{"id":23636,"date":"2022-11-16T18:51:23","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T18:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/highatlasfoundation.org\/?p=23636"},"modified":"2022-11-17T08:30:06","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T08:30:06","slug":"dakira-forging-collaborative-pathways-toward-greater-social-solidarity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/dakira-forging-collaborative-pathways-toward-greater-social-solidarity\/","title":{"rendered":"Dakira: Forging Collaborative Pathways Toward Greater Social Solidarity"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Soukaina Kherdioui and Amal Mansouri<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Dakira Cultural Coordinators<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mohammed, from Ighram commune in the Taroudant province, poses with a sign that promotes interfaith solidarity, quoting: \u201cLove your neighbor as yourself,\u201d October 2022. Photo: HAF<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI learned that, in the past, people lived together in harmony even though they had different religions. I also learned that it is very important to preserve heritage because if we don’t, it could disappear. I learned that we can learn from our differences and accept them instead of disputing.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

– <\/span><\/i>An eighteen-year-old from Essaouira reflecting on her participation in a summer camp activity facilitated by the High Atlas Foundation within the framework of the USAID Dakira program<\/span><\/p>\n

Celebrated on November 16,\u00a0 the <\/span>International Day for Tolerance<\/span><\/a> was designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an opportunity to reiterate the importance of nurturing tolerance, a fundamental value underlying universal human rights. It is a day to be reminded that differences are to be celebrated and acknowledged, not hidden or rejected. Tolerance is much more than simply accepting \u201cthe other.\u201d It is, rather, a strong belief that all humans ought to be treated with respect and appreciated regardless of their social, cultural and religious backgrounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the launch of the <\/span>USAID Dakira program<\/span><\/a> in 2021, the <\/span>High Atlas Foundation<\/span><\/a> (HAF) and its partners have collaborated to further preserve and transmit Morocco\u2019s multicultural history. Seeking to revive the essence of amicable, centuries-old relationships among various religious and ethnic communities that have undeniably been foundational in shaping the country’s multilayered identity, Dakira is forging a path defined by dialogue and mutual understanding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this respect, events and activities are taking\u00a0 place in numerous communities across the country, bringing together civil society actors and local community members with the aim of exploring and strengthening interreligious and inter-ethnic solidarity. <\/span>Intergenerational community dialogues<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>school and youth activities<\/span><\/a>, Hebrew language and Jewish culture courses, and <\/span>digital heritage documentation workshop<\/span><\/a> are among the activities that have taken place so far.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dakira is working with people of all ages, from primary school students to young adults to community elders,\u00a0 in order to ignite a sense of curiosity among community members to explore their own pluralistic Moroccan pasts and encourage them to broaden their perceptions and understandings of <\/span>tolerance<\/span><\/i>. As people learn about the lives of their grandparents and other ancestors, they learn how the diverse people of Morocco\u00a0 lived in harmony with one another.In this diverse environment of the not-too-distant past, people had different faiths, ethnicities, and traditions, but they chose to empower each other and embrace their differences instead of trying to dismantle dissimilar principles and systems of belief.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

HAF President Yossef Ben-Meir speaks at a community dialogue event in Tiznit, October 2022. Photo: HAF<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Heritage regeneration and social unity through community dialogues<\/b><\/p>\n

Committed to revitalizing Morocco\u2019s pluralistic past through local community efforts, the Dakira facilitates community dialogues and conducts interviews with individuals in order to uncover and collect memories of each region\u2019s blended past. During dialogues, communities engage in discussion about the history and meaning of religious and cultural sites in their locality with the aim to safeguard the gathered narratives and reshare them as a living example of togetherness for current and future generations<\/span>. <\/span>So far, people from the regions of Marrakech-Safi, Fes-Meknes, Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, Draa-Tafilalet, Souss-Massa, and Guelmim-Oued Noun have participated in such activities and events.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, HAF-Dakira toured seven communities throughout the south of Morocco, where 1,195 local people engaged in <\/span>community heritage dialogue<\/span><\/a>, reflecting on multiculturalism then and now as well as how it and the preservation of cultural heritage should necessarily contribute toward the communities\u2019 own sustainable development. Similarly, during the holy month of Ramadan in 2022, Dakira partner Mimouna Association organized a community Iftar dialogue in the Mellah of Rabat, which brought together more than 100 people to discuss and explore Jewish-Muslim cultural commonalities and shared customs from the perspective of local youth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fostering intercultural values through outreach events<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Dakira promotes tolerance and highlights the urgency of intercultural heritage preservation on a larger scale through knowledge sharing at strategic outreach events. <\/span><\/p>\n

