Driving in Morocco

After some long discussions, and several strikes, the new Code has been approuved by professionals as well. It was enforced now for a few months, so just to remind you what you risk if you don't drive correctly :

• The idea is that you have to pay on the spot. Not a very good idea from the point of view of corruption, but... If you refuse or can't pay, your driving licence is confiscated, you receive a provisory permit, and you have 10 days to get back your licence, in the court of the place where the fine has been issued. Quite a problem if you travel around, so many people prefer to pay on the spot.


• The prices ranges from 400 dirhams (+/- 40 €) for over speed, to 900 dirhams for the heaviest ; some infractions, like driving drunken, can also mean jail if you're involved in an accident.


• Points will be taken from your driving licence, but only if you're Moroccan.


• Police is everywhere on the road with mobile devices, and there are some fixed radars, but they are not yet in function. When spotted over the speed limit, the police barrage is a few meters after, and they stop you and fine you.


• You can discuss, there is a tolerance of 10% over the limit, but at the beginning they'll try to get you even for one kilometer over the limit.


• And, of course that's bad, but many policemen will trade 50 or 100 dirhams cash and forget the fine. That's bad, but don't forget 400 dirhams means a week work (minimum salary is 1800 dirhams a month, and you have a lot of people under that salary).

Anyway, Moroccan roads are not the safest, so drive carefully and slowly !

Back to the sun !

The weather was beautiful today (finally !) and the boarding in Düsseldorf pleasant. Royal Air Maroc has fully renovated its planes, the seats are more comfortable. As I'm travelling for more than 28 days, I fully enjoy my 30 kilo luggage allowance. It's so good not to carry in my backpack all these heavy things I usually hide in its compact form.

Reading the newspapers, Morocco has three main topics of interest, preparation of elections, which will take place on the 7th of september, a few days before Ramadan, birth of Lalla Khadija, the first daughter and second child of the King, and the endless diplomatical complications with Algeria regarding Occidental Sahara. I just hope it won't get too difficult, as we pkan to go to Figuig. I dream seeing these high adobe houses...

The photograph of the King with his daughter was on all enwspapers and blogs. Mohammed VI cans be seen quite relaxed, in casual dressing (casual but green, color of hopen happiness and baraka in Islam), obviously totally besotted in love with his small one, a broad smile and very tender eyes. It's a simple image, perfectly fitting the communication of this King who opens secrets of the palace, and show his family.

I let you search it (should not be too difficult on Google) maybe you'll reach on of the many other moroccan blogs. According to "Le Matin" bloggers in Morocco would be around 20.000, and one of them, who, unfortunatly for me, writes in arabic, would be one of the best bloggers in the world.

Blogs are rpesented as a space of freedom. i'm really interested by the fact many people prefer reading the blog of a journalist than his official articles, because, as a private person, he has more freedom than a journalist.

One day, I have to tell you about schyzophrenia in Morocco....

A djinn in the swimming pool

The first time I discovered the desert, it was a too long time ago, in Tunisia. A week of holydays, in low-season, I was with a teacher invited to give lessons, nice moments, Tunis, Sidi Bou Said, La Goulette, all that, and during the week-end we go down south to see the sand.

Nice.

Big.

Yellow.

That's all. Return to Paris on the Monday, nice memory, but I preferred the beach.

The second time was in the south of Africa. A long journey, a month, and within this month, three weeks of semi-desert and varied deserts, one after the other, Karou, Damaraland, Moonscape, Etosha… and, at some point of time, after ten days of desert, we arrived on the coast, in Swakopmund.
Of course, we had never been thirsty, our bus was somehow air-conditioned (but not dust-proof), and that was winter there, so easy conditions.
But I will never forget the marvel of being able to simply see the water, this huge quantity of water, to feel again humidity on our skins, the change of the light, and our pleasure of a simple walk on the beach.

Desert is dryness and lack of water. Without the desert, there is no oasis, just a simple normal garden.

What does that have to see with the jinn ? Just a second …

In south of Morocco, I see more and more hotels and inns with swimming pools, whether in Merzouga, in M'hamid, or even in Tazarine, one has to offer a large swimming pool to attract tourists. And that's the same in the riads of Marrakech that must have at least a small pool.

Let us leave Marrakech apart for now.

Swimming pools in the middle of the desert, or just nearby, are an ecological nonsense. They use a large amount of water which would be much more useful somewhere else. The water, still, in the sun, evaporates much quicker than the running water of a small river. Swimming pool is not adapted to the living conditions of the deep south.

Morocco suffers from drought. South receives its water mainly from melting snows, and the rains, even when they are heavy and catastrophic like in Merzouga last year, are just a small part of the reserves.

And why do you travel in the south ? Just to be warm ? Or to experience the desert, and discover another way of life ?

