Morocco - Societal

Societal

Almost every younger Moroccan and many younger Moroccan women now have a cell phone or smartphone. The flood of information from the West has reached North Africa. Knowledge has become accessible. And consumer offers. But of course also visualizations of nudity and sexuality that run counter to religion. The social media connect, create new communication channels also between men and women, but on the other hand lead to many Moroccans increasingly trying to find Western women. More and more men are afraid of the traditional role of provider and avoid choosing a woman from their own ranks. Moreover, the latter is often still traditionally prepared for her existence as a wife and mother. Despite educational offers, she has to marry in order not to endanger the honor of the family.

The Berber wedding

I was allowed to see the photos and videos of the Berber wedding of Moha's sister. I already knew from television that weddings in the Arab environment often last for days. There is eating, dancing, and gift giving. But here I also got a glimpse of the splendor. The bride is elaborately tattooed with henna on her feet, legs, arms, and hands. She is festively dressed and wears a different gown for each ceremony. There are fixed rituals, when who sits together where, who presents gifts, what is smoked, where is eaten and danced. On the first day, the festivity takes place at the father of the bride. He is responsible for the location, for the music, for the food. Neighbors are welcome and invited as well as the whole clan. After that, the party is held at the groom's house. At the end, the bride is carried to the groom in a palanquin by family members. Not to the front door - this is done today by car, and in this case in the desert by jeep. From now on they belong together.

Children and marriage

According to the Prophet, one is allowed to have several wives, ideally four. However, this is not practiced because there is also the requirement that all wives must be considered and provided for equally. And providing for the wife(s) and of course the children is still the responsibility of the man. There is no pension insurance. So the only thing left for a married couple is to have many children. As a consequence of this, the large family cohesion, which is so contrary to our culture, is to be understood. The entire clan is responsible for this. The upbringing of the children is also very contrary to ours today. When I told Moha that beatings are now forbidden in Germany and at least the Youth Welfare Office is involved, he was very surprised. In Morocco, beatings are a matter of course.