At the Cafe on the Corner part 4/4

At the cafe down on the corner
with a lost look on his face
There ain't no fields to plow 
No reason to now
He's just a little out of place


Wooo! I'm finally at the last post of this series. This was a much bigger undertaking than I had anticipated and I am excited to get back to the main focus of this blog; traveling. What's going on in the Middle East right now is fascinating and I read about it everyday, but trying to blog about it and inform people without too much of a bias has been quite difficult(yes I know that everything I posted has still been biased, I can only do so much). This final post is about Morocco. There is absolutely no revolution going on in Morocco, but there have been protests. Let me explain.


Morocco's government is a constitutional monarchy. It has an elected parliament, but the king, currently King Mohammed VI fondly known as M6 in our apartment, has a large amount of power. Overall, Moroccans enjoy many more freedoms then their counterparts in the rest of the Middle East and North Africa. They already have the right to protest even if it is somewhat limited(no bad mouthing M6). 


They say crime don't pay
But neither does farmin' these days
And the coffee is cold
And he's fifty years old
And he's got to learn to live some other way


Morocco has a very large number of degree holders and a very large unemployment rate. This is not a good combination. People are poor, jobless, and hungry and they want the government to create more jobs. Now, I know you're thinking, don't we all. The US is having just as much trouble with unemployment and job creation. Here is why Morocco is different; almost all industry, big business, education and the other major job sectors are government run. There is very little privatization(public ownership) of business. So the government is literally responsibly for creating jobs. The men, literally, sit around in cafes all day drinking coffee and watching the world go by because they have nothing else to do. It is not uncommon to see people sleeping outside during the day, not homeless people, just average people who decided to sit down and have a nap because they had nothing better to do. Getting a bachelor's degree is free so many young people go to universities not because there are any real job prospects but because there is nothing else to do. 


There are also groups of people in Morocco who are pushing for more social rights. Women would like more rights in society and more equality. There is also a hint of Gay rights at the very fringes of society. Minority rights for the Berber populations are also an important issue as well as the Western Sahara Conflict. There are many more small factions, political, and social groups that want more rights and freedoms. While it is wonderful that these groups have the opportunity to voice their opinions, it is difficult to institute any actual change. The king and the government hear only chaos and noise because the groups have not banded together and created an actual agenda for change.

They say crime don't pay

But neither does farmin' these days
And the coffee is cold
And he's fifty years old
And he's got to learn to live some other way

Moroccan Monarch Pledges Reform
King Mohammed VI gave a speech on May 6th in response to a day of protest on February 20th. In an unprecedented move, the king announced that he was appointing a commission to redo the constitution. He told the people that they have until June to organize their thoughts and to express their wishes for change to these commission members. In June, the commission will then remake the constitution based on the input of the people that contacted them. The flip-side to this is that the commission is going to redo the constitution even if they receive no valuable input from the population. In this instance, a few small reforms may be made, but the rest will likely stay the same. The king has put the ball back in the people's court and is asking them to organize and take responsibility for their future. 


Just from my experience here, the culture tends to procrastination and to just hoping that things will change on their own. I find the king's plan very commendable. I believe that if the people here are really unhappy then they need to do something about it. I don't think its fair or effective to shout about change without a definition of what that change should be. Hopefully, this will encourage the people to take charge because they now know that someone is listening and that what they say can make a difference. 


At the cafe down on the corner
With a lost look on his face
There ain't no fields to plow
He's busin' tables now
He's just a little out of place 


When there are protests in Morocco, the police come out and monitor the situation. They usually do nothing more than make sure it stays calm and controlled. However there have been instances when protesters have been met with police violence. This is largely because of the lack of organized leadership within the police force. The entire system is corrupt with bribery and nepotism. This leaves the lower level police men with a lot of decision making to do on issues that should be dealt with as an entire force not on an individual basis. This is something that will hopefully be addressed after the revamped constitution is instituted and power can be reassigned.  


Police Break Up Morocco Protest
This article talks about a very recent protest in Casablanca. Police responded violently and dozens were injured but there were no deaths. This is a very unusual occurring. The police normally just monitor and maintain control. 