You cannot experience the desert while swimming in a pool every evening. Desert takes you step by step, it needs several days, it is a dry and hot air, sounds, winds, lights… swimming pools do not belong to this world.

All Moroccan, Arab-Andalusian and Berber civilisation, architecture, gardens, traditional cultures were prepared and built in order to spare water. Fountains in the larges patios of the riads, irrigation canals are small running waters, moving, protected by the shadows of the plants. Water movement as well as the shadows prevent evaporation.

There is not still water in Morocco. It is avoided as much as possible, also because of superstition. One says that jinni, these spirits who share the world of humans, and can be simply tricky, or very naughty, jinni hide in still waters (and therefore, one is specially cautious of hammam, and always takes a shower with running water to protect itself).

Jinn in the Hammam, by Joumana Medlej(c).

Marrakech's swimming pools are another story.
There were no pools before in the riads. These quite large reserves of water are a call for mosquitoes and other insects. The few humid areas of Morocco, around Mohammedia and Agadir, suffer from malaria and mosquitoes. And in the same way, near the dam's lakes, like in Ouarzazate, there can be some "beasts of the swamps" whose bite will leave you a track for a few weeks. Programms to get rid of them have started. Without going so far, a riad with a swimming pool will attract mosquitoes. Prefer ones that have only fountains, small streaks of water running between the squares, and go swim in the sea, in Essaouira or Oualidia !

Joumana Medlej is a Lebanese artist whose site, Cedarseed will keep your attention for a long time. The Jinn in the Hammam is an illustration of one of her books, about olive oil. You can see all her publications on her site..

Earthquake in Casa

Well a small one, hardly noticeable, but noticeable...

One more opportunity for Moroccans to have fun, like you can read (in french, sorry) on the blog of Mohammed El Baroudi, les tribulations d'un Marrakchi à Marrakech.

To summarize, if you don't read french, they were rumors spread by SMS, that a second quake would happen at 14h30. Which would prove (choose the right answer) :

• scientists are now really good, and are able to make very precise calculations (what a pity they had a day off for the tsunami)


• Moroccans are really good for spreading rumors


• The earthquake, being very polite, left a little note when he left : "I come back in 3 hours and a half, big hugs!"

What I prefer is one of the comments : "An earthquake never leaves, it stays ...It's a natural phenomenon. Morocccan trains also, by the way!!!"

That's so unfair, Moroccan trains leave and arrive on time... sometimes !

The drums of Ashura

In my bedroom on the terrace of the ryad, small drums give rhythm to the evening and seem to come from everywhere around. The sun is down, the birds don't sing anymore, and the sounds of the city reach the roof. But the shouts of the merchants, donkey drivers, roars of bikes hardly passing through the narrow streets are covered by the laughs of the children preparing Ashura.

The day of Ashura, the tenth (ashura) of the month of Muharram has very diverse meanings and connotations through the Muslim world. Day of grief and sorrow for the Shiites who revive every year the martyr of Hussein and his family, Muhammad's grandson killed by the ommeyades in the struggle for the power, it becomes much less important in the Sunni world, where it is nothing more than one of the two days of fast that became optional after the institution of Ramadan.

It can also be associated to the deads, and the visit to the cemetery where candles will be burned, like in Tunisia. At the same time, and specially in north Africa, it is linked with the very old and pre-islamic rites of resurrection, and, again like in Tunisia, bonfires are made, and children jump over them singing, like in our Saint-Jean.

In Morocco, Ashura is, above anything, the celebration of the children and family. Like any celebration, it is a day of charity, and also repentance, which comes from the very first signification of Ashura (taken by Muhammad from the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur, the Great Forgiveness), remain linked to the religious fast.
But for children, there is nothing but fun and feast, a strange mix of Carnival and Saint Nicolas. They receive new clothes, small toys, music instruments, and stroll in the streets, asking a few dirham to the people passing by, and preparing themselves for the great day of the morrow, "Zem-Zem".

"Zem-Zem" is the name of a well in Mecca. In Morocco, Zem-Zem is the day of watering. Every child (normally under 12) has a complete freedom to water the grown-ups, and they run around the fountains to take some water with them and go back spraying friends and neighbors.

In the countryside, other rites near to Carnival also exist. Men disguise themselves into women and pass from one house to the other singing...

In our south, in Tazzarine, a man is going to dress in a somehow frightening way, and put on his head some burning palms, like horns. Followed by all the children of the village, laughing and singing, he goes from one house to the other, knocking at each door to ask for Gaddid (meat of the mutton of the Aïd El Kebir, spiced and dried, which can be held for a whole year). He insists and stays in front of the door as long as he has not received his part. He always wins over the avaricious, and finishes his day, with all the children, in a remote part of the ksour, sharing generously his gaddid with them in a happy and delicious meal.

