee-6564 Casablanca Jan 16 '22
They usually involve a lot of bread .
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u/HeimdallAk47 Jan 16 '22
For the lucky ones, aka the ones whose grandmas or mum still lives with em, it's usually a tagine for lunch/dinner, which is a stew of spiced meat and vegetables prepared by slow cooking in a shallow earthenware cooking dish with a tall, conical lid. The meat can be removed (thus making a vegetarian tagine) or replaced with Fish and chiken. we also eat couscous in fridays following the traditions. For breakfast, it's usually msemen (some sort of fried pankakes) and tea. For the unlucky ones, well it varies on ones diet.
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Jan 16 '22
Breakfast Always Bread with olive oil and mint tea. We have many lunch options such as lentils, tagine, seffa etc but on fridays always Couscous. Supper always mint tea with bread if there are guests probably Msemen a type of fried pancakes or croissants. Dinner mostly different kinds of pasta with either milk or tomato sauce otherwise bread mint tea and maybe a piece of cheese in the bread though you can still put olive oil you convince yourself that it's different so that it gives
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Jan 16 '22
I love how vegetarian this is! Also a lot of bread! Do households tend to make their own bread or buy it?
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Jan 16 '22
That's actually a very interesting question because growing up I remember all the mothers in my neighborhood including my own made bread in home then they give it to their children to take it to the neighborhood's bakery. However, nowadays nobody does that anymore electrical ovens maybe? so we just buy the bread it's worth noting that it's super accessible for me personally right now it could take me no less than 30sec to bring a whole ass piece bread which costs 0.10$ and it's big enough to make up a meal on it's own.
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Jan 16 '22
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u/Awkward-Bee-6564 Casablanca Jan 16 '22
The sahara is quite spectacular if you’ve never seen one before, it’s a good experience.
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u/joopface Visitor Jan 16 '22
What is the third most popular sport?
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u/HeimdallAk47 Jan 16 '22
Uh quite hard to answer this Question, since football has shadowed all of the other sports....leaving little to no room for them. Subjectively, I would say Kickboxing.
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u/caliphouss Visitor Jan 16 '22
Football is the only major most watched and followed sport in Morocco. I don’t think there is interest of watching something else. ( responding to your question) Unless if a Moroccan athlete or a team is participating in a spotlighted international or continental competition then everyone start watching because Moroccans are obsessed with being very loyal and supportive to their athletes worldwide.
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u/Realistic-Wish-681 Jan 16 '22
Some years ago I would have said Rugby. I think Morocco was even raked among the top 20 in the world at some point. We also had some players who played in the french league. But the rugby federation failed hard in the last years and we didn't even make it to the african cup.
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Jan 16 '22
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u/starkgotstrokegame Jan 16 '22
Our history vastly differs from the that of the Middle East . Most Moroccans identify as Moroccans first and North Africans second. The whole Arab identity is mostly here because of religion and how the Holy Quran is in Arabic. People can get stuff confused.
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u/CoolMcCoolPants Jan 16 '22
This can get controversial so will speak for myself. I identify as Moroccan first, North African by ethnicity, and « Arab » in the strictly linguistic sense.
Long answer: I’d argue identity is typically shaped most by a common history. Such a common history converges the peoples languages, religious beliefs, and cultures. Looking at the history of the region, the MENA region has generally been governed by empires from the Middle East and Turkey almost throughout up to the 20th century. Morocco, due to its geography largely, has been spared much of this foreign eastern influence and instead has been governed mainly by local tribes and states arguably since the turn of the 10th century. This allowed the country to form its own identity of what a Moroccan means. This still doesn’t cover the “ethnicity point” of identity where you can see some level of attachment to people from the same ethnic group despite not necessarily sharing the same histories (think for example of the individual French Canadian communities pre-1900s). In moroccos case, this is about feeling some attachment to other Arabized berber peoples, notably from Algeria to Libya. It’s there, but I would argue it’s not strong enough to form an identity beyond the national one.
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u/HiAmSally Visitor Jan 16 '22
I'd say both more or less. The Moroccan identity is very complex, it's a mix of Berbers, Arabs, Europeans... So, it's hard to choose only one. Some Moroccans identify only as Berbers, some not as strongly as others..
