This week our group managed to hear a broad range of perspectives in Rabat from civil society, think tanks, Moroccan government ministries, U.S. and Spanish Embassies, and leading academics on the subject of migration.
However, there seemed to be one perspective missing: that of communities most affected by migration. So while most of the Migration group held down the fort in Rabat and Casablanca, one group member made the 4.5 hour journey each way in usually heavy rain to Tangier for some further “field studies.”
The first meeting was at l’Association Chifae located in the Beni Makada neighborhood of Tangier. Our interpreter was from Tangier so she had some insights into the city’s largest lower income neighborhoods. We arrived and were greeted warmly by the staff and given a tour.
The association was located in a narrow row house several stories high. Each floor was organized for different purposes, the first floor served as the office and meeting space for the staff, while floors above were for tutoring programs, skills training, and women’s workshops. We met with the CFO who is also currently acting as COO.
As we talked about the different missions the community center has, the conversation shifted toward a more informal conversation between three people. He told his story of the challenges of working in the field of in community development which was, unfortunately, an all-too-common tale. Although his organization is well regarded in the community, he understood that this relationship with the community was fragile and this trust could not be taken for granted should the organization no longer be viewed as a neutral volunteer organization serving the neighborhood.
He let us know that migrants do not typically settle in the neighborhood as it was already densely populated. He told us that our next interview would take place in a neighborhood heavily populated by migrant residents.
Our next meeting was with Visa Sans Frontières, a civil society group for migrants run by migrants. We met with the founder of the group in an empty grocery store and sat down with him at an dining area. He spoke about the issues that are occurring in migrant communities and the obstacles to integration.
It was fascinating to see our interpreter engage in the conversation about the migrant’s hopes and dreams for the future, given that this city was her home too. For a brief moment, it felt like this dialogue between two strangers could lead us one step further to bridging the distances between these two communities.