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5G Mobile Technology Coming to Morocco in 2022

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Rabat – Although Morocco is a leading country in the 4G mobile broadband with increasing numbers of subscribers having access to the fourth generation network in Africa, Moroccans will keep using the June 2015 technology for several more years.

In its 2018 report about the mobile economy in the MENA region, the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has indicated that Morocco will not get the fifth generation of mobile technology until 2022.

GSMA set due dates for the 5G commercial launches in other MENA countries, revealing that Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will get 5G as soon as 2019. Oman will get the technology in 2020 and then Turkey and Jordan in 2021. Tunisia and Algeria will have to wait until 2023.

According to the GSMA report, while Morocco will be relatively late to adopt the 5G technology, other mobile operators, such as the Emirati Etisalat, the Qatari Ooredoo, the Saudi STC, and the Kuwaiti Zain have already launched 5G deployment trials in their home countries before the official commercialization.

GSMA covers mobile operators, networks and mobile virtual network operators around the world. It represents the interests of 750 operators and 350 hardware and software companies in addition to internet companies.

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Long-Stranded Moroccan Fishermen Call for Help in Algerian Waters

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Rabat – The ministry stated in a press release that the Coast Guard’s auxiliary units received a distress call from the four fishermen, saying that they were trapped in a damaged fishing vessel.

Algeria rescued the fishermen four nautical miles northeast of Ghazaouet.

Ennahar reported that Algerian fishermen from Ghazaouet rescued the four Moroccan fishermen who were stranded for four days after their boat’s engine had fallen into the sea.

The Moroccan fishermen left the port of Nador four days before the Algerians rescued them.

According to Erem News, Algerian local media gave much importance to the statement of the Ministry of National Defence about the Moroccan fishermen’s rescue.

Earlier this month, 12 fishermen reportedly went missing off the shore of Guelmim near Agadir.

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ShanghaiRanking: Morocco’s Cadi Ayyad University Best in Francophone Africa

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Rabat – According to Maghreb Arab Press, the academic consultancy firm also ranked Cadi Ayyad 15th in the Arab world and 12th in Africa.
In physics, Cadi Ayyad ranked the best in Francophone Africa, 13th in the Arab world, and 14th in Africa.

ShanghaiRanking ranked Cadi Ayyad among the 400 best universities in the world for physics and scientific research.
The university attributes the achievements to its research teams working in 30 laboratories on astrophysics, optics, electronics, and energy.

Globally, the American universities of Harvard and Stanford ranked first and second, respectively, followed by the UK’s University of Cambridge.

According to Times Higher Education (THE), Cadi Ayyad’s great source of pride is its scientific research. The university has become a leading scientific and technological center with more than 1,400 research professors and 146 research facilities.

THE ranked Cadi Ayyad University among the top 1,000 universities worldwide.

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Moroccan Doctors Wear Black to Protest Healthcare Conditions

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Rabat – Moroccan public sector doctors showed up to work on Wednesday wearing black to condemn working conditions in healthcare.

After some doctors resigned en masse, and in response to a call by the Independent Union of Public Sector Doctors, Moroccan healthcare employees declared Wednesday a national day of mourning for the deplorable conditions in Moroccan healthcare. The doctors were also protesting the Ministry of Health’s lack of response to their concerns.

Public health employees across Morocco—from Oujda, Tetouan, and Tangier in the north to Sale and Temara on the coast and Fez and Marrakech in the interior—put their usual white uniforms aside to protest an unsuitable working environment which they attribute to a lack of planning, poor governance, and insufficient funding.

Zerhouni indicated that most health care facilities in Morocco lack the necessary equipment and infrastructure to meet the needs of Moroccan patients.

In October, Moroccan doctors threatened to go overseas to seek better opportunities.

The union issued a statement condemning the small percentage of the government’s budget dedicated to the health sector, the shutting down of many health centers,, the lack of infrastructure in many hospitals and health centers, and corruption and irregularities in many hospital centers across the country.

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Moroccans Thank King Mohammed VI for Not Receiving Fallen-from-Grace MBS

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Rabat – Greeted with fervor and enthusiasm in the UAE and Egypt, decried in Morocco and Tunisia, and denounced in most of the world, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s abrupt fall from grace in Arab and global politics bears the marks of a curious tale of political miscalculations and an insatiable thirst for self-aggrandizement.

Putting behind weeks of tense international outcry over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has since Thursday, November 22, embarked on a world tour.
Featuring destinations such as the UAE, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Mauritania, the tour came as a prelude to the G20 summit scheduled this Friday in Argentina. Given the coincidence—perhaps calculated—critics have been quick to suggest a desire by the Saudi royal court to use visits in the region to prepare the increasingly isolated crown prince for the challenging reunion with global leaders.

‘Thank you my King’: Moroccans happy MBS did not visit Morocco

Moroccans are glad that the Saudi prince did not include Rabat in his ongoing tour. Relishing the fact that King Mohammed VI snubbed the Saudi prince’s request for a royal audience, Moroccan social media writhed in denunciation of MBS.

Some, reacting to the news of the King declining, albeit diplomatically, MBS’s request, heaped praise on King Mohammed VI. They said his move was commendable and thanked him for “standing tall,” upholding “Morocco’s dignity,” and “saying no to a murderer.”

Others, while visibly “happy” about the possibility of Morocco snubbing MBS and Saudi Arabia, were still doubtful, reluctant. They questioned the veracity of the news.

While Moroccans did not take to the streets—perhaps they did not have to—like their Tunisian “brothers,” their anger and frustration at Saudi Arabia was unmistakable, palpable. That MBS did not come to Morocco was good riddance, they said en masse.

The King’s move, they elaborated, was a “good” and sensible step. “He deserves global isolation,” one said on Facebook. The commenter added that Morocco and Moroccans have no intention of collaborating with the Saudis.

A ‘deliberate affront’

Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told the Guardian that MBS’s tour was a deliberate affront to the international community. By daring to go on a first major diplomatic trip amid fresh global outcry over the Khashoggi case, MBS is brazenly telling the world that he is back in town, unaffected and in charge, Riedel explained.

He said: “We have a crown prince for whom the Khashoggi thing is only one part of reckless and dangerous policies.”

John Allerman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies agreed. “This is a bold effort to force the issue of whether world leaders are willing to work with Saudi Arabia, saying if you’re going to do that, you’re going to have to work with Mohammed bin Salman,” he told the British paper.

