Overseas Briefing

Author: Caroline Stauffer

MOROCCO - A four-hour wait for a friend's delayed flight at Casablanca's Mohamad V airport proved an appropriate introduction to the strange conglomeration of modern and ancient, progressive and conservative and rich and poor that is Morocco.

The seemingly commanding presence of the headscarf first caught my attention, but I soon noticed the diversity of the group. Women's dress ranged from the completely black, full-body veil, to colorful head wraps, to the capes worn by both the men and women of Morocco's mountain Berber tribes. Young people who could have walked down the streets of any European capital also mingled freely with those in more traditional dress.

Our first stop, Casablanca, to me merits none of the romantic connotations associated with its name. It is dirty and shows the burden of holding 3.2 million citizens of a poor nation. The Hassan II Mosque is still not large enough to hide the slums that sprawl out from Casablanca city center. It does, however, represent the country's sincere attempt to reach out to the non-Muslim world. Built in the early 1990's to portray Islam as a religion open to science and progress, it is the only Mosque in the country that non-Muslims may enter.

Traveling as two unaccompanied western women, my friend and I were stared down and verbally harassed at the few places we ventured outside our hotel despite our conservative dress. I left the city with a cheap pair of tacky knock-off Gucci sunglasses from the Medina and little desire to return.

Any distaste I had developed towards Morocco after Casablanca, however, was completely reversed thanks to the people in Marrakesh, a smaller city four hours south of Casa by train. We were lucky to have connections with a traditional, yet rather wealthy family in the city and were therefore able to experience traditional Moroccan culture sans destitute poverty. Moroccans are known for their lavish attention of guests and we were presented with more couscous, fish, pastries and traditional mint tea than we knew what to do with. I believe that because we were Americans our hosts were especially anxious that we enjoy our stay and leave with a positive impression.

Marrakesh is truly unique. The bright orange buildings and blue skies give the unofficial southern capital a more African and less Middle-Eastern feel. Indeed, only the high Atlas Mountains separate Marrakesh from the Sahara desert. The gold-laden royal palaces with their orange-tree courtyards seem like something out of Sherezade's Arabian Nights, while donkey carts and pedestrians compete with automobiles in the chaos of the streets.

Marrakesh has the largest Medina in Africa. The people bargain for everything from cactus fruit to televisions in the street markets, and tradesmen and customers alike seem to enjoy the tradition. The Medina opens up to the infamous Djemaa el-Fna square where snake charmers and their cobras are seen in the daytime, and which turns into a loud and jam-packed spectacle at night.

Our last night in Morocco was spent dining with a more modern family in what could have basically been a house in any American suburb. Most of the conversation was lost on me as I do not speak French, but I am told that when politics came up, the family emphasized their ability to separate opinions toward American citizens from their feelings toward the current U.S. government, but in turn expected the same of Americans - that the diversity inside the Arab world be recognized and that the words Muslim and terrorist not be automatically linked.