Dual Identities: Franco-Moroccans Embrace Summer Pilgrimages to Ancestral Homeland

Spending the summer holidays in one’s country of origin has become a tradition for certain dual nationals or foreigners. Others are trying the experience for the first time this summer. How do these holidays go in a country to which they remain attached? Anas and Sara, two Franco-Moroccans, regularly go on holiday to Morocco. In the kingdom, they feel as much Moroccan as tourists. "We call people like us MREs (Moroccans Residing Abroad, editor’s note). It’s a distinct social category that has its own ministry," explains Anas, a 27-year-old business manager, to Le Figaro. "Roughly speaking, it’s more a source of teasing, we’re a bit the princesses of Morocco!" adds Sara, his 24-year-old younger sister.

Born to a French mother and a Franco-Moroccan father, the two grew up and live in Paris. But they come back every year to recharge their batteries in Morocco. "Maintaining ties with one’s family, with this culture and maintaining the language, it’s a duty as much as a pleasure." Anas plans to return to Morocco in November with friends. "Morocco is like Japan, between tradition and modernity. With the family, the traditional side takes precedence. The fact of being in active life and going there independently now allows me to discover a new facet of the country," he says. And his sister Sara adds: "The tourist Morocco no longer needs to be praised, but I don’t know it yet... I recommend wandering the roads of the countryside and stopping in the small casbahs and especially the roadside restaurants run by the butchers. It’s magical!"