Morocco

Strategically situated with both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, but with a rugged mountainous interior, the country now known as Morocco remained independent for almost four millennia while also developing a rich culture blended with Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Arab, Berber, European and African influences.

Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 to 1956, when Sultan Mohammed became king. He was succeeded in 1961 by his son, Hassan II, who ruled for 38 years.  

After his death in 1999, Hassan was succeeded by his son, who became King Mohammed VI and is generally seen as a moderniser. There has been some economic and social liberalisation, but the monarch has retained sweeping powers.

In the south, the status of Western Sahara remains unresolved. Morocco annexed the territory in 1975 and a guerrilla war with Algerian-backed pro-independence forces ended in 1991. UN efforts have failed to break the political deadlock. Morocco has been given the status of non-Nato ally by Washington, which has praised its support for the US-led “War on Terror”. 

Since 2003, Morocco has launched a crackdown on suspected Islamic militants. Morocco enjoys a moderately free press but the government occasionally takes action against journalists who report on three broad subjects considered to be taboo: the monarchy, Islam and the status of Western Sahara. Despite continuing reforms, ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch.

Facts in brief

Asni

Asni is a simple Berber market settlement developed over the centuries on a trading crossroad located 54 kilometres north of Marrakesh and 21 kilometres south of Mt Toubkal (4,167m, the highest mountain in North Africa) in the lower Atlas mountains at an altitude of 1,216 metres (31°15' 0 N, 7° 58' 43 W).  

The ‘commune’ of Asni is comprised of 13 villages located in close proximity with an approximate collective population of 8,000 people. 

During our visits to Asni, we work with ‘Association Tiwizi’ founded in 1998 as part of the regional ‘Association Touristique, Educatif et Ecologique’.

Association Tiwizi is based in the Asni village of Taourirt (Little Mountain), one kilometre north west of Asni; a community comprised of approximately  150 houses and 850 people. The village is poor by local standards.  Only 5 villagers own personal land and work, when available for the women of the village, generates only 8€ a day.

While culturally rich, the Atlas region is economically poor by western standards. Bartering and ‘labour exchange’ are still commonplace practices which help avoid the need to pay for goods and services with money. 

The word ‘Tiwizi’ in Berber describes the millennia-old practice of sharing personal time and labour to support themselves and other members of the family and community by collectively helping to harvest crops, herd goats, construct buildings, create terraces, dig wells, build irrigation ditches, etc.

Pressing environmental issues in this region include climate change and desertification. This year, the amount of precipitation (snow and rain) in this area has been the lowest in living memory. The dropping water table means wells must be dug deeper. Crops which formerly flourished are struggling to survive.  Flowers and herbs such as thyme have failed to fully flower over the past two years; bee hives are now being moved to lower altitudes to seek rosemary and orange flowers.  Alternative crops are being considered for the local area, notably saffron – a new ‘Fair Trade’ initiative which SIS will actively support.

Association Tiwizi works closely with three villages: Taoaurirt, Tamgounsi and Douar Amarigh in close cooperation with national agencies.  Horizons continue to expand, from building pre-schools, offering water and electricity, funding teachers, initiatiating training programmes, providing teaching/learning resources and developing ways and means of securing long-term sustainable incomes for communities, especially women.  

Work has included terracing, planting, digging irrigation dtitches, levelling the village access road, painting murals on girls dormitories in secondary boarding schools and creating shared community events (sports, music and drama). Local recognition of the passion, vision and work SIS has contributed to this small community over the past 5 years is remarkable by any frame of comparison. 

Our aim is to increase an awareness of the world in which we live and to encourage an understanding of the interdependence of individuals, cultures and societies. We aim to instil respect for religious and moral values and to develop an appreciation of other cultures, races and ways of life.  We strive to serve, enrich and demonstrate solidarity with the global community, of which we are an integral part, by offering a diverse programme of cultural experiences and community service projects which start locally and expand significantly into the wider global society.  

The Asni trip is one of many overseas trips offered to provide unique opportunities for all  participants to learn about a new culture first hand, to live and work side by side with people from  different backgrounds and potentially generate ‘life changing’ experiences for all involved. 

Students Quotes

“It would be easy to talk about how we embarked on a life-changing journey of self-discovery, or about how the foolishness of our Western consumerism was put starkly into perspective by a trip deep into Morocco. It’s also tempting to trot out the same old clichés about personal growth, or about how our outlook on life was changed once we’d left behind Sotogrande for the fresh air of the Moroccan mountains.”

“When going on a trip such as this one, one is often faced with various ethical dilemmas.  Are we really going out of a selfless desire to help other people? Or is there an element of simply wanting the feel-good factor, or the words on the CV? We were also sceptical about the amount of help that could realistically be achieved. What could we do, as a bunch of teenagers, that would really make a difference?”

“It is safe to say that all our qualms were unfounded. The trip was incredible, and has brought something new to our view of Morocco, our connection to our peers and our understanding of ourselves. Many of us were able to see that the trip to Asni wasn’t so much about helping people, but about playing with children who thought the world of us, and the feeling of solidarity after the joint effort of upending a particularly heavy wheelbarrow of gravel.” 

“The hospitality of the entire community was incredible, and their generosity made our trip comfortable and successful. We hate to use the words ‘life-changing experience’, but all of us who went would agree that in one way or another we have gained a lot from this trip.”

Alex Martin and Rio Jones. 2010.