This year, Ashura will take place on the 29th of January. One week before, the whole city is preparing itself. In the narrow streets of the medina I see many small kids sitting in front of a large plate full of candies, at each corner a small shop sells drums... these very same drums that play in the beginning of my night.

Between tradition and modernity

This sentence "between tradition and modernity" is a motto one hears and reads everywhere all the time in Morocco, in the news, reportages, about anything...

Modern riads used as unofficial guest houses are "between tradition and modernity", traditionnal craftmanship in modern fabrics shipped from China also, and also the young managers applying to "Challenger", a tv show based on the same idea as "Super Star", but the competition is based around ideas to create a company, the youngs are judged by managers, finance and business people, and the winners get helps and financing. Everything is between modernity and tradition (which could also mean "being late, or being out", like in some administrations...), you can't stay a week in Morocco without having the sentence in your head.

Driving back from Agadir to Marrakesh, it took a new meaning.

The driving reglementation was changed a few weeks ago, with a new "improved" way of paying fines.

Before, it was easy. Police was giving you a "procès" (ticket) which was sent to the court of the city you lived, and you paid it, or you managed to have it cancelled. Sometimes, (oftentimes), you could convince the policeman before he wrote the xxx, and gave him, very discreetly, a small banknote.

This kind of light corruption is everywhere in Morocco. Without judging, you have to know a few figures to understand.

A policeman earns around 3.000 dirhams per month, and is lodged by the state, which means he earns overall the equivalent of 3.500-3.700 dirhams / month. That's less than twice the minimal wage (or smic) which is around 1.900 dirhams / month. ANd when you earn that, you're really poor. You can survive, that's all.

On these 3.500 dirhams, the policeman must feed his family, including taking part with his brothers in helping his parents (the introduction of the pension system is quite recent, and less than 20% of the population can benefit from it by now), and also spare for the future. The only pension he'll get will be around 2.000 dirhams per month, without any state lodging.

That's not a lot.
A kilo meat costs around 70 dirhams, the bread for a family meal amounts to 10 dirhams. Fuel is around 11 dirhams / litre, welfare state nearly not existing (long and heavy diseases are supported, not the small problems...)

Ticket for driving to fast is of 400 dirhams. For the fined driver, who often does not earn a lot more than the policeman, this is a high amount. Even for 10 kilometres/hour of over speed, you have to pay 400 dirhams (very high excesses like 30-50 kilometres over the limit are not possible here, considering the state of the roads...)

And one discusses, and tries to convince the policeman to be kind. Sometimes it works, sometimes 50 or 100 dirhams are necessary, and everyone wins, but the the state.


Hence, State decides to change all that, and to close the opportunity to stop the ticket before the court, by making people pay quicker, directly on the spot.

New rules are simple : you pay directly the 400 dirhams, against a receipt, or you leave your driving licence to the policeman. You get a provisory authorization to drive, valid for three days only, and during these three days, you have to get back your driving licence, in the court of the place where you get fined.

Worse even than paying the 400 dirhams for people travelling a lot for their work, like guides, tourists drivers, or lorry drivers who are transporting goods, fruits and vegetables from Agadir to Tanger for example.

So, the driver prefers to pay on the spot, that's what the state had in mind.

But... something the state did not think about.

Because you can pay on the road, it is now normal, legal, to give money to a policeman. That was not the case before, corruption had to be cautious, discreet, unnoticed. Now, who can say, from a few meters away, if the money banknotes given where the 400 dirhams to pay the fine, or the 50 or 100 dirhams which will add meat in the tajine of the evening ?

Between tradition and modernity, the new driving regulation, which was supposed to diminish corruption, actually made the door wide open to it.

That was very obvious on the road between Agadir and Marrakech. It is a difficult road, not in a very good state (but far better than many others in Morocco), with many mountains, hard slopes, many turns, and also many trucks dispatching the vegetables and fruits of the Souss area everywhere in Morocco and outside.

A real nightmare for the small car behind a large truck.
A real nightmaer for a large truck behind a heavy loaded old lorry that cannot go quicker than 30 kilometres / hour when climbing, and also a financial risk if it is too late to deliver.

So everyone passes over, paying attention to other cars but not to the permanent white line, and when it is possible, every one drives as quick as possible, over the limit.

Usuall, on this road, there is 2 or 3 police controls.
This time, they were 7.

Because one can pay the fine on the spot .

And arriving in Marrakech, we saw, along the road, wonderful automated radars. They cannot receive money, data will be transmitted fully automatically, electronically. No arrangement, no corruption.
But they are not yet in function.

PS: between tradition and modernity, I post this item from the pavement of a coffee in marrakech, which offers fruit juices, mint tea and unlimited and free wifi connection !