Adventures Online: The Colors & Contrasts of Morocco

11:00 am. Welcome, Orientation, Introductions. The Group Leader, Aya Moudden will greet everyone and review the program theme, the up-to-date daily schedule and any changes, Zoom meeting protocols, roles and responsibilities, and answer any questions. We will then say hello to our fellow Road Scholars and our lead instructor. Farah Cherif D’Ouezzan. 11:25 am. Lecture. A Political History: A Historigraphical Perspective; Overview of Morocco of the 20th and 21st centuries. Rabat, as the capital of Morocco is key, presenting the historical, political, social and cultural dimensions, highlighting the modern era and people’s daily lives. 12:20 pm. 15 min Break

12 :35 pm. The field trip will take us from the roof of the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning -Road Scholar hosting institution- terrasse that overlooks the whole city of Rabat and Sale to take us inside out the wonders of the capital of Morocco. We will explore the Medina (old walled town), the 12th century Kasbah of Oudayas (the old military fortress), the Chellah gardens, the Mausoleum of the Alaouite kings, the colonial new town as well as example of new architectural styles recently introduced to the city. We will pay a quick visit to the Museum of Contemporary Arts to see samples of the latest exhibits. 1:35 pm. 15 min Break. 1:50 pm. Musical session presenting old and new recorded performances of the variety of Moroccan rhythms and diverse genres of music, and presenting the different instruments. In this session, the participants will be introduced to the rhythms, melodies, and chants of Moroccan music of African, Andalusian, Amazighi (Berber), Arab, Mediterranean origins. The selection is based on the tribal diversity of the country, its fusion between old and new, its revisiting of genres that were male exclusive and are now taken by women, and its use of different types of instruments depending on the origins and the recent evolution. 2:50 pm. We’ll have a Q&A session followed by wrap-up and notes for tomorrow. 3:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.

11:00 a.m. Review of the day with the Group Leader and the lead instructor. 11:15 am. Lecture.Multiculturalism. The lecture presents the diverse components of Moroccan culture and describes their historic itineraries originating from different regions of the country, as well as from areas of the world that are known today as sub-Saharan, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean. The speaker will highlight this diversity by showing examples of the manifestations of these cultures, their contribution to today’s dimensions of the Moroccan cultural identities, the tensions that multiculturalism generates, as well as the prospects it offers for greater recognition, equality, and cultural enrichment.

12:15 p.m. 15 min Break. 12:30 p.m. Virtual field trip. We will explore the Medina of Marrakech and Jamaa Lfna, the world-famous lively city square, known for its snake charmers, musicians, dancers, fortune tellers, popular street theaters, as well as food stands and shops. We will visit Marrakech from the perspective of a Moroccan storyteller, indigenous artist, as well as highlight the importance of the architecture of the alleys and streets of the Medina, the role the Square has played in history and today’s lives of people, the changes of scenery this open outdoor theater that is the square offers depending on the time of day and night. The instructor will introduce the stories of the people who built Marrakech, as well as the Koutoubia Mosque, emphasizing on the role of the Amazighi (Berber indigenous inhabitants of Morocco) and the Sub-Saharan African dimension of the country. 1:30 pm. 15 min Break. 1:45 p.m. Hands-On Experience: visit of museums, talk with a curator and an artisan; Two recorded discussions with an artisan from Marrakech as well as a curator from three different museums, to highlight the ongoing coexistence of crafts, ancient arts and modern one in the city of Marrakech. The interviewees are women from different backgrounds and both from Marrakech and region. To highlight the ongoing coexistence of crafts, ancient and modern arts in the city of Marrakech, we will listen in on interviews with an artisan from Marrakech as well as curators from museums. 2:30 pm. Q&A. 2:50 pm. Wrap-up and notes for tomorrow. 3:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.

11:00 am. Review of the day. and introduction 11:20 am Lecture: Religion and Spirituality in Morocco The lecture will highlight the relationship between religion, culture and spirituality in daily lives of Moroccans. The presence of tombs of venerated Sufi Masters and Jewish Rabbis is part of the Moroccan belief that has played significant roles in the in Moroccan culture in both the past and the present

12:20 pm. 15 min Break. 12:35 pm. . Virtual field trip. The field trip will take the participants to Ouazzane, a town in Northern Morocco, founded in the 17th century by the Muslim Wali/Saint Moulay Abdallah Cherif, whose mausoleum and its surrounding neighborhoods constitute the highlight of the town. The visit will include videos of the shrine, the nearby Mosque, and its old library, as well as the small but lively commercial district surrounding the shrine, which include artisan shops for weaving, handmade wool fabrics, and woodworking. In addition to the town history, the instructor will discuss its main economic resources as olives, figs and weaving, as well as the current challenges of unemployment, migration, cultural and economic marginalization, as well as promising opportunities newly envisaged for the future of the town and its region. 1:35 pm. 15 min Break 1:50 pm. Hands-On Experience Pre-recorded group discussion with the women of Ouazzane. Different educational, cultural, and social backgrounds of women will be part of the discussion. Ouazzane is a town, where women’s place was just 20 years ago at home, and now women are taking over, yet they have not gained their full rights. 2:35 pm. Q&A. 2:50 pm. Wrap-up 3:00 p.m. Program Ends