All the same, MBS was warmly welcomed in Abu Dhabi and Cairo, his first two destinations. Abu Dhabi threw him a party—and pledged unconditional brotherly support. In Cairo, President al-Sisi assured the prince that Egypt will remain a loyal and reliable ally.

Boos in Tunisia

After the UAE and Egypt’s fist bumps, however, the Saudi prince’s mood experienced a dramatic fall as many Tunisians protested his presence in their country.

Prior to the prince’s visit on Tuesday, November 27, Tunisian activists and journalists wrote a damning petition to object to the princely trip. Pointing out the prince’s implication in Khashoggi’s death and his documented bleak record on human rights, they wrote that Tunisia was not ready to welcome a “murderer” and a “jailer” of human rights and feminist activists.

But the boisterous protests and audacious petitioning deterred neither the Tunisian government from hosting their Saudi guest nor MBS himself from proceeding with his initial travel plans.

Rallied at the iconic Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis, protesters raised their voice against “an appalling murderer.” Tunisians, in great numbers, took to social media to berate Saudi Arabia’s dubious reforms.

In Tunis, the Saudi prince incurred the ire of a raucous and restless public opinion that wanted nothing but to denounce and decry a “war criminal.”
“We are here to underline our dignity, our national sovereignty and to say we are not for sale,” a prominent activist was quoted by local outlets as saying.

A dramatic turn-around from the ‘bold reformer’

Just a few months ago, MBS came across as the Arab world’s torch bearer of progressive and democratic reforms. Praised for his youthful boldness and liberal-minded moves, MBS was, to many Western observers, the embodiment of 21st century Arab politics’ messianic figure.

Portrayed as a “reformer” and a “moderate,” the young prince was granted the performative aura of the revolutionary that Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world needed—and had been waiting for.

Editorials and opinion articles abounded to celebrate his reforms. Be it the Guardian, the Washington Post, the New York Times, or Le Monde, it is difficult to think of a major media outlet that did not bombard their audience with obsequious articles on the de facto Saudi leader.

It did not matter that Saudi Arabia cracked down on dissidents or that prominent journalists sought safe haven outside the Saudi kingdom or that women were still denied the most basic rights. All that mattered, we were told, was that corruption was being crushed and cinema—apparently a marker of progress and political enlightenment—was coming back to Saudi Arabia after a 35-year ban.

MBS then stood for some kind of Arab awakening, or “Arab Spring, Saudi style,” as the Times’ Pulitzer-winning journalist Thomas Friedman wrote in a particularly laudatory article. With his “moderate” and “balanced” Islam receptive of difference, the young prince, Friedman wrote, was “a fire hose of new ideas about transforming his country.”

“The Saudi Revolution Begins,” the Economist headlined a June 2018 issue, jumping on the bandwagon of pro-MBS PR. “Mohammed bin Salman could transform the Arab and Islamic world for the better,” the British newspaper offered.

As time went by, however, the prince’s reformist tempo tempered, leaving space for what the world had—perhaps deliberately—glossed over: Human rights abuses en masse and outright disdain for criticism.

There was the utterly irrational feud with Canada. The powerful of the world watched but said nothing, emboldening MBS in his sweeping anti-criticism antics.

After all, why speak about a dozen jailed activists, a sizable but apparently disposable number of exiled dissidents, and a diplomatic feud with a developed but minor geopolitical weight (Canada) when you can speak of the prince’s bold reforms?

Then on October 2, what should not have happened happened.

Saudi Arabia went too far, killing a well-connected Saudi citizen on foreign soil. What followed is perhaps the most dramatic scene in contemporary politics. “It was like a movie,” Turkey’s President Erdogan famously said of the Turkish intelligence-recorded tape of Jamal Khashoggi’s “heinous” murder.

In a matter of weeks, as Saudi Arabia kept issuing shaky, shifting, and self-contradictory statements on Khashoggi’s disappearance, and later confessing to his murder, international air became suffocating for MBS. Turkey, of course, swiftly played its part in discrediting the powerful prince.

In the eyes of many in the international community, gone was the moderate, balanced, reformist, and democracy-loving MBS. Once hailed and cherished, the Saudi now stood isolated and abandoned before Turkey’s incessant accusatory statements. He faced the melding voice of an irritated crowd shouting down a hated and hatable figure.

“Mohammed bin Salman was never a reformer,” opined veteran Indian political commentator Dilip Hiro.

All the hype about pro-women reforms and cinema and corruption-purging was merely a semblance of modernization meant to theatrically render a police state more palatable to the West, the Indian suggested. That has since been the dominant discourse about MBS as leaked evidence after leaked evidence linked him to the murder of Khashoggi.

A shift or continuing trend in Rabat-Riyadh relations?

In light of the Khashoggi murder, will the popular consensus on the need for Morocco to thoroughly revise its diplomatic stance with Riyadh succeed in convincing authorities in Rabat to initiate an unprecedented u-turn in how they relate to Saudi strategic interests?

Although questioning King Mohammed VI’s move (declining to host MBS) carries some degree of legitimacy, especially given the somewhat purveyor-receiver dynamic between Saudi Arabia and Morocco, the recent incident is hardly the first time Rabat has stood up to Riyadh.

Morocco has boycotted the Gulf Cooperation Council; refused to join the Saudi-led blockade against Qatar; repeatedly, but again diplomatically, declined to host the Arab League summit; and boycotted said summit. Add that to recent developments, and the suggestion is that Rabat and Riyadh are progressively drifting apart.

When, how, and to what extent will a rift occur beyond the current lukewarm and half-hearted commitment? Or is it all some kind of temporary quarrel that will settle itself when the current shifting sands beneath Saudis’ feet clear out in months or years?

It would be unwarranted, short-sighted, and pretentious to claim to have clear-cut answers to these questions.

But if there is a certainty to the situation, it is this: Whatever happens next, Jamal Khashoggi’s murder will be part of how things unfold. Saudi Arabia’s brazen and miscalculated moves in planning and diverting from the Khashoggi affair have proven a game changer in regional politics.

The post Moroccans Thank King Mohammed VI for Not Receiving Fallen-from-Grace MBS appeared first on Morocco World News.

