Looking for romance in all the wrong places? Going to the movies, or the bars, or the gym may be all the wrong places to find romance. Sometimes one has to travel farther, search longer, follow our hearts to strange and far-away places to find romance. Romance is an intangible sense of passion, of being alive...even of history ~ Carlanne McCrystal, Romance Travel Examiner
The quotation above comes from a tacky piece of "advertorial" travel writing just published in the USA. One wonders what experience Ms McCrystal has of Morocco but so you can enjoy the "thrill" for a moment longer here is a little more...
Morocco as it turns out, is a location made for romance in the most exotic of ways. While the capital of Morocco is Rabat and that might not echo "romance" in your soul, does not the simple pronouncement of Casablanca make one’s heart leap as we remember Humphry Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Her face is burnt into memory as she looks at him, her huge eyes filling with unshed tears. Oh, Play it, Sam! How can Morocco be anything less than one of the most romantic places in the world!
Now, purple prose and misquotes aside, you can strike out romance in Morocco if you happen to be gay. According to a flurry of press reports there is to be a new crackdown on the gay lifestyle. This is surprising at a time when many thought that the Kingdom of Morocco was on the road to modernisation with an increase in the rights of the press and freedom of speech.
Several independent media last week urged Morocco to grant more freedom of speech to gay activists. An Interior Ministry official, speaking only on condition of anonymity because of ministry rules, said Tuesday that the statement referred to the promotion of homosexuality.
"Certain media are taking a stand for certain ignominious behaviors, which is a provocation for the national public opinion," the statement said on Saturday. "Any act contrary to moral or religious values will be repressed."
Rights groups have denounced the clampdown, saying it is an unusual step for Morocco — a nation mostly known for tolerance and openness within the Arab world.
The interesting linkage here is that it coincides with Morocco's government alleged Shiite propaganda, saying it will tackle any group that threatens moral and religious values in the Sunni Arab kingdom.
Government sources say this is a counter-attack against articles in the press calling for greater tolerance of homosexuality in Morocco. The government regards homosexuality as contrary to social values and Islam, and Islamists, in particular the Justice and Development Party , have condemned the campaign and called for firm action.
Newspapers report that about 20 gays were recently arrested in the centre of the country. A French feminist organisation was earlier this year refused permission to open a branch in Morocco.
In a broader political context we agree with Fouzia Assouli, a women's rights campaigner, who suggests that the new emphasis on moral values is linked to local elections due to take place in June and the government's determination not to give Islamists an issue around which to rally. This is analogous to the "law & order" campaigns that political parties in most countries adopt prior to elections.
Hopefully, sane heads will prevail and realise that discrimination of any sort against gays and religious groups is not a good look for a country trying to increase its tourist potential. Nobody has analysed the value of pink tourism, but the monetary value, while probably considerable, takes second place to the damage done to the country by taking a backward step on human rights, simply for political expediency.
10 comments:
I recently read your wife's book " a house in Fez".Fez and its people are fortunate to have such woderful highly educated new residents like you both who touch the lives of the whole communmity directly and indirectly.
Now your name starts to look familiar to me and I can't see it written somewhere without stopping to read what you have to say.
-------------
About the description of the cicumcision ceremony in the book ,the broadcasting of goat's poop on the guests etc...is not a tradition of the city.
Attributing this barbarian superstition to the people of Fez
is a mistake. The author should have mingled with real fassis about the suject and investigated this superstition before writing it.
I hope in the next edition of the book, the author will order the suppression of this distateful imported barbaric custom.
Thank you for your kind comments! About the circumcision I will get Suzanna to reply when she gets to a computer. I would love to know where you think this practise was imported from.
Great article - thank you.
Good story. And I loved your book Suzanna - no wonder it is a world wide hit. My Moroccan girlfriends say it is the best book yet about Fez - marbruk!
I enjoyed reading Suzanne's book and I agree the stories narrated
about people she associated with are true.All the experiences and problems she encountered with adminisstration show the difficulty of the transformation of old Fassi culture.
