Blog Post 2

1. This picture was taken in Casablanca at the Abderrahman Slaoui Museum. This museum was extremely interesting because it consisted of art, antiques, jewelry, and texts unique to Moroccan and Amazigh cultures. I found this political cartoon especially interesting because the main theme was imperialism by European and western countries. You can see Napoleon, Uncle Sam, Tsar Nicholas II, and a French, Dutch, and Germany figure. You can see them washing off a Moroccan individual, and the rhetoric is certainly racist. I believe that this is interesting because while being in Morocco, my classes have mostly centered around post-colonial Morocco and migration. This week we had a speaker from the Department of Immigration, and he went on to say that Morocco is not a racist country, and that they are making significant efforts for incoming migrants. However, I also got to visit an NGO where I spoke with migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, and they went on to say how difficult it is being a migrant of color in Morocco. They went on to say how racism still prevails in this country as they have been turned away from jobs, experienced blatant discrimination, and have encountered racist actions in the streets.

2. This picture was taken after a Jazz concert at one of my favorite local cafes in Rabat. Most of the people in my program went, but the people pictured are my friends Willa, Gabe, Gabe’s host brother, and myself. This concert was really cool because many of Rabat’s youth attended. Everyone I met at the concert was extremely nice and welcoming. I though this event was interesting because I never realized how popular Jazz was in Morocco. I also have never been a big fan of Jazz, but after this concert, I think I have changed my mind. Most of the music was in French, so I was unable to understand, but the music itself was really neat to hear. It was not exactly like typical jazz in America, but it was slightly more upbeat and it had Moroccan flare.