And the meek shall inherit the earth
And the bank shall repossess it
This job don't pay half what it's worth
But it's a thankful man that gets it 

In addition to the protests going on in Morocco, the Moroccan people have many opinions about the revolutions going on in the rest of the Arab world. I have asked quite a few students and teachers at my university about their opinions of current affairs. 


Most of the people I talk to have been very supportive of the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. They understand that they are blessed here in Morocco with the amount of civil rights they have and wish that the people in these other countries will one day be as lucky. They are very passionate about the removal of Gaddafi in Libya, more so than they seem to be about Yemen or Bahrain, possibly because of the proximity of Libya to Morocco. 


At the cafe down on the corner
With a lost look on his face
There ain't no fields to plow
He's wishin' for one now
He's just a little out of place


One thing that students seem to have mixed views about is whether or not the Moroccan people should be protesting right now. Some say yes, the whole Arab world is demanding rights and freedoms and jobs and Morocco should join in even if it doesn't want a full revolution. Others say that this is just band-wagoning and that since Moroccans do not want regime change they should wait for a more appropriate time to protests; a time when Western media is not lurking around every corner to pressure those in power.


All these soldiers without wars
And hometown boys without a home
Farmers without fields
Dealers without deals
And they sit here drinking coffee all alone 


As far as I'm concerned, it is a blessing that Morocco is as stable as it is. It may not make for exciting news, but I much prefer regular protests to full on revolution. It definitely has its problems, women's rights and unemployment are high on the list, but it is far ahead of its neighbors. If you are my friend on facebook or you follow me on twitter, you will have ample opportunity to keep up with news in the Middle East. I am constantly posting articles that I find interesting, so keep reading! 

At the cafe down on the corner
With a lost look on their face 
There ain't no fields to plow
They're wishin' for one now
They're just a little out of place

The Revolution Starts Now Part 3/4

I was walkin' down the street
In the town where I was born
I was movin' to a beat
That I'd never felt before


I have been unable to find a comprehensive timeline of the events going on in Libya. Instead I will summarize a few articles that discuss the major events of the Libyan Revolution. Protests began on February 17,2011, named the Day of Anger by groups who used social networking sites to organize.

Gaddafi Hits With Deadly Force

Gaddafi wasted no time in responding violently to the protests. Just four days in and the death toll is upwards of 300. Gaddafi's forces are firing straight on crowds of protesters with no hesitation. The protests are located mainly in the eastern cities of Benghazi, Baida, Ajdabiya, Zawiya and Derna. They will eventually spread to the capital, Tripoli. Already Libyans are frustrated with the lack of international intervention or support because of the rising number of deaths. "Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Saturday he will not "bother" Gaddafi over the violent incidents."


So I opened up my eyes 
And I took a look around
I saw it written 'cross the sky


Gaddafi blames unrest on al-Qaeda
This article just proves the craziness of the Libya leader. In a speech on February 24, 2011, Gaddafi proclaimed that Al-Qaeda had drugged his people and then incited them to revolt. The young people were supposedly given hallucinogenic drugs in their NesCafe(a popular brand of instant coffee in North Africa) and that is why they are protesting, revolting, and calling for a revolution. Gaddafi also claims that he is more of a symbolic leader and that there is representation for all his people. However, if this were true, than he would have much less of a problem stepping down and would not have had the ability to order the military to shoot on its own people.


The Revolution starts now
yeah, the revolution starts now


As Gaddafi wages war against a popular uprising, Libyan exiles explain how terror has long been a tool of the regime.
This is a video that details the events of the revolution and gives insight to the regime's general practices through the eyes of exiles living abroad. The first video shows a clip of one of Gaddafi's speeches in which he states "I have my gun and I will fight until the last drop of blood" and "We will march in the millions to cleanse Libya inch by inch, house by house, street by street, person by person."
Witnesses of Gaddafi's regime who have been in exile since the 1970s talk about instances of protest in which students were shot, killed and hung in front of their friends and family. They have been waiting in exile for Gaddafi to be removed from power so that they can one day return to Libya and live without fear. Even in exile they are not safe. Gaddafi has hitmen sent all around the world to stop his dissidents.
There are five different people in exile and each give their accounts. Each one also has a small biography listed below the main video.This video gives a very good depiction and the general idea of the Libyans in exile can be understood. This video is a good 30 minutes long, but well worth it.