I loved the home she restored and I am looking forward to visiting it during my next stay in Fez.
I was born in Fez and belong
to a genealogic tree composed of thousands of members
still alive and prospering.
All these years to know there
is a great influx in people from all regions of Morrocco to live in the city to improve their lives ans their social status.Each newcomer brings his own experience, tradition and (khawaar-
too)-An authentic Fassi who has family background from many generations in Fes can not be compared to a newcomer concerning his habits and traditions from the place from where they come.
The religious ceremony of circumcision has many religious rules and it is not possible to mingle any kind of excrement or any
body fluid in a sacred ritual.People who practice this barbarian rituals and superstitions are not educated in any realm of civilisation and life in general.They are still unrefined and need generations to
adapt to their new highly cultured environment.
As you know , Fez habitants are made up of people coming from all corners of Morocco and some from some countries as far as from Australia(lol).A true Fassi is a resident who traces his roots in the city from at least hundred years and must have his own or his family residence in the Medina from many many generations.
Newcomers in the city like most personnages of Suzanne's Book bring with them their own customs.
Some traditions are good and some are not.In order to practice some kind of ritual you need to have ingredients at the reach of your hand. And you have seen that Fassis don't raise goats or sheep inside their home. This custom must come from some part of the mountains.
I am amazed to notice in this book written about Fes and its people (fassis de vieille souche)
doesn't mention any story concerning authentic Fassis
Here we have a new book about Fez and its people .But where are the true Fassis in it?
Having read Suzanna Clarke's wonderful A House in Fez I can only agree that she should now write a new book looking at Fassis. I am sure she would do a great job.
Her last book was not intended to be about Fassis but about a remarkable house in the Medina and as such it is superb.
One other thing, could we have more stories on The View from Fez about people who are rennovating in the Medina. Some of us would like to get to know the foreigners who are doing this work and give them some support. As a Fassi I don't always have the chance to meet some of them.
Thank you.
Larbi
Thank you for your helpful comments.
My apologies if all the details of the circumcision tradition I have related are not completely Fassi. You are right, I was told the story about the animal droppings from someone who originally came from the country, and I checked it with two or three Fassis, who did not tell me this was not from Fez. I will try to correct this in the book's next edition.
Many of the families of our workers and Moroccan friends have lived in Fez for generations and generously shared their knowledge with me, but if there are any mistakes in the book they are mine and probably arose due to language difficulties.
I plan to learn better Darija, then would love to write another book delving more deeply into Fassi customs.
Hi,
I've been a longtime follower of your blog, and am a fan on Facebook. I lived in Fes from 2000-02, and it's great to keep up with local news through this. I'm a cultural anthropologist and professor at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
I wanted to let you know about the publication of my new book, which I think might interest you and your readers. "Women of Fes: Ambiguities of Urban Life in Morocco" has just been released from University of Pennsylvania Press and is available from Amazon and other major retailers. Based on extensive fieldwork, "Women of Fes" shows how Moroccan women create new forms of identity through work, family, and society. The book also examines how women's lives are positioned vis-à-vis globalization, human rights, and the construction of national identity.
I attempted to make it readable to an educated but non-academic audience, with hopefully a minimum of jargon. A link to the press site appears here:
http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14531.html
Let me know if you get a chance to check it out-- I'd be grateful to hear from you.
Thank you,
Rachel Newcomb
Rachel - we would love to do a review of the book for the View From Fez. Please email us at fes.riad@gmail.com
My partner and i have a trip planned to Morocco (including Fez!) in about 6 weeks, and in preparation I have read the lonely planet guide, the rough guide, the insiders guide to Morocco etc - but then my partner gave me a copy of Suzanna's book and through that I discovered your blog.
While all the guides have told me what to see and do and not do, Suzanna's book and this blog have given me a feel of the wondrous Morocco world we are about to step into. Being queer myself, your blog about queer politics is particularly interesting too.
Thank you both so much for this glimpse down the mysterious alleyways of Fez - it will bring such richness to our own travels through Morocco and through the architecture and riads of Fez.
Anna
Post a Comment