MOROCCAN MIGRATORY FIELD: THE ROLE OF MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION

Relatore: Prof. Leonardo Terzo

Correlatore: Prof. Barbara Berri

Tesi di:Sarah Ferhane

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UNIVERSITA’DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIA

FACOLTA’ DI LETTERE E FILOSOFIA, SCIENZE POLITICHE, GIURISPRUDENZA, INGEGNERIA, ECONOMIA

Corso di Laurea Interfacoltà In Comunicazione Interculturale e Multimediale

INTRODUCTION

The world we live in is often unfair and difficult: emigration is sometimes the only chance for surviving. Being today a global phenomenon it has met the need for development, integration and resolution of communication problems.

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These new communication technologies encourage the exchange of knowledge, opinions, social identities and values. In the Moroccan context the increase in communications and their means of spreading was very high:

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TELEPHONES INTERNET

TELEBOUTIQUES/CALL SHOPS

CYBER CAFE/ INTERNET POINTS

RADIO

SATELLITE TELEVISION

MIGRATION

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WHY DO PEOPLE MIGRATE?

HOW DO PEOPLE MIGRATE?

• Economic reasons• Social reasons• Political reasons• Environmental

reasons • Nearness and colonial history

• Networks and families• Labor brokers

MIGRATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

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Since the early nineties the Mediterranean is crossed by several migratory routes, whose flow have increased with the closing of the borders of European states. The main routes are a dozen, the oldest connecting the coast of Morocco to Spain.

THE CIRCULATION OF MOROCCAN MIGRANTS

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Moroccan migration forms a genuine migration system.It is no longer appropriate to image relations between “here” and “there”: there is the need to construct a continuity with the appearance of spaces in between.

The development of new technologies of information and communication (ICT) allows migrants to extend their geographical space, encouraging connections with the homeland.

ICT created this way a new geographical space where different times and costs, different forms of accessibility, become interlinked . This marks also the birth of a new term, in contrast of “geospace”: CYBERSPACE.

THE RELATION BETWEEN MEDIA AND MIGRATION-GENERAL

For many years now, the media in some European countries developed disparate initiatives to make “the other” seen and heard. This is the case of the so-called specific programs, developed and broadcasted by the public television. However even if we agree to recognize that the visibility of ethnic minorities increased, a high degree of dissatisfaction seems to persist.

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WHY?

There is still prejudice and people coming from minorities and recruited by the media are still not considered as professionals. They are often confined in the role of spokesman for these groups. HOWEVER at the end of the 90s, public media start to show examples of “successful migrants”, even if limited to the dimension of spectacle.

THE RELATION BETWEEN MEDIA AND MOROCCAN MIGRATION

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All evidence suggest that the fast technological and commercial evolutions in the communication do not serve just to communicate. They are moreover means of remodeling space. Technologies now establish a major element of the inter-relations build across the space.

RADIO AND MOROCCAN MIGRATION

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Radio is very well established and has always been popular among North African emigrants. Even in the early 80s radio kept on being the main resource of information to maintain contact with motherland. Many sellers who now are involved in satellite dishes business, previously sold radios able to receive programs from Morocco.

TELEPHONE AND MOROCCAN MIGRATION

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The role of telephone is a major one because it is the means of communication more used to overcome distances and keep in touch with motherland. For a long while its use was preserved to relatively few privileged people or associated with government administration. Nowadays we witness the birth of another reality linked to that of telephone:

CALL SHOPS.

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TELEBOUTIQUES/ CALL SHOP

This composed name indicates a specific kind of commercial activity that involves first communication via telephone and recently the internet too. • Telephone boots

• Internet service• Fax service• Sale of prepaid

cards• Sale of soft drinks

and typical motherland food

They are very important elements in socialization: they help migrants feeling accepted, integrated, and avoid a feeling of loneliness and neglect becoming a point of reference for every emigrant.

INTERNET AND MOROCCAN MIGRATION

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Even if a rapid development of this means is witnessed, Moroccan migrants are still unable to use the internet properly and communicate among themselves and with the motherland. As for the telephone media, also for the internet there is a growing reality linked to it:

CYBER CAFE.

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CYBER CAFE

A cyber café is a place where there is the possibility to use a computer with internet access fee, usually hourly or minutes. It can also be a normal bar where food and beverages are served.

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INTERNET POINT

An internet point is a multiservice center designed as a place to offer a full range goods and services for all types of consumers.

• Training courses• Job search• Chat• VoIP• Chat• Photo printing services

SATELLITE TELEVISION AND MOROCCAN MIGRATION

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Satellite television plays an important sociological role: it helps maintaining up to date with Arabic language and with habits and major events, such as the holy month of fast: RAMADAN.

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Nonetheless the spread of satellite television has been presented as a dilemma

It helps the spreading of radical Islamist ideologies, even terrorism.

It has a deleterious influence caused by images from elsewhere where the possibility to bring scenes of lax morals, against Muslim morals, is high.

THE CASE: Al Maghribya

A newly created public satellite channel from Morocco. This new channel is dedicated to the Moroccan community residing abroad. The programming genres will vary, from economic and news magazines to cultural shows. Al Magrhibya is a joint venture of RTM (Radio Télévision Marocaine) and 2M, under the guidance of the Ministry of Communications of Morocco.

CONCLUSION

Moroccans abroad have been left out of consideration for a long time in the development of communication technologies and media. Nowadays, nevertheless, new media offer Moroccans abroad another way of experiencing and living their migration without crossing the distances necessary. They now have the possibility to live “here” without being cut off from their “there”.

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