February 2005 Archives

I have started reading Rick Atkinson's . It begins with the American and British invasion of Morocco and Algeria in Operation TORCH, which was perhaps the beginning of the end of French control in North Africa. The invasion of Morocco began with a fierce naval battle outside Casablanca, resulting in the obliteration of the French task force stationed there. Hindsight, and the perceptions of a few keen observers, concluded that the invasion only succeeded because the Allies faced the demoralized and poorly outfitted Vichy French, and that the real battle did not begin until the British and Americans encountered the Germans in Tunisia.

When he sticks to his military theme, Atkinson is perceptive, and he has vivid descriptions of the career beginnings of such legendary figures as George S. Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower. In these early pages, however, Atkinson seems to have little appreciation for the people in whose country the war took place. Atkinson's tone toward the Arab and Berber population of North Africa is largely dismissive or pejorative: "natives" largely figure in the story as forced labor, and he tends to describe Arabs as dirty and the Arab quarters of major cities as foul smelling.

One statement that particularly brings home the brutality of the war, the disregard for the Arab and Berber population, and the misery visited upon them is the observation that as a result of the vast numbers of military vehicles clogging the roads: "[t]o deal with the inevitable traffic fatalities a sliding scale of reparations was established, paid in the oversize French currency the GIs called wallpaper: 25,000 francs ($500) for a dead camel; 15,000 for a dead boy; 10,000 for a dead donkey; 500 for a dead girl." Id. at 168.

Laila Lalami of MoorishGirl has completed revisions to her forthcoming novel, The Things That Death Will Buy, due in bookstores by October. Like Yto Barrada's photographic exhibit, the novel apparently focuses on the hardships of Moroccan immigrants trying to make their way to Europe. Morocco has always been located at the interstice between Europe and North Africa, but the current desperate efforts of Moroccans seeking a better life in Europe mark a new chapter in an old story.

Thanks to Marja-Leena for pointing out (via the Art in Liverpool Weblog)that a new exhibit focusing on the Moroccan diaspora has opened at the OpenEyeGallery in Liverpool. Autograph ABP is supposed to be coming out with a catalog, but it does not appear to be available yet.

Out Traveler magazine has a provocative but somewhat superficial piece on gay tourism in Morocco. Framed by Paul Bowles' experience, the article describes a level of cultural tolerance that is rarely associated with Arab and Muslim cultures. At the same time, it perhaps overemphasizes the divide between Berber and Arab culture in Morocco.

The Third Goal of the Peace Corps as enunciated in the Peace Corps Act is to create "a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American people."

Today's Peace Corps Volunteers are doing this in a way that would have been unimaginable to me when I was in Outat El Haj in the late 80's. Joshua Haynes' Moroccan Emprise is but one example of the weblogs created by Volunteers currently serving in Morocco. Additional Volunteer sites listed by Haynes include Dougie's Daily, Due East of Augusta and "I could have sworn they said 'Monaco'". These sites offer compelling combinations of pictures and narrative that vividly evoke the American experience in Morocco. It is hard to imagine a more vital and heartening use of 21st century technology to promote knowledge and understanding.

Wafin.com points to an online Moroccan music collection.