Seasonal work flourishes during Ramadan

01/09/2008

The holy month of Ramadan provides many Moroccans with unique business opportunities, as more and more families choose to purchase specialty dishes rather than prepare them at home.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 01/09/08

[Sarah Touahri] Temporary sellers offer Ramadan treats and meals to busy Moroccans, using the month of work to combat unemployment.

Small businesses began to thrive throughout Morocco's working-class districts last week ahead of the start of Ramadan. Each year, many people seize the opportunities offered by this special period of high consumption to take on seasonal work, thereby improving their income and staving off the torment of unemployment.

Each merchant is specialised in the preparation and sale of a particular product. Women set up stalls everywhere, offering different kinds of Moroccan cakes: msemmen, baghrir, harcha and others. On certain premises, rented out for the occasion, young people prepare pastilla sheets or the cakes which are hard to miss during Ramadan: chebbakia. They are made and sold in the same place, to ensure that the customer is getting the very best quality.

Just a few years ago, this kind of business would not have made money, because women prepared everything at home, just a few days before the start of Ramadan.

Sociologist Samira Kassimi told Magharebia that women are increasingly finding work in a changing Moroccan society.

"In the past, the husband would only accept dishes his wife had prepared. But over the past few years, things have changed. At a cultural level, it is no longer unacceptable for the wife to buy ready-prepared meals, because she no longer has the time to do the work," she said.

Her assessment is confirmed by the experiences of Houda Mzeouek, a nurse who has been married for thirty years. She says that just five years ago, she would be hard at work a week before Ramadan, preparing sweetmeats and storing them away in the refrigerator. But the appearance of small seasonal businesses in her neighbourhood, offering products at reasonable prices, has made her change her habits.

"I used to suffer in the past," she said, "because I had to spend hours upon end in the kitchen before and during Ramadan. But now my table consists mostly of dishes which I have bought from the local traders."

Mzeouek added that this change in the Moroccan way of life has gone just a little way to improve things financially for the young unemployed and women who are struggling.

Ahmed Bachiri, who has a degree in French literature, has been involved in this seasonal work for four years already. As Ramadan approaches, he rents space and mobilises his unemployed friends to help sell chebbakia. He said that after three years without work, he decided to put an end to the situation, looking for a way of earning a living as circumstances would allow.

"My mother taught me how to make good chebbakia," he said. "I wasted no time in putting my plan into action four years ago, thanks to some financing from my father and the encouragement of my brothers. And I was able to earn some 10,000 dirhams in one month. It's seasonal work, but it's better than standing around all day," he said.

At the end of Ramadan, 29-year-old Ahmed will return to giving French-language lessons to young students in his home.

Many others have followed the same pattern. Even those with advanced degrees will take labour jobs to combat unemployment, even if the work is temporary. This is the case with Yasmine, a 2008 graduate in economics. She is helping her mother Zohra to make and sell Baghrir.

"My father died ten years ago, and it's my mother who provides for us. I've always helped in her work, while continuing to study seriously," she said. "I'm planning to study for a master's degree. But before my course starts, Ramadan is a good opportunity to earn some money."