What does a Moroccan look like?

...and what shade of skin color defines you as a Moroccan?

To be completely honest with you, a person's shade of skin color does and does not play a role here in Moroccan society. I say that it "does play a role here", because it's my experience that Moroccans immediate catagorize you by skin color. Not separate you in a way of "isolation and bigitry", but just sort of know that you're not one of them. And if you're of pale or white or red skin tones, than you're almost immediately from "France". If that doesn't seem to fit, than you're almost certainly "German". And if that doesn't compute, and you're speaking english, than you must be "British". The last thing Moroccans believe you are is "American". And they're always shocked when you give them this information.

Now it's a given that this country is "Arab". And being "Arab", there's an immediate image that comes into my mind if you're trying to picture what an "Arab" might look like. And even to this day, my ignorance continues when it comes to deciphering the many Asian "looks". But, because we are in "Morocco", there's still a very rich Berber influence. And because of this, the color of a "Moroccan" can vary. Berbers have many shades amoungst them, and I have even seen blue-eyed and blond haired Berbers. Now, as most Americans can agree, we are a melting pot of skin colors. So, I think we tend to pick out the non-Americans by notice of their speach, and secondly by their choice of dress. If we as Americans were just to pick out someone by skin tone alone, than we'd be in trouble.

As for me here in Morocco, I arrive to Morocco with a very average skin tone. I have my own personal issues to deal with here as an American of "color", and I won't go into the fine details of this just yet. I can just say, that my experience(s) as an American of "color", has been both bad as well as good. But, this whole topic of "skin" color was certainly recognizable at the TIMITAR Festival in Agadir...

During the TIMITAR Festival, it was the first time since swearing in on December 3rd that I had a chance to see my fellow (light skin toned) SBD Peace Corps volunteers speaking and interacting with the Moroccans. I can't tell you how cool it was to just sit back and watch these Peace Corps volunteers speak to the Moroccans (primarily Berbers) and just watch their mouths drop when they spoke to them in their native tough! I personally don't get this "mouth dropping" when I speak, due to the fact the Moroccans here just assume I'm Moroccan too. So, during the festival, I would just sit back and watch. Regardless of their skin color, their language bonded them together, and the "Americans" were not singled out as time went on. It makes me proud to see my fellow SBD Peace Corps volunteers speaking a language that is idenifiably not their own. And at the same time, it's good not to be a French person who just comes to Morocco and speaks their own native tough that the Moroccans adapted to since 1912 during the French Protectorate.

So, as I move quickly away from these philosophic and social topics, I'll just share with you some pictures with my fellow SBD Peace Corps volunteers interacting with the Moroccans...