“As the wind changed direction and the temple band took five,
the crowd caught a whiff of that crazy casbah jive.” Rock the Casbah, The Clash
Following our
visit to Egypt, my spouse and I boarded a plane for the five-hour flight to
Casablanca, Morocco. We had two days on our own to explore the city made
famous by Humphrey Bogart before joining our group.
This is the
third trip we have taken with the Washington County Bar Association,
sponsored by Travel De Novo. The company organizes continuing legal education
opportunities to exotic locations. Our expectations were high, and all were
surpassed on this wonderful excursion.
It was
impossible not to compare first impressions of Morocco with Egypt. This small
country in North Africa along both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean was
cleaner, more modern, with fewer signs of the abject poverty that we witnessed
throughout Egypt. However, Morocco is far from a western nation. The illiteracy
rate in the villages is 38 per cent. Male dominance proliferates among three
distinct cultures, Arab, Berber, and European.
Morocco’s coming
out party will be as co-host for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Major
construction and infrastructure projects are already being rolled out across
the country. Morocco will join Spain and Portugal welcoming the world to a
celebration of soccer, diversity, and heritage.
On our first
night of the tour, we were treated to a welcome dinner at Rick’s Cafe, a
restaurant inspired by the famous eatery in the 1942 film Casablanca. The next
morning a visit to the famous Hassan II Mosque was on the schedule. Artisans
from all over Morocco worked to cover the building in a facade of grandeur that
can accommodate 100,000 worshippers.
Our next
destination was Fes. On the way we stopped for lunch at a thriving winery, a
real surprise in a Muslem country. Our evening meal in Fes featured the former
president of the local Bar Association.
In the morning,
we took off on foot to explore the thousand-year-old Fes Medina (old walled
city) and its souks (marketplaces). Pungent smells, unusual sounds,
and colorful sights of artisan goods and handmade crafts overloaded our
senses. The guides helped us with the bartering for rugs, leather goods,
pottery, intricately detailed clothing, and delicate metal work. A tour of the
large open-air tannery and leather emporium was a highlight. Lunch featured
street food in the middle of the chaotic bazaar. For dinner we divided into
small groups and were welcomed into the homes of several Moroccan families.
They were eager to hear about America and to enlighten us on local culture.
The featured
attraction on day four was the impressive Jewish cemetery in Fes, along with
its associated synagogue, now a museum. We were given a detailed explanation of
religious rights in Morocco. Moroccans are among the most liberal in the Arab
world. Community and togetherness are stressed over simply toleration which can
lead to conflict. After lunch at a Moroccan Grill featuring piles of aromatic
meats, we spent several hours at a ceramic factory where we made many
purchases.
Day five saw us
on the bus to the capital of Morocco, Rabat. On the way we stopped at the
well-preserved Roman ruins, a UNESCO world heritage site in the small town of
Volubilis. Finally, on a bright, sunny day, we admired the Rabat skyline while
lunching at a superior seafood restaurant along the waterfront.
Our final day in
Rabat focused on the Moroccan Parliament where we learned how the government is
organized. The system would receive Donald Trump’s stamp of approval. It
features a King for life with unchallenged executive powers. The king’s son
sits at his side, and the family owns large palaces throughout the
country. The elected Parliament can be dissolved at the King’s
pleasure.
Day seven put us
back on the bus for a long bus ride to the tourist mecca of Morocco, Marrakech.
Our hungry group was treated to a picnic lunch at the Amal Women’s Training
Center. This foundation trains young Moroccan women with culinary skills and
helps place them in the workforce.
Refueled, we
tackled the world-famous Jemma el-Fna-Square. The space was packed with
tourists observing an outdoor circus of snake charmers, Berber musicians,
barking vendors and exotic food stalls.
On our last day,
we toured two of Marrakech’s main attractions, the Bahia Palace, a showcase of
Moroccan artisan skills and the beautiful Majorelle Gardens.
The numerous
legal seminars spaced throughout the trip were well received by lawyers and lay
persons alike. Two discussions stood out for me. First, a journalist reporting
to a large audience on Instagram (owned by Meta) was recently denied access to
the service after reporting on the conflict in Gaza. Despite numerous attempts
to learn why, no answer has been provided.
Second, an
American expat attorney, now the head of a non-governmental charity, gave a
robust presentation on her efforts to improve women’s rights and to address
domestic violence in Morocco. Our group was stunned and saddened to learn
that only days earlier, the Trump executive order canceling all foreign aid,
had terminated her small but life affirming grant from the State Department.
What will I
remember most about Morocco? High on my list was talking to my waiter in Rabat
before lunch about football, soccer, and his brother in Boston. It felt close
to home. Then, napping on the hotel veranda, I heard Islam’s most holy Islamic
Friday prayer over the sound of the pool waterfall. A prayer revered by 25 per
cent of the world’s population. These back-to-back occurrences reminded me that
while our cultures are diverse, we are all more alike than most are willing to
admit.
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