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BBC: Moroccan family barred from toilet
14 June 2007 15:33
in Rabat, in Hassan, the tower... where the kings are burried, there is a toilet at an exit, in the place where two horsemen stand.
there is stairs going underground, and there you can find the toilet. but i never went there, it's smelly and dirty. and sometimes, there is a poor drunk guy in the stairs...

you can even throw rocks at him, he wont move... some kids do that for fun.

there is other public toilets in the Mellah area, in the gate of Rabat from the Bouregreg at the old bridge.

but in Marrakesh, i saw a public toilet... and it was very clean. and there was a woman taking care of the thing, you give her some money before leaving...

anyway, as Morrocans, you should have learned to never say "never"...

we live in a weird country, with a lot of weird things... we have ultra rich people, living next to uber poor people... and we have dirty toilets and extra clean toilets if you know your stuff...

i can take you to a man who makes sandwiches with sardines and salad (tomatoes and other vegetables) + sauce... for 12dh you feed 3people... and it's awesome...

like i can take you to another one, and eat... i dont know... anything from his shop... even french fries...and you will spend the next day in the hospital...
s
15 June 2007 01:49
Quote
Minniemouse
You're right Shelby. What i can't understand as well is how do public toilets in Morocco look like??? For i have never come across one and didn't know they existed!! I mean I have seen public toilets in many places in Europe and although they were clean for the majority,they were like rat holes. But in Morocco, all i know is that you might find toilets in public areas such as parks, zoos, shops maybe but not separate toilets just like that in the streets. Am I wrong??


Howdy Minniemouse !
In Morocco, public toilets exist especially in places like coaches' stations and sometimes in Markets ( imean al aswaq) and to give you a picture of the ones we have in Morocco, i'm from Oujda and in Oujda if you've ever heard of Bab Sidi AlbdelWahhab , if you go right around the other side of the main gates, you'd realize you're not so far from the toilets simply because of the stinky odor you'd smell just before you come close to the neighboring mosque, and believe me they stink like hell, and they're so dirty that you must be a either a "Komodo lizard" or "some kind of monster " to dare and live in such a place ! no need to describe the ones who use'em !
M
15 June 2007 11:15
Quote
shelby
Quote
Minniemouse
You're right Shelby. What i can't understand as well is how do public toilets in Morocco look like??? For i have never come across one and didn't know they existed!! I mean I have seen public toilets in many places in Europe and although they were clean for the majority,they were like rat holes. But in Morocco, all i know is that you might find toilets in public areas such as parks, zoos, shops maybe but not separate toilets just like that in the streets. Am I wrong??


Howdy Minniemouse !
In Morocco, public toilets exist especially in places like coaches' stations and sometimes in Markets ( imean al aswaq) and to give you a picture of the ones we have in Morocco, i'm from Oujda and in Oujda if you've ever heard of Bab Sidi AlbdelWahhab , if you go right around the other side of the main gates, you'd realize you're not so far from the toilets simply because of the stinky odor you'd smell just before you come close to the neighboring mosque, and believe me they stink like hell, and they're so dirty that you must be a either a "Komodo lizard" or "some kind of monster " to dare and live in such a place ! no need to describe the ones who use'em !


Hey Shelby. What a nice surprise, I'm from Oujda as well!smiling smiley and i certainly know Bab Sidi AlbdelWahhab (God, I feel like crying now, you're bringing back so many memories lol). Unfortunately, you're right in the way you describe it. The area certainly stinks and no one seems to bother depsite it being surrounded by shops and markets. But i don't remember seeing toilets. Mind you, i used to go there with my parents when i was a kid and I don't remember much of it.
I
15 June 2007 13:46
Hi all,

Quote
Minniemouse
Hi Ilhem2, thanks for replying. So they do exist in Morocco!! they must be huge though if they can accomodate a wole family!!! my God, what type of life is this if you are telling me they smell horribly. Right i'm going to be sick again i know it lol..
This man and his family would be better living in the street..


Hi Minniemouse,

I think it was worse than simple dirt!…. the man talked about rats and mice eating and tearing their clothes… he was sleeping near the drain with all the health problems he has…terrible!!!…. so you can imagine what kind of public toilettes we have… for sure this family got sick of the situation that’s why they talked to the media…you’re right the street may be a bit cleaner….
s
16 June 2007 01:58
Salam MinnieMouse !
Glad to know you're from Oujda and as we used to say back when were kids "Oujda yal barraniyya, blad al kheer w nniyya ", however these days they're managing the whole city and everything is upside-down, they're fixing new layers of pavements, new gardens, street lights, ...and Saidiya beach is a whole lot different and i'm talking about the corniche street and the view on the sea is something else now ...