Foreign and Domestic Tourism to Agadir Increases by 14%

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By Mohamed Hikal

Rabat – Agadir has received 14 percent more tourists this year than last year. The capital of the Souss region welcomed 840,000 tourists in the first 10 months of 2017 and 960,000 in the first 10 months of 2018.

Agadir received 5 percent more domestic tourists, 330,000, in January to October this year than the same period in 2017, according to the Regional Council for Tourism in Agadir.

The French made up the largest number of foreign tourists at 150,000. French visits rose 25 percent from 120,000 in the same period last year.
After Moroccan and French tourists, the Germans ranked third at 110,000. The number of German tourists jumped by 5 percent since the first 10 months of last year.

Agadir was also more popular among British tourists, increasing 18 percent, this year than last. With under 90,000 tourists, the British were the fourth most common nationality that hotels, club villages, and other tourism facilities recorded.

Four-star establishments received the most tourists at 210,000, followed by holiday clubs at 200,000. Five-star hotels were the third most popular accommodation, receiving 170,000 tourists, followed by classified tourism residences with 160,000 tourists.

The global occupancy rate, or the percentage of rooms filled this year, reached 54 percent compared to 51 percent during the same period last year.

Overnight stays by French tourists rose by 23 percent to 100,000, according to the Regional Council for Tourism.

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Morocco Is a Favorite New Year’s Destination for Portugal

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By Mohamed Hikal

Rabat – For many Portuguese tourists, Morocco is a haven for their New Year’s vacation, in addition to Brazil and Cape Verde.

According to Pedro Costa Ferreira, president of the Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (APAVT), Morocco remains one of the top vacation destinations for the festive season.

Based off of agencies’ travel reservations and packages, Ferreira told the Portuguese Lusa news agency that besides local destinations like Porto, Lisbon, the Madera, the Azores archipelago, and the Algarve, the Portuguese’ top foreign destinations for New Year’s are Morocco, Brazil, and Cape Verde.

Ferreira indicated that travel prices increased slightly this year compared to last year, yet customers are continuing to buy the travel packages at the same rate. He expected travel agencies’ revenue to increase by 10 percent from last year.

Morocco is a popular tourist destination worldwide, and the 2019 Travel Risk Map illustrates how Morocco as a safe destination with relatively low terrorism threats, risk of natural disaster, and health issues.

Tourist arrivals in Morocco increased by 10 percent in the first half of 2018 to 5.1 million tourists compared to to the corresponding period in 2017.

The greatest increase was seen among Italian tourists with an 18 percent increase, followed by the Germans with 13 percent, the French 10 percent, the British with 7 percent, and the Spanish with 6 percent.

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King Mohammed VI Rebukes Moulay Hafid Elalamy’s ‘Arrogant Behavior’

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Rabat – King Mohammed VI has called out the minister of industry’s failure to perform satisfactorily, asking Moulay Hafid Elalamy to put the nation’s interests before his own.

The King made the eyebrow-raising comments during a high-profile “work meeting” on Thursday at the Royal Palace of Rabat.
The King had summoned Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani and a number of ministers in charge of strategic departments to discuss “a strategic reorientation” for employment and vocational training.

Investing in youth employment and establishing a match between school curricula and the labor market’s needs prominently feature in the King’s successive push for a well-performing and inclusive labor market.

The King has steadily called in the majority of his recent speeches for a new economic model that ensures accountability and inclusiveness, bridging the country’s socio-economic gap.

He has especially called for more improvement and more efforts in areas such as energy and industry, as well as education and professional training, where satisfactory output is thought to vastly improve the country’s employment prospects.

The King felt, however, that the ministers in charge of the strategic departments have not been doing enough for the success of his inclusiveness and efficiency roadmap, “one of the participants” told Moroccan outlet Medias 24.

“You have been incapable of even producing a viable report on professional training,” King Mohammed VI reportedly fumed at the vocational training and employment minister. The King showed his frustration at the ministry’s inability to carry out reforms.

Of all the ministers who attended the restricted meeting, Elalamy incurred the bulk of the royal fury, the participant noted to Medias 24.

In addition to pointing out Elalamy’s department’s failure to meet royal expectations, King Mohammed VI called out the minister’s “arrogant behavior” and his dual nationality. Elalamy also holds Canadian citizenship, having graduated from Sherbrooke University in Quebec and served as a senior advisor in Quebec’s finance ministry.

Earlier this year, in January, the King launched the Souss-Massa section of Morocco’s Industrial Acceleration Plan. The goal was to rekindle industry and create 22,000 jobs for the Souss-Massa region. The King complained, however, that very little has been done in one year to meet the goals.

Angered by the slow pace and the unsatisfactory realization witnessed since he personally initiated the industrial plan, the King personalized the failure of Elalamy’s department. He fulminated at the minister’s “arrogant behavior unbefitting of public responsibility.”

The King concluded by reminding Elalamy that the nation’s interests should always come before his own.

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FlightNetwork Ranks Agadir 37th Best City Beach Worldwide

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Rabat – The website FlightNetwork.com has ranked Morocco’s Agadir beach 37th among the world’s top 50 city beaches. The website notes that the “golden sands” of the Agadir beach has something for everyone: A gradually sloping shore for non-swimmers, jet-skis for adventure-seekers, a tourist train for children, and vendors selling food for the hungry.

Legzira beach in Tiznit was classified in both Africa’s top 50 beaches, and the world’s top 50 “untouched” beaches worldwide. The beach is perfect for people who desire to spend some quality time alone with mother nature while listening to the waves’ symphony.

FlightNetwork said Tiznit’s “remote stretch of beach makes you feel like you’ve traveled back in time to a long lost land undiscovered by humans.” The website noted the beach’s two magnificent redstone arches that stretch into the ocean.

The Agadir beach is a masterpiece, especially if viewed from Agadir Oufella, a mountain perch that allows the visitor to panoramically admire the city.

The catalogue of the World’s Top 50 Beaches was collated by over 1,200 journalists, editors, bloggers, and agencies’ feedback who have adopted the culture of traveling as lifestyle.

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Holocaust Curriculum: Exploring Morocco’s Relationship with the Holocaust

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Rabat – Although Holocaust studies have not yet been officially included in the Moroccan curriculum, it is possible that we will see this happen one day in light of the country’s special history.

Recently, rumors have been circulating that Morocco has decided to introduce Holocaust studies into its educational curriculum.

The reason for the confusion apparently arose from an innocent error in the translation of Morocco’s statements at the UNESCO summit which took place during the meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York in late September.

