Some Women of Marrakech 212

Raymond Hames Author

10/04/2017 Added

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Video of Some Women of Marrakech

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[00:00:00.000](slow gentle music)
[00:00:08.716](singing in foreign language)
[00:01:13.837]In Marrakech,
[00:01:14.742]as in all parts of the Islamic world,
[00:01:17.181]religious doctrine and the teachings
[00:01:18.980]of the Quran influence daily life.
[00:01:26.004]The larger family group
[00:01:27.455]is the foundation of Moroccan society.
[00:01:30.297]Every man and woman is concerned with family honor.
[00:01:40.580]The public world of the city is very different
[00:01:43.093]from the private world of the family.
[00:01:47.796]This all woman film crew was allowed behind the high walls
[00:01:51.838]of the houses to meet some women of Marrakech.
[00:01:57.722]Morocco, a Muslim state,
[00:01:59.835]lies on the western edge of the Islamic world.
[00:02:03.639]For centuries, the city of Marrakech
[00:02:05.572]has been an important stop
[00:02:06.841]along the ancient trade routes across the Sahara.
[00:02:10.932]Today, Marrakech continues to be a center of trade.
[00:02:15.028]The Seven Saints still guard the seven gates
[00:02:17.888]of the walled city.
[00:02:22.683]In Islamic countries, the honor of the family group
[00:02:26.048]depends upon the chaste reputation of its women.
[00:02:29.722]Women should not be seen by men outside the family.
[00:02:33.410]Thus, when Moroccan women leave their homes,
[00:02:35.887]most wear a veil and a cloak called a djellaba.
[00:02:50.897]Men spend most of their time in the public places,
[00:02:54.036]the streets, the shops, the mosques, and the cafes,
[00:02:58.051]places where they work, as well as mingle
[00:03:00.556]with strangers and friends.
[00:03:09.461]Women are at home in private courtyards
[00:03:11.846]behind the high walls of the houses.
[00:03:14.895](traditional Moroccan music)
[00:03:17.226]Here, where no men are invited,
[00:03:19.332]women give parties for each other.
[00:03:25.535]Women musicians play and everyone dances.
[00:03:36.920](singing in foreign language)
[00:03:45.107]This family is holding an ear-piercing ceremony
[00:03:48.383]to introduce their daughters to society.
[00:03:54.843]The little girls wear special dresses for the occasion.
[00:03:58.325]Like brides, their hands and feet are decorated with henna.
[00:04:32.447]It is during gatherings like this
[00:04:34.170]that news and information is exchanged,
[00:04:37.177]who is finishing school,
[00:04:39.144]whose son is working abroad,
[00:04:41.160]who is to be married next.
[00:04:56.141](chanting in foreign language)
[00:05:08.413]When the ear piercing is completed,
[00:05:10.466]the little girls are presented to the guests
[00:05:12.644]and make joyous cries ululation.
[00:05:15.597](women ululate)
[00:05:44.730]The girls now look forward
[00:05:46.063]to the fulfillment of their destiny,
[00:05:48.517]marriage and creating a new family.
[00:06:01.342]The narrow streets of the old city
[00:06:03.483]give a passerby no hint
[00:06:04.967]of what lies behind the doors of the houses.
[00:06:10.770]Aisha came to Marrakech as a child
[00:06:12.936]and still lives in the house where she grew up.
[00:06:16.356](speaking in foreign language)
[00:06:42.134]Aisha is married to a day laborer,
[00:06:43.991]and they have four children.
[00:06:46.250]With the small income she earns as a housekeeper,
[00:06:48.932]she helps support her family
[00:06:50.590]and is sending her children to school.
[00:07:00.067]But Aisha's ties to her family
[00:07:01.708]in the country remains strong.
[00:07:06.807]Each year she receives grain from her own land
[00:07:09.424]in the village from which she makes bread.
[00:07:17.480]Most women make bread daily and take the loaves
[00:07:20.514]to the neighborhood oven for baking.
[00:07:37.776]Once a year, Aisha visits her family
[00:07:39.873]in the village where her father owns several acres of land.
