Moroccan Cuisine

Moroccan cuisine is frequently hailed as some of the finest food in the world. Rich, flavorful, and nuanced, Moroccan cuisine attracts fans from all around the world. Spices, meats, and sauces all feature prominently in Moroccan cooking. 

From this...

Coriander, cumin, saffron, cinnamon, and paprika are all spices that Moroccans use liberally in their cooking. These spices transform any dish into a zesty, delectable meal. Moroccans also favor lamb, which can be grilled, stewed, eaten off kababs, or eaten with the hands. In particular, lamb is usually topped by raisin and onion sauces or an apricot puree. Lemons also are a handy item in any Moroccan kitchen, as they bring a zesty je ne sais quoi to any chicekn dish. Moroccans also incorporate nuts into their cooking. At a Moroccan dinner party, you may find pine nuts, almonds, and pistachios in your dish. 

To this!

Tajine is the quintessential Moroccan dish. Tajines are stews braised at low temperatures, which makes the meat tender and the sauce aromatic. A tajine gets its name from the pot that it is cooked in (the tajine pot), which has a conical top. Tajines are slow cooked and usually consist of lamb or chicken seasoned with many spices.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajine
http://www.cuisinenet.com/glossary/morco.html

Moroccan Demographics & Ethnic Identities

Cool fez, Hansel

So I know this is the freestyle week and I should probably be writing a post on something "fun" like Moroccan music or the many wonders of the Moroccan fez, but what I'm going to focus on today is ethnic identity in Morocco, and how it may be a problematic concept in both diaspora studies and discussions of Arab Spring. What I'm going to be talking about is considerably muddier waters than Morocco's economic system, so I'm going to rely on more sources than just the CIA World Factbook (as wonderful of a resource as it is). However, let's start out with some easy facts from the trusty Factbook, before we wonder what to make of them: 


Fact: The largest ethnic group in Morocco are the Arab-Berbers, which make up a whopping 99% of the population.

Fact: Arabic is the official language of Morocco.

Fact: Islam is the official religion of Morocco, and 99% of the population identifies as Muslim.

Fact: Morocco is in Africa.

A black Moroccan  (wearing a cooler fez)

I include that last fact because if I had no idea where Morocco was, Facts 1-3 would convince me that Morocco is probably in the Middle East.  Now, if we remember from my first post, around 700 A.D. the Arabs conquered North Africa, after which the area known as Morocco was ruled by Moroccan and Muslim dynasties. The country's history explains why its people are almost exclusively identify as Arab. However, its history cannot explain away the never-changing reality of its geographic location: Morocco is a part of Africa.


Who remembers our conversation in class the other day about Egypt, and how the vast majority of people don't really consider Egypt an "African nation"? I just looked at Egypt's Factbook entry and noticed that "Egyptian" is considered an ethnic identity, not just a national one, and that 99% of the country's people identify as Egyptian. In fact, when I look at all of the North African countries on the map, I hear that voice of so many middle school Social Studies teachers saying, "Well, you know, those aren't really African countries."


What does it mean for the Diaspora and those who study it if the top half of the continent is barely considered part of the continent at all? Even in regard to the uprisings of last year, the protest movements were called Arab Spring -- thereby erasing any kind of African contextual basis they may have. 

This map illustrates what I mean. Considering the top quarter of the African continent as more a part of the Arabian Peninsula than as a part of Africa itself is problematic. There are issues of human rights violations and governmental corruption in so many other parts of Africa, and yet the ones that caught the world's attention last year were only those its "Arab" region. I take issue with the term "Arab Spring" as a discursive mechanism of contextual limitation. Perhaps I am incorrect, but I feel like this term implies that the populaces' new-found power came solely from their being Arab, and nothing else. 

As uncomfortable as I am citing Al Jazeera (seriously), this article demonstrates what I'm getting at, using Egypt as an example: 

...Despite the fact that the rich banks of the Nile are sourced from central Africa, the world looked upon the uprising in Egypt solely as a Middle Eastern issue and commentators scrambled to predict what it would mean for the rest of the Arab world and, of course, Israel. Few seemed to care that Egypt was also part of Africa, a continent with a billion people, most living under despotic regimes and suffering economic strife and political suppression just like their Egyptian neighbours.

"Egypt is in Africa. We should not fool about with the attempts of the North to segregate the countries of North Africa from the rest of the continent," says Firoze Manji, the editor of Pambazuka Online, an advocacy website for social justice in Africa. "Their histories have been intertwined for millennia. Some Egyptians may not feel they are Africans, but that is neither here nor there. They are part of the heritage of the continent."

Morocco's history has similarly been intertwined with that of Africa for millennia. The uprisings there are, I think, just as much a product of problems within Africa as they are the product of problems in the Middle East. It seems that in Morocco, and in other North African countries like it, ethnic identity (read: Arab), is more important than national identity. This becomes an issue when it ideologically separates a huge chunk of the continent from the rest of Africa. How can the Pan-African movement, for example, ever achieve one African community when the continent of Mother Africa has lost her head to the Arab World? 

I have no answers (yet), but I hope to make some sense of all this as I learn more about Morocco and its role in the African diaspora. 

It's Morocco's Economy, Stupid

Greetings and salutations to those of you out there in Africana Studies 221 land! Today's post concerns the country's current economic situation, both domestically and in relation to global markets. All info comes from, as usual, the thoughtful and well-read people who compile the CIA's World Factbook entry for Morocco.