Saad Eddine Othmani, Moroccan head of government and leader of the Justice and Development Party, approached the podium at the summit. He calmly read out a message sent by the King, a message of moderation, tolerance, and pride in the special model of relations woven between Jews and Muslims in Morocco.

“The history we teach our children must include a pluralist range of opinions and stories, it must present humanity’s greatest moments, as well as its darkest ones,” he said. At the conclusion of his speech, he approached the director general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, and shook her hand.

There is no doubt that she understood Othmani’s meaning. Indeed, her surname hints at her connection with Morocco, and Audrey is the daughter of Andre Azoulay, advisor of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and before that, advisor of King Hassan II.

Morocco, regardless of whether it implements the Holocaust into the curriculum, is unique among Muslim countries. Most Muslim states oscillate between avoiding taking a stance on the matter and Holocaust denial, because acknowledging the Holocaust is perceived as harmful to Palestinian interests.

So how can it be that Morocco acknowledges the Holocaust? The answer to this, as in many other matters, is the King, in this case King Mohammed V.

According to the Moroccan narrative, which many Moroccans are familiar with, when the Vichy regime ruled Morocco at the beginning of the 1940s, King Mohammed V was asked to hand over the Jews of his country to the Nazis.

The Moroccans relate with pride that the King refused to concede to this demand, arguing fervently that there were only Moroccans in his country.

Of course, in reality the story was more complex: Restrictive decrees against the Jews were imposed at the instruction of the Vichy regime and freedom of employment, movement, etc., were limited. Up to today, the issue remains a source of dispute, and despite the important role King Mohammed V played, he has not yet been awarded the title Righteous Among the Nations.

However, King Mohammed V was and remains a hero who saved the Jews. Here lies the real meaning of the story and whether accurate or exaggerated, it allowed Morocco to develop a positive national identity with regard to the events that took place during World War II and the horrors of that period.

While in Europe the Jews were annihilated, the Muslims in Morocco helped save them.

But what has happened since King Mohammed V’s gesture to the Jews of his land, and how does Morocco relate to the Holocaust today? Until 2009, Morocco made almost no public statements regarding the Holocaust. Morocco did not officially acknowledge or deny it.

Among the general public a range of opinions existed, but on the national level silence reigned.

In 2009, UNESCO inaugurated the Aladdin Project, designed to serve as a platform for activities and educational and cultural initiatives that would bring closer Jews and Muslims in the Middle East and beyond.

It was initially established by France, Jordan, and Germany; later on, other states such as Indonesia, Mauritania, Turkey, Tunisia, and Egypt also joined. One of its endeavors involves the translation of literature and films about the Holocaust into the official languages of the UN, especially Arabic.

The project even enables free digital download of the books, thus making quality content on the topic available. Morocco apparently liked the initiative and King Mohammed VI acknowledged the Holocaust in an official message to the initiators of the Aladdin Project. This was a rare official declaration by a leader of a Muslim country.

When the King speaks, his message begins to trickle downwards, even though obstacles are met along the way.

In April 2010, Andre Azoulay, the advisor to the King, declared that the Moroccan Ministry of Education needs to introduce the Holocaust into educational programs in schools.

This initiative elicited protest from pro-Palestinian groups: They called for him to pack up his belongings and leave the country. In response to the protest, an opposing campaign, supporting Azoulay and the message he sought to impart, ensued.

Despite the opposition, various elements in Moroccan civil society have adopted Azoulay’s message with pride and organized lectures and conferences in higher education institutions, including testimonies by Holocaust survivors who came to Morocco to tell their stories.

In September 2011, the Mimouna association organized one of the first such conferences in the Arab world under the title “Mohammed V: Righteous Among the Nations.”

In addition, there are other initiatives in Morocco that seek to change and adapt the educational program, in order to increase the representation of all shades of Moroccan heritage, including Jews and Amazigh (Berbers), which at present are almost completely absent from the history books.

At the bottom line, whether the Holocaust will be officially included in the Moroccan curriculum or not, Morocco has a special history. Morocco’s recognition and sensitive approach to the Holocaust is an additional sign of the special relationship between Jews and Muslims in Morocco and the way this relationship is being included as part of the broader Moroccan heritage.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy.

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Morocco’s CESE: Migration Fosters Growth, Promotes Global Solidarity

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Rabat – Morocco’s Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE) has highlighted the importance of migration for the country’s economic performance, urging authorities to further the socio-professional integration of sub-Saharan migrants.

CESE has established itself as a monitor of Moroccan public life, evaluating performances and making recommendations for improvement on various issues of public interest.

In its latest report, “Migration and Labor Market,” the body drew attention to the situation of migrants, especially from sub-Saharan Africa, in Morocco. The report gave an overall positive reading of migration and migrants’ impact on Moroccan social and economic life.

Calling for more steps to economically and socially integrate migrants, CESE recommended that government officials and “other stakeholders” espouse an “innovative” approach to make migration “a true driver” of economic growth and development.

Instead of the general tendency to shun and scapegoat migrants, Moroccan authorities should approach migration as enabling national growth and easing international solidarity, CESE suggested.

The report mentioned the necessity of “coherent policies” to ease the social and “cultural integration” of migrants.

While Morocco has already put in place legal mechanisms to integrate migrants, true integration calls for “coordinated actions” between relevant authorities and labor market stakeholders to guarantee migrants the right to work and decent living conditions.

Other CESE recommendations included government efforts to promote social cohesion and a spirit of living-together to combat suspicion and hard feelings between migrants and locals.

The CESE report comes less than two weeks before the UN-sponsored intergovernmental conference on the Global Compact for Migration.

The two-day event (December 10-11) is set to take place in Marrakech and will convene world governments—only about 10 countries, including the US, have so far withdrawn—to adopt the equivalent of an international declaration on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers.

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‘Morocco a Safe Country,’ Diplomatic Source Says Amid Investigations into Tourists’ Murders

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Rabat – As fear and speculation that the tragic deaths of two Scandinavian tourists in Morocco’s Imlil village will have long standing negative repercussions on Moroccan tourism, diplomatic sources are confident in the country’s ability to shed light in the murder and reassure hesitant tourists.

“Morocco is generally perceived as a safe country,” an anonymous diplomatic source told Morocco World News, suggesting that Rabat is collaborating with Copenhagen and Oslo to investigate the murders of two Danish and Norwegian tourists.

