Culture Walls

Geography

This is the country of Morocco. Let's get to basics. The capital is Rabat. This country is  located on the continent of Africa. Some of it's neighboring countries are: Algeria and Mauritania. One interesting fact about this country is that the temperature can be lower than 0 degrees.

Some of Morocco's mountains are Mt. Lebet Taubkal, Mt. Atlas and the pacific ocean.

Climate

Throughout the year it mostly hot but they also have cold days. It is mostly dry and humid. They mostly only have two natural disasters - droughts and sandstorms.

Economy

In this country they also have money just like us. Their money is called Dirham though. Nine and one half Dirham equal one U.S. dollar.

The kind of goods produced in this country are clementines and couscous. We got clementines from Morocco because Japan was asking for too much money for mandarins. People normally provide for their families by growing food themselves and wealthy families have very good jobs and just buy all their food from the market.

 Government

In this country there are 5 chambers of government. Each chamber makes up their own laws and must be approved by the judge. In this country leaders are picked only if they are royalty. Once they are picked they don't just become leader of the country, but the religious ruler as well.

Skala Fort

Religion

The major religion practiced in this country is the Muslim religion. You know that if you are Christian or Catholic there is a bible. Well, they have the same thing. It is called the Koran. One of their most well known rituals is when they go to Mecca. Here they pray to god, or as they call it, Allah.  This is a photo of The Great Mosque.

Cultural Arts

 Paul Bowes, a man originally from America, came to Morocco and has been living there for more than 30 years. This author wrote the Sheltering Sky, Let It Come Down and The Spiders House.  

In this country there is dance called ahouache. It is a dance where girls line up in a circle and sing and dance to the drums. 

In Rabat there is a museum called the Museum of Muslim art. It has the finest art made by Muslims in the world.  

One of their favorite Fairy Tales is one of our favorites, Cinderella. Except in this version Cinderella is just a beautiful girl who lives on the streets. She is later met by a prince who invites her to the ball. They wind up getting married and they have a child. They all live in the palace happily ever after.

Food

Some of Morocco's crops are: green beans, peppers, eggplants, avocados, strawberries, grain, clementines and couscous.  In this Morocco people get food by either growing it themselves or buying it at a village. For example in almost every village they have a spice stand. A staple food in Morocco is couscous. It is a cereal/rice and is eaten daily. One of Morocco's unique dishes is a soup containing couscous, chicken, pigeon meat and fish.

 A typical day's menu is like this. Morning: Couscous, eggs and sometimes cereal. Afternoon: Fish, lamb or chicken  and couscous. Dinner: Leftover meat from lunch couscous, peppers in a soup and strawberries for dessert. Some spices are cinnamon, cumin, coriander, saffron, sesame and cloves. The kind of eating utensils used in this country are mostly their hands. But when they have guests they eat with forks, knives and spoons.

Social Etiquette

Before the people of Morocco eat they say a special blessing. 

Family Values

The average family in Morocco would be mom, dad and the children. The younger children help with the elderly in their town, not just their family. They help them to do their work. The father must support the whole family by getting a job. He usually gets a job in a grocery store or a small corner store. Mom does washing and watching the kids. Most work is outside like farming and everybody helps.  

One of the children's most important responsibilities is to listen to their parents when they are asked to. If they are asked to help with the farming they do it. The children help with farming or business with their parents such as a spice market. All the children are treated equally. It doesn't matter whose the strongest or youngest. Everyone helps.

Children's Rights

Children are only chosen to go to school. They could be 17 years old and start school. Most families don't have enough money to send their children to college. Boys and girls are also treated equally when it comes to school.

Holidays and Festivals

Some holidays in Morocco are Throne Day and young People's Day.

The Sheep Feast is a feast where the leader of Morocco chooses the herder with the best sheep. He then gives them a reward of food or money.

Independence Day is a 2 day feast. It is the day they got their Independence from France. They eat sweet things and French food. 

Sports and Recreation

In Morocco the wealthy  people like to watch television, while the people not that wealthy have a fun time watching snake charmers. The most popular sport in Morocco is soccer. It is also the most popular children's game. The only thing different in "their soccer" is that they can't use your feet. You have to use your hands to keep the ball in the air.    

Language

In this country the languages spoken are Arabic, French, Spanish and English. A person would typically greet another person with a cup of tea with mint and sugar. It is also impolite to not drink at least 3 cups. If you were in this country, if a person blinks 3 times it means to start talking.