Australian writer Sandy McCutcheon finds Morocco a great place to live and work

2006-07-30

The mix of Arab, Amazigh, French, and African culture in Morocco gives Australian novelist Sandy McCutcheon a great setting in which to work and live. He talks to Magharebia about his observations on the conditions of women and attitudes towards them in the country.

By Farah Kinani for Magharebia in Washington – 30/07/06

[File] Morocco is a "fascinating country", says McCutcheon

Veteran Australian writer Sandy McCutcheon uses Morocco as the setting for The Cobbler's Apprentice, which is due in bookstores in September. He says he likes to weave everyday life into fiction. His more than 22 plays and novels are inspired by his experiences of living and travelling in Europe, Asia and Africa.

McCutcheon, who lives part-time in Fez, says, "Morocco is a fascinating country where not writing is harder than writing. Characters, both Moroccan and non-Moroccan, are in every cafe and on every corner."

Having spent time in various African countries -- including Mozambique, South Africa and Sudan -- he says he finds Morocco the most attractive because of qualities other countries do not possess. It has a mix of Arab, Amazigh and African cultures. McCutcheon adds that the French colonial period has left a mark in everyday life, with the cultural mix making Morocco a wonderful place to be.

McCutcheon says he tries to understand Morocco based on his daily experiences rather than external reports. "Islamic society is so different in reality from the way much of the media in the West depicts it, and for me this is valuable. I have many opportunities to speak publicly in Australia and New Zealand, so I value the ability to now speak from experience on the streets and in the cafes, rather than from an academic point of view," he notes.

As for the situation of women in Morocco, McCutcheon says it is not simply black-and-white and is more a question of poverty and education than gender. He notices that educated women in the workforce tend to be more moderate in their approach to religion, particularly in dress and culture.

"Those from the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum tend to be more religious and certainly more inclined to conservative behaviour and dress codes. At times the contrast between the two is extraordinary," he added.

Although McCutcheon notices that both conservative women dressed in traditional fashion and western-dressed teenagers appear to be accepted by a majority of people in Morocco, he finds that women with little education seems to have almost no understanding of the new Family Code, a bill passed in 2004 that gives the husband and wife joint responsibility over the family. The code gives men and women equal rights to inherit, divorce, and share custody of children.

McCutcheon says he has found that educated women tend to support the code. While some tension between the modern and traditional exists, he states Moroccans appear to have a very open attitude to diversity.

McCutcheon remarked, "Our observations are not accurate, but our experience has been that so-called 'modern' women are less tolerant of their more religious sisters than the other way around."

While promoting The Cobbler's Apprentice, McCutcheon is also busy with other projects, including a new book, according to his website.