[00:07:45.529]Islamic law states that all children
[00:07:47.561]share in an inheritance.
[00:07:50.145]A daughter receives 1/2 as much as a son.
[00:08:05.771]Aisha has managed to hang on to her land,
[00:08:08.593]and comes regularly to see her sisters
[00:08:10.852]and check on her own property.
[00:08:20.568](speaking in foreign language)
[00:09:22.189]Inheritance divides the land
[00:09:23.666]into pieces often too small to support many people.
[00:09:27.963]In each generation, some family members
[00:09:30.271]must move to the city in search of work.
[00:09:34.541](speaking in foreign language)
[00:09:52.035]Aisha doesn't wear the veil in her village
[00:09:54.148]because it is thought of as one large extended family
[00:09:57.404]with everyone related to everyone else.
[00:10:07.086]Relationships with kin imply a trust and affection
[00:10:10.386]not felt toward others.
[00:10:14.027]The inheritance of land reinforces
[00:10:16.156]a woman's ties with her kin,
[00:10:18.773]and Aisha is particularly close to her nephew and his wife.
[00:10:25.779](speaking in foreign language)
[00:10:44.324]The tie between brother and sister
[00:10:46.454]is assumed to be permanent,
[00:10:48.485]while that between husband and wife is more fragile.
[00:10:53.085]30% of marriages end in divorce,
[00:10:55.849]though men and women usually remarry.
[00:10:59.327]Throughout her life, a woman relies
[00:11:01.082]on her father's family for support.
[00:11:05.536]According to Islam,
[00:11:06.690]all behavior is either halal, good and permitted,
[00:11:10.299]or haram, bad and forbidden.
[00:11:14.866](speaking in foreign language)
[00:12:35.215]For a Moroccans, the outside world
[00:12:37.409]is divided between family and strangers.
[00:12:42.155]The people you should trust and rely upon
[00:12:44.382]are members of your own extended family,
[00:12:47.145]numbering up to 300 people.
[00:12:55.695]The market area is divided into quarters specializing
[00:12:58.913]in particularly commodities.
[00:13:04.635]Within the quarters, shops are virtually identical,
[00:13:07.923]so customers choose among them
[00:13:09.804]on the basis of personal links
[00:13:11.657]between themselves and the shopkeeper.
[00:13:14.506]The aim is to create a personal relationship,
[00:13:17.232]and turn a stranger into a friend.
[00:13:27.949]Shopping is a challenge and a game,
[00:13:30.257]as well as a necessity of everyday life,
[00:13:33.182]and Moroccans enjoy going to the market.
[00:13:35.988]This is one occasion when respectable women
[00:13:38.783]talk to men outside the family.
[00:13:42.657]There are no fixed prices in the shops,
[00:13:45.046]and bargaining is part of the game.
[00:13:53.596]Aisha buys material for a special kaftan
[00:13:56.440]from a shopkeeper related to her good friend, Faadilah.
[00:14:12.670](speaking in foreign language)
[00:16:09.904]Women are the main customers
[00:16:11.373]of the material shops,
[00:16:13.096]but they are rarely found selling behind the counter.
[00:16:18.741]A woman might own a shop,
[00:16:20.508]but she will hire a man to run it for her.
[00:16:30.135]Only very poor women without family support
[00:16:32.931]must sell goods in public on the streets.
[00:16:40.977]When people go shopping,
[00:16:42.147]they often stop to pray at shrines
[00:16:44.804]and mosques in the market area.
[00:16:47.472]The most sacred is Sidi Bel Abbas,
[00:16:50.609]the Patron Saint of Marrakech.
[00:16:53.242]Near the entrance sit shuwafas
[00:16:55.323]who are in touch with spirits.
[00:16:57.273]They foretell the future with cards
[00:16:59.452]or by interpreting the patterns
[00:17:01.305]of molten lead, shells, and bones.
[00:17:18.653]Faadilah and Aisha regularly consult
[00:17:20.760]a well-known shuwafa named Saadiya.