Read Also: Murder of 2 Scandinavian Tourists in Morocco, Act of Terror: Source

Following the murders, both Denmark and Norway warned their citizens from hiking and visiting the area alone without local guides.

“The vast majority of trips to Morocco are free of any problems, but precautions must be taken,” Norway foreign ministry said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Moroccans and Morocco-loving tourists woke up to the news of two murders in Imil near Mount Toubkal, one of Morocco’s most prized tourist destinations.

Like millions of tourists who visit Morocco yearly, 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, from Denmark, and 28-year-old Maren Ueland, from Norway, visited the region in in  hopes of exploring its stunning natural beauty.

Dear friends, [I am] going to Morocco in December. Any of you guys who’s around by then or any mountain friends who knows something about Mount Toubkal?” read one of Jespersen’s most recent Facebook posts, making it clear that the 24-year-old looked forward to making the most of her Moroccan stay.

Read Also: Four Suspects Involved in Murder of Scandinavian Tourists Near Mount Toubkal

Monday, however, the two tourists were found dead in the area where they had been seen camping.

Fear and apprehension quickly soared as major news outlets reported on the unfortunate incident. Danish and Norwegian outlets even reported that the two young women had defied their loved ones’ warnings about their planned trip to Morocco. The families reportedly had doubts about security in Morocco and did not want them to travel there.

Although other tourists have since spoken of Morocco as a safe holiday destination country, the harm has been done and fear appeared to have taken deep roots.

For all the fear surrounding the incident, the Moroccan diplomatic source told Morocco World News that Rabat has received guarantees from representatives of the two Scandinavian countries about their readiness to cooperate on the dossier.

He said authorities from the two concerned countries reiterated their faith in Morocco’s security. “Danish diplomats have reassured us that they believe Morocco is a safe country and that no Danish national has experienced problems while in Morocco” prior to this week’s tragic incident.

Moroccans and foreign nationals have been equally appalled by the murder, and police have, so far, arrested three suspects. Further investigations are being conducted to shed more light on the murders, the source said.

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Moroccan Air Traffic Increases by 10% over 2017

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Rabat – Between January and November this year, 20.6 million passengers flew through Moroccan airports, according to the National Office of Airports (ONDA). The number is a 10 percent increase over the same period in 2017.

Morocco’s busiest airport continues to be Casablanca’s Mohamed V International Airport, with 8.9 million passengers. However, with only 4 percent more passengers than last year, Casablanca’s passenger numbers rose moderately compared to other increasingly popular airports in Morocco.

Between January and November, Marrakech’s Menara International Airport steadily increased its traffic, recording a 21 percent increase over last year with 4.8 million passengers. The number accounts for 23 percent of all Moroccan airport traffic.

Essaouira’s Mogador Airport recorded the largest increase in passenger traffic at 51 percent. The Dakhla airport in the southern provinces also increased its traffic substantially, by 40 percent.

Other airports with notable increases in traffic are Tangier’s Ibn Batouta Airport and Rabat-Sale Airport at 21 percent, Fez’s Saiss Airport at 20 percent, and Agadir’s Massira Airport at 14 percent.

According to ONDA’s latest monthly statistics, 1.8 million passengers flew through Moroccan airports in November 2018, up from 1.6 million in November 2017, a 12 percent increase.

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Spanish Civil Guard Rescues Moroccan Stowaway Minor on Ferry

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Rabat – Spanish maritime services have rescued a Moroccan minor who was “hidden as a stowaway” in a hole on the side of the Miramar Express ferry for the mooring line. The ferry operates between Nador in northern Morocco and the Spanish town of Motril on the Mediterranean coast in the province of Granada.

Authorities took the minor “ashore to carry out the legal procedures.”

According to 20 Minutos, the Motril Civil Guard has rescued 524 migrants in December who were trying to reach the Spanish coast. Of those, 498 were sub-Saharan African migrants and 26 were from the Maghreb.

read Also: Spain’s Civil Guard Arrest 3 People on Board a ‘Go-Fast’ Boat

To ease the pressure of migration on Spain, Morocco has dismantled a dozen irregular migration networks throughout 2018.

More than 1,500 migrants had died in the Mediterranean in 2018 as of August while trying to reach Europe, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The number has undoubtedly increased in the past few months.

In September, a video went viral of a young Moroccan trying to get to Spain by crossing the Mediterranean Sea on a tube.

The minor was paddling just with his hands before he was saved by a Spanish fishing boat.

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Agadir Records 4.5 Million Overnight Stays in 10 Months

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The Agadir Regional Tourism Council recorded over 4.5 million overnight stays by tourists in the 10 months of January to October 2018, up from 4 million overnights during the same period in 2017, increasing by 13 percent.

Domestic tourists from other Moroccan cities topped the list of visitors in the first ten months of 2018, with 950,000 overnight stays. The figure is an increase of 4 percent compared to the same period last year’s 920,000 overnight stays.

Read Also: New Motorway to Connect Agadir’s Al Massira Airport with Taghazout

French tourists, the most common foreign tourists, made 910,000 overnight stays compared to 730,000 overnight stays during the same period in 2017,

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3 Guinean Students Die in Car Accident in Rabat

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Rabat – Three Guinean students have died in a car accident in Rabat, creating a climate of sadness in a community that was preparing to celebrate New Year’s eve together.

The accident occurred Wednesday morning around 4 a.m. as the students returned from a concert where a Guinean pop music group was scheduled to perform, friends of the students told Morocco World News. According to friends and relatives, the car rolled, and the driver could not stabilize the vehicle.

Bintou Toure, Souleymane Fofana, and Amadou Bah were all students in Rabat.

Aseguim, the organization of Guinean students in Morocco, and CESAM, the organization of sub-Saharan students, have paid tribute to the three students.

Friends described Toure as a “devout and reliable element of the community who will be greatly missed.”

“Bintou Toure was a very active and sympathetic member of the community. She compelled friendship because she was so open and caring,” one close friend said. Toure had recently finished her undergraduate studies and was waiting for both her diploma and an acceptance letter from a Masters program for which she had applied. Fofana and Bah were both pursuing undergraduate studies.

