Why I, a Non-Vegan, went to Morocco's 2022 Veg'Fest

As an American who once ate a brain tagine at Les Deux Palais, I’m hardly the most obvious ambassador for Morocco’s national association of vegans. But I had no plans to miss Veg’Fest 2022, the kingdom’s annual event for vegans and non-vegans from across the world.

I first learned about Veg’Fest last May, when my landlord at the time introduced me to her niece, Meryem Makhon. My new friend told me that she had two callings in life: studying to be a doctor at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat, and serving as treasurer of Veg’Morocco, which bills itself as “the first association for Moroccan vegans and vegetarians.”

Given that the news media’s coverage of veganism tends to focus on the Western world, I decided to interview Meryem for an Inside Arabia article on the lifestyle’s growth in Morocco.

It was during our conversations about Veg’Morocco that Meryem told me about the group’s yearly event. Morocco’s COVID-19 restrictions forced the 2021 iteration of Veg’Fest online, yet Meryem’s association managed to land an appearance by Jane Goodall and speakers from nine countries throughout Africa.

Meryem’s willingness to speak with me about Veg Morocco also emphasized an important aspect of the group’s message: whether you’re vegan or not, the association will welcome you and encourage you to embrace sustainable living in any form.

In 2022, Morocco all but abandoned lockdowns and lifted travel bans, paving the way for Veg’Morocco to convene Veg’Fest in person for the first time since 2019. I, for one, had every intention of going. Moreover, I convinced four of my fellow participants in the Fulbright Program to come with me. Our cohort included a vegetarian and a former vegan, but no current vegans.

Veg’Fest 2022, held at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Fes on October 15 and 16, featured a diverse lineup. Speakers included representatives from Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) in the United States, the Mohanji Foundation in India, and Veggie Is Halal in Belgium, as well as Kenza Zainoune, whom the schedule described as an “energy healer and animal communicator.” Between speakers, attendees could participate in a yoga class, a vegan cooking demonstration, a film screening, and a walking tour of the Fes medina, not to mention a vegan lunch of Moroccan specialties such as couscous.

For me, the highlight of Veg’Fest 2022 was a panel on the compatibility of Islam with veganism and vegetarianism. Given my own Fulbright research on the ways in which Islam encourages sustainable development, I appreciated Veg’Morocco’s outreach to a more religious audience that might not normally consider embracing veganism.

“We want people to know about us,” Meryem told me. “Many of them are curious about veganism and vegetarianism and what this lifestyle offers.”

This strategy succeeded in bringing me and four other Fulbrighters to Veg’Fest. Madeline Turner, a Fes-based Fulbrighter researching sustainable agriculture, found the event particularly impressive—in part because she’s a former vegan.

“What I deeply appreciated about Veg’Fest—and in contrast to other vegan spaces I’ve participated in—is that the event celebrated both our individual and community capacities to make conscious, agentive decisions about the way we eat in a variety of forms,” said Madeline. “Food is an essential part of community building, and Veg’Fest welcomed all those interested in intentional and ethical consumption, meaning that, even as an ‘ex-vegan,’ I and all attendees could engage meaningfully in the discussions, activities, and panels held.”

I couldn’t agree more. No sooner had I arrived at Veg’Fest than Simohamed Bouhakkaoui, president of Veg’Morocco, rushed to hug me and give me a rundown of the event. Pictures of me, Madeline, and other Fulbrighters also now plaster the Veg’Fest Instagram account, a testament to Veg’Morocco’s interest in expanding its reach at home and abroad.

“We want to include everyone so they comprehend that veganism is accessible,” said Meryem. “By doing so, a lot of misconceptions are corrected, and many ‘veg-curious’ flexitarians and vegetarians take a step further.”

Of course, Veg’Morocco’s efforts at inclusion and community engagement go well beyond Veg’Fest. Simohamed noted that, in advance of Veg’Fest, his association “carried out humanitarian and environmental activities for the benefit of the children of villages and social welfare centers” in the vicinity of Fes. These efforts included the distribution of books to children “to help them study.” Last spring, Veg’Morocco also partnered with the charity Generation Vegan to provide vegan meals to healthcare workers, orphans, disabled children, and victims of domestic violence in Casablanca, Fes, and Rabat.

At the same time, small shifts in the cities that Generation Vegan and Veg’Morocco targeted indicate how, step by step, Morocco is becoming a more welcoming place for vegans. Casablanca is home to Niya, a top-rated vegan restaurant popular with both my Moroccan and American friends, and venues throughout Rabat have started offering vegan-friendly options, my favorite being the veggie burger at Copas y Mas. And Fes, for its part, has hosted Veg’Fest not once but twice, in 2018 and now in 2022.

“The in-attendance festival is an opportunity to meet again,” observed Simohamed. “It is an opportunity to exchange experiences and meet new friends.”

I made plenty of new friends at Veg’Fest and got to see some old ones, Meryem foremost among them. While I have no plans to go vegan or vegetarian anytime soon, I look forward to seeing more of Veg’Morocco’s admirable work on sustainable living—and to attending Veg’Fest 2023.

“Veg’Fest is above all a meeting space,” said Meryem, “for every person who is willing to know more—or who already knows about veganism, and wants to share their knowledge.”