Team Internal Security’s final day of interviews saw its members embark on several separate journeys. Three members hailed a shared taxi to Rabat, while two others went for a meeting in Marrakech.
The visit to Marrakech included meetings with the owner of a private security firm and another with a leader in one of Morocco's major political parties described as a "rising star" and expert on social media engagement and cyber policy discussions. This visit provided a unique opportunity to weigh earlier statements from other stakeholders from the private sector and politics.
Two things remain clear: (1) Moroccans love their smart phones, and (2) sometimes passengers are not the only vehicle occupants to fall asleep during a long round trip.
In Rabat, one team member went for a follow up meeting with UNODC’s country coordinator for terrorism prevention to discuss the nexus of terrorism, transnational organized crime, and human smuggling. Afterwards, she typed up meeting notes at Le Dhow (a floating bar in the Bou Regreg river) and met up with other students in Rabat via a wander through the old casbah and the souks.
The other two reconnected with reporters from Moroccan World News to continue their conversation from Wednesday about social media and human trafficking. The reporters were generous with their time, despite a press conference occurring during our interviews. They discussed the ebb and flow of momentum during protests and boycotts, the importance of educating citizens on the power of social media, and the multiple meanings of the term “human rights” in the Moroccan context.
Following that meeting, one of the members joined a meeting with a social activist to discuss the importance of social media during the 20 Feb movement and how its role changed between then and the recent protests in the Rif region.
In between these meetings, we were able to explore a couple hot spots in Rabat to include the Casbah. Needless to say, we rocked it.