The Blue City Chefchauoen: The Home of the "Free Woman"
Visiting the Blue City of Morocco, Chefchaouen, was one of the best experiences of the study abroad program so far. Chefchaouen is a city in the Rif Mountains known for its blue-washed streets and buildings (Cynthia, 2023). During our guided tour of Chefchaouen, we learned the meaning behind the city’s choice of color. The most notable reason for the hues of blue can be attributed to the Jewish population that migrated to Morocco to escape the Spanish Inquisition because blue represents the sky and heavens in Judaism (Clark, 2023; Cynthia, 2023). While Chefchauoen and its majestic blue adornments were breathtaking, I was most drawn to the history of the “Free Woman” that was taught to us during our tour of Chefchaouen.
Before coming to Morocco, I had an extremely broad idea of the state of gender equality in the country. It was not until I began preparing for this program and arriving that I began to have a deeper understanding of what gender relations look like in this country. Gender roles are more fixed here than I am used to because the traditions and culture of the country are deeply rooted in faith and family values (Sex and Gender in Morocco). Men and women tend to be separated once they reach puberty. One intention of this separation is to prepare women to marry and raise children. Women are expected to take care of their home and family while men are free to live much less structured lives (Sex and Gender in Morocco).
Being introduced to the history of the “Free Woman” in Chefchaouen drew me in because of the differences between her life and the life of women in Morocco today. The “Free Woman” has been called “The Independent Lady”, “Fatima”, and Aiysha. She was the only woman in the region to hold sovereign power alone, not sharing it in consort. She was known as Sayyida al-Hurra, Queen or Tétouan, or Hakima Tatwan for roughly 30 years during the mid-sixteenth century (Powell, 2022). Although I am not a woman, it was still inspiring to know that the story of the “Free Woman” is one that still lives on today; even in a time where women face unique barriers to reaching similar heights. The future is promising as Morocco has made advancements in equality, however (Chekrouni & El Mquirmi). It is my hope that this story continues to remind Moroccans and visitors of the capacity of humanity to reach heights that may seem unattainable. This is what the story of the “Free Woman” has done for me.
References
Clark, K. (2023, January 13). Morocco’s Jewish Heritage. Kipling & Clark.
https://kiplingandclark.com/latest-from-k-c/moroccos-jewish-heritage-chefchaouen-essao
uira/#:~:text=Chefchaouen%20was%20later%20painted%20blue,as%20an%20effective
%20mosquito%20repellent!
Chekrouni, N., & El Mquirmi, N. Morocco and the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda: Goals,
Opportunities and Challenges.
Cynthia. (2023, February 2). 12 best things to do in Chefchaouen, the Blue City of Morocco.
Journal of Nomads.
https://www.journalofnomads.com/things-to-do-chefchaouen-morocco-blue-city/
Powell, M. N. (2022, August 18). Sayyida al-Hurra: The woman who ruled over pirates.
Wondrium Daily.
https://www.wondriumdaily.com/sayyida-al-hurra-the-woman-who-ruled-over-pirates/
Sex & Gender in Morocco. (n.d.).
https://www.travel-exploration.com/page.cfm/Sex_Gender#:~:text=In%20Morocco%20
%2C%20male%2Ffemale%20relationships,tie%2Din%20with%20raising%20children.
I was taken by surprise at the story of the only female ruler in the region. I appreciated that they told us about it on our tour and tried to highlight the importance women have made in shaping Morocco and how labels are different for every individual and group. We choose what we want to see and hear and believe and her labeling as a pirate by some and a queen by others shows that. Women do have a much more rigid structure to their life paths than men in Morocco, but if you're looking around at the people on the streets and those we have interacted with, we see a much different story. A story of achievement and breaking through preconceived structures and patriarchy. While equality in Morocco is no where near perfect, strides are being made everyday by thousands of fearless women.
ReplyDeleteI was also interested and surprised by the story of the "Free Woman" of Chefchauoen. After seeing a great divide in gender roles int he few short days leading up to our trip to the blue city, I found it hard to believe that such a feat could have been so widely accepted and celebrated to this day. "Fatima" continues to lead Chefchauoen and all of Morocco as they work towards gender equality in politics. Today, King Mohammed VI is known to be more progressive than previous kings, and let us hope that he remembers the powerful story of the Free Woman and places trust into future female leaders.
ReplyDeleteAmazing to learn how women played leadership roles in ancient Morocco. It shows how Muslim women have been wrongly labeled in history.
ReplyDeleteWe must continue learning, exploring, and reading more about the Muslim world and sharing and educating others.