Un beso,
solamente un beso,
separa
la boca de África
de los labios de Europa.
-Limam Boicha
nabila.taj@gmail.com
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The West Wing’s Leo McGarry on the Correct Way to Spell ‘Qaddafi’
In the pilot episode of NBC’s West Wing, White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry calls the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle to correct the spelling of Qaddafi’s name. Unfortunately, the Times hangs up on him before McGarry reveals his correct version,
17-across is wrong … You’re spelling his name wrong … What’s my name? My name doesn’t matter. I’m just an ordinary citizen who relies on the Times crossword for stimulation. And I’m telling you that I’ve met the man twice, and I’ve recommended a preemptive Exocet missle strike against his airforce so I think I know how … They hang up on me every time.
(via theatlantic)
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Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
The moment you realize your family is not perfect is a powerful moment of clarity. Jovial, happy memories of birthdays, trips to the park, and holidays reveal a parallel storyline. This is a pivotal moment when you realize the smile on your mother’s face was just masking her pain. You may realize that the laughter that echoes in your mind from a family barbecue really came after your uncles settled a huge argument. The truth, as some may call it, helped me to embrace and love my family even more. We are all vulnerable to succumbing to our vices, but the beauty of a family is that it remains a solid entity despite these setbacks.
I learned this not only from my own family, but also from my family here in Temara. Three generations inhabit this household, and on Sunday nights, when the rest of the extended family loyally gathers in the salon, you can count up to at least four different generations. I’ve witnessed this Sunday night tradition since I arrived eight months ago, and I have always tried my best to attend.
The family had welcomed me with open arms on my first day, and gently guided me to the kitchen. This is very telling in of itself. I wasn’t fed until later in the evening, but that was only because it was Ramadan. The ladies of the house urged me to eat using quintessential phrasekuli kuli that resounds throughout all the homes in Morocco. They did not allow me to help clean up. In fact, my room was cleaned for me on a daily basis, and laundry was done just as often. I was treated not as a guest, but as a royal guest of honor.
That all changed, as I assimilated into daily grind. I learned which television shows they prefer, how they like their millwi (Moroccan bread), and their favorite songs. Eventually, I was allowed to help clear up the table, wash the dishes, and even fold my own laundry! On occasion, I served other guests their tea and cake, welcoming them as if it were my own home.
I have grown really close to everybody, and through pictures, home videos, and stories grown to understand their rich history. One afternoon, Sadiya and I were scouring my bedroom for a prescription that had disappeared when we came across a box of old photos. For an hour and a half, we sat on my bed going through them. She was reminiscing of the good and tough times, while I was appreciating listening to her. I saw how this family had evolved from adolescents who teased each other incessantly, to adults singing and dancing together, rearing their own families. Maybe the answer is a new generation. I think of the baby in our family, and how her mood affects our moods. If she falls ill, the entire household is in a somber mood. But her giggles, bring out our own desire to be carefree.
I thought of the arguments that had erupted, or the stories about divorces that had been shared with me. I would assume that these events would lead a lasting scar, but I realize now that everyone will protect each other. The scar will be a reminder, but the family will still gather together to eat, laugh, sing, and dance together.
Resting on a shelf in the back of my closet at home in Queens, is a Rummikube set untouched since the turn of the century. My aunt had given it to me when I was twelve after a two-week visit. I could not bear to look at the board game without thinking about all the good times I had spent with them. I was going to see them again in two months, but it was painful nonetheless. I was eleven years old, and that is when I decided I must be emotionally stunted.
I’m sure I have grown up since then, but at the same time it will be very hard to leave this family in Temara. I’ll be overcome with nostalgia every time I play Spoons, or when I see olives at the grocery store, or even when I hear snippets of Arabic on the streets. But I know my family will always be there to overwhelm me with love.
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Prince Moulay Hicham: Rock the Casbah
The Monday morning after the Feb 20th protests, I commuted to Rabat and made it my mission to talk to as many people as possible about the ‘mild revolution.’ I chatted with my taxi driver(s), the guy at the hanout (deli), a woman on the bus, my fellow Moroccan and American students, the bartender at Chateaubriand, an employee of the UNDP in Rabat, and members of my host family.
Most support parliamentary reform, and democracy, which is what most protestors crave as well. However, it is more a bypassing support than adamant advocacy for the cause. Some cited ‘bad blood’ being the cause of the protests. Maybe people are afraid to speak up, or maybe they are satisfied with settling with what they have been given.
I noticed that not a single Moroccan, save for my family, made mention of the King’s role. The king has yet to say a word directly in regards to the protest. He did ensure the establishment of a new council in a speech to Parliament last night. Although,the council had already been in the works since 2008, even though it had been ‘officially’ introduced in the 1996 Constitution. Thank you, your Highness.
The independent media is diminishing away by an invisible force, human rights are being violated everyday in the Western Sahara, the idea of partisan politics is a sham, bureaucratic corruption and repression is widespread in Morocco. The Constitution is disrespected daily by the the monarch and the Makhazen. The Amir al-Muminin (Commander of the Faithful), aka the King, has the right to declare a state of emergency whenever he wants. Let’s be honest, he has the power to make anything happen with the slight of a hand.
About 6000 miles away, is Prince Moulay Hicham al Alaoui at Stanford University, where he is a visiting researcher. The Red Prince, as he is nicknamed, is third in line in the royal succession. However, he is very outspoken on following a road to democratization. He wishes to “perpetuate the monarchy” because it is so deeply rooted in the culture of Morocco, but he is an diehard advocate of political reform as well as the February 20th protests, as long as they remained peaceful.
