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 […]

Not everyone in the world belongs to a religion or believes in the existence of God. However, most people believe in something, from superstitions such as the twitching of your left eye means you’ll receive a fortune, to large congregations of believers who focus on people, objects or places. If you hang out in Sefrou […]

The Sefrou festival, also called the “moussem of the King’s fruits,” celebrates the region’s cherry growing industry and its unique cultural heritage. The festival was listed in 2012 on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list, which recognizes practices worldwide that celebrate cultural identity and promote respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. The event provides […]

When talking about traditional cultures in one place, artisan crafts lose no time floating through many minds. In addition to traditional festivals that hardly anybody doesn’t take part in, conventional artisan crafts are often treated as the most important part of local culture, as a result of its harmony with many people’s daily lives. Manufacturing […]

In the first two projects, we discussed the influence of historical factors on generating the multicultural phenomenon of Sefrou and the specific manifestations of its multiculturalism. In this project, we will go directly into Sefrou and get in touch with ones which are most closely related to its multicultural phenomenon – its residents. With the […]