{"id":22280,"date":"2021-12-23T12:55:58","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T12:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/highatlasfoundation.org\/?p=22280"},"modified":"2022-01-31T13:08:25","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T13:08:25","slug":"identity-discovery-who-are-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/identity-discovery-who-are-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Identity Discovery: Who Are You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Amal Mansouri, Cultural Field Coordinator<\/em><\/p>\n

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IMAGINE workshop in El Menzel, 2021. Photo: Zineb Mallouki\/HAF<\/em><\/p>\n

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The answer to the questions who you are, or what you identify as is more complicated than it seems to be. So many people would respond to this question in a different way referring to different characteristics, such as: gender, age, marital status, hobbies, educational background, career, nationality, etc. But, in the process of brainstorming, more answers to describe ourselves surface, and at a certain moment, the following questions arise: Is this, actually, who I really am, or am I just reciting what I have been told by others about my identity? \u201cIdentity,\u201d what does this word really mean? Is it how I live my day-to-day life? Is it my history and culture? My goals and future? Is it what makes me different from others? I believe that it\u2019s when we start wondering about these questions that the journey of self-discovery begins.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been curious about my identity and what my specific traits are. To me, self-discovery is a process that every person will continuously go through for as long as they exist. With that in mind, and while participating in an identity mapping exercise for the first time at the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) office, I had the opportunity to deeply explore various elements that could help offer a clearer picture about my identity. I discovered that a big part of my current self is shaped by my cultural background and origins, and the other part is developed by the experiences that I have had and will have while interacting with other people. I learned that there is a strong correlation between my social behaviors and the environment I grew up in. Also, I concluded that a whole set of values that represent my authentic identity subconsciously emerged from coexisting with various individuals with different mentalities and beliefs.<\/p>\n

Part 1: Empowerment and Identity in El Menzel, Sefrou Province<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since the identity mapping activity was interesting to me, I was eager to know how others would perceive it, so I was eager to facilitate it with a group of women during an IMAGINE empowerment workshop in El Menzel, a commune within the Sefrou province. I was very curious to see the first choices that the participants would pick to identify as.<\/p>\n

After drawing their maps, I asked the participants two questions: the first one was to share their maps and have a collective discussion about the similarities and differences. One of the participants answered: \u201cSince other participants and myself are from the same region, we have a lot in common like religion and origins, but we also have differences, which is normal because we are living different lives.\u201d <\/em>The spontaneous response from this woman invoked the realization among the group that they value cultural diversity more than previously thought.<\/p>\n

When they were asked about the characteristics that represent them the most from their maps, a woman replied: \u201cMy ethnic background. I am so grateful that I was born and raised in this region, more specifically in this tribe, because I have had the chance to know what it’s like to support and be supported by others even if they don\u2019t know you. This is not just because we belong to the same tribe, but my people are very generous and helpful towards everyone no matter who you are, where you are from, or your religion.\u201d<\/em> She added: \u201cMy sister once came across some foreign tourists who couldn\u2019t find a hotel to spend the night, and she gladly offered them her house for them to stay in while she stayed at mine. This is how we were raised: help all people who are in need.\u201d<\/em> I noticed that she used the word \u201call,\u201d<\/em> referring to everyone. She didn\u2019t say Moroccans<\/em> or people that are only from her tribe or following the same religion.<\/p>\n

Towards the end of the session, we were thrilled to hear from the participants that the identity mapping activity, in addition to all the activities that were conducted during the IMAGINE workshop, gave them a push forward and widened their perspectives about themselves, how they want to live their lives, and that they are now one step closer to who they are.<\/p>\n

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Part 2: Self-Discovery and Heritage Mapping at the Faculty of Sharia, USMBA Fes<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The second time I attended an IMAGINE empowerment workshop, it was held with female students from the Faculty of Islamic Theology (Sharia) of University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah (USMBA) in Fes. Within the multiculturalism and identity exploration context, Soukaina and myself, Cultural Field Coordinators, conducted two activities from the Manual of Participatory Ethnographic Methodologies for the USAID Religious and Ethnic Minorities Activity (REMA).<\/p>\n

Soukaina conducted the first activity, called The River of Life.<\/em> The goal of this activity is to give participants an example of how events impact and shape our lives, molding and forging our personalities over time, while introducing new concepts such as tolerance and multiculturalism, sometimes without us even noticing. Soukaina presented an example of her own life river and then gave the floor to the participants to talk about their own experiences. We received many responses, but what caught my attention in particular was how the participants were surprised when they discovered that they actually had stories to share with us and that they knew more than they had previously thought about coexistence and multiculturalism. They just hadn\u2019t ever had the chance to talk about or even contemplate it before the activity.<\/p>\n

When the participants were asked about what, as Moroccans, they are most proud of, they shared several answers: multiculturalism<\/em>, traditional clothes<\/em>, monuments and locations in Morocco<\/em>, languages<\/em>, architecture<\/em>, hospitality<\/em>, flexibility<\/em> and coexistence<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Pictures taken by FC Amal Mansouri, IMAGINE\u00a0 workshop, Chariaa Faculty, Fes, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n

The second activity was called Dominant Social Narratives<\/em>, which I conducted. This activity gave participants the opportunity to examine their lives, filter the stories that were transmitted to them as facts since they were little, and see how they strikingly affected their identities and maybe even their daily routines. This activity allowed the participants to take a step back and think objectively about the dominant and common narratives in their own families, tribes, and communities. I provided examples of some common stories that were falsely claimed to be true and asked them to think and share stories from their own life experiences. Through this practice, the participants gained a heightened understanding of how powerful their thoughts and ideas are, especially those that are widespread. Most of the shared narratives were about women, such as :<\/p>\n