He says, “From the legal and constitutional, the monarchy is absolute, but that does not mean that the political system is closed or totalitarian. It is a soft authoritarian system.”
Nonethess Prince Hicham is criticized for speaking out from abroad instead of returning to Morocco to initiate change.
He’s also quite handsome.
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Morocco has been deemed the ‘unsusceptible exception’ to the current unrest in the Arab world; a few of the reasons why include King Mohammad VI’s immense popularity, the government’s tactical approach to political Islam, and the influx of social reform projects across the country. The impression of a relatively stable kingdom is a result of the intricate relationship between the historical monarchy and the Moroccan culture.
On February 9, 2011, Moroccans held a relatively peaceful demonstration in front of the parliament in capital Rabat to express their solidarity with the people of Egypt in their pro-democracy protests:
Gathering in Moroccan capital Rabat, Morocco on 9 February, 2011 to express solidarity with Egyptians protestors. Image by article author Nabila Taj.
Although in Morocco the monarch is essentially the government, there is a huge divide between the two in the minds of many Moroccans, which is why a ‘walk of love‘ was also organized on Facebook to express support for the king.
Despite all this, there is talk on the Internet about a ‘February 20, 2011, Movement for Dignity‘,
which is independent of all political parties, trade unions and other organizations in the arena, satisfied and committed to working within the framework of what it provides law and international covenants of human rights of the potential field of the act, its goal is to work alongside the Moroccan people to demand dignity and work for the good of this country to fight corrupt all those who stand against the popular will.
The leaders of the planned protest highlight the high cost of living, low wages, widespread unemployment, the spread of illiteracy, restrictions on the press, and the return of kidnappings and torture in political prisons, as the result of the government’s disregard of the will of the people.
Reactions to the ‘Movement for Dignity’ movement range across the spectrum. Twitter updates from MaghrebBlog, MoroccanLove, and _Nizar_B all quote a statement [ar] from Moroccan activist Nadia Yassine: ”the real transition will be achieved either voluntarily or by force.”
Yassine is founder and head of the Moroccan banned Islamist movement Al Adl Wa Al Ihssane (Justice and Charity); she has made a public statement supporting the ‘Movement for Dignity’, as long as it remains peaceful.
Blogger Shiftybox predicts failure :
Since the concept of government in Morocco is entirely separate from the person of the king, and that he would not benefit from the corrupt state apparatus, the king granted automatically for continuity of allegiance in case of anti-government revolt communicational and machine polished reputation. And with a government “rotten” and “interested”, the king becomes the ideal alternative and personalized hope.
Shiftybox continues to point out that “the upper classes or the Moroccan bourgeoisie has no interest to take action because, acting on simple ‘homo economicus’, these elites are fully satisfied.”
Blogger Big Brother [fr] is vehemently against the protests planned for February 20, 2011:
In Morocco, freedom of expression is much more present in Tunisia for example. If the event [the planned protest] was the last resort, then yes, I agree with this group.
Except this is not the case: One could very well instead write an open letter from thousands if not millions of young people signing to request a review of the constitution, a neutral and fair justice , tangible and real actions….
Nobody knows whether the Movement for Dignity will be disregarded or whether it will be the intial step to a mass revolution for change in Morocco. February 20, 2011 is only ten days away.
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“Speak like the people speak, so that you can become close to us, and so you do not differ from us in anything except in what is demanded by your status, which you only hold for our sake.”
These words are allegedly written by the infamous Saddam Hussein in his novella, Zabiba and the King. It’s an allegorical love story about the relationship between Saddam, the Iraqi people, and the United States. It hasn’t been proven that Saddam actually wrote the book, but he did have a great influence on its production, and it offers a considerable insight into his life and convictions.
In the story, Zabiba, a commoner, offers this advice to her beloved King right before he learns of an impending rebellion. It’s interesting that regardless of the illicit Qur’an composed of his blood, Saddam Hussein might have shared valuable wisdom. At this time, when leaders such as the spineless Ben Ali of Tunisia, or the callous Mubarak of Egypt are being protested against, Hussein’s words do not ring any truer. These nations need leaders who will empathize with the burdens of the people, and provide basic human rights for them.
Here in Morocco, I’ve talked to a number of people about the region’s recent events, and the responses are varied. There is the theory that Israel and the US incited the Tunisian revolution in order to get rid of Ben Ali to replace him with someone a bit more complacent to thier desires. Since Ben Ali lacked a strong network, and since there was an absence of legitimate political parties, it was easy to let these events play out. The protestors were just a gift for the media.
There are others who are extremely proud of thier fellow Maghrebis, and Arabs, and look forward to further progress in the rest of the region. It seems that everyone here already has the answer to the question of whether these protests will spill into Morocco or not. Not gonna’ to happen.
Morocco has already experienced its era of revolt and protests during the Green March and the Lead Years. Also, King Mohammed VI is appreciated around here despite what he has or has not accomplished. His extreme populairty is relative to the extreme dislike that his father, the previous king, recieved from his subjects. In fact, many young Moroccans have taken to posting photos of Mohammed VI on thier Facebook pages to show their support of his regime.
I truly believe that Morocco will not experience a Jasmine Revolution of thier own anytime soon, but I am extremely proud of the citizens of Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Jordan (Lebanon as well), for standing up for their rights. Even Saddam Hussein would agree that thier leaders were not very good at thier jobs. Well, that might be a stretch.
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Theme: Linear by Peter Vidani