The revolution starts now
When you rise above your fear 


Obama: Its time for Libya's Gaddafi to Go
On February 27, 2011, President Obama and Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel had a telephone meeting about the situation in Libya. Up until this speech, the US response to the revolution was very non committal. There were legitimate reasons for this hesitancy however. US citizens who were in Libya for whatever reason, needed to be gotten out safely before the US took a definitive stance on the issue. Those citizens could have been put in great danger in the US had immediately supported the rebel groups. This speech calls on Gaddafi to stop massacring his people and to step down. Obama states that the Libyan people have spoken and that their wishes should be respected. No government has the right to rule without the approval of its citizens. 

And tear the walls around you down
The revolution starts here


Libya: The Propaganda War
This video discusses the idea of proaganda. The situation in Libya has been greatly effected by media from both sides of the conflict. Each side has its own propaganda that it is promoting and truth can sometimes be difficult to find. The video also talks about how specific words are very important in a conflict like this, for example choosing to call this a civil war is much different than calling it an uprising or a revolution. Very good video, you only need to watch the first 10 minutes. 

Where you work and where you play
Where you lay your money down
What you do and what you say
The revolution starts now
Yeah the revolution starts now 


UN Authorizes No Fly Zone Over Libya
After what some may say was too long of a hesitation, the UN has authorized the military enforcement of a "No-Fly Zone" over Libya so that Gaddafi's forces will be severely limited in attacking the people. The United States and France were to lead the military efforts temporarily until another international organization like NATO is able to take control. Gaddafi's land forces are also allowed to be interrupted militarily if there is a threat to the Libyan people. The goal, however, is not to kill Gaddafi or force him to give up power through military means. Economic sanctions and social pressure are the means that individual countries can use to convince Gaddafi to step down. 


Obama Strongly Defends US Military Action in Lbya
President Obama has come under fire for his decision to send troops to Libya in support of the UN's decision on a "No-Fly Zone". Many in the US are wondering why the US is involved in another Middle East conflict and are reluctant to support this cause. Obama has made it clear that this is not a forced regime change like that in Iraq. The US troops are there for the purposes of the UN's initiative and for nothing else. "Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as president, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action."


Yeah the revolution starts now 
In your own backyard
In your own home town
so what are you doin' standin' around?
Just follow your heart
The revolution starts now


Mapping Libya's Uprising
If you would like to keep up with the Libya conflict, here is a very helpful map. It charts all the cities and territories in Libya that are in the news and marks who is in control of what.

Young People Speaking Their Minds Part 2/4

There's battle lines being drawn

Nobody's right if everyone is wrong 

Egyptian Revolution's Timeline:

January 25,2011- Inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia, and organized with the help of social networking sites, Egyptians declare a "Day of Rage" 

"thousands began taking to the streets to protest poverty, rampant unemployment, government corruption and autocratic governance of President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for 30 years. These were the first protests on such a large scale in Egypt since the 1970s."Huffingtonpost.com

"Police responded with blasts from water cannons and set upon crowds with batons and acrid clouds of tear gas to clear demonstrators crying out "Down with Mubarak" and demanding an end to Egypt's grinding poverty, corruption, unemployment and police abuses."huffingtonpost.com

This was seen as a pretty mild response due to the regime's reputation for swiftly and harshly stifling any forms of decent. World attention and the overthrow of the Tunisian president meant that the Egyptian government had to respond with caution.

Young people speaking their minds

Getting so much resistance from behind

January 26-28,2011- Protests continue along with increasingly violent responses from the police. Internet and cell phone services are being disrupted, especially social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. 