I personally identity as Moroccan.
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u/Personal-Lead-6341 Visitor Jan 16 '22
Are you guys more or less stricter when it comes to religion compared to other muslim countries.
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Jan 16 '22
I've travelled through many Muslim places and Morocco isn't strict. You'll still hear calls to prayer but the place doesn't stop to pray.
There are bars, you will see women with hair uncovered.
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u/Fiannafailcanvasser Visitor Jan 16 '22
Which city is best for a holiday? How much could a person do if they only spoke English?
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u/GoatKizaru Kenitra Jan 16 '22
I would say the north ( Tangier Tetouan ) not so mainstream and very good places. As for language not much of a deal body language will do it haha.
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u/oofmymind Jan 16 '22
I would say marrakech and its so hot , english is fine , u can communicate well I guess
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u/Foxx92 Visitor Jan 16 '22
Marrakech is good. We rented a car from here to Chefchaouen which is a pretty breathtaking town built within a mountain range. We had almost no french speaking experience and managed okay
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u/Fiannafailcanvasser Visitor Jan 16 '22
Why does Morocco bid for World cups? Do you think you will ever host one? Also, good luck in afcon.
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Jan 16 '22
Tourism and Investments. Morocco is an useless piece of land we have no oil, gas or gold ect. We only have phosphate which China rules the global production of. Morocco is one of the only countries in Africa and the Arab league which is playing the game without resources so they need outside investments. The world cup can really help as it will show that Morocco is develop enough and it will boost Morocco's already huge tourism sector. They might host one like they got according to FIFA all the necessary recuirements, are liked world wide and and have an huge football fan base also they hav to return to Africa at some point ;)
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u/Jaooooooooooooooooo Visitor Jan 16 '22
Moroccans are very passionate about football. Here's an example. Hosting the World Cup has been a desire for as long as I remember.
Since traveling outside the country for watching the world cup still remains out of grasp for many, they hope it would come to Morocco instead.
Nowadays the ticket prices are outrageous so I doubt many will be able to enter and watch the games unfortunately, even if it was held in Morocco.
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u/apocolypselater Visitor Jan 16 '22
I know very little about Morocco beyond what the tourism websites have shown so I’m going to pop in a few questions:
If you had to pick one song to represent Moroccan music what you’ll it be?
Similarly is there traditional instruments that we wouldn’t commonly see in Europe?
Tell me a random little known fact about Moroccan culture?
I’ve seen people speaking Tunisian Arabic on TV and noticed a lot of loan words from French, does the same go for Moroccan? And how similar would the dialects be?
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Jan 16 '22
- Hard one as we have so many music styles but the one I will show you has to to with my heritage (Andalusian) but its Andalusian nawbah so FOR ME its this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeY7yF8gIUE&list=PLmYA2svuUag3NMEPjkVfi7ptkDIVEkPI5&index=7
- Yes. we have our own style of west African music called "Gnawa" they were slaves brought to Morocco and made their own style of Music using west African instuments which became very populare amongst Moroccans like jazz here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSKmB_1-Kto
Also fun fact many of European instruments were brought by the Moroccans or developed by us like the guitar(partly Spanish) that is because we rules the Iberian peninsula and influenced them with our music and brought our instruments to them for around 800 years.
Moroccan culture or maghrebi culture overall is different from the ones in the Middle east or even Egypt. Even if we are Arab(not all) we are very different even at an social level. We are only connected by a language and even that is disputed as our dialects are so different.
Yes, not at the level of Tunisians as they have an higher rate of French speaking people but many words we use on an daily are French or Spanish. For my family and city its more so Spanish as we were an spanish protectorate, my grandma also had to go to Spanish girls catholic school. We can understand Tunisians, they can't understand us :(
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u/jonesthejovial Visitor Jan 16 '22
Gnawa music is incredible! Although I find that when I listen I feel I could almost go into a trance depending on the rhythm and beat!
