What
is a Moroccan? Oftentimes, such an
easy-hard-to-answer question crosses the mind and no specific answer
can be provided; for it deals with the mind, that abstract and complex
entity which embodies layers and layers of variables.
Worse than that is the adding of the culture “Moroccan” which is, in
its turn, that whole range of traditions, religion, language, food,
clothing... etc. So, how can we define such a complex
concept?
More than two centuries ago, specifically in 1782, Michel Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur, a French-born American
fiction writer and novelist, published Letters from an American Farmer.
It was in the third letter of this book that Crèvecoeur asked his
unforgettable question: “what is an American?”.
Crèvecoeur did in fact answer this question in an attempt to
gratify the curiosity of a friend; he provided his English friend with a
wide range of information about this new world and its
setllers.
Not to follow the lead of Crèvecoeur to the letter, and to try to gratify the curiosity of the readership, we shall
briefly sweep over some idiosyncratic facts about the Moroccan mind.
Looking
swiftly at Morocco as a geographical spot, any casual observer can
obviously notice that it is strategically
located: the European Union northernly, US Westernly, Middle East
easternly, and Africa southernly-- and of course, Morocco being as the
extreme northern part of Africa. Having another look at
the Morrocan map, one is to see that the more or less rectangular
shape of Morocco is really diverse and varied: northern Morocco,
“middle” Morocco, and southern Morocco—Moroccan sahara.
This is what superficially appears on the map. But what about the
deep structure, or maybe better put, the mind of Moroccans? Does the
Moroccan mind display and reflect such richness and
diversity as shown on both surface structures—the world as well as
the national map?
Certainly,
the “mind” as a philosophical term stands for not only what is formally
intellectual but all the cultural
accumulations: traditions, behaviours, customs, religion, language,
food, clothing... etc. And that is culture. We do have Rifis, Berbers,
Fassis, Marrakshis, Hassanis, to name but a few. In
Morocco, as you move from one city to another, your mind tends to
shift. Everyone tries to impose their “culture” on the other either
consciously or unconsciously. Some Moroccan sects consider
their “culture” as the right one and fight for that. Others deem it
so but cannot stand the fight of prioritisation. So, who is wrong and
who is right? No one could tell!
So again, what is a Moroccan?
Undubitably,
all Moroccans are aware of what has been mentioned above; but doubtedly
enough, not all of them are
conscious of what it takes and means to be as such inside the mind.
For what appears on maps is valueless and useless unless it is reflected
in people’s attitudes and behaviours. How many of us
consider this plurality of Morocco and tries his/her best to live
within its framework?
We are Moroccans,
not just Berbers, Fassis, Rifis, Marrakshis or whatever. We are plural,
not singular. We
are culturally pluralistic, not blindly singular. Such pluralism is
what makes us far from vicious conflicts and never-to-end clashes. If we
continue perceiving the Moroccan identity and
particularity in their narrow meaning, we will never come to
understand that a wider meaning is there. Both meanings complete one
another; each is incumbent upon the other. They are like a
coin with two sides. And a coin is not a coin if it is not
two-sided! Thus, we are Berber-Moroccans and Moroccan Berbers; Fassi Moroocans and Moroccan Fassis; Hassani Moroccans and
Moroccan Hassanis; Rifi Moroccans and Moroccan Riffis; and so forth.
All in all, we are first and foremost Moroccans—which melts all of our differences and makes us one entity and unity.
For that is the Moroccan mind—the Moroccan identity.
from
left to right: Anas Nmari, Mohamed Erraji and the Moroccan young poet Fayssal Chafaki
The International Book and Publishing Fair
of Casablanca began Friday February 12th, under the theme "Reading, keystone of the society of knowledge". This sixteenth edition is marked by celebrating Moroccan intellectuals
and writers residing abroad, under the slogan "Moroccans of the World".
In fact, the book fair of Casablanca has always been a meeting-place
for a
number of book lovers from all over the world. Writers, thinkers,
poets, philosophers, artists, students, professors, publishers and even
the layman; all come together honoring the
book.
Among the changes that the International Book and Publishing Fair of Casablanca witnessed this year with the newly appointed
minister of culture, Bensalem Himmich, is the abolition of the task of the General Commissariat of the International Book and Publishing
Fair, and entrust the Directorate of the Book and Public Reading of the Ministry of Culture, to organize this sixteenth edition, in
partnership with the Office of Exhibitions of Casablanca.
This edition of the International Book and Publishing Fair of Casablanca
is also marked,
according to the Ministry of Culture, by the participations of 45
states; represented by publishers, cultural centers or
embassies; 246 exhibitors participating directly, and about 380 publishers
participating indirectly.
For Mr. Fayssal Chafaki, a Moroccan young
poet, this is an occasion to look for a publishing house in order to be able to publish what he writes. “My writings,
especially in Arabic,
are limited to Arabic Prosodic Poetry, what is known as Al 'Arudd
Poetry. They are on the same basis of Old Arabic Poetry, rhythm and
rhyme, but they tackle updated and recent issues,” Chafaki
explained.