Up until the recent developments of Arab Spring in 2011, Morocco's economy has been sound for many years. Its proximity to Europe makes an economic relationship between the two areas convenient and profitable. This coupled with low labor costs create an economy that is diverse, open, and largely market-oriented. Now, keep in mind I have yet to take an economics course (gotta love Hamilton's open curriculum), but from what I understand, this means that the Moroccan economy has many different aspects to it and is mostly based on supply and demand (Okay, okay, I got some help from the Wikipedia entry for "Market economy"...).

A Moroccan farmer

The economy since King Mohammed VI took the throne in 1999 has for the most part been stable. Different sectors like agriculture, tourism, phosphates, textiles, apparels, and subcomponents all are key parts of Morocco's economy. In the past decade or so, Morocco has enjoyed steady growth, low inflation, and decreased government debt. Nearly half of the population works in the agriculture industry.

With that said, one might conclude that the people of Morocco must therefore live comfortably. This is not the case, as the country has high rates of unemployment and poverty. The unemployment rate is currently 9% and 15% of the population lives below the poverty line. This makes me wonder: who benefits from the economy? What are some policies the new democratic republic government can make in order to create more jobs? Other current challenges that Morocco's economy faces include corruption, increased government spending, and socioeconomic disparities among the Moroccan people. Hopefully under the new constitution, the democratic-republic government can address some of these concerns.

Morocco's Government

TGIF, everyone! And you know what Friday means -- blog post day! The main focus of this post will be Morocco's government. Both the country's general structure of government and its current political situation of are interest to me, especially as this coming Monday (Feb. 20) marks the one year anniversary of the Moroccan pro-democracy movement. Once again, all info comes from the CIA World Factbook entry on Morocco, unless otherwise noted. 

Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane

As I mentioned last week, Morocco is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the country has a monarch (in Morocco's case, a king) who rules within the parameters of a written constitution. The government approved a new constitution in July 2011. The current king is King Mohammed VI, but Morocco also has a prime minister who is the head of government, whose name is Abdelilah Benkirane. 

Morocco's legislative branch consists of a bicameral Parliament, which consists of the Chamber of Counselors, and the Chamber of Representatives. Whereas in the United States there are only two main political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, in Morocco there are dozens of political parties with different agendas.   

King Mohammed VI

Although the protests of last February and March did lead to change, many Moroccans are still not satisfied with the results and want more reform. Most of their concern relates to the power of the government: does it actually have any weight, or is it merely a puppet of Mohammed VI's monarchy? According to a Washington Post article, protesters call the recent reforms "cosmetic" and do not find them substantive. The country still faces many economic and social challenges that the government has yet to resolve. It remains to be seen how the protests of Arab Spring in Morocco will shape the government; as of now, there's still a long way to go.



  

Morocco: Some History

In this post I'm going to provide a brief overview of Morocco's illustrious history while also exploring the current state of the country and its people. All info comes from the wonderful people over in the CIA who put together the World Factbook. Thanks, CIA! 

Moroccan Muslim dynasties began ruling the  area we currently know as Morocco in 788, about a century after the Arab conquest in North Africa. Morocco enjoyed a golden age in the late 1500s and 1600s thanks to Ahmad Al-Mansur, head of the Sa'adi monarchy, who protected the country from foreign invaders. The current royal family of Morocco belongs to the Alaouite dynasty, which dates back to the 1600s.


The 19th and 20th centuries brought forth much change for this little country in the northwest corner of Africa. In 1860, Spain occupied the northern part of Morocco, and Moroccan sovereignty began to weaken. Consequently, in 1912, France established a protectorate over the country, which eventually ended in 1956. The Kingdom of Morocco is currently ruled by King Mohammed VI, who acceded the throne in 1999. Mohammed VI's grandfather, Mohammed V, organized Morocco into a constitutional monarchy. 

In the late 20th century, Morocco experienced significant political form. 1997 brought forth a bicameral legislature, and King Mohammed VI has introduced several human rights reforms. Currently, the country has a moderately free press, although the government has prosecuted journalists critical of it and of Islam. There is political ambiguity regarding the status of Western Sahara as it pertains to Morocco's borders; in the 1970s Morocco annexed the area but its current status is unresolved. 

The Arab Spring of 2011 influenced Moroccans to take action against the government. In February 2011, thousands gathered in many of the country's biggest cities to protest government corruption and call for greater democracy. Fortunately, the Moroccan government responded fairly proactively to the protesters. Instead of the violence displayed by governments in other countries at the time, the Moroccan government set up a commission in March to draft a new constitution. King Mohammed VI supported a swift implementation of the constitution, and the country held parliamentary elections in November. The Justice and Development party, a moderate Islamist party, now leads the Moroccan government. As of January 2012, the country has a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council. 

Courtesy of a 1998 trip to Epcot in Walt Disney World, I have always been interested in Morocco. It seemed like a fun, exotic place to travel to and have adventures in. Learning more about the history has given me a more realistic view of the country, but I still find Morocco just as interesting. And who can forget Bogie and Ingrid Bergman in one of the greatest movies of all time, Casablanca? Morocco, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Welcome!

Welcome to Moroccan The Suburbs!

This blog will explore the culture, history, and diaspora tradition of the north African country of Morocco.