[FA Worldmusic] women of africa festival - marrakech in april

[Ali Sachedina]

Hey leigh ann: 

I love morocco and have had wonderful experiences there.  That being said, I don't recommend traveling there alone.  I have traveled to almost every country in the middle east and quite a few in subsaharan africa. I have been traveling and have lived abroad since the age of 2 and have a pretty strong threshold.  Compared to most countries, morocco was the most challenging.  

When traveling with my wife who looks blatantly indian, I have never been hustled as hard, never had to feign so vigorously an inability to speak any known modern language, and never attuned my peripheral vision so well as when I traveled in morocco.  When on my own, I am mistaken for a local and left alone.  When with my wife, walking around any of the main thoroughfares of Fez or Marrakech was walking through a big hustle.  I pulled out the "I am a muslim brother", "I am a poor tanzanian student" and or "I speak arabic" cards....to little or no avail.  I admit that this sort of behavior is limited to the more "touristy" areas and a venture outside those avenues revealed warm and kind hospitality.  Unfortunately however, this was the exception, not the rule.

Should you go...absolutely.  It is a beautiful country.  Should you go alone? Not recommended.  
And with a grain of self interest: 
Take me with you as I would be happy to be your travel companion. 

Kindest regards, 

Ali
  

-----Original Message-----
From: Leigh Ann Hahn <lahahn at grandperformances.org>
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:54:17 
To:<fa-worldmusic at folk.org>, NA_presenters at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FA Worldmusic] women of africa festival - marrakech in april

hey there to all -
i'm investigating the possibility of travelling to this festival in april 
and am wondering if anyone else has thought about attending.  i haven't 
been to morocco so would want to travel a few days in advance (april 15 or 
16) probably will fly into casablanca and make my way to marrakech in time 
for the festival (scheduled for april 19 - 22).

i've travelled solo quite a lot, but don't know if traipsing about by 
myself on this one is quite such a good idea.

any thoughts?

leigh ann
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