Expat Racism

Morocco is a beautiful country. The landscapes are incredibly diverse and beautiful, the people are friendly and inviting and most importantly: it is possible to live almost any kind of life style. The latter makes Morocco especially attractive to Europeans who chose to make a living in a different country. You can find Europeans (mainly French and Spanish ) everywhere across the country. Many of them have chosen to work in the tourism industry. What seems like everyone's dream come true actually has a bitter taste to it though. 

The historical context 

As a German coming to the African continent, I felt an obligation to make myself aware of the darker parts of my own history, the one that is rarely spoken about: colonialism. Stealing land from African communities and justifying it with the superiority of the white race was without doubt the most horrible and destructive political act committed by Europeans and has since not ceased to cause pain and unnecessary struggles for Africa's population. Morocco was colonized multiple times throughout the 18th to 20th Century mainly by France and Spain and only regained independence in 1956. Since Europeans are generally seen as a unity outside the continent and Germany colonized other African countries, I worried prior to my arrival that I might be seen as an unwanted intruder, someone who triggered the collective trauma of Morrocans. And frankly they would have been right to perceive Europeans that way. So from the beginning I tried not to live my privileged life in Morocco, as many expats do, not to import my european lifestyle but to learn from Morrocans. I expected other Europeans to enter the country with similar guilt and therefore similar aims. I was wrong. 

Isolation 

Instead of learning things from morrocan people, expats seem to build a parallel community for themselves. This is of course a phenomenon happening all around the world, it is literally what divides expats and immigrants or travelers. You can find American expats in Europe who after 10 years living there have very limited language skills or western people moving to Asia but only consuming western products. Expats are often times avoiding the social responsibility to be part of a new community and engage in social change. What makes the expats in Morocco which I have (only very briefly) encountered different however is the motivation behind their social isolation. They are not just too accustomed to their lifestyle, not just too lazy to change their habits. They seem to deliberately decide that their way of living is superior to the morrocan way. It's not just a random event, it's a choice. They open up bars and hotels serving alcohol and permitting rooms without marriage licenses, and are therefore importing their own culture. Yet they don't let Moroccans enter these same bars and hotels because they associate it with a loss of a certain standard. 

Power and Continuity 

There are various ways to express cultural disregard and discrimination. It begins with refusing to learn the local language and ends with actual segregation because of the skin color. Elderly expats that I have met can't pride themselves enough for their capabilities especially as a businessman / woman and therefor highlighting how incapable they find morrocans in their work field. They are complaining not primarily to morrocans but to their european friends and family. They continue to tell the stories of their ancestors, the ones of an underdeveloped country that has to be saved. Sadly some locals seem to believe their narrative. 

Know your place  

Many of the people I met here in the last month seem to admire Western culture tremendously. They study German philosophers and English literature, listen to American music and watch French movies. Many if not all elements of the standard education are adapted from the French, including some history. So from early on Moroccans learn about the great achievements of the west but far less about their own accomplishments. At first I thought people were merely modest about their culture but in further discussions I discovered that they really do believe western societies are superior in its working. This doesn't apply to each and every Moroccan of course, but it does represent a noticeable amount of people. This, to the best of my belief is the reason why there is no resistance against the inappropriate behavior of some western people here. Europeans are greeted friendly on the streets, which is not true for other immigrants like subsaharan people living here.  

I believe though that social pressure can indeed have an impact on the way expats behave and are perceived by the public. So to everyone in Morocco: the next time you witness someone being excluded from entering a bar, restaurant or hotel because of their heritage, please speak up about it.