Read Also: Guinea: Morocco’s Autonomy Plan ‘Meets International Standards’

The president of Aseguim, Abdoulaye Barry, told Morocco World News that the tragic event comes as a terrible shock for the community of Guinean students. He explained there were five Guinean students involved in the car accident.

As the rear of the car was most impacted, the three who died were sitting in the back row, while the male in the driver’s seat and a female in the passenger seat survived the accident. The driver fled the scene for unknown reasons and has not been seen since, according to friends. People are searching for him.

The Guinean embassy in Rabat has suggested that all three bodies be repatriated to Guinea, but no decision has been made.

“The girl’s body will be repatriated. But the boys have sizable family in Morocco and they have decided that the bodies will be buried here,” Barry said.

The Guinean community is organizing a religious ceremony to pay tribute to the students’ memories. The ceremony will take place tomorrow after Friday prayers at the Guinean embassy in Rabat.

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Bank Al-Maghrib: Macroeconomic Risks ‘Remain Moderate’ in Morocco

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Rabat – Morocco’s central bank, Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), asserted that the country’s macroeconomic risks are staying generally moderate.

“In an uncertain international environment marked by persisting trade and geopolitical tensions, rising protectionism, Brexit concerns, and market volatility, macroeconomic risks remain generally moderate,” BAM said in a statement on Monday.

Macroeconomic risk, according to the Global Risk Institute, deals with “identifying trends, political influences and market volatility that may predict the impact these may have on financial markets and the economy.”

BAM issued the statement after the eighth meeting of the Coordination and Systemic Risk Monitoring Committee (CSRMC), on Tuesday in Rabat.

The committee, which analyzed the risk mapping of the Moroccan financial system, stated that the current account deficit regarding external accounts is expected to gradually shrink over the forecast horizon, after widening to 4.4 percent of GDP in 2018, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) reported.

Morocco’s net international reserves, according to the BAM’s statement, would continue to provide more than five months’ worth of imports of goods and services.

Read Also: Bank Al Maghreb Injects MAD 40 Billion in Money Market, Dirham Falls Against Dollar

According to the Global Risk Institute, “There are a few different types of Macroeconomic Risk that affect the financial sector from economic risks that affect stocks, economic and political risks that affect governments including unemployment, inflation, prices, export/import, and market factors that can influence investment, assets and company evaluations.”

The committee expects Morocco’s economic growth to have slowed down to 3.3 percent for 2018 compared to 4.1 percent in 2017. This is mainly due to the deceleration in agricultural value-added production and the slow recovery of non-agricultural activities, “which have not yet reached their pre-crisis growth levels.”

Concerning public finances, the budget deficit is expected to have widened to 3.7 percent of GDP in 2018 and continue, according to BAM’s forecasts, to remain at that level in the medium term.

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Madonna Honors ‘Women Everywhere’ in Marrakech Birthday Speech

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Rabat – On Christmas Day, Madonna published a video on her social media accounts in which she can be heard delivering a speech about the state of women in a patriarchal society.

In her post, Madonna paid homage to late American singer Aretha Franklin and “tribute to all women everywhere.”

The singer said: “Women are not really celebrated and honored the way that they should be and hopefully that will change. We’ve struggled through a lot over the centuries.”

Madonna condemned the idea that women’s freedom is limited by stereotypes about their their sex and their age.

Read Also: Madonna Is Already Nostalgic about Her Stay in Marrakech

“The way we’re raised to think that women have a lifespan and that at a certain age they have to go away. We must never be limited by age. We must never be limited by gender, by what society expects us to be,” she said.

Madonna shared another video showing moments of her visit to Marrakech and dance performances by British-Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj. Next to the video she wrote: “Life Is A Dance ! Thanks to Megan Guwre, Amine Messaoudii, Daniele Sibilli, Marvin Gofin, Hassan Hajjaj Sadek El Bahjaoui.”

Madonna had a lush 60th birthday in Morocco’s ocher city, Marrakech. The singer, who called herself “BerberQueen” as she donned a Moroccan Amazigh (Berber) look on her birthday party, shared several photos and videos of her time.

On Christmas day, months after returning to her home from Marrakech, Madonna wrote on Twitter that she was feeling nostalgic.

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8 Unforgettable Football Moments of 2018

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Rabat – Undoubtedly, 2018 has been a year full of unforgettable moments in football both in Morocco and around the world. It was a hard year for some and a fantastic year for others.

Before 2018 ends, football fans should take a moment to reflect on the most unforgettable football moments of the year.

Atlas Lions’ games in the World Cup

8 Unforgettable Football Moments of 2018
Moroccan national team at the World Cup

People from all over the world witnessed the level of Morocco’s performance in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The Atlas Lions played solidly in the World Cup and made two big European national teams, Spain and Portugal, fight to get out of the group stage.

The two European neighbors both struggled to defeat their African rival. Many Moroccans believe if VAR was not used in favor of Portugal and Spain, Morocco would have made them pack their bags and leave the World Cup early.

Casablanca’s Raja Athletic Club slogan

8 Unforgettable Football Moments of 2018
Raja Athletic Club supporters

Fans of Raja De Casablanca (RCA) repeatedly chanted a slogan in September during a game expressing their discontent over living conditions, discrimination, and oppression in Morocco.

A video documenting the chant was widely shared on social media and received many comments.

The video crossed the Moroccan borders to into other Arab communities, collecting about 4 million views on Youtube.

The rise of CHAN champion Ayoub El Kaabi

8 Unforgettable Football Moments of 2018
Ayoub El Kaabi Moroccan football player

The Moroccan football team of players without international contracts delivered a world-class performance during the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN). The competition promoted the rise of a talented young player, Ayoub El Kaabi, who scored in every match.

El Kaabi displayed pure talent throughout the entire tournament scoring 8 goals in 5 matches, making him the top goal scorer in the entire history of CHAN.

The Atlas Lions won the title of the 5th CHAN on February 4.

Zinedine Zidane’s departure from Real Madrid

8 Unforgettable Football Moments of 2018
Zinedine Zidane former Real Madrid coach

Since coach Zinedine Zidane’s departure from Real Madrid, the club has experienced the worst period in its recent history. When Zidane left his post managing the “merengues,” it was the first blow to the club’s continuous success in a long time.

After 2.5 seasons, 3 Champions Leagues, and several attempts to convince Zidane to continue with the club, Zidane made up his mind on May 31.

Zidane pointed out that the club needed change to evolve.

