What makes a Moroccan a Moroccan?
This month, we’re grappling with the question of Moroccan identity, a complex thing. Moroccans are Arab and Amazigh, Muslim and Jewish, Francophone and Arabophone. The country is in some ways deeply divided–between the religious and secular, the rural and urban, the rich and the poor–but at the same time bound by a common thread of “Moroccannness.”
So, what constitutes Moroccan identity in 2010? The answer is by no means a simple one. This month, we’ll hear from 8 contributors who each represent various aspects of “Moroccanness.” Some are Moroccan-born, but have left their country in search of something else. Others have remained. Still others are not Moroccan by nationality, but feel a part of the vast fabric that makes up Moroccan life.
2:22 am
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8:38 pm
To identify the Moroccan identity, I think we have to identify what you have refered in your article as a common thread of “Moroccannness.”. It is very important to segregate between the Moroccan nationality and the Moroccan Identity. The Moroccan nationality has lost its importance for many. Has been devaluated one way or the other. Many are seeking other nationalities (Canadian, American, French….). The good news is the thread of customs, culture and history is there and still ties us all together and define our identity mostly abroad. We all get together when it comes to a soccer game, Musical event, traditional holidays, cuisine, fashion and arts. As we do so, others, recognize our identity clearly. However, I cannot see our identity in our TV programs , government management, language and I cannot even see our identity in the new generation living in Morocco.
7:20 am
hi everyone
am new to this forum but i liked it very much
well, the quetion of MOROCCANNESS is very wide ,it has all together been shaped by many factors, many ethnicities and races .First the amazigh population who inhabited MOROCCO since the early records in this area , after that came the Romans, the pheniciens and then the arabs , bringing Islam , the religion, the culture, the traditions, Islam has been a very important factor in the shaping of the Moroccan identiy since it unified both arabs and berbers , Islam in Morocco has always been and will always be a factor of unifying , but this doesn’t exclude other religions which also live inside the country .Whats more is that the geographical position of MOROCCO has helped in the shaping of the MOROCCAN identity not forcelly genetically speaking but culturally speaking.