It’s good manners to bring a gift when you visit someone. In the same way, when they go on vacation, many tourists want to bring a present for the people of the country they’re visiting.
In fact, the travelers on my tours in Morocco often ask me what gifts to bring for Moroccans, and what kind of presents locals would most appreciate or find useful. Yet when I compare notes with fellow tour operators working in Western countries, it’s a question they almost never get.
Bringing gifts to Morocco: right or wrong?
For many centuries Morocco was a poor country, but today, fortunately, that’s no longer the case, thanks in large part to tourism, which is now a fundamental and substantial part of the whole country’s economy.
That’s why I always recommend keeping money circulating within the country, by buying Moroccan keepsakes and souvenirs and taking home handicrafts that are hard to find back home. That’s the best, most useful and most productive way to contribute to the country.
But the belief that African countries need our help, the help of “rich and well-off” Europeans, is still strong. Of course, it’s true that prosperity isn’t evenly spread across Africa, and it’s just as true that generosity never hurts, but insisting on bringing gifts to Moroccans can make you seem less respectful than you might think, and can trigger a cycle of dependency between African and European countries.
Coming across as a tourist benefactor isn’t a good look. Showing off Western wealth through unsolicited gifts only reinforces the idea of the white European’s superiority over Africa and its people. It’s like confirming, every time, that we are “the rich” and they are “the poor”, the “inferior people”.
Fortunately, most Moroccans don’t live in extreme poverty and don’t need financial help from vacationing tourists. A small token certainly won’t offend, especially if you bring it to the home of a family hosting you, but the rule, as with everything in life, is: be discreet and careful not to overdo it.
Also, when people talk about Morocco and other North African countries, they often mention the many children who surround tourists in the street hoping for a few coins. Some children improvise as tour guides, offering to take travelers where they’re going, sometimes without really knowing the way.
What might seem like a harmless thank-you or an affectionate gesture actually sets off a business built on exploiting children for tourism. And no respectful traveler should want to encourage this kind of truly harmful “rich tourist giving alms to the poor” behavior.
My view, and my heartfelt advice, is therefore to not give money to children in the streets of Morocco. Instead, offer them a small treat that isn’t sold in Morocco. Although, come to think of it, back home we’re always quick to teach our children not to accept anything from strangers, yet on vacation we jump at the chance to do the opposite.
In general, though, it’s always better to give crackers or a T-shirt than to hand out objects they may not know, which would only create waste that often ends up in the environment instead of being properly recycled.
I’m reminded of a tourist who gave children in a small village in the south erasable, refillable pens. Pens are useful, it’s true, and children use them a lot at school, but refills aren’t common in Morocco, so once the ink ran out, those pens would have been thrown away. Or another traveler who brought children correction tape, thinking it would be a welcome school gift. But this cute little mouse-shaped tool isn’t common, especially in the villages people most want to help, so the children took them apart and threw them away, a little disappointed that the mouse wasn’t a fun toy.
Not to mention when some tourists have the bright idea of giving books to the nomadic peoples of the Atlas, who can’t read or write, or when I’ve seen people bring packaged milk to nomads who only drink milk from their own goats! So yes, be generous travelers, but think carefully about what you choose to give in Morocco.
To wrap up, I always tell travelers who ask me what to bring to Morocco not to fill their suitcases with clothes, objects and accessories that for Moroccans might just be clutter, or even an offense. Your gesture will be far more appreciated if you give the children or adults you meet something of your own, maybe something you’re wearing that they like, such as a T-shirt or a cap. Wait for them to show interest in it, rather than imposing it as a gift just to look generous.
Better still, the golden rule is always the same: buy local products, choose local accommodation and restaurants, and tip waiters, drivers and guides, something that may not be part of your own culture, but is very much part of proud Moroccan culture.
Lisa
