In November, somewhat ironically, I posted on Twitter-X :
Étant donné les tendances de l'actualité un peu partout dans le monde, je m'empresse de vous souhaiter une bonne année 2024 avant que cela devienne totalement ridicule et irréaliste ! Si ça continue comme ça, le 31 décembre je n'oserai plus :(
— Marie-Aude (@lumieredelune) November 11, 2023
And yes, I didn’t dare. It took me another two weeks to tell myself that, in the end, the worse things get, the more you have to hope for the best.
The 2023 results are not brilliant, either in Morocco or worldwide
Disasters, climate and inflation in Morocco
Of course, the worst disaster in Morocco was the earthquake on 8 September.
But we can add to this, in a less spectacular way, the enormous drop in water reserves in the dams, an increasingly hot summer and the obvious threat of drought. And inflation fuelled by rising import prices, particularly in the food sector, as everywhere else in the world.
Conflicts in 2023 and earlier that will continue into 2024
Elsewhere… do we really need to remind ourselves of the conflicts of 2022 that did not end in 2023 (war in Ukraine, since the beginning of 2022, but also in Sudan, Yemen…) and above all ‘the’ conflict that began intensified on 7 October with the events in Palestine and the massacres that followed? As Sundeep Vakselar said, we are now facing the risk of generalised conflict.
To finish off this laughable picture, the rise of the far right all over the world, the election of increasingly hallucinatory presidents like Javier Milei in Argentina or the possibility of a comeback by Donald Trump, the increasingly right-wing turn of the government of a French president who was finance minister to a socialist president and the increasingly realistic prospect of a victory for the RN one day in France sadden me and make me say that I’m really happy in Morocco.
Tense relations between France and Morocco
The falling out of love between France and Morocco began with the visa affair. It continued with the totally incongruous and arrogant reaction of the French state, offended (yes, “offended”) that we didn’t want its help when the earthquake struck.
It’s still going on with the vote on the immigration law, and I’m afraid it’s going to get worse with the appointment of Stéphane Séjourné to the Foreign Affairs portfolio, since the latter, then an MEP, was behind the resolution adopted on 19 January 2023 denouncing alleged attacks on press freedom in Morocco.
For a while now I’ve been feeling rising anti-French sentiment, without it going much further than altercations on Facebook or the refusal to use French in Inwi call centres. We’re still extremely privileged in Morocco!
“My” predictions for 2024
Despite everything, and even for the worst part (Gaza), there are ways of reactivating one’s blissful optimism and seeing things that can go better:
- Morocco is increasingly securing its position as a regional leader, as a bridgehead for French-speaking Africa, and as a major player thanks to the King’s status as guardian of Al Quds (Jerusalem).
- Morocco is developing its green energy policy, investing in seawater desalination and moving as quickly as possible towards sustainable development solutions
- in a number of sectors, such as agriculture, Morocco is seeking to develop more added value, and therefore more income
- internally, the CNSS is being extended to all, which may seem like a minor detail to you, but having access to healthcare regardless of income is so important
- Morocco is increasingly free of France’s influence and is forging more and more partnerships with other countries, enabling it to develop more easily and independently
- the old division of the world into rich, wealthy, ruling countries and the others is disappearing with the polarisation that has taken place over Palestine; the Western countries that continue to support Israel come what may are faced with an internal rebellion and an external bloc that is calling into question the distribution of power inherited from the colonial era
- a growing public awareness of the challenges of global warming and a groundswell of individual initiatives
- the possibility of Morocco winning the African Cup of Nations
- the Covid episode is finally behind us, despite occasional scares
After all, you can always be happy “under the volcano”.
So that’s what we wish you: a happy 2024, may you and your loved ones be protected as much as possible from all these threats, disasters, groundswells and aftershocks of a world that is clearly, objectively, going badly.
May you give and receive all the love you can.
May you not be cold, hungry or afraid of lack, may your business prosper and your work give you satisfaction.
May you enjoy Morocco, whether travelling or staying permanently…
And may you help the world to become a better place!
(and it’s been going on for a century … kittens, education, Palestine, I’m just saying it!)
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