Why are Moroccos famed artisans paving roads in the desert?
A LITTLE MORE than a century ago, Boujema Lamali, an Algerian by birth, was recruited to Morocco by its French colonial administrators. His mission: to revive the countrys tradition of artistic pottery. So Lamali set up a school in Safi, on the Atlantic coast. The city became a hub for artisans. Before the pandemic some 2,000 of them officially worked in Safis 212 registered potteries. Thousands more toiled off the books. In total, Moroccos craft sector employed 2.3m people, a fifth of the countrys workforce, and accounted for 7% of GDP . Today, though, the winding alleys of Safis famed Colline des Potiers (Potters Hill) are quiet. The tourists who thronged the streetsand bought the potteryhave gone, because of covid-19. Moroccos GDP fell by around 7% in 2020. A large number of Safis potteries have closed. For the first time in generations, most of its artisans are jobless or hanging on by a thread. Divorces have skyrocketed, says an elder. What can a man do when he comes home each day with nothing for his family? The government has tried to help the jobless, but only those who worked formally are eligible for its monthly handouts of $220. Locals say artisans have been moving in droves to the desert in search of work as day-labourers on a big road-building project.