|
From the `standard' Arabic culture,
Morocco has developed an elaborate
patchwork of artistic traditions.
The thread holding it all together
is music; from the classical style
that developed in Muslim Spain and
the storytelling musical traditions
of the indigenous Berbers through to
the contemporary fusion of African,
French, pop and rock. Although
identified more with Algeria, rai
(opinion) music is a burgeoning
force in Morocco. Despite its
distinctly Arab-African rhythms (it
owes much to Bedouin music), it's
probably the most thoroughly
westernised style, combining a
variety of electrical instruments to
create a hypnotic effect.
 Crafts are another staple of
Morocco. Its leatherware has been a
highly prized item among the cargo
of traders since the 16th century.
An equally rich heritage lives on in
the production of carpets, pottery,
jewellery, brassware and woodwork.
Painted and sculpted panels for
interior decoration are commonplace,
and intricate tiled ornamentation
still graces the interior of various
medersas and other religious
buildings and wealthy homes. The
mashrabiyya, screens allowing Muslim
women to observe the goings-on in
the street unseen, survive also.
While these items aren't likely
candidates for souvenirs, they do
serve to show that Moroccan crafts
aren't completely dependent on
floods of tourists.
From the outside looking in, Morocco
has inspired all sorts of artists.
The French Neo-Baroque artist Eugene
Delacroix devoted bucketloads of
paint to Moroccan imagery after a
visit in the 1830s. Market scenes,
harem life and lion hunts dominated
his canvases from this point
onwards. And if Delacroix was
considered a little over the top at
the time, a century later Hollywood
was positively beside itself with
Morocco-mania. First there was
Marlene Dietrich in Morocco. This
was followed by the 1942 classic
Casablanca. And by the time Peter
O'Toole was swanning around Morocco
as Lawrence of Arabia, the country
had become a gloriously distorted
fantasy land for countless western
baby boomers. |
