The Components
of the Moroccan Cultural Identity
Text of the presentation on “Moroccan Cultural Identity” presented in the First Session of the First
Meeting of Allal El-Fassi Symposium held in Rabat 16th -17th Shaâban 1407. The
proceedings of the Symposium are published in the new series of Kitab Al-ilm
(1st edition 1988)
First,
I would like to thank ``Allal Al-Fassi Foundation ‘’ for giving me the
opportunity to attend this symposium, in the participation of which I take
great pride. I’d also like to congratulate this Foundation twice .Firstly, for
organising this symposium which will be open and continuous. Secondly, for
choosing as a subject of it’s first meeting a topic that was not only a matter
of some concern to its late leader but also an intellectual preoccupation
manifest in his writings and lectures.
The
topic I am honored to shed some light on is about the first axis : The
Components of Moroccan cultural Identity . Before I begin to talk about it, and
with your permission, I’d like to give a brief definition of each one of these
three terms:
1-Components
2-Cultural
3-Identity
My
intention is to give a simple definition of each one of these components,
without posing the technical or the
methodical problem they may raise,
or embarking on such a study, the motives behind it , or the various pertinent
tendencies.
The
components make up the thing; that is the fundamental elements that constitute
its basis. Inquiry into them entails research in their meaning from the point of view of gender, type
and degree, of their influence, and of the extent of their continuity whether in the condition of stability
or evolution.
As
for identity, it is what goes into the making of the thing itself - with regard
to its distinctive features and realization of itself and its character that
sets it apart from other things. Identity is the vessel that holds the collective conscience of any
human community, as well as the
content of this conscience. This content
includes all the values and components which adjust the community’s
awareness and will to exist and live within the scope of the preservation of
entity along with everything else that ensures its emergence and continuity.
Identity,
thereby, falls within a large framework represented by personality as an entity
made up of physical and moral elements, and also as a well-established
existence of man and society. It is through what transpires of this existence and of that entity that
identity is related to personality.
One
might ask : What are the components of Moroccan cultural identity ?
In
such a short presentation, it may be difficult for me to define these
components or to limit them to specific points. Nevertheless, within the wide
framework where identity may be examined, I can discuss four elements
1-The
environment : I am not interested in its special dimension as opposed to
history which presents a temporal dimension for any society. I am interested in
the environment only in so far as it is a set of natural and human elements
which have no value in themselves, but whose importance lies in their number
and diversity, and in the economic conditions and social systems and behavioral
patterns which it sets apart, and in the resultant specific mentality.
I had studied the Moroccan mentality in a field
other than this one, in an attempt to observe its features, and I concluded
that it may be summarized in the following points :
1- A tendency towards stability.
2- A strong feeling of the self and an aptitude
for openness coupled with an awareness of the necessity to unite with the
other, to integrate and to work closely and to cooperate with him.
3- A love for freedom and a refusal of subjugation
and resignation to any power, coupled with an excellent capacity for forbearance.
4- Confronting problems and handling them in a
practical manner and with a certain readiness to solve them.
5-
A striving for moderation in everything.
Secondly,
religion - Islam- in which Moroccans have realized self-fullfilment, existence
and entity, which has enabled them to assert their identity and personality as
is revealed by history, especially when comparison is made between the Islamic
era and the eras that preceded it.
Suffice
it to say in this connection that Islam has guided Moroccans with its precepts
and united them. Not only did they embrace it as a religion and adopt its
teachings in their worship and conduct, they also took it as a model in every
aspect of their lives. That is why Islam
is so prevalent in all
their views, and in their logic, visions and conceptions, because it
constitutes a basis for their behavior and relationships and a criterion with
which they can distinguish between issues.
The
third component of identity is language - classical Arabic - so much enriched
by all the local dialects with which it has intermingled . As is the case with
any society, language in Morocco is a means of communication, with its grammar,
verb conjugation, sounds, meanings, discourse and thought structure, and everything else one
learns in a language lesson . Language, however, has gone beyond this stage to become a symbol of values and an inner feeling of
identity and existence for the individual and the community alike, and even for those who live in regions
where a dialect, however close to or distant from Arabic, is prevalent.
The
reason is that Arabic is the language of the Quran and an Islamic heritage.
