Culture in Motion: A Man, a Cart, and the Weight of Tradition
While traveling through Morocco these first few days, I was struck by the diversity of transportation methods; sleek and shiny cars, crowded buses, horse-drawn carriages all used to transport goods and people. Among the hum of engines and hooves, a scene stood out to me as we drove in a rural village to our fruit tour to iberry: a man slowly pushing a wooden cart piled high with colorful rugs.
No horse, no van,...just a man.
At first, it seemed like a simple question of access. Why didn’t he have a car? Or even a horse like others in the area? But those questions quickly pointed to deeper issues…about inequality, mobility, and the weight of preserving tradition.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (2020), Morocco has made notable strides in reducing poverty, cutting the rate from 16.2% to under 9% over the past decade. For a country that lacks abundant natural resources, this is a significant achievement (Worldbank, 2018). As we heard from our Casablanca tour guide, Nyemá, the King has put a lot of effort into developing Morocco and it is clear through new infrastructure, expansion of cities, and investment in education and healthcare that this investment has worked to lift millions into a more stable middle class with access to many modern-day technologies.
But seeing the man with the cart forced me to think more critically about what “progress” looks like on the ground. Does modernization, including the spread of cars and other modern forms of transportation, come at the cost of traditional ways of life?
The rugs the man was pushing on his cart were not just merchandise. They were part of Moroccan culture…beautiful, handwoven art from rural communities where tradition thrives, even as access to markets and vendors often do not. Without a vehicle, he must rely on his body to develiver or sell his rugs at a market. How much more could he earn, or how much farther could he travel, if financial barriers (such as owning a vehicle or horse) didn’t stand in his way?
From my perspective, his cart is more than transport. It’s a symbol of how Moroccan tradition is literally and figuratively preserved and pushed forward by those with the least, even as the country modernizes. However, the man and his cart also symbolizes how the progress over the past ten years is not evenly distributed across Morocco. He represents the many Moroccans who are marginalized, not necessarily because of bad decisions or lack of effort, but because development tends to favor those already in motion…those closer to schools, to hospitals, to opportunities.
In the story of Morocco’s progress, how will the country ensure that culture is not just preserved, but empowered to thrive all while continuing the task of reducing and ending poverty/?
United Nations Development Programme. (2020). Poverty in the Arab world: Successes and limits – Morocco’s experience. https://www.undp.org/arab-states/publications/poverty-arab-world-successes-and-limits-morrocos-experience
World Bank. (2018). Poverty in Morocco: Challenges and opportunities. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/morocco/publication/poverty-in-morocco-challenges-and-opportunities
Up to this point, I had not considered the way developmental trends in Morocco favor those already in motion. Yet, as I think about our time in Morocco, it is evident that progress comes with a cost. For some, that cost is a psychological and/or physical strain.
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking of progress and maintaing a traditional way of life, I think back to the farm in the desert. The brothers have created a space where modernization and traditional ways intersect and blend together in harmony. Instead of running from the tough life that comes with farming in the desert, they have worked together to create a no waste zone using modern techniques.
To keep up with the demands, they have adapted through hardship to not only mantain what it means to be a Moroccan farmer, but to keep up with the changing world around them. Their spirit, hope, and determination showed me the heart of Morocco.
I really liked this reflection. It made me think about who gets access to “progress” and who doesn’t.
ReplyDeleteMorocco is clearly developing fast, but not everyone benefits equally. We've seen so many different forms of transportation here—cars, buses, trains, even horse-drawn carts—and then there are those that push everything by hand. These people are working so hard not to get left behind and simultaneously hold onto their culture—even when the odds are stacked against them. I love how Becca put it; "this determination showed me the heart of Morocco". How do you believe Morocco will continue to progress in transportation; and at what point will these traditional people no longer be able to compete?