As for you Mr LeMask, you're right in all what you said and the whole Morocco's just like the two kinds of toilets you were talking about, most toilets are dirty just like our streets, neighborhoods, minds, ministries, departments (police, army, ...), public schools,...but you can find other places where things are tidy and nice like some fancy hotels, bars, supermarkets, palaces, some wealthy neighborhoods where you'd think you left Morocco, we even swear when we talk about a nice place by say :" wallahima tgoul rak felMaghrib" right?
16 June 2007 02:51
yes shelby...
you are right.

but there was also a "positive" side in what i meant...

i give you an example, in front of my house in Salé (sla), there was an empty area...
it's a rich neighborhood, but it's not enough to have the state taking care of everything.

and even the rich part of the city wasnt caring for clean areas... the proof, they used this empty area to drop garbage and such... right in front of their house...

and there was worse, some people were doing some really horrible things... using the area like a toilet... you could see some people dropping their pants for some natural needs... horrible...
it was big enough to not be very smelly, but we all knew that it was dirty...

in the aid, people drop some useless parts of the animals... bones and other stuff...
and in the summer, the mosquitos bites are terrible... for some reasons, they hurt much more than the normal mosquitos...

but, let me be honest with you. one man complained about it at the mosque. in a talk or something... and the people living there started to complain everytime someone got near this empty spot... you better not walk next to it with a bag looking like garbage... some woman from a house would scream at you telling you "dont drop this there"...

and then, they paid some people to clean it... there was trucks and such... they loaded all the garbage... they burned some plants...

and believe it or not, today, it's a green spot... i wont lie to you, some douche bags keep droping garbage there from time to time... but it's rather clean...

and i know many stories of this kind. i have an uncle who is working in a military hospital in Rabat. he is very helpful. he is an artist in his mind... he didnt succeed in his life nad finished with a military job...
but he is taking revenge on life... now that he is retired (semi retired i think)...
he is taking care of the building where he lives...

it was a very boring neighborhood, but today, it's green with plants... there is flowers... the kids can play without getting hurt by some wired barricades (people used that to protect their plants) (one kid lost his eye because of the wires)...

anyway... what i mean, is that there is some places where some good people took the initiative... and it's working out...
my uncle is a good example, he is caring for the others... and a very simple man...
and he did some great things... a lot of people know him there.

and there is many examples like that.
s
16 June 2007 16:23
Whatever Mr LeMask, but still don't tell me you're expecting people to take care of the whole shebang while the govt and the "mayor" keep on making money out of people's taxes, we ain't paying taxes just because we belong to this or that country or to be a "good" citizen, nobody's ready to pay taxes and clean the streets in same time, what taxes are for then if not to clean streets, pavements, lights and help other poorer citizens to have a good life?
16 June 2007 17:20
eh dude...
you are in Morroco, you know very well that you tax money is to buy big cars for the kids of the military and such...
think about them, mssakene... they need money to party in Paris... and to buy Champagne to bath and such...

are you going to take this from them? poor little things...

so, here is the solution, forget your tax money... if you give anything good from the tax money you pay... thank god... seriously, they could take everything... at least, they spend some to... i dont know... whatever... thank god anyway...

and the second thing to do, would be to take care of the bussiness yourself...

the state doesnt give a damn about you. if you stop giving it money, they will make your sorry life more miserable...
so you have to do everything yourself, and once again, thank god if the state doesnt try to stop you (you make them look bad after all)...

to make it short:
the state doesnt give a damn about you. so take care of yourself...

some people did, and its working... at least for a time.
s
17 June 2007 02:59
the hell with the govt ! i swear the only thing that reminds me i'm Moroccan is their ID card and i got it twisted in my wallet like a sheet of toilet paper you know just in case ... i can take care of myself and i don't give a damn thing about the rest, fat cats aren't more patriotists either they'd flee the country on the spot once they feel threatened, only one thing before i go : one of these days, things in this country will blow out sooner, 'cuz they plugged the safety valve on the pressure cooker !
17 June 2007 04:47
everything will blow out someday... the case of Morroco is just more obvious...
g
20 June 2007 16:33
Let's face it, the majority of Moroccans just don't care! selfishness and ignorance rule in Morocco. The corrupt regime has made it a way of life in the country. Look at all these sites who post the royal family pictures and stupid comments on how fancy they dress. why don't they insert a picture of this damn family who live in a public toilet to make things more realistic? This is just so sad.
s
21 June 2007 01:49
Gloom said something right here ! corrupt regime !
21 June 2007 13:59
I dont understand this focus on the "corrupt regime"...

the regime isnt so bad, all the world have this kind of problems...
but these problems are more easy to spot in Morroco because of the miserable status of our people...

how to not make a corrupt regime when you give "power" to people who have no education? no awareness about their rights as citizens... etc...