Therefore, it is at the heart of the citizen’s conscience, intertwined with his
identity and his being . Even his existence has come to depend upon it and upon
its content ,although he may not be acquainted with its scientific aspect or be
so proficient at it as a means of communication.
In
the eyes of Moroccans, Arabic has come to be synonymous with Islam, because it is its language. They knew
Islam and its heritage through Arabic, and it was through Arabic that they
enriched this heritage. That’s why Arabic is an element of equilibrium in the
Moroccan personality, in an environment characterized by multiplicity and
diversity not only in the relationship of this personality with itself but with
the other as well. This has turned language into an effective weapon in the
struggle against the perilous loss or dissolution of identity.
The
Fourth and last element is heritage; that is the civilisational and cultural
heritage which reached the Umma throughout the ages. This heritage is the product of interaction between
generations; it constitutes an accumulation of knowledge and expertise, of mind
and spirit, and of emotion and taste. This represents the genius of the Umma, and brings out its
giftedness and its role in innovating in and contributing to various
intellectual, literary and technical fields and to all other refined skills.
The
issue of heritage is a thorny and complex one; however, I am studying it here
within the scope of complementarily between the scholastic and the popular. By
``scholastic ‘’ heritage, I mean all the transmitted thought, the learnt
sciences and the written literature; by ``popular’’ heritage, I mean the
inherited customs and lore, and the various forms of expression, whether
verbal or artistic.
Because
of the time constraint, I will only raise some issues related to these
components; that is, their relationship with the content of Moroccan Cultural
Identity.
The first issue: Is the cultural
identity constant? Or is it changing or changeable ?
As
a civilization phenomenon, cultural identity has historical, social, intellectual
and psychological dimensions. It is governed by laws and conditions closer to
determinism than anything else, which makes it more inclined to subsist ; and
if it undergoes a change, the latter takes place spontaneously and over calm
periods.
As
a reflection of the form of society, with adjustments in intellectual and economic factors and
relationships over a limited period governed by a controlled controversial
interaction - in other words, as a social phenomenon subjected to the various factors of change in society,
identity is receptive to change whenever this society is exposed to anything
that is likely to effect a change slowly or speedily.
Moreover,
since identity is related to the prevalent values, components and concepts, it
is part of the changes occurring over generations and their concurrent events
which are often slow, except when society is exposed to such sudden upheavals
as revolutions and wars.
Without
giving a detailed analysis, it is important that I mention that cultural identity
has two features: a constant feature; one that is related to the stable factors in this
identity, such as religion. The other is unstable, changeable and receptive to
development and innovation, albeit
very slowly, as a result of its
relationship with the adaptable elements in society. That is why, in the
discussion of the components of identity, I insisted on the environment and its
impact on the composition of identity.
The
second issue is that of cultural identity in its relationship with other
identities. There is no doubt that when we discuss Moroccan cultural identity,
we immediately imagine another extended and larger identity. That is, Moroccan
identity may be related, through some common elements, to larger identities or
some identities of which it is part, such as the Arab identity, the Islamic
identity or the African identity, and so forth, until the Moroccan identity
meets the human identity, so to speak.
Furthermore,
cultural identity may subdivide
further into small subidentities or partial identities, especially when that
identity is related to an environment which is characterized by multiplicity
and diversity, as it is the case with Morocco with all the specificities of
sub-environments which constitute the main structure. This is clearly seen in
some natural aspects and civilization phenomena and in their impact on the
thought, mind and behavior and all forms and patterns of creativity.
I
believe that identity - any identity - that is receptive to enlargement and
subdivision acquires a property which
enables it to live,
develop, coexist and
complement the other, that is to give and take, starting from its
distinctive features and special traits.
The
third issue which I would like to raise in my discussion of the Moroccan cultural identity poses a question with
regard to the reality of its components today, which take us back to these
components.
As regards the environments, we
notice not only the extent of the impact of all the effective factors on it,
but also the ensuing
development that keeps pace with the progress and the evolution of society in
various fields, with all the negative influence affecting the cultural elements
despite the immunity of authenticity and the confidence resulting from the cultural factors. Nonetheless,
the matter requires caution so as to prevent a dissolution of the features of true authenticity or
ward off the infiltration, in its name,
of falseness and foreignness into it.
With
regard to religion, Islam today is undergoing a real awakening which is
the result of the clash of the self with itself, as well as with the other.
However, this awakening is beset by many problems and dangers, the effect of
which have already started to emerge.
