Podcasts to Help You Understand Morocco

This podcast, by Chris Christensen, explains Morocco from an American point of view. It describes the Moroccan weather, and how much it resembles the California one, but it also focuses on Moroccan culture and people, explaining how the Moroccans are more shy when it comes to taking pictures, and other things, like how they cover their shoulders when entering a religious building. He also speaks about the goats climbing Argan trees, and how cold the Sahara desert is.

In this podcast, a girl talks about what it’s like to live with a Moroccan family to get the full experience, be immersed in the Moroccan culture, and see on a daily basis how they live. She explains how it is so much different than in America, due to the fact that sometimes there are no shower curtains and no toilet paper—instead, they use a bidet. Regarding the cultural part, she speaks about how in American families, a child is expected to leave the household at the age of 18, but in Moroccan families, that does not happen, as kids live with their families longer, since their parents take good care of them; she personally felt very well treated and as if she was a part of the family.

In this podcast, Francis Tapon speaks about the Western Sahara. He starts by explaining the differences between the Sahara and Morocco, and how they claimed independence from Morocco since the Spanish left the occupied territory in 1975. He also speaks about Dakhla, a beautiful coastal city in Western Sahara that is extremely popular among nationals with deserted beaches, great fish cuisine, and much more.

Eid el-Kebir is the most important holiday in Morocco, so in this podcast, you can learn the traditions behind Moroccan holidays. This is a holiday that is celebrated across all Muslim countries, since the story behind it started back in the Prophet Mohamed era, when Allah ordered Ibrahim to sacrifice his son to prove his obedience to him, but as he was about to do it, Allah put a sheep between his hands and spared Ibrahim’s son. In the podcast, you will learn about how poor families sometimes can’t afford a sheep, but it is so important to them that they will save up money throughout the year to be able to afford it, and how during this time, people turn their sheep’s skin into a rug.