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

[evangelinekim at att.net]

Ali, 
What an interesting view about a woman visiting Morocco/Africa on her own. It's somewhat worrisome, your view/experience, and I sympathize with what must have been traumatic for you.... However, I have worked in many similar places by myself as a woman on my own, including North Africa and all throughout Sub-Saharan Africa without such perceptions as memories.
You're cool anywhere on the planet, if you can express your love of music and the cultures to locals... No woman should ever fear for travel to anyplace in the world on her own, if so inclined. 
This is just a principle of mine -- nothing to do with Morocco, the proposed event.  
Evangeline

-------------- Original message from "Ali Sachedina" <ali at invasiongroup.com>: -------------- 


> 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 
> Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:54:17 
> To:, 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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