The City of Meknes: Then and Now
El Hadim Square in the Past
In 1960, I remember a city which was basically divided into two areas…
One district was confined to “Meknassis” of Moroccan origin, (Muslim and Jewish), whose activities were strictly traditional, (handcrafts, carpentry, tapestry, small shopkeepers). Its markets were abundant with vegetables and fruits, working farms surrounded the city, and gardens known as “jnanat” were located within the town.
The other district was created by the French protectorate and exclusively reserved for foreigners who worked in Morocco. Meanwhile, the state of Morocco had been working to have trained staff in every field. This new part of the city was organized and had architecture which reminded you of a European town. In fact, the main avenue was emphasized by a row of a variety of trees whose leaves were always green, and on each spotless edge we found bookstores with books and school supplies, bakeries that gave off a smell of baked cakes, musical instrument stores, car dealers, and above all a central market which sheltered grocer’s shops with tidy displays of products, all out of reach for the Moroccan budget. Even the high school where I had studied, “Lalla Amina,” which was an all-girls school and directed by a team of French people, was a real jewel. Its play area was filled with flowers, students were dressed in uniforms to hide social classes, and classrooms were filled with the necessary equipment needed for each subject.
Nowadays, the city of Meknes is a reminder of a city of those years. It’s reduced to a standard Moroccan town and all what was bequeathed by the settlers is now replaced with tasteless things and crumbling buildings. And all that was connected to knowledge has quite simply disappeared, (a number of libraries and cinemas have been closed). Apart from shops whose windows display cheap, tasteless clothes, there are cafés, and as way, “between one and one there is one.” All of them are overflowing with Moroccan men. In addition, the educational establishment which I referred to earlier looks like a prison, with its wild hedges and enormous gate made of iron. The poor conditions of the windows that overlook the street reveal the state of the inside of the classrooms. Moreover, the students are dressed in accordance with their social status, and sometimes with regard to their humour and point of view.
In short, change has touched all the angles of life in this city, and in my point of view, that change has been made in the wrong way.
By Saadia Adli, Int. 4