What is citizenship? It is more than a legal or political definition that bestows upon individuals certain rights and privileges. Citizenship also involves giving back to create a better community and in turn creating better citizens in the future. We are all a product of our environment to a certain extent whether we like it or not. Bad environments tend to produce less productive individuals. When we have the ability to give back to our communities and make them better it is our responsibility to do so, so that future generations may enjoy the same privileges afforded to us and more. This giving back does not only come through charity. It comes at many levels. At the personal level it is embodied in bettering oneself both to improve the quality of life for you and your family and also to set an example for others. At a community level it involves charities, civic groups, and participation in things like local councils. At a national level it involves voting and active acquisition of knowledge and passion for a better political future for the nation. A breakdown in this system of civil society leads to a breakdown in societal progress.
A Mural at the ALC in Marrakech
My observations of Morocco have shown that many people feel dissatisfied with the system and do not try to impact it because they have no faith that their efforts will have any results. There is an electoral system in Morocco for electing members of the legislative body, but the king still maintains a strict level of control over political outcomes which are confined to a realm that does not threaten the legitimacy of the monarchy or its interests. In this context it is easy to understand why people feel powerless to affect change. There is only so much they can do within the given constraints and it appears that it is not possible for them to be satisfied in the given context.
Improving our understanding of citizenship is contingent upon recognizing these obstacles to the development of democratic institutions. Our notion of citizenship is only applicable to a Western style democracy and does not account for different systems. Sure an individual living in an autocracy can work to improve their regime through protest, but personal harm and violence are a real possibility. A citizen who can have their grievances redressed by the government through legal processes can’t be compared to a citizen who risks death to disagree with a monarch. Yes ideally every citizen would be one who actively participated in society, but such judgments must also acknowledge the costs of participation and the opportunities available to participate.
My conversations with several Moroccans revealed that they knew exactly what they wanted their political leaders to be, but they still did not vote or participate in civic groups. They did not vote because they did not see a link between the votes they and their peers cast and the results. To them it appeared that no matter which party won, there was corruption among elected individuals. Essentially, they viewed the political class from which candidates could be drawn to be polluted and producing no worthy candidates. They did not participate in civic groups because they tended to be associated with pushing an ideology. One story I heard described a religious group volunteering at a children’s center, but instead of playing with the children they attempted to preach their religious message and indoctrinate them while providing food. This pushed many individuals I spoke to away who viewed such activism as something that should be separate from a political or religious message and merely for the good of the recipients. The bureaucratic nature of forming these groups also discourages those who aren’t the most dedicated. I watched one individual work for over a week to get permission to hold an event at an elementary school to teach about the dangers of smoking tobacco on International Stop Smoking Day. He was worried through the entire process that his request would be denied because the government apparently limits association among individuals.
In the US we tend to now focus on the aspects of citizenship that originate in the citizen to augment the commonly accepted views on the rights and privileges of formal citizenship. Perhaps in a context like Morocco we should be focused on these rights and privileges, or lack thereof, instead of expecting citizens to be taking the leading role in defining citizenship. The acceptance of these rights by both the government and the people provides the foundation for other forms of participation. Without this bedrock there is nothing upon which to build a strong civil society and increase the capacity of the citizenry.