"Blocking Twitter not only enraged Egyptian citizens; it also brought increased national attention to the uprising. Over the course of the next two days, Egypt proceeded to block Facebook while the much-hated riot police took to the streets, arresting and injuring hundreds with batons, tear gas water cannons. Protests occurred not only in Cairo, the capital, but also in Alexandria and Suez, two other major cities." huffingtonpost.com

The use of social networking sites to organize and build of knowledge of the protests and revolution show that these are the young people standing up for what they believe. They have grown up and learned that life without civil liberties sucks and they are sick of it. Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa have a demographic situation called a "Youth Bulge" meaning there is a disproportionate amount of young people. There large numbers create countrywide and longterm problems, like food shortages, not enough jobs for degree holders, and a lack of jobs in general. Their large numbers have also influenced their ability to protest and revolt. 

I think its time we stop, hey , what's that sound

Everybody look what's going down

January 29, 2011- President Mubarak announces that he has fired his cabinet, appointed a vice-president, but still refuses to step down. Looters have begun to destroy the nations tourist attractions which are key sources of revenue. The US has begun to encourage its citizens  to leave the country for their own safety as protesting, looting, and military intervention continue.


January 31, 2011- Protesters have been camping out in Tahrir Square for days, ignoring the militarily imposed curfew. The US puts out a mild statement of dissent about Mubarak's actions stating that the needs of the people need to be addressed. Internet and cell-phone services are only sometimes functional.


February 1,2011- Mubarak announces that he will not run for re-election at the end of his term, but that he will also not step down early. 
"Number of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square are revised to more than a million people. Thousands more take to the streets throughout Egypt, including in Alexandria and Suez." english.aljazeera.net


What a field day for the heat

A thousand people in the street

February 2- 10, 2011- Day of protesting in Tahrir Square and in other major cities around the country. Violent clashes between Mubarak supporters and the protesters result in many deaths, but the people do not give up and they do not go home. Government ministers and officials are resigning from their posts to join the protesters. The Muslim Brotherhood has sided with the protesters. Every day is a struggle, Mubarak refuses to step down despite the increasing pressure to do so. The Egyptian people, the youth, have made their decision and they will not go home until their demands are met, until Mubarak steps down.

February 11,2011- The people have won, Mubarak finally steps down. The announcement is made by his newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman. Power has been handed over to the army until a new government can be formed.


Singing songs and carrying signs

Mostly say hooray for our side


For the next week or so, people continue to remain in Tahrir Square to celebrate their victory. After a few days, the army steps in and begins to clear people out so that the square can be cleaned up and order restored. The country is now trying to form a democracy. This will not be easy, and the results will not be perfect, but the people are determined.

Its time we stop, hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look what's going down

Everybody Look What's Going Down Part 1/4

There's something happening here,
What it is ain't exactly clear

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Revolution(noun)- 2b. a fundamental change in a political organization; especially the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another government or ruler.

Protest(noun)- 2. The act of objecting or a gesture of disapproval especially: a usually organized public demonstration of disapproval.