I
should mention what has already been said that Moroccans have adjusted
personality and Islam; that is
they linked them up, starting from features amongst which moderation
ranks top. This moderation is reflected in religion ,doctrine and in many other
religious issues. I am certain that this moderation is the regulator which may
protect Moroccans and prevent them from drifting towards extremism, deviation
and loss.
Regarding
language, identity is going
through a crisis related to arabization. I do not wish to go into the
details of such a crisis, or raise the problem of arabisation, because only an
ignorant or a coward would argue
against arabisation. I will only
say that the problem of arabisation facing the Arabic language today
needs to be dealt with bravely and rationally. In our discussion of the issue
of arabisation, we need to be aware of many realities, five of which are worth
mentioning:
1.
Arabisation does
not mean introversion, seclusion and resistance to other languages considered
as a means of openness onto the world and on other cultures and civilizations.
Taking into consideration the supremacy of Arabic as a mother tongue,
arabisation seeks to avoid falling into the grip of any foreign language, no
matter how useful and regardless of its potentialities or of the horizons it may
open for us, so as not to allow it
the slightest influence or hegemony that may result in dependence.
2.
The mother
tongue, that is the national language ,is in itself a field and a means of
creation and creativity.
3.
Through its thought,
content and spirit, the mother tongue is one of the means to shield one’s identity from dependence and
colonialism.
4. The use of arabisation in
education , in scientific research , in literary expression, in management and
communication with others and in various domains of public and private life
would alone guarantee its development, innovation and capacity for keeping pace
with modern times.
It is this
use, especially since Arabic is
the language of the Quran, that will encourage non-Arab Moslems to adapt it in
educational, intellectual and religious fields; it may be chosen as the official language, too.
As
for heritage, the fourth and last component, it has been going through a stage
of confrontation with modernity for over two decades. If Islamic-Arab thought
in general (and the Moroccan thought in particular) is suffering from a crisis
of equilibrium brought about by this confrontation, it endeavors to resolve this crisis
through practice. Both Islamic-Arab thought and Moroccan thought have come to the conclusion that
practice is the only solution; especially after much
ink had been spilt on a theoretical discussion, which has led to the
crystallization of many of its aspects, both negative and positive.
Just
like language, heritage cannot be ignored, repealed or replaced. Practice has
confirmed that culture - no matter how aspiring to the new - can not do without
heritage and cannot live outside it. In other words, it has been confirmed that
in real life heritage strengthens self-satisfaction, enhances creativity and
increases its capacity for developed and renewed yielding.
The
fourth and last issue concerning the components of the Moroccan cultural
identity arises from the question about the purpose of studying these components.
Actually, the aims of this study are legion. They can be summed up as follows:
1.
Acquainting
oneself with the self and the being, and defining the capacities and
potentialities; this is a necessary start for realizing progress and sustaining it.
2.
Directing
perspectives, determining attitudes and relations, showing the way and the
destination, and elucidating the philosophy of life and the future
3.
Never losing
sight of this philosophy as a safe resort in the face of
adversity, and as a stimulus for resistance and triumph. This evocation comes
about spontaneously, as the history of nationalistic wars has revealed,
especially under the protectorate . At that time, the late Allal al-Fassi, and
other loyal nationalists, would stress the Moroccan cultural identity. They
would insist on the elements of religion and language out of the conviction
that Islam - and the concomitant language and thought - was the basis of the
unity of Moroccans, and even of Moslems when faith was strong; before it waned and was overcome by the rest of
the components of identity, and perhaps by the subidentities of each region,
the consequence of which is the widespread phenomenon of fragmentation and
secession.
The history we are making today
- albeit unconsciously - is the best evidence of this active role of cultural
identity in the struggle for recovering the usurped territories and for
achieving territorial integrity.
The best proof of such
achievements is the Green March, with its Islamic motto "Allahu
Akbar" (Allah is Great). It
alone was able to fill the hearts of tens of thousands of those who took
part in it, and to mobilize them, thus proving to be a most efficient weapon.
In
conclusion, I would like to stress once again the importance of this theme:
"Moroccan Cultural Identity” and to reiterate my thanks and
congratulations to the Allal al-Fassi Institution for taking the initiative to
put it on the floor for study and discussion at the start of its activities. I
pray God to grant it success.
Dr. Abbes Jirari.