[00:17:25.832]Saadiya has a close relationship with a benevolent spirit
[00:17:29.473]who gives her messages for her clients.
[00:17:36.093]Aisha is coming to Saadiya for advice
[00:17:38.434]because she is worried about the hostility of a neighbor.
[00:17:44.280](speaking in foreign language)
[00:19:09.599]Relationships with spirits
[00:19:11.187]are a source of strength,
[00:19:13.007]but like relationships with family and friends,
[00:19:16.047]they need to be cultivated if they are to survive.
[00:19:22.841]Once a year, Saadiya holds a party
[00:19:25.051]for clients, relatives, and neighbors.
[00:19:29.050]She celebrates her relationship with her spirit
[00:19:31.520]in a ritual reminiscent of the marriage ceremony.
[00:19:35.194](traditional Moroccan music)
[00:19:48.913]Saadiya's family group belongs to a religious organization
[00:19:52.505]whose members say they are descended from Bilal,
[00:19:55.739]the black slave freed by the prophet Mohammad.
[00:20:00.762]The ritual begins like a wedding
[00:20:02.717]with an animal sacrifice.
[00:20:05.004](singing in foreign language)
[00:20:18.473]Just as the bride's veil would be stained
[00:20:20.634]with the blood of the marriage consummation,
[00:20:23.207]so Saadiya's white veil is stained
[00:20:25.369]with the blood of the sacrifice.
[00:20:31.595]The musical beat is thought to encourage trance
[00:20:34.277]and spirit possession.
[00:20:36.471]If a man or a woman hears the beat of a particular spirit,
[00:20:39.933]they may join Saadiya in trance.
[00:20:55.585]This young woman is an apprentice to Saadiya
[00:20:58.163]who hopes to become a shuwafa herself.
[00:21:15.891]A person in trance is thought to be revitalized
[00:21:18.443]by the scent of rosewood.
[00:21:35.141]Persons in trance are thought to reach a level
[00:21:37.812]of consciousness where they can defy physical pain.
[00:21:41.311]In this way, they demonstrate
[00:21:42.969]they have detached themselves from the physical world
[00:21:46.058]and are in a state of grace or Barakah.
[00:22:03.460](singing in foreign language)
[00:22:10.547]Saadiya earns a good living as a shuwafa
[00:22:12.871]and she gains Barakah from her religious dancing.
[00:22:16.918]Not so lucky are the dancers,
[00:22:18.560]or shaykha, who perform in front of strangers.
[00:22:23.267](speaking in foreign language)
[00:22:53.522]Hajiba and her companion dancers are shaykha,
[00:22:56.739]they perform around Marrakech and in the nearby villages.
[00:23:01.372]The women sing and dance,
[00:23:02.851]and the men play musical instruments.
[00:23:08.691]In the busy season for weddings,
[00:23:10.658]they may be working six or seven nights a week.
[00:23:15.502]Professional musicians are a necessary part
[00:23:17.778]of most important social events,
[00:23:20.768]but shaykha, the women of the troop,
[00:23:23.304]inevitably compromise their reputations
[00:23:25.856]because they perform in front of strange men.
[00:23:29.286]And they are looked upon as women of easy virtue.
[00:23:36.414](up-tempo violin music)
[00:23:43.144]Their freedom from the usual restrictions is regarded
[00:23:46.395]with some awe, for shaykha have the power
[00:23:49.516]to cast a spell upon those who offend them.
[00:23:53.601]But this power does not protect the dancers from dishonor.
[00:23:58.342]What's more, by dishonoring themselves,
[00:24:01.203]they bring shame upon their families.
[00:24:04.090](speaking in foreign language)
[00:27:11.564](traditional Moroccan music)
[00:27:45.891](singing in foreign language)
[00:28:17.067]Among well-to-do families in Marrakech,
[00:28:19.858]life for women is different.
[00:28:23.466]In the past, they observed the ideal
[00:28:25.400]of strict seclusion and prayed at home.
[00:28:38.950]Today, seclusion is becoming less acceptable.
