Mall Here, Slum There

Wandering the high walled, winding alley ways of the Medina must be the closest I'll ever come to being a lab rat in a maze. The first time I walked with my host mother through the Medina all I could do was lunge to stay by her heel as she whipped around corners onto streets that all looked the same. Today I whipped around a corner myself and smiled as I realized that I have become an amateur Medina resident.

My new amateur status came in handy last saturday when I had to make my way to the train station at 6:45 am. MOJ went on an "independent" field trip to the annual book fair and Morocco Mall in Casablanca. Several of us met up to n

avigate the empty streets of the early morning Medina as we made our way out to the centre ville train station in the nouvelle ville. The ride was just an hour and fifteen minutes and the scenery was verdant, a landscape dotted with farms, cows, and horses.

It was immediately clear upon arrival, though, that we were in a city quite different from Rabat. Casa presents an interesting example of urban development and is a symbol of Morocco's wide gap in development. The taxi we caught at the train station dropped us off in front of the immense Hassan II mosque. It is right on the coast and is so well manicured. Across the street we entered the international book fair and visited stands from Saudi Arabia, France, Belgium, Pakistan, the Mohammed V University, and more. We helped a young english literature student find Hamlet while having a conversation, in flawless english, about post grad job opportunities.

Then the time came to catch a taxi to the mall. We drove along the beautiful coast, but across the street from the ocean we spotted slum like apartment buildings, shops in disrepair, people in rags, and stray animals. Yet the mall looks like something you would not even see in the US yet. It is extremely large and designed to reflect its position on the coast; you can even see the beach from the food court. We could not walk five feet without passing a security guard or custodian. Aside from all of the top end world brands, there is a large aquarium attraction, a musical fountain, an adventure park, a very sophisticated 'souk', and more. It is the picture of modernity and sumptuousness.

On our way back to the train station we decided to stop at Rick's Café. We had to give a nod to Casablanca, the film. Our taxi driver pointed out the new tramway project and the construction on the Marina and boardwalk. He was so proud that it was bigger than Rabat's! Advertisements outside of the construction site showed Western looking couples walking along the boardwalk and boating. He also showed us one of the King of Saudi Arabia's three palaces in Casablanca. Again, though, we passed very run down looking areas right next to all of this new, commercial development.

When we arrived home in Rabat, Stacy asked her host father his thoughts on this contrast between extreme development and crumbling living spaces. He thought the government should spend more time and money working on building up infrastructure immediately important to citizens, housing and community development.

It is great that Morocco is working on urban development, but it is strange that there is such a focus on areas and institutions that citizens don't consider immediately important to them. The country's reputation is very important to it's government. The state has worked hard to have impeccable relations with the EU and the US. Focusing on development projects that foreign tourists might visit or hear about could be one means of maintaining and building the nation's reputation.