Editorial : Morocco, Jan. 2012
In January, I went to Morocco to find out why it has escaped the Arab uprising across North Africa. I was prepared to meet a people pacified by mediocre reforms and mock elections, only to be presented with vast landscapes of breath taking beauty and rays of pride and hope shining through the eyes of children while old men forget the past and take uncertainty as bravely as nomads drink Saharan sand along with his tea.
In this photo essay, I hope you find a people who adopted Islam through Arab conquering but throughout the centuries kept a piece of their true heritage. They've survived dictatorship, colonialism, and are now putting their hopes in the new King Muhammed VI. Moroccans tolerated his advocacy for Women's Rights, religious liberalism, and although skeptical hopes that the free tariff policy in Tangier's ports will bring new prosperity to the region.
Shepard boy in the High Atlas Mountains near Imlil. Berbers in the High Atlas Mountains still live a simple life resembling those from hundreds of years ago. Many households still don't have hot water or electricity, but mobile phones and coverage as well as 3G internet is as common place as it is in developed nations. Most locals I spoke to take pride in their lifestyle and express frustration with city life.
Behind the tourist attractions are humble streets where life happens in the Medina of Marrakech. Tourists are passionately discouraged from wandering into the "real" Morocco and told "It is not safe to go there..."
Despite the warnings, I went ahead and found a resilient and vibrant community instead of hostility.
Despite the warnings, I went ahead and found a resilient and vibrant community instead of hostility.
Roads often don't have signs or clear definition of where the road ends and the wild begins. Along the way from Marakkech to Imlil, is a makeshift outpost and rest stop for buses. Two men sell grilled meat and bread from a stand.
Roads often don't have signs or clear definition of where the road ends and the wild begins. Along the way from Marakkech to Imlil, is a makeshift outpost and rest stop for buses. Two men sell grilled meat and bread from a stand.
Any Moroccan would tell you that "Alah comes first, then the King, and then family..." but if you paid any attention at all in this North African country you would realize that if the truth was spoken freely then football would have made it into the list of priorities closely after family.
Here, a young man proudly displays his Moroccan flag during a match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in a tea shop where most of the spectator sporting is done by men of all ages.
Here, a young man proudly displays his Moroccan flag during a match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in a tea shop where most of the spectator sporting is done by men of all ages.
Boys watch the match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona through the metal doors of a tea shop in the transient town next to the Sahara Desert.
Children eating ice-cream at a McDonalds after Koran school.
A man walks by an "Election Wall" depicting numbers and symbols corresponding to the parties contending for postitions in the district. What seems like graffiti to foreigners are actually integral parts of Moroccan local politics.
Man unloads sheep at a market near the Sahara.
A boy does his foreign language homework at an internet cafe while his friends played computer games. The book contains alternating chapters of English, French, and Berber. Most of the English tutorials and instructions are filled with gramatical mistakes.
Man takes a minute to smoke a cigarette at a corner in the old Medina of Marrakech.
An abandoned school administration building in Marrakech, still filled with furniture, records, and documents as if someone just left in a hurry.
