By : Amir Sefiyaoui

The time that I have had in Morocco so far has been a diversified and interactive one so far. Two weeks in, I already feel immersed within the culture of Morocco as if I lived in Morocco for my whole life. One thing that has stood out to me is the people of Morocco. So many people. All different types. Different builds, colors, attitudes, and personalities. But there has been a trait that I have noticed that MOST if not all seem to share. They all seem to stare at the people from our school like they are something they have never seen. Like a different species almost…

Now, I understand that there is some reasoning behind why this happens. This occurs because of the appearance of my group. I would say most of the people from our group do not look like a “stereotypical Moroccan”.  So, when we are seen out in public, in a sight that is not seen often in Morocco, and as such causes the Moroccan masses to stare just a tad bit longer than they would at another Moroccan walking down the street.

I first coined the term “Moroccan Zoo Exhibit” outside of my own head when I was riding the tram here in Rabat with my friends Kam and Jess. When we were riding the tram to go back to our residence, we were all sitting next to each other on the last seats of the tram facing into the tram. On the first stop after the stop we got on at, a large group of Moroccan kids our age get into the tram and proceed to stand about two rows ahead. And every so often you can see them take occasional glances at us while standing up there. After spending approximately 2 minutes standing in their large cohort of a group, they proceeded to make their way to sit in the row in front of us. Once in front of us, they proceeded to take turns staring, one man looking for extended periods of time at us. It just fascinates me how the differences in simply just someone’s appearance can make people change their behavior and be so dumbfounded by the presence of that person.

Another reason that I know attracts people to stare at us in public is the fact that we are speaking a foreign language in their country. And not just any foreign language. English. By speaking English when we are walking on the streets of Morocco, we are by default attracting attention to ourselves. Especially with more and more people in Morocco learning the language of English, especially the younger generation of Moroccans who are around our age range of 18- 25 years old.

I remember that I talked to my father, who is from Morocco originally, about this phenomenon inside of Morocco, and his response has always been that “This is just the way it is in Morocco. It is not every day that you see a foreigner in Morocco, so all foreigners drew out attention. Especially white Europeans or Americans. It was just like a completely different species.” So, after having this talk with my dad, I was able to gather a much better understanding of why this occurs in Morocco and relate to the people who do this.

I know that in the United States that if I hear someone speaking another language, I do tend to find myself looking at this person for some period or sometimes even staring. But it is always in good nature. Out of curiosity. Not for any malicious or unwanted reason. But in the U.S., it is a different society. I feel that in the United States that if you are caught looking at someone then you are automatically in the wrong and you feel horrible for looking. But in Morocco I am under the impression that this is not the case. Here in Morocco it is normal for people to have no boundaries for personal space. In a good way of course. They are very outgoing and friendly for the most part in Morocco, and most people you meet will treat you like a friend of 20 years or even family after just one meeting. And honestly, I am glad it is like this. I am a very extroverted and outgoing person in my opinion and like to interact with as many people as I can, so a society that reciprocates my energy that I put out is very refreshing. In the United States, people are very taken aback if you approach them and just try to introduce yourself to them without any reason to talk to them. That is not everyone, but most people are like this.

Another specific place that I can cite that I have encountered this phenomenon is when we went to the Medina markets in Rabat, where it can get very crowded always of the day. While walking through the Medina, I felt like I stuck out more than the average person walking through. And it was not me who thought this, it was also what seemed like every other Moroccan that was walking through the Medina. But same as with tram and same with what I mentioned earlier in this post, I feel like it is out of a positive natural curiosity for the most part, nothing malicious.

Overall, after reflecting about the whole situation, I still do feel like a zoo exhibit in a way when walking around. But in a good way if that makes sense. I understand why people are so interested in foreigners here in Morocco and no longer questioning the true intentions behind it. Now, once again, this is to speak for MOST people in Morocco, not all. Some people do have malicious intent, as with any place in the world. But you must be able to tell the difference and understand what the limit is. If you can determine that, then in my opinion along with also being careful, you will be safe wherever you go when it comes to this issue in Morocco. It is mostly out of just natural curiosity, human nature, and culture. And with knowing that I am ok with this phenomenon happening to me.

A tram station in Rabat. Photo Credits to Casey Crookston Photography

 

Crowded Medina shops inside of Rabat. Photo Credits to Travel Junkies