A House in Fez, by Suzanne Clark, takes the reader on a journey through the complexities of a foreigner’s life in Fez. Through the everyday highs and lows, the reader experiences a willingness to accept an adventure where many others would comfortably decline.
Clark and her husband embark on the mission to buy a house in Fez, Morocco, and restore it to its original glory. This is easier said than done: both are limited in their French and Darija, respectively, and there is the issue of a language barrier. That is to be the least of their concerns, as they soon realize Moroccan bureaucracy is a series of exponentially growing obstacles, fueled both by Moroccan’s relaxed lifestyle and an increasing Western-like demand for accountability.
There are three themes within the book that are strikingly important as they connect it to the world around it. Neocolonialism, the intricateness of being a global citizen, and an interesting irony (or juxtaposition) where the white person becomes the foreigner, are the three themes that will be discussed.
Throughout the book, Clark consistently characterizes and emphasizes “neocolonizers” without explicitly calling them so, while simultaneously attempting to differentiate herself from them. By regarding these differences, Clark sets the standards for what it means to be a colonizer, and what it means to be a global citizen as a white woman in Morocco.
As Clark and her partner begin the adventure of buying a house and restoring it, it becomes increasingly evident that she is not the only foreigner to have thought of this idea. Clark reveals herself as a neocolonizer with a hint of the white savior complex, almost as if claiming that Fes and its cultural treasures are for her to own, explore, and save. The Culture’s Keeper, almost. What differentiates her from the rest of the foreigners also buying houses in Morocco is her undeniable desire to restore her riad to its formal glory. Modernizing it as minimally as possible and requiring the help of special craftsmen to not damage the artistic architecture, she argues, reveals a determination unique to those few that care for the cultural preservation of Morocco.
This is an almost heroic feat. Clark, having not moral obligation to Morocco, spends much time and money in this restoration, taking care to get things done right. However, it is her underlying intentions that make these grand actions questionable.
Clark often uses an almost condescending way to think about her own actions in relation to those around her. By her standards, her actions are more valid than a local’s would be, all because she has the luxury of choosing to preserve historical architecture. She often judges locals for their failure to upkeep historical architecture, but what she fails to realize is that her opinion doesn’t matter when she doesn’t have the struggles most Moroccan people have.
There is a tension between Clark’s longing to belong in the Fes community and her actual sense of belonging. She failed to convince this reader that she belonged in Fes. Instead of admitting her lack of knowledge and her room for growth, she insisted on critiquing foreigners in her similar position to elevate her status within an arbitrary scale to herself.
However, this is not surprising as it is easy to imagine how difficult it must be for a white person to feel like the outsider. It is understandable that her first instinct was to attempt to validate her actions, even if it meant discrediting others’. She no doubt was right in cases where she complained about people’s lack of initiative in adapting to the new culture, but these are standards that she’s made to judge foreigners in Morocco, and she herself is a foreigner. It would make more sense for her to use a Moroccan’s scale of what it means to be a foreigner that is welcome and belongs in Morocco. This and her critique of Moroccan locals based on their :failure” to keep artistic architecture intact alienates her further from the community she tries so much to integrate herself into.
Overall, the work is a must-read for anyone new to Moroccan, or even Arab culture. The work has a lot of potential in terms of it highlighting what it is that foreigners should know and keep in mind when traveling to a country like Morocco. There are many introductory terms that will help those who are new to Morocco to appreciate what they will be seeing. While one may disagree with the thoughts and actions of the author throughout the book, her “relateableness” as a foreigner to the Arab World and her willingness to explore should be appreciated. There is no “How to Travel in Morocco for Dummies” book out there, but this is the closest thing to it.
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