What Does it Mean to be a Citizen? – Harry Sanderson

A simple definition of citizenship might plainly reveal that a citizen is just someone who officially is a member of a nation-state. However, what does that entail? As a member of a nation, are you required to actively engage in national affairs? Or, more so, do you hold a moral responsibility to maintain active citizenship? I asked these questions to one of my fellow students at ALIF in Fez, a Moroccan native named Yassine. He is studying at ALIF to learn English and work towards a degree to have a better chance at earning a successful living here in Morocco.

Initially, Yassine was confused by my basic “What does it mean to be a Moroccan citizen?” question. He was unsure about how to answer the question correctly. After reassuring him that there were no wrong answers, I just wanted to hear his honest opinion. Yassine said that one of the main duties a citizen should have is to be a good representation of your nation. He went on to say that as a Moroccan citizen, it was his duty to show other Moroccans how to act. Also a good citizen would prove to foreigners he meets that Morocco is full of good people.

After giving his answer, Yassine was unsure about what to say next. He knew that he wanted to say more, but did not know exactly what to talk about. I then asked him about his government in Morocco, did he feel that he could be a good citizen under this government?

Yassine believed that he could only be a true citizen under a complete democracy. He said that the government in Morocco was authoritarian, making it impossible to be a true citizen here. Yassine went on to say that, while his views were liberal, they were the same as his parents. This helped debunk my idea that all Moroccan youths are rebelling against the more traditional views of their parents.

Then, I asked Yassine what he thought the biggest problem his country faced, and how a citizen should try to advocate for change?

He replied that the biggest problem in Morocco is that the government is not creating enough jobs for the youth, the millennials, the future. He said that all over the nation, there are fruit stand vendors who are certified lawyers, PHD graduates, and MBA graduates, showing the number of highly educated adults who fail to find jobs that fit their skill level.

Finally, I asked Yassine how he thought Moroccan citizens could help change this narrative, and how they could make the government change?

He said that they needed to make the government aware of their problem. Not through active protests in the streets, he said that would lead to violence and that was the last thing he wanted for his country, but instead through smaller scale protests that genuinely made a difference. He informed me about a boycott the youth of Morocco were participating in over a water bottle company. Yassine was immensely proud of this boycott, telling me that it was really impacting the country and causing change.

Thus, Yassine showed me an interesting perspective about what it is like to be a citizen in Morocco. He showed that, even though he does not vote, actively follow party politics, or engage other activities commonly found by active citizens, he was truly a citizen of Morocco. He showed that Moroccan youth needed to advocate for change in smaller scale protests, not by forcing violence in their city streets. Overall, Yassine emphasized the importance of actively participating in some form of social advocacy. Thus, it shows that in Morocco, the meaning of citizenship has no simple answer.

Here is Yassine, the ALIF student I interviewed