I think that the people deserve the state they have. i dont believe in injustice... some "bad things" are going to happen... it's just a matter of time, so it's up to you to have the power to "protect yourself"...

if you let the door of your house open, a thief will get in someday...
all you can do is to get ready to give him a warm welcome...
g
21 June 2007 15:52
LeMask, are you serious that the regime isn't so bad? That's probably if we compare Morocco to some banana regimes only. This regime is way too big, much bigger and global and powerful than you may think. This is the product of all those who don't want us to progress. Come on! I hope you'll never have to live in a toilet. This happens only in Morocco and probably in Hell.
Humans living in a toilet and you say the regime isn't so bad? Common sense Bro!
21 June 2007 16:50
it's not up to the regime to do everything...

and we spend so much time complaining... and we forget that the people is corrupt aswell.

i'm sick and tired of this. bashing the regime is way too easy. we can at least say that the regime give us a little stability to begin with.

would it be so hard to see the people spending some money to help the poor? why we dont buy some tents for the people who dont have a home like in France?

i see zero initiative from the people, so i dont care about the regime... and the regime is a part of the people. we are corrupt because we lack discipline.
l
22 June 2007 21:03
very sad !

if somebody get the picture ... it is a family living in a public toilet in morocco !

come on guys .. there is no space for arguments, the situation speaks of itself
"Hé ! bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau. Que vous êtes joli ! que vous me semblez beau ! Sans mentir, si votre ramage Se rapporte à votre plumage, Vous êtes le Phénix des hôtes de ces bois."
M
23 June 2007 00:16
Quote
l9bi7
very sad !

if somebody get the picture ... it is a family living in a public toilet in morocco !

come on guys .. there is no space for arguments, the situation speaks of itself

sad is the least we can say!

If there is no space for arguments, there must be a space for action! and yet i still fell helpless and hopeless...
s
23 June 2007 02:21
Good news folks, we've got another family in Fas and they're toilets dwellers (someplace in Abi ALhassan) ! they've got it on their ID cards !! things started to heat up dudes ! who's next? ........LeMask, you got to think twice before telling people you're Moroccan out there! i'm drowning here !
23 June 2007 07:58
i'm careless dude, i tell people that i'm morrocan without any care...
like it or not, like i care... i was born in Morroco, not a personnal choice.

and i love my country, it's not so bad. we have some worthless scum all over the country, but who doesnt nowadays?
M
23 June 2007 12:09
Quote
shelby
Good news folks, we've got another family in Fas and they're toilets dwellers (someplace in Abi ALhassan) ! they've got it on their ID cards !! things started to heat up dudes ! who's next? ........LeMask, you got to think twice before telling people you're Moroccan out there! i'm drowning here !

How about people living in sewages, drainages, rat holes, under the sea...any takers???

Please Shelby, tell me this is just a joke!!!
s
23 June 2007 17:02
Quote
Minniemouse
Quote
shelby
Good news folks, we've got another family in Fas and they're toilets dwellers (someplace in Abi ALhassan) ! they've got it on their ID cards !! things started to heat up dudes ! who's next? ........LeMask, you got to think twice before telling people you're Moroccan out there! i'm drowning here !

How about people living in sewages, drainages, rat holes, under the sea...any takers???

Please Shelby, tell me this is just a joke!!!


No Mrs Minniemouse, it's the cold naked truth ! Morocco's all that,behind the shiny image of tarboush, jallaba, atay, caftan ..there's a whole lot of rotten reality that bites, and as we say : yal mzawwaq men barra wash khbarek men aldakhel?" i swear if i had a camera i'd strip'em down, i'd shoot some of the ugliest images of people you've never seen or dreamed of, you'd realize how ugly things are in Morocco, i'm not trying to dramatize things, you can find places where you'd think you're not in anyplace but some fancy US city but you'd be astonished when you see where some peopel live, what they eat, where they sleep...you'd upchuck !



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2007 05:03 by shelby.
M
24 June 2007 12:57
I don't know what to say. What about all those initiatives taken by the government to eradicate favellas in Morocco. We've seen loads of families being moved from poor, filthy areas to new developments. In this case, why not start with the ones which live in toilets (i can't even bring myself to say it!)? I'm sorry to say that but i hate Morocco every day a little bit more. I think i'm close to the point where I won't care anymore if i am Moroccan or not, as LeMask said, it wasn't my choice and I don't feel proud of it anymore...
24 June 2007 15:09
guys! guys! it's madness...