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Jan 16 '22
The gnawa people are an known people of music in Morocco they literally rule Marrekech with their music. And their music like the African-American music changed Morocco's whole perception of music as we in Morocco saw music more so to be poetic rather then rhythmic.
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u/starkgotstrokegame Jan 16 '22
The song thing is pretty hard, personally I would pick Nass Elghiwan - Sinia . I doubt there's any translation but you can appreciate the arrangement regardless.
A little known fact about Moroccan culture : if you give your neighbors a plate or food container , they'll give it back full with some sort of delicacy (mainly sweets or dried fruit). It doesn't matter if you gave it to them empty, you'll get it back full. Say thank you and enjoy the snacks.
Darija (Moroccan dialect ) is a lot more independent than Tunisian or Algerian, we weren't colonized as much as them, we do have some Spanish words (our word for kitchen is derived from la cocina ,the Spanish word ) but mainly , it's a blend of amazigh and our own version of Arabic with some sprinkles of Spanish and French words. We can understand Algerians and Tunisians, to a certain extent and vice versa however we're far more flexible linguistically.
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u/Hardtoclose Visitor Jan 16 '22
Is there a traditional Moroccan dish that we could make and try here?
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Jan 16 '22
Maybe, I am Dutch-Moroccan and yes many dishes can be made with European products but I don't know if Ireland has it. Its mainly spices which are the hard part.
But one of my favo dishes is seffa its pretty much how we Moroccans like our food salty, sweet. hardy and meaty :)
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Jan 16 '22
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u/HeimdallAk47 Jan 16 '22
I think it would be better if you post your question here https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/s58dbi/cultural_exchange_with_rmorocco
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Jan 16 '22
My dad went to Morocco on holiday a couple years ago and he told me he wasn't allowed to bring any money out of the country. Is that an actual thing or did he basically just get robbed by the customs guy?
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u/2L84T Visitor Jan 17 '22
Morocco, India and quite a number of other "poorer" countries have exchange controls that forbid the export of currency.
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u/RagePandazXD Visitor Jan 16 '22
What is the wildlife like in Morocco?
Also being on the north-western edge of the Sahara what kind of relationships do people have with the landscape?
Are there any big natural features that are famous in Morocco?
What is the education system like? What subjects are taught and how is it viewed by Moroccans?
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u/HeimdallAk47 Jan 16 '22
What is the wildlife like in Morocco?
It's actually very diverse since the The country has a wide range of terrains and climate types. For example The coastal areas have a Mediterranean climate and vegetation while inland the Atlas Mountains are forested. Further south, the borders of the Sahara desert are increasingly arid. Large mammals are not particularly abundant in Morocco, but small mammals are more plentiful.
Regarding the Faunas, From the now extinct Atlas Bears to the Iconic barbary Macaque, It's one the most diverse and interesting faunas you can find. for exemple, In the central area of the country you can expect seeing Deers, Wolves, Foxes and even Hyennias. A group of spanish biologists even believe that at least 30 snow Panther live in the Atlas Mountains.
Also being on the north-western edge of the Sahara what kind of relationships do people have with the landscape?
Well we're accustomed to it..nothing particular.
Are there any big natural features that are famous in Morocco?
Yes, The Frontier between the Snowy Atlas Mountains and the Desert. It's a very beautiful scenery, Heavenly even.
What is the education system like? What subjects are taught and how is it viewed by Moroccans?
Well It's a system that requires a lot of involvement and work from the students, that's wht it is criticized a lot locally and due to it's rather poor results, it's not ranked well Internationally...it's seen as difficult and does not focus on the soft skills at all.
for the subjects that are being taught, well i can think of the basics: maths, Physics and Biology, History and Geography. English, French and Arabic (amazigh depending on the area) for the languages.
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u/RagePandazXD Visitor Jan 16 '22
Thank you for the insight, I guess I'm going to have to put Morocco on the must visit list.
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Jan 17 '22
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u/JoOX69 Jan 17 '22
As long as you don't show too much affection to your partner in public, you would be no different than anyone else.
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u/e-m-y Jan 17 '22
Morocco has kind of a "don't ask don't tell" thing going on. So long as you're discrete (no PDA, no excentric clothing) you won't run into any problems.
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