[00:28:42.958](speaking in foreign language)
[00:32:06.268]Afternoon visiting is a daily activity
[00:32:08.614]for women in Marrakech.
[00:32:10.655](traditional Moroccan music)
[00:32:13.490]The wife of a wealthy djellaba merchant
[00:32:15.369]holds weekly hadra parties.
[00:32:19.022]Hadras are religious as well as social occasions.
[00:32:28.720]The hadra today is in honor
[00:32:30.389]of a daughter's return from medical school.
[00:32:34.193]Relatives, friends, and neighbors
[00:32:35.628]have gathered to welcome her home.
[00:32:37.889](women chatter)
[00:32:59.254](speaking in foreign language)
[00:33:21.826](traditional Moroccan music)
[00:33:43.534]The musicians play phrases and rhythms
[00:33:45.810]associated with different spirits.
[00:33:48.930]Sometimes a woman has a special relationship
[00:33:51.434]with a particular spirit.
[00:33:53.758]When she hears its music
[00:33:55.237]the spirit takes possession of her body.
[00:34:36.463]Self abandonment in trance to a spirit influence
[00:34:39.507]is a way of getting closer to god,
[00:34:42.222]and fast receiving grace.
[00:34:45.912]Many people believe that trance has a healing effect
[00:34:48.724]on those who take part in the ceremony.
[00:34:51.991]An unfulfilled or interrupted trance
[00:34:54.104]may result in headaches or depression.
[00:34:59.061](speaking in foreign language)
[00:35:13.040]Guests, if not caught up in trance,
[00:35:15.576]may simply dance for pleasure.
[00:35:19.844]But all gain grace by the presence of the ritual.
[00:35:23.491](rhythmic Moroccan music)
[00:35:32.831]When younger, these musicians will shaykha themselves,
[00:35:36.746]but now they play only for women's rituals.
[00:35:40.222](singing in foreign language)
[00:36:48.370](speaking in foreign language)
[00:37:22.155]But in Marrakech, as everywhere else,
[00:37:24.365]the reality of people's lives
[00:37:26.332]is often at odds with the ideal.
[00:37:29.490]Family honor demands the separation of women from men.
[00:37:33.825]But for the poor, separation is impossible to maintain.
[00:37:37.715]Aisha's family must share this small courtyard
[00:37:40.587]with other families.
[00:37:45.137](speaking in foreign language)
[00:38:58.286]Aisha visits the public bath
[00:39:00.349]with her daughter once a week.
[00:39:10.882]For women, the bath is an important social event.
[00:39:15.124]Since sexuality is hedged around with rules and rituals,
[00:39:18.846]a woman's sense of self comes mainly
[00:39:21.057]from her relationship with other women.
[00:39:23.987]Before a wedding, a bride goes to the bath
[00:39:26.502]with her closest friends.
[00:39:29.996]Marriage is the key to the survival of the family group.
[00:39:33.962]Women try to arrange marriages within the group
[00:39:36.677]for their sons and brothers.
[00:39:38.968](speaking in foreign language)
[00:40:47.583]Aisha's niece has come from the country
[00:40:49.826]to attend a neighborhood wedding.
[00:40:51.923]They wear their best kaftans to honor the bride.
[00:41:15.999](speaking in foreign language)
[00:41:57.128]Mina is painted with henna
[00:41:58.688]in preperation for her marriage.
[00:42:01.011](singing in foreign language)
[00:42:30.186]Her mother, her aunt, her grandmother,
[00:42:34.315]great-grandmother, and some of Mina's friends
[00:42:37.712]have all gathered for the henna party.
[00:42:41.715]The family is pleased she is marrying young
[00:42:44.300]before she becomes a serious risk to the family's honor.
[00:42:55.076]Everyone is happy, especially Mina
[00:42:58.165]because she will live close to her mother.
[00:43:03.300](speaking in foreign language)
[00:43:42.462]Upstairs, throughout the the evening,
[00:43:44.623]the bride is dressed in a variety
[00:43:46.493]of outfits of her trousseau.
[00:43:48.898]She is on show only to her female.

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Some Women of Marrakech 212

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