Why is colorism so ingrained in Moroccan society?
Colorism also known as skin tone bias exists on a global scale. It is the act of favoring lighter over darker skin tones. In Morocco, colorism is worryingly prevalent with many in denial or oblivious of its existence and the impacts that it has on a societal level as well as on individuals.
In Morocco, the treatment of people with darker or black skin remains a taboo topic. The silence surrounding colorism and racism has allowed it to fester and manifest in a multitude of ways.
Roots of racism
To understand how colorism came to exist in Morocco, expert Dr. Chouki El Hamel shared his knowledge about colorism and racism in Morocco. Dr. El Hamel is the author of Black Morocco and a Professor at the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at Arizona State University.
Morocco has had a turbulent history, involving long and frequent battles with colonizers. El Hamel recalled the country's past with slavery: “North Africa became Abarbized and Islamized its relation to sub-Saharan Africa (called the Sudan), it was dominated by slavery, illegal captivity and racism.”
During the late medieval period both sexual violence and rape were made socially acceptable among Arabs in North Africa because it helped the Arab genealogy, and enforced the Arabization ideology, the author noted.
He stressed that the connection between the enslavement of black Africans and the trans-Saharan slave trade to the Arab conquest of North Africa is a “well-established fact.” The idea of “whiteness” in relation to political legitimacy and freedom can be traced back to the many dynasties in Morocco. In particular, El Hamel mentioned the Sa’di (1550s to 1659) and Alawi 17th-19th century.
During his introduction, the author named two key moments that “determined and enforced blackness in the history of Morocco.” Both of these pivotal times are related to war, diplomacy, race, and domination. Namely: “The conquest of Songhay and the rule of M. Isma‘il. They were the two factors that stimulated a legal debate that justified war, imposed Arab hegemony, and homogenized blackness as inferior and created an army of slaves.”
Slavery
The history of the trans-Saharan slave trade has a great input on the ideology of Moroccans today. Millions of Africans – mostly sub-Saharan – were transported to the Americas and Europe passing through the Sahara on the way. Through its geographical location across from Europe, Morocco became the market location where slaves were sold.
In his book, the author writes: “The history of slavery in Morocco cannot be considered separately from the racial terror of the global slave trade. For racial groups such as blacks in Morocco, the problems of slavery, cultural and racial prejudice, and marginalization are neither new nor foreign.” The centuries-long issue has “marginalized” black people in Morocco, “with the dominant Moroccan culture defining this marginalized group as ‘Abid (plural of ‘Abd) meaning slave(s).”
Denial
North Africa has played a fundamental role in the enslavement of black Africans, El Hamel labelled the denial surrounding this as “a huge obstacle to understanding the impact of past injustices and their legacy in contemporary times.”
Furthermore, he wrote that the culture of the “hegemonic Arab (and other light-skinned North African) culture subjugated black ancestry and linked it to slavery and other negative attributes.”
As a topic that is still not frequently discussed, he insisted the denial of the unjust treatment of blacks in Morocco seeks to “dismiss the historical truths surrounding race and slavery and does an injustice to those who were enslaved and their descendants.”
As someone well integrated into both American and Moroccan culture, El Hamel drew attention to the fact that “Moroccans often wondered how the US could arrive at such inhumanity towards Black people, without acknowledging that they too may have travelled a similar path.” As many Moroccans fail to acknowledge the “horrific” role they had to play in the enslavement of black Africans in addition to “the making of racial binaries.”
Morocco’s identity crisis
Morocco gained global media attention for its participation in the 2022 World Cup, which forced Morocco’s ongoing identity crisis to resurface. Online rows were triggered when phrases such as “first Arab team, or first African team to win,” were splashed across international media.
During the feud it became apparent that many Moroccans were eager to be described as Arab, rejecting their African title completely. On the other hand, others refuted being referred to as Arab and instead identified as African or as the indigenous North African population known as Amazigh, while some claimed a combination of all.
On top of Morocco’s complex history, the African nation officially belongs to both the Arab League and African Union which fuels the identity controversy even more.
However, the underlying message of some Moroccans’ rejection to include ‘African’ in their description, reflects the way slavery has deeply impacted the politics surrounding ethnic and racial identities. In the words of Dr. Chouki El Hamel, it serves to “divorce Morocco from its African(ness).”
