Morocco is the world's attention following its success in reaching the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and tonight against defending champions France. This country is said to represent the Arab and African nations in the World Cup. Is Morocco actually Arab or African?
When Morocco beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals at the Qatar World Cup, Africans rejoiced. This achievement is historic and is known as the first African team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup.
But team captain Sofaine Boufal's remarks after their round of 16 win against Spain, in the name of Arab support and a complete disregard for Africa, sparked controversy in the virtual world over the issue of identity.
Geographical
Quoted from The Independent, geographically, Morocco is on the African continent. However, the population is white and it turns out that they are of Arab, European and Berber descent.
Africa's best known geographical feature is the Sahara Desert which neatly divides the continent into a northern section, dominated by the Berber ethnic groups bordering the Mediterranean and a much larger and much more diverse southern portion. Elsewhere, the term sub-Saharan is used to describe countries on the African continent that are not considered part of North Africa.
Beyond geography, the arrival of Islam in the 7th century in the region witnessed the conversion of previously Jewish, Christian, and animist Berber groups to an "Arabic" cultural identity. Egypt and Libya changed radically in this period, and modern state institutions such as Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco have their roots in these centuries.
This heritage, Moroccan, Arab and Muslim, was reflected in a direct statement of thanks from Boufal that was later seen as alienating to African football fans. But then Boufal immediately apologized and "hugged" Africa back.
Based on its location, Morocco has an Arabic name, namely, Al-Maghrib Al-Aqsa which means the extreme west. Because in the Arab world, Morocco is a country located in the westernmost region.
This country is in the form of a kingdom and has a very long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. In other words, Morocco is on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
Morocco also has an area that is mostly desert and rugged mountains. Together with Spain and France, Morocco is one of only three countries that have coastlines on the Atlantic Ocean as well as on the Mediterranean Sea.
Geopolitics
Berbers, who are ethnically native to North Africa east of the Nile Valley, could be accused of "pretending not to be African". In geopolitical history, the silence of African elites over the NATO-led overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 is the most radical example. Whereas Gaddafi is a Berber and north African native. He also devoted more of his resources to pan-Africa at that time.
Morocco presents an interesting paradox that many Africans are not aware of. Morocco has been a major player in West African history since around 1591, when it defeated Songhai to dominate the inner Niger Delta, which ruled from Timbuktu.
The sub-Saharan African infantry corps descriptively named the Black Guard serves the current Alawite dynasty in a role similar to the Praetorian and Janissary Guards in European history and was an important faction in Moroccan politics for centuries.
Today, Morocco's closest ally is Senegal. Both share a Sufi tradition, including a tribute to Senegalese Sheikh Ibrahima Niasse, a leader of the Tijaniya brotherhood, which has roots in Fez, Morocco.
Perhaps the most important development for the future of Morocco, which enjoys an expansion of its port infrastructure in Casablanca, is a $25 billion gas pipeline from the Niger Delta in Nigeria. This infrastructure will not only supply 13 African countries with gas and industrialize them, but also establish Morocco and Nigeria as strong players in Europe's lucrative energy market.
However, the discursive differences between the northern and southern African regions, which underlie the controversy over Sofaine Boufal's statement, recall the failure of the African Union to create a coherent African identity across its member states.