Morocco is an extraordinarily diverse place whose traditions, rooted in conservative Islam, simultaneously include limited intersexual contact and seductive dancing at weddings and public events. It is not uncommon to see a mother wearing a hijab that covers even her eyes walking arm-in-arm with her daughter who has on a short skirt and a spaghetti strap top. Morocco is both conservatively traditional and open to liberal foreign influence. One may think that Morocco has been liberalized by centuries of exposure to Europe as Africa's "Gateway to Europe," but some of Morocco's seemingly liberal traditions, like seductive dancing, are rooted in ancient history of the Moroccan people. Today Morocco is a confusing mix of "modern" and "historic," as one can walk through a market with donkey-drawn carts pulling veggies and fruits and then be nearly run over by a a motorcycle whose driver is a young woman in skinny jeans and D&G sunglasses.
Tonight I went a large square where many groups of women congregate on Saturday nights to chat about...well, I don't know...what women chat about is a mystery to all men. It's quite a lovely scene since only men sit at the coffee shops around town, and these men sit facing the roads, watching those passing by and talking about...well, I don't know what they're talking about either. Tonight in the square there was a group of older men playing traditional Moroccan music. There was a woman who accompanied the group as a dancer, and I was reminded why I love Morocco as a land of diversity, contrasts, tradition, and flavor. This woman was dressed in a traditional robe that covered her whole body, and she also wore a colorful scarf that covered her hair. She had tied a string with bells around her waist, and she was shaking them about with rhythmic gyrations that were captivating and so typically Moroccan. People in the crowd got up and danced as well and seemed to lose themselves to the music. Music is such a part of Moroccan culture that these scenes of people gathering around a musical group and dancing without shame is as natural as drinking tea during breaks from anything. There I was in a crowd composed largely of women, most of whom were covered except their faces, and on the stage was a woman moving like Shakira. I love it!
Tonight I went a large square where many groups of women congregate on Saturday nights to chat about...well, I don't know...what women chat about is a mystery to all men. It's quite a lovely scene since only men sit at the coffee shops around town, and these men sit facing the roads, watching those passing by and talking about...well, I don't know what they're talking about either. Tonight in the square there was a group of older men playing traditional Moroccan music. There was a woman who accompanied the group as a dancer, and I was reminded why I love Morocco as a land of diversity, contrasts, tradition, and flavor. This woman was dressed in a traditional robe that covered her whole body, and she also wore a colorful scarf that covered her hair. She had tied a string with bells around her waist, and she was shaking them about with rhythmic gyrations that were captivating and so typically Moroccan. People in the crowd got up and danced as well and seemed to lose themselves to the music. Music is such a part of Moroccan culture that these scenes of people gathering around a musical group and dancing without shame is as natural as drinking tea during breaks from anything. There I was in a crowd composed largely of women, most of whom were covered except their faces, and on the stage was a woman moving like Shakira. I love it!
Another Moroccan tradition I find gloriously romantic is the custom of traveling story-tellers, actors, salesmen and women, and others who attract large groups in the main squares of cities throughout Morocco. Taroudant is a great example of this, and any given day you can find large circles of onlookers (almost always men) giving their attention to a performer hoping to dazzle the crowd and get donations. I've seen groups perform music, play with snakes and hawks, preach with a Koran at hand, and act out skits. Performers look down on tourists taking pictures of them, so I will not be showing visuals of what I see, but I'd like to describe the most interesting skit I've seen yet. Yesterday I walked into the main square and noticed the biggest circle I'd seen yet. I check it out, and there was a group of men playing instruments and one who was verbally animated. There was also a person who I perceived to be a Moroccan belly dancer, but she was covered up to her eyes. I quickly realized it was a man and he was playing some sort of dancer in the skit. This got many laughs from the crowd, who found this situation quite interesting. I in turn found this fascinating because Moroccan culture does not tolerate femininity of any sort from men. Homosexuality is unspeakable, and the shame culture that exists prevents men from even mocking femininity to joke with friends. Yet, here in the main square is a man dressed as a woman and shaking his rear end as a talented woman dancer. And the crowd loved it. Go figure! Morocco the land of beautiful contrasts = )
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