There's a man with a gun over there,

Telling me I got to beware

Timeline of Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution:
December 17, 2010- Mohammed Bouazazi douses himself in paint thinner and then sets himself on fire in front of a local municipal office in Sidi Bouzid in protest of police brutality, a lack of human rights, job loss, and overall poverty. This sparked more protests all around the country.
December 20, 2010- A 10 million dollar employment program is offered to Sidi Bouzid in a failed attempt to appease the protesters.
December 22, 2010- Houcine Fahli electrocutes himself in protest of unemployment
December 24, 2010- Hundreds of protesters are gathering in cities all around Tunisia, security forces stage an overnight crack down, two more people have died for the cause.
December 27, 2010- 1,000 Tunisian gather in protest in Tunis, the capital.
December 28th,2010- Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the country's president of 23 years, condemns the protests and states that they are the acts of extremists. In the mean time, many prominent members of society, such as lawyers and government ministers, are siding with the protesters and subsequently losing their jobs and some are also arrested.
December 31,2010- more have joined the protests because of the wrongly imprisoned lawyers, authorities respond with increasing violence
January 2,2011- a cyberactivist group sides with the protesters and temporarily jams the government's internet services and websites.
January 3,2011- a group of 250 students protest in Thala, the police use tear gas to break up the protest. The protesters then respond by setting fire to local government buildings.
January 5, 2011- Mohammed Bouazazi dies from his self-inflicted burns.
January 6,2011- 95% of lawyers in Tunisia go on strike in order to end police brutality against peaceful protesters.
January 7-12, 2011- Journalists, bloggers, and activists are arrested. Protests are broken up using tear gas and water cannons. When these fail, the authorities resort to violence, including the use of snipers on protesters in two major cities. These actions lead the people to move from the mindset of peaceful protesting to revolution.
January 13,2011- the death toll is at 66. The president gives a televised address to the people announcing concessions and his plans to not run for reelection in 2014.
January 14,2011- The president declares a state of emergency because protests have not stopped. He makes promises about legislation to calm down the protesters, but it is too little too late. Gatherings of more than 3 people are now banned and the police have approval to respond with arms if emergency orders are violated. In accordance with state of emergency rules, the prime minister, Mohammed Ghannouchi, takes temporary control of the government. In the meantime, Ben Ali- the president flees to Saudi Arabia
Jan 15-17,2011- the absence of an official leader leads to massive rioting, looting and chaos. The military is asked to step in to restore order. "Ghannouchi also announces widespread reforms, promising press freedom, the lifting of a ban on human rights groups operating in Tunisia, and the release of political prisoners." And an interim government is appointed, but many of the members of the interim government are leftovers from Ben Ali's regime so the people are not pleased.
January 23,2011- hundreds of people flock to the capital to protest the interim government and to defy the State of Emergency curfews and gathering rules
January 24-27,2011- Continued protests result in violent attacks by riot police, the resignation of  the foreign minister, and the removal of Ben Ali supporters from the interim government.
February 27,2011- After a month of continued protests, Ghannouchi also resigned.
Al Jazeera English

"The revolution, as Tunisians call it, also has created a power vacuum, and Tunisia faces enormous challenges in rebuilding its political system. The country’s caretaker government has been confronted with nearly daily protests by a variety of groups, the police force has been badly weakened by mass desertions and the firing of top officials, and provincial government offices remain dysfunctional. The judicial system is hobbled by its links to the ousted regime." NY Times

Tunisia's interim government is still trying to build order and prevent the country from falling into anarchy while preparing for mid-term elections.

I think its time we stop, children, whats that sound?

Everybody look what's going down

Slam au Fémínín

(Video loads may be slow so scroll down and start loading them while you read the text)

This last Thursday, I had the amazing opportunity to go to a Moroccan women’s feminist poetry slam put on by my university and an well-known spoken word poet, Roxy Azari. Roxy Azari is an Iranian-American spoken word poet whose main topics are gender issues and feminism, and occasionally strife in the Middle East.  You can find out more about her on her facebook page here: Roxy's Facebook Fan Page

She has started many spoken word poetry workshops in schools all around the US. She encourages young people to use their voices and their words to institute social change in the world. Roxy was awarded the Watson Fellowship which has enabled her to run these workshops with girls around the world. She began in India, then the UAE, then Indonesia and for the past three months she has been in Morocco. Now that she has finished in Morocco, she will be moving on to France and then Turkey.  With the help of open-minded professors at different universities, she taught the women and girls here how to write and how to perform poetry. Thursday was the performance of all the girls who participated from my university. On Friday, they traveled to Rabat to perform with women from all over the country before a wider audience.

 This is Roxy’s poem Azadi(Freedom), She is speaking about the Green Revolution in Iran.

Professor Ouafae Bouzekri was the main coordinator on our campus. She is phenomenal. She teaches my Three Religions, Three Peoples class and often also teaches a Gender Studies class for ISA. She taught in the US for a number of years at prominent universities, speaks fluent English, French and Arabic, and quickly became one of my favorite professors here.  She organized the event and got many of the girls interested in participating.

This is Professor Bouzekri.