For example, Mimouna Association is organizing a series of Jewish Moroccan food workshops through which local women of different ages explore Moroccan Jewish culinary customs and traditions and the means of transmitting these essential elements of Jewish life to future generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, the <\/span>Experience Dakira conference<\/span><\/a>, held in June 2022, reflected a set of community values in which tolerance was presented as the gatekeeper to fostering social unity and conviviality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Appreciating cultural diversity and fostering interreligious solidarity in the classroom<\/b><\/p>\n

Taking into consideration the vital role of education and culture, Dakira is committed to sensitizing youth to their cultural heritage and values. In Tiznit, southern Morocco, for example, tolerance has been promoted among approximately 1,762 students in the discovery of their rich interreligious local history through guided field visits and school-based activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/b>Students engage in an activity about Moroccan cultural heritage. Photo: HAF<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Promoting togetherness through the Arts<\/b><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>The Arts have proved to be a powerful tool to help increase youth engagement in the discussion about tolerance and respect for diversity. As such, the Sefrou Association for Multidisciplinary Arts (SAMA), through Project Sho\u2019la (meaning \u2018spark\u2019 in English), has used storytelling and theater to introduce local youth to the city\u2019s multicultural heritage. Through performance art, the youth have been able to actively learn about and reflect their understanding and appreciation of their multilayered identities.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sefrou youth perform a play reflecting the city\u2019s interreligious, interethnic history. Photo: SAMA<\/i><\/p>\n

Restoring places of memory<\/b><\/h2>\n

Located in the foothills of the Middle Atlas, the former Toumliline Monastery is one of the many historic landmarks epitomizing Morocco\u2019s rich pluralistic past. The monastery, which was founded by Benedictine monks in the 1950s, became a place for international gatherings for people from different faiths. As part of the Dakira program, Fondation m\u00e9moires pour l\u2019avenir (FMA) is helping preserve the interfaith collective Moroccan memory and revive the spirit of togetherness and shared belonging that this monastery was once known for. The rehabilitation of the monastery will not only help restore the physical space and medicinal gardens once tended by the monks, but also revive its spiritual significance as a meeting place for people of different faiths and cultural backgrounds to participate in intergenerational meetings for youth to reconnect with their local histories and carry on the legacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

FMA President Lamia Radi leads a tour of the informational totem signage at the Toumliline Chapel during its inauguration in May 2022. Photo: HAF<\/p>\n

Using a participatory approach, Dakira is a community-driven program through which local people of all ages take part in this learning journey, dig deeper into their understanding of their identities, and contribute to the reinforcement of values like inclusion and interfaith cooperation. Only through gaining a deeper understanding of our rich, interconnected histories can we better comprehend our realities and transcend intolerant narratives so as to pave the way for a world where fear and hostility are supplanted by acceptance and respect for all people.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article was completed with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the High Atlas Foundation is solely responsible for its content, which does not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID or the Government of the United States.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Soukaina Kherdioui and Amal Mansouri Dakira Cultural Coordinators\u00a0 Mohammed, from Ighram commune in the Taroudant province, poses with a sign that promotes interfaith solidarity, quoting: \u201cLove your neighbor as yourself,\u201d October 2022. Photo: HAF \u201cI learned that, in the past, people lived together in harmony even though they had different religions. I also learned<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[129,123],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/IMG_2320-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23636"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23636"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23647,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23636\/revisions\/23647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-haf.ddev.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}