Benefits of preserving Moroccan multi-ethnic heritage: an example from the Jewish community

Perhaps one does not know the value of his or her own culture until he or she lives in another one or starts discussing cross-cultural issues with others. Similarly, we start to value what we possess as cultural and historic heritage once we start comparing them to others, or at least when we hear and see how others are praising and attributing value to what they have. This is actually a fact as I personally lived this experience during my cultural exchange program at Walt Disney World in Florida. I was perhaps lucky because I was in a colorful gathering of cultural mosaics of eleven countries or so at that time. Exploring and living the culture of all those countries all gathered at one place and at no expense was indeed a unique experience. The feeling of pride as a young cultural representative of my country Morocco was indeed very vivid and wonderful and shall indeed for ever remain as a great and unforgettable memory. Having gone through that and as a graduate of Disney University, I have always been fascinated by the idea of preserving cultural elements and cultural heritage, and how important they must be for the current and future generations. 

Cultural preservation: a necessity for future generations

Most researchers believe that cultural preservation is vital in every society and even every community. It indeed preserves a sense of unity and belonging among people and all ethnic groups of a specific community. So, if we look back, we will notice that the forefathers passed much cultural heritage to the new generation. However, cultural preservation’s future will always remain at risk if people turn around and completely ignore the heritage of their ancestors and grandparents, or never give it its value in life. Perhaps this is due to today’s busy lifestyles of the majority of people, in addition to the intense social responsibilities, as well as the influence of technology and social media in keeping people busy and away from enjoying and attributing value to their cultural heritage. Preservation of cultural heritage requires recognition of self-identity, determination, and true sense of nationalism. It also requires the protection of our territory, our historical monuments, our customs and traditions, our religious and national festivals, painting, literature, poetry, songs and dance, and our traditional ways of gaining wisdom and knowledge.

Sharing your cultural heritage is the best way to preserve it: 

Many researchers in this domain believe that future generations can live according to their ancestors’  values and by preserving their cultural heritage. This latter is a constitutional right that the constitution should always protect. Hence, the individuals as well as the associations working on such projects should be encouraged and financially supported. In fact, there are many cultural pieces of oral heritage such as songs and folk stories that are of tremendous value and knowledge, as well as other written pieces of literature including folk-tales, novels, short stories, or letters that are scattered and perhaps laying on the bookshelves of many families and probably never touched again. The call for sharing those pieces of arts, folk-tales, songs, and letters is indeed a very valuable way of reviving those cultural pieces and that rich art. How many of us actually have heard their grandfather or grandmother telling such beautiful rare and perhaps unusual stories or songs, but wished if the whole world could hear about them! Fortunately, and thanks to the modern technology, some of those artistic cultural pieces can be gathered and revived. The creation of some website, for example,  came to quench that thrust in that respect. Nowadays you can put life into those stories, songs, or recopies by sharing them with so many across the globe via such websites. The often said wisdom that ¨knowledge comes by sharing¨ has in many occasions come true. Again, this is definitely what contributes to the richness of Morocco when it comes to culture and the linguistic diversity.

 Among many actions that either the government has taken or individual people themselves who took the initiative in order to protect and preserve their cultural heritage, we find a good example from a Jewish community in Casablanca, through the creation of ¨Jewish Saharans Singing To Birth¨, a cultural project led by  Dr. Vanessa Paloma Elbaz based on oral history interviews of Mme. Sultana Azeroual in Casablanca 2015 – 2016. Not only that, but she also conducted and gathered full interviews which are held in KHOYA: Jewish Morocco Sound Archive.  This is an example that could be applied in gathering information and pieces of  our Muslim Arab, Amazigh, and Hassani cultural heritage, and mainly with the hope that the online resources will inspire many people to reclaim and revive the traditions of the past generations.  Dr. Vanessa Paloma Elbaz who is also a Research Associate, Faculty of Music ERC Funded Project “Past and Present Musical Encounters Across the Strait of Gibraltar” and a Research Associate, at Peterhouse University of Cambridge, insists on preserving old photos and oral histories of Moroccan Jews and Muslims on the country’s Jewish presence, providing micro-histories within the general community. Her call for such projects is indeed a way of preserving memories and repertoires that are increasingly difficult to access for younger generations (for more information, you can visit https://www.mus.cam.ac.uk/directory/vanessa-paolma-elbaz-duncan/)

Cultural platform project: putting the mosaics together

As mentioned above, the young generation must be oriented and educated about the meaning of culture, not only that, but they also need to grasp the value and need for cultural preservation. A society is often recognized and surely always respected; no matter how modest it is as long as its citizens value what they have and who they are. Moreover, a person’s cultural heritage and identity should be something to be proud of not to be ashamed of. The current generation certainly holds firmly on to the existing life-style and constituents of the culture of their community, but they surely need to hold tight to their cultural heritage and constantly try to revive it via all possible means. Not only that, but it is their responsibility to learn and practice how to move it on to the next generation so that it can possibly continue to flourish for many more generations.

Preserving cultural diversity helps not only those whose traditions we protect and we strive to revive, but it also preserves philosophies and ways of thinking about which we can learn. Furthermore, living in a dynamic world makes you aware about your own culture and also makes life more interesting. Hence, creating a national platform seems to be vital; a platform that would involve all mosaics, constituents, and rubrics of our colorful Moroccan cultural heritage and linguistic diversity, showing the true meaning and examples of how Moroccan individuals live in peace and harmony with other cultures, giving the best example of co-existing side by side with others.