Morroco is a wonderful country. we have a lot of nice things.
life isnt heaven, people have to work hard to live...

it's much easier in rich countries, because these countries suck the blood of the poor countries (like Morroco)... when someone is good in a poor country, he gets a nicer job in a rich country (like France, USA and such...) (Morroco needs its people)

and dont forget that a lot of these poor people in Morroco deserve their situation. please, dont jump... let me explain myself.
as a Muslim, i'm for helping poor people. not helping the poor isnt even an option in my mind... BUT...

but i have to tell you how the things work in Morroco. i wont tell you how everything works... but just some "scenarios" we see often.

some people were living a simple life outside the big cities... and one day, they saw some trucks building roads... and once the road was finished. a big car passed by.
somedays after that, one guy from the little village where they used to live received a cousin or some relative from the city. and he had a nice car...a beautiful wife able to write her name on a paper and some fat kids...

and they told themselves... but why we dont go to the city too? so we can get a nice car too?

so they sold everything they had... for ridiculous prices... they sold their fertile lands... the lands of their fathers and ancestors for 10.000dh... or something like that...

and then, they went to the city. in the city, it's dirty. they werent clean themselves. but it was sand and dirt. from the nature. nothing really filthy... but in the city, you spend on night at the ground, and you are as dirty as a rat living in the sewers.

and then, they discover that with ALL THIS MONEY (10.000dh is a big amount of money for a peasant)... they cant buy a rat hole...
so they live in a "favela"...

and in the city, they will change... from a naive peasant to a drug dealer... or something else... i dont know... but they will learn things from the city.
they will learn to hate the rich. they learn that the state cant help them all, and that corruption will eat a large part of it's effort to fight poverty.

and the story isnt finished yet. a lot of these people will fall for the call of justice of some religious fanatic... and we will have in our country a large pool to recruit suicide bombers...

and you should know one thing... the king built many housings complex to move people from the favelas...

but guess what? the people living there gave their old houses to some relatives and asked the state for more...
they are like vampires. you see a little rat hole with 12people inside, you give them a little house... and they put the older son and his wife there and ask for another house...
and they will wait 10years if they have to.

they had to send the police there to move the whole family there...

we need a BIG change... these people arent honest people... you have to deal with them with an iron fist... even when you want to help them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2007 03:13 by LeMask.
s
26 June 2007 02:58
Morocco is no more a country that is worth caring about, we moroccans are the baddest when it comes to patriotism, not because we were born like that but because everday we learn a lot more and we feel like a sort of hatred to this country that takes everything from us but gives us too little or nothing at all, rich gets richer poor becomes poorer, few people would defend this country if a war is waged, at least not me nor the rich people who'd flee at the first flight ! how to describe some people's life in Morocco? ....... Hell?i mean when you hear some youth saying things like :" hout al ba7ar wala doud al maghrib" ( better off eaten by fish in the sea rather than Morocco's worms) reffering to crossing the sea and fleeing their country ? too bad !
26 June 2007 03:47
it's interesting...

you say that no one would defend this country, it's a very interesting thought...

look at Iraq. under Saddam. people were like sheeps. helpless...

but at the second USA came there, there was suicide bombings and such... a huge insurgency...

and ask myself "why they havent done that to Saddam?"...
interesting ^^
s
27 June 2007 03:13
i'll ask you a question Mr LeMask :
if a western country gives out visas to all Moroccans, how many of'em you think they'd prefer staying home? believe me, even the king would think twice before saying :"no, thanks!"( especially after seeing the number of those who fled) LOL !
No sir, Iraqis know how beautiful their country is, how rich their country is, how deep their love was for their country, only late Saddam ( Allah yar7amou) was a tyrant but now they sure realized how fair he was, at least no iraqi was starving or dwelling in public toilets, politics was the only red line not to be crossed unlike Moroccans who lost all trust and faith in this country where they die slowly and worse:in a humiliating way,... i'm not saying Morocco ain't beautiful or something, no, but it's hard to convince someone who lost faith in something after all the bad experiences he went thru for so many years ! what kills most is the bad reputation we Moroccans have now : we are a country where the cheapest thing is dignity ( ashsharaf), and when we lose our dignity what else is left ? or in other words what life is worth? we're not too bad, we're second ! (after Brazil if you know what i mean)... Sayonara !
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