El Hamel described how the long-lasting historical impacts have had a large part to play in the identity crisis prevalent today. Highlighting the denial in Morocco he wrote: “The denial of the Moroccan Africanity is embedded in the written official historical text, discourse, and popular culture, and therefore it created epistemological gaps and official silences.”
Although slavery is no longer acceptable in Morocco, it has not been abolished by royal decree. Today, racism is rooted in the country’s political system, “Silence affects the production of history. Consequently, the invisibility of blackness is embedded in the epistemology of ignorance and that perpetuates the epistemology of injustice,” the author depicted.
Colorism today
Silence culture around the complex issue continues to be supported as many scholars in Morocco have chosen to place full responsibility on the West regarding the slavery and racism in Morocco.
For El Hamel, “The silence about slavery and racist attitudes rendered black Moroccans invisible or placed them outside the community.”
Another illustration of colorism living today in North Africa is the countless examples of racist language used to describe the marginalized group. There are many examples of racist language used in Morocco. Again the hate language is not commonly addressed or taken seriously, with many passing it off as a “joke,” without considering where the language came from and how it marginalizes the black community.
Some of the many racist words used in the Moroccan dialect is “3azzi” “which literally means black in a heavily negatively connotated way, used as an insult. Other words used that reference someone’s color, “Lwiyen” meaning color or colored, and “Kahlouch” or “Khel,” which translates as black or blackish, used mostly to describe sub-Saharan Africans.
To quantify the extent of denial that racism is a problem in Morocco, an extensive survey by Arab Barometer was carried out comparing MENA region countries. In one report, data uncovered 55% of Moroccans who believe racial discrimination is not a problem in their country. In another investigation by Arab Barometer, under half the participants (43%) described anti-black racism to be a problem in Morocco, as the scholar Nisrine Hilizah wrote. Morocco’s result was significantly less than other MENA countries surveyed such as Tunisia and Sudan which both scored 63%.
Skin whitening products
You can easily come across skin whitening products in Morocco, most of which seem to be based on a blue powder called “Nila” originally from the Sahara, which can be found in the markets, on shop floors, and online.
It is important to note that the product is not just for skin whitening but can also be used to treat skin conditions or be used as a moisturizer. However, when you look at the packaging, the message is abundantly clear. Common branding includes: “skin whitening” or "skin lightening" made as a selling point of the product. A retailer of “Nila” wrote in the product description: “One of the secrets of the Moroccan bath is to whiten the face and body.” Another product with incredibly racist branding showed a woman unzipping her skin where she was shedding her darker brown skin leaving behind a Caucasian version of herself.
Granted the use of this blue powder is not harmful in comparison to bleaching, which is an invasive method that some resort to in order to whiten skin, and due to the harsh chemicals that can cause significant and irreversible damage. Yet the message behind “Nila” or any skin whitening method is still the same; white skin is glorified and set as a beauty standard while solidifying that being white or lighter is superior as a social-hierarchy standard. Seeing these products on shop shelves and online, without shame, or being hidden in any way, makes it increasingly clear why so many Moroccans seem unaware of the problem. The number of products proves the normalization of colorism and the ease with which you can find them is justified by the market demand.
Through the various topics discussed it is evident that Morocco has a long way to go to unravel the deep-rooted cause behind what has become a societal norm, but in reality, is a continuation of ancient marginalization and hatred towards people with black or darker skin.
Hopefully, future generations will be able to use the past as an opportunity to recover from the damage caused. To do this, there needs to be open and frank exchange without fear of discussing this complex topic.
“There is no way forward on issues of race and racism if we do not learn from the experiences of the past and its injustices”, the author posed in a concluding note.
References:
Dr. Chouki El Hamel (2013) Black Morocco: A History of Slavery, Race, and Islam (Cambridge University Press).
John Wright (2002) Morocco: the last great slave market?, The Journal of North African Studies, 7:3, 53-66, DOI: 10.1080/13629380208718473
Magdi Abdelhadi (2022) African, Arab or Amazigh? Morocco’s Identity Crisis available at BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64022940
Nisrine Hilizah (2022) Arab Barometer Racial Discrimination and Anti-Blackness in the Middle East and North Africa https://www.arabbarometer.org/wp-content/uploads/ABVII_Racism_Report-ENG.pdf
About the author:
Olivia Hooper is a British journalist, editor, and translator based in Morocco. She is passionate about sparking discussions through writing about topics that are considered controversial in society.
