Why Morocco?
It's the question that I'm asked more than any other question
and that's because a lot of Moroccans want to leave the country.
The reason they give is "Moroccan Mentality"
This is a vague description for outdated views and old-fashioned moral values.
Moroccans tend to see other countries, particularly those in the west, as being more open-minded, more free
so when they meet people from those countries who want to stay in Morocco, they're baffled.
but I do want to stay in Morocco
and here's why.
I could say I'm here for the weather;
after all this is mid-November and it's hotter than Greta Thumberg's temper.
I could say I'm here for the views or the delicious, cheap food
or the warm-welcoming people;
all of which is true,
but let's be honest: you can get those things in other countries.
I first came to Morocco in 2007.
The following year I would travel to Syria and I thought having a short time in Morocco would be a nice welcome to the muslim world.
Let me talk a little bit about Syria. I promise you it's relevant as to why I am here in Morocco.
I spent a lot of time in Syria; both before and during the conflict.
This was a decade ago when the talk was of the 'Arab Spring'
This was a push from people for more social and political freedoms, more accountability and less corruption.
For those of us in the Middle East at the time, we knew that this was not a one-off event.
We knew that this was the beginning of the process of change;
A process that is still going on in the Middle East and in North Africa.
Ten years ago, we had the Facebook generation.
and, indeed, this beginning process of change was referred to as the 'Facebook Revolution'
and in someways that was much more accurate than the 'Arab Spring'.
People were using this emerging social media platform to gather together
not just as people but as a group of ideas and demands.
Ten years on, we have the 'Netflix Generation'
Now people don't protest for change;
They behave as if they already have it
and in some ways - in many ways -
they're right.
A lot has changed since I first came here in 2007.
People are more free than they were.
They are much more able to develop
and to learn things from themselves without having to rely on other people
- people in power - to tell them what to think and what to know
and that's a good thing
And the government, itself, is part of that change.
It is much more open to new ideas and more sensitive to different points of view
and it's also investing greatly in the country.
Morocco is changing physically as much as it is mentally and emotionally.
For some, that change is not happening quick enough and that's understandable.
For others, the change is happening too quickly and that also is understandable.
We view change from our own perspective,
but what is certain is that change is happening.
The 'Facebook Generation' laid the foundation of change for the 'Netflix Generation'
Now people are opening up opportunities for the next generation to create change.
I am so grateful that I was able to live in Syria during part of the 'Facebook Revolution'.
Even at that time, I knew that this was part of history; something that was going to change the world forever.
Now I'm living in Morocco and I'm witnessing the next stage of change.
To be able to record that change, to document it so that future generations get to understand how they got to be where they are,
I find that exciting.
It's a privilege and a pleasure and an honour to do
and in some ways - in many ways - it's what I feel I should do,
and so that is 'Why Morocco'.