Mohamed Salah’s injury and recovery

8 Unforgettable Football Moments of 2018
Mohamed Salah shoulder injury at the 2018 champions league final

We all remember the UEFA Champions League final match when Mohamed Salah sustained a shoulder injury following a tackle from Sergio Ramos. It seemed he would have to abstain from participating in the World Cup.

Many viewed the tackle as monstrous and heavily criticized Ramos.

Salah recovered faster than expected and participated in the World Cup with the Egyptian national team.

Luka Modric’s World Cup performance

8 Unforgettable Football Moments of 2018
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JULY 11: Luka Modric of Croatia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Semi Final match between England and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium on July 11, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

Luka Modric, a Croatian midfielder, is certainly a symbol of a leader who brought joy to his country and impressed football fans with his outstanding performance in the 2018 World Cup.

He led the Croatian national football team to defeat some of the strongest nations, like Argentina and England, all the way to the World Cup final before losing to France.

The 33-year-old midfielder also ended a decade of Ronaldo’s and Messi’s reign over the Ballon d’Or. He was the first Croatian to ever win the renowned individual award in football.

He has just been chosen Balkan athlete of the year, ahead of tennisman Novak Djokovic and tenniswoman Simona Halep.  

Real Madrid’s 12th UEFA Champions League

8 Unforgettable Football Moments of 2018
Real Madrid C.F. the Winner Of The Champions League in 2018

On June 26, Real Madrid made history when it won its third consecutive Champions League trophy in a match against Liverpool.

Winning the Champions League final match for the third time in a row had never been accomplished by a club.

By claiming its 12th title, Real Madrid proved once again that it was the number one contender to win the UEFA Champions League trophy, despite its modest performance in La Liga.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Juventus

8 Unforgettable Football Moments of 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo’s announcement that he would leave Real Madrid right after winning the UEFA Champions League final match on June 26 left Real Madrid’s fans and players in a state of uncertainty.

After nine seasons with “Los Blancos,” Ronaldo joined the “Old Lady,” Juventus, on July 10. The 33-year old forward signed for four seasons for 100 million with an estimated salary of 30 million.

Suffering from both Zidane’s and Ronaldo’s departures, Real Madrid is now experiencing its worst performance in La Liga history with five defeats and two draws out of 16 matches.

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The Complex Lives of Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco

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Rabat – As migration continues to gather international fervor three weeks after world governments met in Marrakech to sign the Global Compact on Migration, Morocco’s thousands of sub-Saharan migrants continue to wait in line to reach their “European dream.”

The Complex Lives of Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco
Graffiti in the park of Qamra

Braving Rabat’s capricious weather and the gazes of onlookers, a number of sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco’s capital have found themselves a sort of refuge in Qamra, a popular neighborhood that houses the city’s bus station.

While Morocco takes pride in a “responsible” and “Africa-centered” migration policy, Qamra shows a much blurrier picture.

It is unclear at first sight whether the migrants in Qamra are facing a reluctant world that only perceives them in terms of cost and benefit analysis; whether their lives are eclipsed behind Morocco’s policy priorities, or whether their presence is no issue to locals, many of whom donate food and clothing to the migrants.

Despite some degree of friendliness and tolerance, the complete picture of the increasing visibility of sub-Saharans in Morocco offers reasons for caution. Qamra calls for perspective and nuance, a number of migrants told Morocco World News.

Moroccans are ‘better racists’

Under the bridge linking Qamra to the chic neighborhood of Al Irfane, seven Guinean migrants have established what they call “home.” They eat and sleep there, armed with a buoyant hope of fulfilling their “Boza” dream and royally oblivious to stares and prejudice.

Negotiating the condescension, the indifference, and the generosity of onlookers, but also a number of racist observations on their “black bodies,” they continue to live and think of a day when they will live the “European dream.”

Alpha Omar, the apparent leader of the group living under the bridge, spoke to Morocco World News about his daily hardships. As forthcoming as a Catholic unburdening himself to a priest during a confession ritual, the Guinean migrant spoke of his long itinerary through West African countries to reach Algeria before being expelled to the Morocco-Algeria border.

“We left Guinea because there was no hope,” he says, laughing, his face wearing that unmistakable marker of gravity. His voice grave and sour, as if signifying that he was not exaggerating his story, Omar spoke of the “hell” he and some others went through in Algeria.

“Work is abundant there. We could work there, but at the expense of our lives and security.” He suggests that it was impossible to survive Algeria’s daily patrols and security checks.
What does that make of Morocco? A better and friendlier place for migrants; a racism-free environment?

Read Also: Paul Kagame: Europe is Responsible for Migration Crisis

It depends on what meaning one ascribes to “better,” Omar’s friends jumped in the discussion. There is racism in Morocco, they conceded, but not as harsh as in other Arab countries.

“In Algeria, you can make money but you’re never safe. Here, jobs are scarce, almost non-existent. But you feel relatively safe, generally free of harm from authorities and Moroccans. Moroccans are better racists,” Omar explained.

When asked about Morocco’s recent crackdown on irregular migrants in provinces whose proximity to Europe brought droves of migrants to Morocco in the first place, the Guinean seems conciliatory, saying that Morocco is acting in “defense of its interests.” But, he regrets, “they have made it hard, impossible for people to try ‘Boza.’”

The unfading appeal of hope

The “stubbornness of hope,” Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote in her celebrated “Americanah,” is that it makes you believe that you’re exceptional. The “being exceptional” part was particularly striking in how Omar and his friends approached their Moroccan “stay.”

For all of them, Morocco is a necessary scene in a longer play: life in Europe. As they spoke, their voices, words, and elisions were rife with that gleeful aura of someone who not only hoped to make it to the end but was, in fact, convinced that the end will be happy, and worthy of the efforts and struggles.

The Complex Lives of Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco
Graffitis in the park of Qamra

“Migration is the only hope left,” Souleymane, the youngest of the crew living under the bridge, said as he chimed in for the first time.

Guinea’s political failures and deepening poverty, he elaborated, herald no prospects of success for “people like us, with no connections in high places in the country.” To leave the country then becomes the only way of helping families to emerge from the deep structural and institutionalized poverty befalling many postcolonial societies.

But how can you even have the time to hope, to imagine a happy ending, when you barely have time to live, to reflect; when your surroundings, the squalor you call “home” elicit only a permanent urge to go, no matter where?

