Author Archives: Shamar Robinson

For this project, we have sought to learn about the life history of artisans and how their experiences shape and affirm their Sefrioui identity. With the purpose of drawing the most from the interviewees as they freely unfold accounts of their lives, the setting was mostly informal and the questions were open-ended; in fact, we […]

  Ramadan is the holy month in Morocco and this is no exception for Sefrioui Muslims. During Ramadan, Sefrouians exert energy to worship and pray to God during a time which requires strict fasting from sunrise until sunset.  Abstinence from food and drink is only one part of fasting, as Muslims must also refrain from lying, […]

  Traditionally in Sefrou, and before the rise of the feminist empowerment movement, men occupied the public sphere as they pleased. They freely engaged in the workforce, worked and shopped at markets, and even monopolised politics. In the past, this forced women to live privately, hence their exclusion from the rest of society and the lack […]

Located at an altitude of 900m above the town of Sefrou, the famous saint’s shrine or zaouia of Sidi Bousserghine is said to have existed since the 16th century. So notably intriguing is its history, so magnificent is its view, and so renowned is its ritual significance that wishful and weary souls often seem to […]