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In June 1325, famed Moroccan Amazigh Ibn Battuta set off to perform the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. He was 21 years old and seeking knowledge, not riches. He would not return to Morocco again for another 24 years. He collected countless memories and would later author the Riḥlah (Travels), a historic travelogue documenting his travels covering some 75,000 miles (120,000 km) across the Muslim world and beyond. His travel writings eventually made him a global influencer, 700 years before Instagram.
Centuries later, Moroccans and Moroccan cultural influence are again seen across the globe. Hip hop star French Montana fuses gritty Bronx street life with Moroccan and African themes. Gnaoua music, born in part out of the experience of slavery within Africa, is a significant part of southern and coastal Moroccan culture and is now a global music phenomenon that’s compared with the American Blues. Moroccan music icon Mohamed Rouicha popularized Maghrebi Tamazight songs and melodies decades before the larger embrace of Tamazight culture across the region. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton has appeared on the red carpet in Europe in traditional Moroccan kaftans. Cultural footprints outside the Maghreb.
On Monday, the Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva that seeks to strengthen cooperation between Morocco and the WIPO in the important fields of intellectual property and cultural heritage copyrights.
The agreement also allows Morocco to benefit from WIPO’s expertise and introduces new legal frameworks regarding resale rights and reproduction rights, as well as using the WIPOCONNECT system, an online copyright registry.
Morocco, like other nations and parties, is ready to take action when culture becomes haphazardly commodified. In late 2022, Sportswear retailer Adidas faced a backlash caused by the company’s jersey collection designed for Algeria’s national team. The jerseys featured Moroccan Zellige mosaic patterns. Adidas later expressed its “deep respect” for Morocco’s people and craftsmen. Morocco’s Ministry of Culture had registered Zellige of Fez (mosaic design) in the Vienna Classification of Figurative Elements of the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2015.
In 2020, the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Alaska filed a U.S. federal lawsuit against fashion retailer Neiman Marcus, alleging the company copied a traditional Indigenous Ravenstail pattern for a coat the retailer was selling. Plaintiffs and Neiman Marcus later agreed to work together to resolve the issue “under Tlingit law and cultural protocols.”
Just this month, the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce in western India called on Italian fashion brand Prada to recognize the Indian roots (traditional Kolhapuri chappals) of a sandal design by the firm. Prada recently responded to the online uproar, recognizing the Indian origins of the sandals with a “centuries-old heritage.”
Artistic innovation or stealing? Fair use or appropriation?
A May Al Jazeera segment discussed cultural appropriation issues. Is it ever OK to profit from another culture? Al Jazeera viewers responded to the poll this way: 16% said yes, it’s a globalized world; 24% said no, it’s never OK; 60% said it’s complicated.
The effort to protect and preserve cultural components is noble and worthy of technical and legal support from WIPO and others. Intellectual property is specific in its design and display, and its fair monetary value can be determined. Morocco will now have an institutional partner to aid in the protection of its intellectual and cultural heritage, at home and abroad. Label Maroc, too, establishes a quality control guidepost for local artisans, exporters and international retailers.
Things get tricky, though, when one moves from the specific to the generic. Food, for example. Saffron, cumin, olives and almonds are staples in Moroccan cuisine. They reflect the country’s historical connections (Andalusian, Arab, African, Maghrebi, etc.) as well as cultural diet preferences. The popular North African pie (pastilla) likely comes from Andalusia (via Muslims migrating to Morocco) on the Iberian Peninsula, and was possibly influenced by Sephardic Jews. Food is fusion.
In the U.S., Cajun cuisine is a distinct and flavorful culinary tradition rooted in local ingredients, Southern Louisiana culture, Caribbean influences, and French cooking techniques—layer upon layer.
Morocco’s rich cultural tapestry continues to captivate and attract visitors from around the world (17 million tourists in 2024). The balance of welcoming the world to share jellabas and Zellige while protecting these rich cultural icons will be an ongoing project. Having WIPO as a resource to help defend and protect the nation’s particular cultural assets while celebrating the nation’s global allure is a living testament to Ibn Batutta’s quest for cultural appreciation and knowledge.
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