Magazine

Sarah Kramer is an independent radio producer and photographer who lived in Morocco as a Fulbright fellow. While living in the cities Fes and Rabat, she conducted an oral history project about Morocco’s memory of colonialism. A native of New York City, Sarah has lived on three different continents during the past two years. Her work can be found at whatisbeau.com.

Q: I recently visited Morocco and was astonished to see the well-preserved old cities juxtaposed with new cities. What accounts for this division? — Stewart Groves, Boston

Morocco’s startling juxtapositions are rampant: electronics sold next to lamb carcasses, luxurious villas bordered by shantytowns, European fashions paraded on the street next to traditional Moroccan jelabas (robes) and slippers.

There is a local binary that divides just about anything in Morocco: bildi or romi. The label romi derives from the term for the first Europeans to set foot in Morocco about 2000 years ago: The Romans. Bildi means anything native to Morocco or its customs.