Chafaki has, in fact, been able to print some of his writings, but
of course not being published, and that was in 2007 in a selection of
poems called "Muqtataf min Diwan Fayssal Bno
Muhammed Chafaki". Other poems have not yet been printed, waiting
for a second chance.
In a question to Chafaki whether he was
welcomed by Moroccan publishers in the Book Fair, he said: “This
is one stumbling-block difficult to remove for poets and writers in
Morocco.
Our Moroccan publishing houses exclude most of Arabic "classical"
writings or any content that runs counter to their whims. Other Arab
publishing houses from Lebanon, Surya, Egypt, Kuwait, Libya,
Saudi Arabia and many others, unlike Moroccan ones, for what is
appendant to my own experience, showed quite different kind of
welcomings to me. Apart from their guidance, I received their mutual
comfort. A number of hardcover gifted books, cheerful and friendly
expressions, Moroccan publishers seldom behave this way, which is but a
tiny example of how publishers react towards writers. I
was left with one impression: our Arab brethren in the East do still
give intense value to Arabic Poetry or any other kind of writings that
shape itself in the form of creative art. Moroccan
publishing houses, and bear few who would be blind about this fact,
have market prior to art and literature in the minds of their owners. No
Moroccan publishing house has ever proved the opposite
to me or to any other hidden Moroccan writer or poet.”
The
conclusion drawn by Chafaki and his
friends, when their visit to the Book Fair came to end, is that the
purchase price of books which respond to their interest is still beyond
their purchasing power as students. “Apart from the
yellow books about cooking and how-to, books of high intellectual
value which may help students in their academic career are very
expensive for the Moroccan university student,” said Anass
N’mari.
“The very essence of literature is war between emotion and
intellect” Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Feelings,
thoughts, temperament, sensitivity, disposition,
backgrounds (…) are some elements of a long list of factors that
combine in a differently-coloured mosaic making up the
constantly-changeable spirit and personality of human beings. Regardless
of
all scientific definitions, suffering, either physical or mental,
remains strongly related to personal past experiences, emotions and
personality. This incomplete set of scientific elements
governs the way human mind works and then the mechanism of humans’
feelings, psychological state and behaviours.
Human
beings are endowed with mind and can never control their emotions.
They are tempted to love, hate, and suffer. They may go through
affective experiences, unpleasantness, failure, aversion and harm. Thus
suffering is part and parcel of humans’ lives. To obtain
the go-ahead and continue living, humans found refuge in all fields
of artistic productions (literature, sculpture, painting, music…).These
fields were and still an escape through which humans
express their minds and run away, whenever overwhelmed, from their
changeable feelings.
A
number of artists, authors, poets, musicians (…), who wrote their names
in history, have been inspired by their suffering, either physical
or mental. From Mozart, Taha Hussein and their suffering with blindness,
Nietzsche and his suffering with depression and
paralysis, Ernest Hemingway and suicide, to Gibran Khalil Gibran,
Badr Chakir E-ssayab and their suffering with illness and failed love
affairs. The list is very long and makes the one think that
suffering is the mother of invention.
PICASSO,
one of the most important artists of the twentieth century, has
a long impressive story with deep depression. Recent studies have
revealed that his Cubist paintings express his deeply agitated and
troubled spirit. When exploring his past, failure comes up as
his intimate and faithful accompanier. His early failed love affairs
affected his psychological development; particularly, his story with
Marcelle Humbert, whom he called Eva Gouel. He included
declarations of his love for her in many Cubist works. But,
unfortunately, was devastated by her premature death from illness at the
age of 30. This, let alone his declared sympathy for the Poor,
stigmatized his life and covered it with black clouds of despair and
deep depression that was interpreted as the reason for his repeatedly
failed marriages. Yet, suffering was the source of his
fame. It made of him an internationally famous star in the field of
ARTS.
BADR SHAKIR AL-SAYYAB, an Iraqi poet, has another story with
suffering. Beyond being known as one of the greatest poets in Arabic literature, whose experiments helped to change the course of
modern literature lies a heart-breaking story. His
mothers’ early death, when he was 6, left deep unhealed psychological
injuries. Time was never a healer for him. He developed a
troubled spirit to the extent that the event of his mothers’ death
is cited as a major influence on his heartfelt and nostalgic poetry
later in his life. Let alone his failed love affaires and
his suffering with illness which contributed to his death at an
early age of 38. However, suffering was the source of his extremely
sensitive poetic production (onchodat al matar collection). It
made of him a famous faint-hearted poet.
If
all sufferers were defeated by times’ destructiveness which nothing
on earth can escape, they still defy oblivion and live in their
immortal productions. “There is suffering in life, and there are
defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of
the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated
without ever knowing what you're fighting for” Paulo Coelho.