The theme was feminism in Morocco and the Middle East. While Morocco is a liberal country by Middle East standards, it is far from being democratic or liberal by western standards. Women here have very few rights, sexual harassment by strangers is a daily occurrence, and even though the wearing of the veil or head scarf is not mandatory, choosing to wear it or not to wear it can greatly impact a woman’s life. Just by reading the program, I could tell this was going to be a powerful evening. The titles of the poems say so much before the author has even performed.

Photo courtesy of Roxy Azari

Fatima Zahra Kaddar performing Being a Women

Two of the girls, posing after the show

I started out just by taking pictures and writing down memorable lines from the poems, but quickly realized that in order for people to understand how incredibly impactful these poems were, they would need to see them and hear them. The performances of these women are just as important as their words. They are emotion-filled and raw. You can see that each girl truly feels what she wrote and that she is terrified and exhilarated to be presenting her feelings in front of an audience. This is something many of them have never done before and maybe never thought could happen. They live in a society that doesn’t embrace standing out, which emphasizes the status quo. Women are supposed to accept their lives the way they are. But things are changing. Women want rights, they want equality, and they no longer want to be seen has sinful just because they are women. Maybe the string of revolutions in the Middle East has given them courage or maybe they have been ready for their own revolution for a long time.

Yes, I am a Girl by Nadya Izzamiouine

Ode to My Body by Najia Moussaoui, Nouria Sophia, Souad Zamzmi, and Fatima Zahra Kaddar

These girls stood up on stage and performed their poems about their thoughts, their feelings, their experiences, their hopes and dreams and their bodies. Their stories were personal and meaningful. If I had been in some of these girls’ shoes, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to stand up on stage like they did.

To My Abuser, by Samia Boutoutla was very moving. The poem was written as a girl who had been abused, sexually harassed in the street, something that is very common here. The girl is yelling at her abuser, telling him that all the things he did to her were wrong; asking why he thought it was ok to just attack her and use her. The passion and anger in her voice could be felt by everyone in the audience. The chorus of the poem is “You had no right!” She repeated this often, sometimes soft and sad and other time loud, angry and demanding. The last line of the poem implores the audience to empathize with her, “if you had been there that night, you would say I was right.”

To My Abuser by Samia Boutoutla

The next performance was Silence by Kaoutar Kaddar. She talked about wanting to speak up and to say her mind, but of not being able to do so. In the poem she finds her courage and dares to speak despite the consequences. But the line “I’ll say what I have on my mind, just this once” shows that it takes new courage each and every time they choose to speak, not just the first time.

Silence by Kaoutar Kaddar

There were women of all ages performing, but most were late teens, early twenties. They spoke in Arabic, French, or English, but no matter what language it was in, the audience could understand their anger and frustration, their strength and their sadness, their joy and their pride.

Where is My Voice by Fatima Zahra Riffi was heartbreaking. She wrote about physical abuse and the effects it has on a woman. I don’t know if she was speaking about her own personal experience or of someone else’s but that doesn’t change the message, physical abuse oppresses women and they become afraid to speak out against their abuser. They become depressed and feel worthless. The whole poem was tragic, but there were 4 lines specifically that hit me hard. “He smacked me strongly, my tears fall to the floor.” “Why is it me that you beat? Is it because I’m the only one you can defeat?” “I am asking God, what is left for me?” and the very last line of the poem “If I kill myself, would God count it as a crime?”

Where is My Voice by Fatima Zahra Riffi

Shortly after that poem, I decided to start taking video because I realized that no matter how descriptive I am in writing, actually seeing the performance will be more impact-full. This video is of Sexual Harassment by Lamyae Kani, Fatima Zahra Kroum, and Imane Lahlali. It is about the street harassment that women experience every day. I can personally relate to this one because it happens to me every day. Every time a woman goes anywhere she is bombarded with harassment. This can be anything from the more innocent cat calls to molestation or rape.

