By Mateo Sanguinetti-Zelikow

Voices of Moroccan university students in the earthquake’s aftermath

11/9

 

 Fadel Senna / AFP / Getty

At 11:11 on Friday, September 8 2023, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Morocco’s Al Haouz province. The earthquake caused massive destruction in the remote villages in the Atlas Mountains, where the vast majority of deaths have occurred. The earthquake has killed an estimated 3,000 people and injured more than 5,600– the deadliest earthquake to hit Morocco since the 1960s, according to the New York Times and Le Monde. 

The earthquake has caused significant damage to sites of intangible cultural heritage, including mosques. The Tinmel Mosque, which was built in the 12th century by the Amazigh Almohad Dynasty in the High Atlas village of Tinmel was almost completely destroyed by the impact of the earthquake, according to Reuters. 

The Medina, or Old City of Marrakech, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, also sustained significant damage. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Koutoubia mosque in the Jemaa el Fnaa square of the Medina sustained some shaking and cracks to its structure during the earthquake, which caused a lot of panic in its immediate surroundings.

 In the severely impacted Atlas villages, relief efforts have been hampered by the widespread destruction of infrastructure, already scarce in rural locations. Amidst an outpour of support from the Moroccan government, Spain, the UK, Qatar, and the UAE, many villages still remained cut off from necessary aid.  

48 days have passed, and Morocco is still reeling as a nation. Even as the major tourist destination of Marrakech has opened up and has begun to welcome large numbers of tourists again, it is evident that the road to recovery in the High Atlas will be a long and arduous one. 

My name is Mateo Sanguinetti-Zelikow and I’m a senior at the Field School. Last summer, I participated in an exchange program with CIEE in Mohammedia, a small coastal city 25 kilometers from Casablanca. While in Morocco, I met Zaineb Sahim, who has been an instrumental part of my research. 

Zaineb arrived in Marrakech the day before the earthquake struck, and she witnessed significant destruction in the neighborhood she was staying in. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, Zaineb posted videos to her Instagram story of devastation in the area of Marrakech she was staying in. These horrific scenes inspired me to get a better understanding of the impact of this disaster on Moroccans across the country. 

Zaineb introduced me to ten university students from different parts of Morocco to share their stories, to get a better idea of the earthquake’s impact on the Moroccan psyche. The impact of the earthquake on communities, and on individual lives, varies significantly depending on the immediate location of the students.

Leila is a 21 year old from the small northeast city of El Kelaa des Sraghna. Although the infrastructure in El Kelaa des Sraghna remained intact, there was a significant psychological impact on its residents. “The earthquake caused a wave of terror and worry among the people,” remarked Leila. 

After one month, Leila feels like the earthquake no longer plays a very important role in her life. “It shed light on people that were once forgotten.” She continued, “representation of our nation is bound to be related to politics, so I don’t give it much mind.” 

Leila concluded by mentioning the issue of mental health for many Moroccans in the aftermath of the earthquake. “I know of people (indirectly) who died from fright during the earthquake due to health issues, and some who are still affected by it mentally. They are easily frightened now and the simplest movement or noise gives them an illusion of an earthquake. As unfortunate as they are, that makes me question how the rest who saw their families under ruin, lost their kids and parents, left alone in the world after coming face to face with death, and had to bury their loved ones without proper goodbye are faring.”

Hayat is a 23 year old from Agdour Kik, a small village in the severely affected Al Haouz region, and was in Marrakech at the time of the earthquake. She was directly impacted by the earthquake’s destruction.  “In my location, there were a lot of damaged buildings” described Hayat. In reflection, Hayat said “I have thought a lot about the earthquake in the past month. I believe in the effort to do good things and not hurt people, in the context of the proximity of death. It made me rethink many things I have done in my life, and how death is always there waiting for us.” 

Hayat believes that the perception of Moroccans in the media during the crisis was mainly negative, quite different from a lot of the other responses. Hayat concluded with the statement “I really believe that this dunia costs nothing wallahi,” –a saying from Islam that urges Muslims to turn to God instead of focusing on this temporary world.

Meryame, a 24 year old from the small eastern city of Errachidia was at home when she felt the earthquake. There were disruptions to Errachidia’s infrastructure, particularly its water, for a day in the aftermath of the earthquake. “Some old buildings were also damaged. In my immediate surroundings, everyone was fine,” described Meryame. “I feel a lot of sympathy for people from Al Haouz, Ouarzazate and other heavily impacted areas. I learned the deep meaning of solidarity and companionship from the acts of Moroccans towards the people in the damaged areas.” Elaborating on this ubiquitous theme of solidarity, Meryame said “Moroccans were united due to their nationality, their humanity in putting themselves in the shoes of the impacted groups and their solidarity in collaborating to buy food, drinks, furniture etc. for their brothers and sisters and their patience in traveling long distances to help their countrymen.” Although Meryame believed that the media generally represented Morocco positively, she mentioned that “some foreign media platforms tried to humiliate Morocco for no reason.” In her closing statement, Meryame said, “The earthquake unfortunately impacted our homes, families, souls and mentalities, but it taught us so many important lessons as a nation.”

Aya, a 21 year old from Casablanca, was in Marrakech when the earthquake struck. Aya described that there wasn’t a huge impact in her immediate location, but she saw the significant impact on other parts of the city, especially the Medina. “The fragile buildings were ready to fall even before the earthquake”, said Aya. Reflecting on the unity of Moroccans in crisis, Aya said “We’re all brothers and sisters at the end of the day, even if we may not always agree. Almost every single Moroccan tried to help in these hard circumstances, rich or poor, old or young. Morocco is a model for solidarity and unity among its citizens.”

Kawthar, a 25 year old from the Moroccan capital city of Rabat, describes having felt the earthquake. There was no damage to buildings in Rabat, yet due to the fear of the earthquake many of Rabat’s residents are now looking to rent apartments on lower floors to be able to evacuate faster. 

Kawthar believes that the Moroccan government dealt with the crisis poorly. “We don’t have enough equipment to help the people stuck under the rubble and the aid arrived late. Moreover, for a country close to a seismic fault, we don’t have buildings that can withstand earthquakes. In reference to the 1960 Agadir and 2004 Al Hoceima earthquakes, Kawthar said “We’ve already witnessed horrible earthquakes in our history but we can’t seem to learn from them.” Reflecting on the sense of solidarity between Moroccans, Kawthar said “… death unified us the most. Everyone forgets their feuds in the face of death.” 

The Moroccan experience can not be simplified in the pursuit of a singular narrative. Within the same country, there are many different perspectives. Although many similarities can be drawn, about the fear caused by this earthquake, the sense of solidarity that came with it and the personal reflections many shared, every experience is inherently different.