I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Before we came to Casablanca, we spent three days in a little place called Todra Gorge. Unlike Fez, Todra Gorge is not an Arab city. Instead, Todra is populated entirely by Berbers. While almost all Berbers are muslims, they have their own distinct languages and cultures. It is estimated that about 60% of Moroccans identify themselves as having some Berber background.
Because Berbers have and continue to face some discrimination from Arabs, they are very open-minded and tolerant. For example, many people I met on the street would unsolicitedly tell me that they liked people of all religions and skin colors. Moreover, they almost always specifically mentioned Jews as people they welcome. This made me feel quite comfortable around most Berbers.
We also felt Berber openness first hand when we visited desert town Merzouga. First, our Berber run inn was also occupied by a very free spirited middle aged French woman. In addition to living in a utopian society in Southern Spain, this woman had also decided to travel around Morocco for a year with no money. She literally survives by asking people for food and shelter while explaining how her mission will help her become more spiritual. The fact that she has been living this way for 4 months is a testament to the generosity of the Moroccan people.
Surprisingly, the woman asked me if I was Jewish as soon as she saw me, and she later explained that I had a Jewish face. Its ironic that nearly all Moroccans thought I was part Moroccan, but this eccentric French woman knew I was Jewish just by looking at me.
Later, the woman asked me if I felt any different now that Obama was President. Before I could answer, the Berber hotel owner yelled at the woman for bringing up politics. He said that people come to Morocco to forget about politics and that it cannot be brought up in the inn. Furthermore, he explained that Berbers are not interested in politics. That is the attitude of many Berbers; they focus on improving their lives instead of protesting and getting involved politically on things distant from them.
Overall, Berbers break the stereotypes associated with traditional Arab countries due to their open minds and positive attitudes.
We will write about Todra Gorge and the rest of our trip tomorrow.