This next video is something I think everyone will find particularly interesting. It is called Veil and is done by a group of girls(Dounia Mansouri, Khadija Fadel, Mimouna Nmiri, Fatima Zahrae Ktomi, Latifa Masou, Sophia Nouira, Najia Moussaoui, and Sauad Zemzmi). Each one talks about her reasons for veiling or not veiling. In the US, we have a pretty one-sided view of the veil; veiling equals oppression of women and gender inequality. These girls, however, explain that it is not always oppression. Many of them love their veils because it is an expression of their religious faith. There are also those who do not veil and who view it as an old-fashioned or oppressive symbol. The really amazing part is that veiled or not veiled these women are all friends. It doesn’t matter to them what whether another girl chooses to veil or not to veil.

Revolution by Rajae Neddi was amazing, sadly I did not take a video of this one. Rajae speaks directly to Mubarek and Gaddafi in her poem. She is one of the few poets who used rhymes and they are quite funny at the same time as being direct and straight forward. She begins with “Mr. Mubarek is the picture clear?” and then talks about the Egyptian people. Then she moves on to Libya with “Mr. Gaddafi you are a dictator, you’re turn is coming but a little bit later.” One of the audiences’ favorite lines was “Mr. Gaddafi you’re destined to hell, we hope you forever there dwell.”

Here is I Don’t Need a Man by Kaoutar Kaddar, Fatima Zahra Riffi, Rajae Neddi, and Khadija Masoud. The title pretty much speaks for itself on this one.

Roxy performed again towards the end. She is very modest about her work. She really wanted the focus of the evening to be about the girls, but because of her celebrity, she was asked to perform quite a few of her poems.  This is one of her more famous poems. It is called Flower. I had heard this before, in the US, although I do not remember when or where. Roxy’s poems are well-written, thought provoking, and emotional. Her performance is beautiful. When she performs the entire audience is enveloped into her words and everyone is experiencing her feelings.

This was just a tiny portion of the 4 hour event, every minute of which I was listening intently on the edge of my seat. There were quite a few poems that brought tears to my eyes. Their words were meaningful and they really got inside me. Women’s movements have slowed down in the US. Things are not perfect, but they are a lot better than they used to be, so I forget sometimes that it is not like that everywhere in the world. Living here has been a harsh reminder of the second-class status of women around the world and this poetry slam gave me some much needed insight as to their thoughts and feelings about this inequality. 

Mr. Postman, Do you have a letter for me?

I have been waiting for two packages and one letter for about three weeks now. Package number 1 was from my aunt. She mailed via UPS a Valentine's day care package 3 weeks ago. This package has yet to arrive, along with the letter that my boyfriend sent about the same time via regula USPS. Package number 2, however, from my mom via USPS, sent only two weeks ago has just arrived!

It looks like it survived a war though...

 

I was still very excited to get this package. I have been waiting for mail for soo long. And since sunscreen is apparently not something you can buy here, I desperately needed this. My pale skin does not handle this African sun very well.

So i knew the government here was very controlling, but I guess it never really hit home until this package came. I've seen the police stop cars for no reason, I've heard about the informants(regular people who sell every detail about their neighbors' lives to the government), but i still didn't fully understand. Now I do.

Not only was the package already opened, I had expected that much atleast, but the envelope with the card from my mom was opened. Someone ripped open the envelope and read my letter. It's not even a really personal letter, but I still feel slightly violated. These are the things that really make me appreciate the US.

Drinking the Nescafe

If you are my friend on facebook, you will see that I have a slight addiction to news articles from Al Jazeera English, yahoo news, and other sources. I read a lot of articles and I post the ones that I feel the need to spread. I have mentioned earlier that I will be doing a post about the revolutionary trend in the Middle East right now. Before I do this post though, I would like to get your thoughts and questions about the matter. I could easily write my opinion about the whole thing, but this is supposed to be mainly about the facts. So I'm putting the questions to you, what do you want to know? What would you like explained? Send it in an email, or leave a comment. I will then do my best to talk to local Moroccans, find related news articles, and then also offer my own opinion. Hopefully, at the end, I will have one comprehensive post that helps with understanding the situation in the Middle East and specifically in Morocco.

:)