Online Program

Adventures Online: The Colors & Contrasts of Morocco

Program No. 24335RJ
Experience the sights and sounds of Morocco as you join local experts for online explorations of Marrakech, Rabat and Ouazzane on a live, online learning adventure!

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At a Glance

Warm people, vibrant marketplaces and ancient cities are just the beginning of what you’ll discover in Morocco. Now, you can make the journey without leaving the comfort of your home during this online learning adventure, live from North Africa! With a local expert, explore the cities of Rabat, Marrakech and Ouazzane during online field trips that offer a look at their sacred places, bustling markets, gardens and more. Enjoy a musical session that introduces the melodies and chants of Moroccan music, hear from an artisan and museum curators about the coexistence of modern and ancient crafts, and learn about the role of women in Ouazzane during a group discussion. Enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow Road Scholars as you delve further into the story of Morocco and attend lectures on topics including multiculturalism, modern-day Rabat, religion and spirituality in Morocco.

What You'll Learn

  • Explore Morocco’s capital city of Rabat during an online field trip that takes you inside the Medina, the Chellah, gardens, colonial Rabat, Mausoleum of the Alaouite kings and more.
  • Discover the world-famous medina of Marrakech and explore the Saadian tombs, Badi palace, Berber Museum and Majorelles Gardens during an online field trip.
  • Embark on an online field trip to the northern town of Ouazzane to learn about its renowned mausoleum and Sufi Masters, its Sephardic Jewish Tziddikim, artisan crafts, olive and fig groves and local history.

General Notes

You’ll enjoy 4 hours of daily instruction, discussion and/or field trips, which includes sufficient breaks throughout the program. This online program is through Zoom, an easy-to-use web video service that includes closed captioning. All you need is an Internet connection and your computer. We’ll provide a how-to guide to make sure you’ll have a hassle-free experience. In keeping with our Traditional On-Site programs, ALL ADVENTURES ONLINE MULTI-DAY PROGRAMS (INCLUDING THIS PROGRAM) ARE PRESENTED LIVE; THESE PROGRAMS ARE NOT RECORDED. Please review the daily itinerary for start and end times to ensure you won’t miss a minute of this live experience. All times are listed in the EASTERN time zone. If you live in a different time zone, please adjust your schedule accordingly.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
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Farah Cherif D’Ouezzan
Farah Cherif D’Ouezzan is the founder and Director of the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning. She has a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature and Religion from Mohammed Vth University in Rabat and a degree in Women and Gender Issues from the University of Hanover (Germany). Her academic focus is on comparative religion and Islam from a cross-cultural perspective. Farah has developed and led Road Scholar programs for more than 20 years. She teaches about religion and culture, women and gender issues, Islam, human rights, and Sufism.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Mokhtar Bouba
Mokhtar Bouba View biography
Dr. Mokhtar Bouba holds a Ph.D. in leadership studies and education from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire. He has more than 20 years of experience designing and facilitating study abroad and experiential learning programs in Morocco, and worked with CCCL in developing and designing Road Scholar programs. He has written and lectured about multiculturalism, Amazigh (Berber) culture, current issues, the arts, and the ethics and politics of representation of the Sahara and its people. He is also an artist, educator, and indigenous methodologist.
Profile Image of Abdelhay Moudden
Abdelhay Moudden View biography
Abdelhay Moudden received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. He has taught political science and international relations at Mohamed V University in Rabat since 1978. A founder of the Center for Cross Cultural Learning, he acts as academic director. He has served on official Moroccan bodies and has lectured on political and cultural issues related to Morocco and the Arab world to audiences in many countries. His recent publications address the Arab Spring, the painful past and reconciliation, and political emotions.
Profile Image of Farah Cherif D’Ouezzan
Farah Cherif D’Ouezzan View biography
Farah Cherif D’Ouezzan is the founder and Director of the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning. She has a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature and Religion from Mohammed Vth University in Rabat and a degree in Women and Gender Issues from the University of Hanover (Germany). Her academic focus is on comparative religion and Islam from a cross-cultural perspective. Farah has developed and led Road Scholar programs for more than 20 years. She teaches about religion and culture, women and gender issues, Islam, human rights, and Sufism.
Profile Image of Driss Maghraoui
Driss Maghraoui View biography
Dr. Driss Maghraoui is Associate Professor of History and International Relations at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane and previously a visiting professor at Yale and the University of California. He teaches courses on North African immigration, modern imperialism and its culture, Arab world history, and 20th century Europe. His numerous publications include “Secularism in Morocco: A Stagnant Word in Motion” and “Northern Africa: Historical Links with Sub-Saharan Africa.” Dr. Maghraoui has taught many classes at the Center for Cross Cultural Learning including Road Scholar programs.
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3 days
2 nights
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DAY
1
Orientation, Introductions, Modern Rabat, Old & New Towns
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today’s session will start at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and end at 3:00 p.m.

Morning: 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

Afternoon: 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.

DAY
2
Multiculturalism, Desert and High Atlas Mountains, Museums
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today’s session will start at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and end at 3:00 p.m.

Morning: 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.

Afternoon: 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.

DAY
3
Muslim and Jewish Spirituality; Religion, Culture and Life
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today’s session will start at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and end at 3:00 p.m.

Morning: 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

Afternoon: 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






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