Those questions were left unanswered, but the evasions were evocative, pregnant with meaning: to hope, it is enough to be alive; no luxury is required.

“I have a BA in economics,” said Mamadou. “But in Guinea, there is no job. So the only hope resides in going, taking with you the prayers and good wishes of those you leave behind. To go is like sacrificing your own life and wellbeing so that others in the family can hope of a life without the same difficulties.”

Mamadou, like the others living under the bridge, is from Guinea.

But he doesn’t live with Omar’s group. “Who told you everyone has a home here?” he asked. “People here sleep wherever they can, wherever they find space they deem appropriate for the night.” He points at a number of people lying on the ground, sleeping on generous grass that has become a mattress for many.

Morocco World News met Mamadou in what used to be Qamra’s park. Now occupied by hordes of migrants who sleep on the grass, play and cook in the vicinity, the once-park has become the closest thing to “home” or “our place” for Qamra’s pack of migrants. They call it “la foret” (the forest), perhaps a veiled reference to the migrants’ forest in Tangier.

But while Tangier’s “forest” is actually a forest, with all the dangers that life in such a place entails, Qamra’s “forest” is mostly made up of grass, wooden benches, and a number of lone and small trees, visibly stubborn enough to convince their occupants that they are indeed in a forest, cut from the outside world.

“You can’t bear all these tribulations and ordeal,” Mamadou continued, as he recalled his failed attempts—he didn’t say an exact number—to cross to Spain. “You can’t bear all of this is you’re not driven by something, some sort of positive feeling that you’ll make it, that somehow God has not allowed all this suffering for no reasons.”

This romanticization of immigration, the deliberate choice to ignore the ordeal of irregular migration and focus rather on the financial returns and the possibility of social mobility is reminiscent of sociologist Abdelmalek Sayad’s interpretation of his Algerian informants’ quite naïve and emphatic idealization of reaching France.

Omar and Mamadou are in some sense a perfect embodiment of neoliberalism’ gospel of the self-made man, the much-circulated belief that success can become a reality through resilience and a persevering spirit. “Just as some dream to succeed in life with their good education,” Omar said, “mine is to become rich by traveling, migrating to places that offer opportunities.”

The teaching of this success gospel can be liberating. It may even be well-meaning to Qamra’s migrants and other disenfranchised groups in some other parts of the world, but it is willfully and blatantly oblivious to the effects of class and structural mechanisms of disenfranchisement. It whitewashes the significant extent to which seemingly impartial institutional and structural dispositions have great bearing on people’s economic outcomes.

The Complex Lives of Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco
Ansoumane Mara drinking tea offered by Omar and hisf riends

Perhaps that is the whole intended point, to take society out of the picture and put the entire burden on the individual. Qamra’s migrants, or the vast majority of them, seem to have bought into the idea: Hope and hard work, despite the uncertainty and the crushing precariousness of life as a migrant, will prevail.

Does it not sound unnecessarily romantic and unrealistic to associate migrants’ lives with agency and responsibility when they are clearly acting within boundaries and rules that operate beyond their control, and do not take their lives into consideration?

But Omar has no ears for such intellectual mumbo-jumbo. To him, his daily life is proof that he is “a man,” a conscious agent of his choices; and a “fighter.” “God willing,” he says, seeming to have been taken aback by the seriousness of his own words, “like my other friends who have already crossed to Spain, I, too, will one day make it.”

Between victimhood and agency

But that does not mean that Omar and his pack are complacent optimists.

Ingrained in the belief that success can in some way right their countries’ failures to grant them decent living conditions, their present life is a constant game of fantasizing about a better future; they dream of changing their circumstances. They hate being called “illegal migrants.”

Torn between sub-Saharan Africa, Morocco, and Europe, they have developed complex personal stories, convincing themselves that salvation will come from “Boza,” even if that means challenging the jaws of the Atlantic or Mediterranean, and sometimes dying in the process.

What, then, can one say to adequately capture Omar and his friends’ lives? Where does one even draw the lines? Are they victims of neoliberal globalization or conscious agents of a battle for a better future? Are they innocent collateral damages of their origin countries’ political failures? Do they feel victims of marginalization and discrimination in their host society or rather beneficiaries (actual or imagined) of the many opportunities associated with migration?

Omar and his friends seem to be many of these at the same time. Sometimes, they are even all of these. Migration is a universe of contradictions.

For all that it is worth, Souleymane, the economics graduate, is adamant about his status. He is no victim, he continuously proclaimed, repeating words like “dignity,” “respect,” and “humanity” like a broken faucet.

Their lives, he suggested, is a walking confusion, a sum of battling, scattered, and confounding selves. He argued that the narrative of victimhood takes away the complexities of migrants’ stories. Instead of passive victims ensnared in the grip of lives they did not choose, he urged others to think of him as someone trying his best to escape from the unintended consequences of a conscious choice.

Ansoumane Mara, a sub-Saharan rights activist and blogger residing in Marrakech, agrees with Souleymane. Migration, Mara explained, is more complicated than people may think. Driven by the urge for nuanced analysis, Mara is more interested in “exposing the root causes” of migration.

The Complex Lives of Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco
Omar and friends have made thmeslves a home under the bridge

It doesn’t help to unendingly debate whether or not migrants are victims or have agency, or which Western country is pro or anti-migration. “Until we address the causal factors, we will keep on having the same debate,” he said.

But who, then, is responsible? How does one even measure responsibility in such a multi-layered and multi-faceted phenomenon?

“It is true that the West, especially France, has a lot to be blamed for. But while neocolonialism can help explain the lot of many African countries, I think African leaders are the primary culprit. African countries’ failure to devise working policies and their leaders’ lack of concern and love for the youth seem to me to be the prime factors. Did you listen to Macron’s speech in Burkina Faso? He clearly suggested that France does what it does in Africa thanks to its loyal and Francophile vassals who are leading Francophone Africa.”

It is doubtful whether Omar and his bridge friends were listening to Mara, even though they may have agreed with him.

As Mara bombarded them with questions about how they survive in Morocco (How long have they been in Morocco? What do they eat? How do they make money? Are they in touch with their parents? Do they need some clothes?), Omar replied, “We speak with our parents every now and then.”

Sensing Mara’s next question, perhaps the point of their conversation, Omar hammered home: “When conditions are ripe for ‘Boza,’ we will try again. That is what we are here for.”

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