Morocco’s Souk El Arbaa du Gharb Fights for New Identity: City Name Change Sparks Development Debate

"The request concerns the change of the city’s name, because it is no longer a souk as its name indicates, but a full-fledged city, and the current name hinders its development," explains an associative actor in the city of Souk El Arbaa du Gharb and president of the Association of Youth for Human Development to Hespress. According to him, if the majority of the inhabitants support this initiative, it is because they consider it as a means to accelerate development, "although the procedure is not as simple as one might think, since previous attempts have failed in this same objective." For the former coordinator of the Union of Civil Society Associations in the same city, "continuing to use the same name perpetuates a negative perception of this urban area, which hinders its development."

A specialist in territorial governance and inclusion policies agrees: "The debate on the demands for changing the names of certain cities or local authorities, on the pretext that the current name no longer reflects urban or demographic development, is important and legitimate. Citizens have the right to engage in this debate, whether they are in favor of it or not, as it expresses their sense of belonging." According to him, this debate must be part of a participatory dynamic that excludes no stakeholder, whether elected officials or economic actors, in order to formulate a vision that reflects as broad a consensus as possible.

"The name of a particular city is not a trivial detail, and its change would have a significant impact both on intangible aspects (image, perception) and material aspects (local taxation, administrative and communication documents issued before the name change, etc.)," he specified. He indicates the approach to be followed: it is necessary that these claims go through the advocacy mechanisms provided for by law (petitions, motions), in order to transmit them to the relevant councils, which will have to include the request for change in the legal procedures related to the modifications of names of cities or local authorities, starting with their approval during the council sessions.

"In my opinion, in the case of a change of certain words in the names of local authorities, such as ’Souk de...’, it would be better to integrate this change into a global approach that would also concern the other local authorities having the same case, obviously in a participatory and concerted approach with the relevant councils," estimates the specialist in territorial governance and inclusion policies. According to him, this would ensure administrative consistency, compliance with the law, and the preservation of the historical and cultural identity of the places as perceived by the inhabitants and the administrations concerned (such as the Ministry of Culture, for example).

He also suggests addressing this issue seriously, bearing in mind that changing the image of a territory and its attractiveness requires more than just a change of name. It is "also necessary to improve local governance, encourage responsible civic behavior, care for sustainable environment, promote cultural and social dynamics, focus on economic attractiveness and renew local political elites, so that the new name (of the city or local authority) reflects a new positive reality," he concluded.