Moroccan artisans mistreated in Algeria?

Is Algeria using all means to appropriate the ancestral arts of Morocco? High-ranking officials affiliated with the Algerian regime are said to have mobilized intermediaries to recruit Moroccan artisans, sought after according to the needs of the local market, believes the daily Assabah, specifying that these specialized workers are exploited "in the hotel industry, where different traditional Moroccan crafts, including know-how on plaster and painting, are highly coveted by the Algerian military."

Moroccan artisans who find themselves in an irregular situation in Algeria have difficulty returning to Morocco. They come across "mafia members" who exploit them "as they see fit, promising to help them reach a hypothetical European shore." According to a Moroccan artisan who was able to return to Morocco, his peers are exploited on construction sites where they are forced to work in inhumane conditions. These statements are confirmed by Brahim Al Ghouti, a researcher, specialist and expert in Moroccan heritage.

The situation of Moroccan artisans legally established in Algeria is far from rosy. Solicited by Algerian businessmen, personalities and security officials, they are exploited in their luxurious residences in Algiers, where they take care of the decoration. These Moroccan artisans find themselves "denigrated and overexploited; and, in several cases, their papers and passport are confiscated, until the completion of the construction site," where they are mobilized and subjected to "threats of being imprisoned," according to other testimonies collected by the daily.