Essaouira
Essaouira, Morocco 1995
I scanned some old slides from Morocco yesterday and saw this one. I didn’t know I had it! And I am happy because I have the ubiquitous seagulls, the boats, a good view of the village and even a fisherman, plus these glorious colors. I’m happy, too, because I have a little story to tell about this photo.
I used to love Essaouira when it was inhabited by Moroccan fishermen. The fishermen were true men of the sea, setting out each day in their wooden boats to catch tuna and (mainly) sardines. I remember walking along the quay where heaps of pink colored nets were drying in the sun. Fishermen, returned from the sea, were eating fish that had been cooked over a fire in a metal barrel.
An unaccompanied woman, wearing a yellow djellaba (shirt-like outer garment with a hood), seemed to be introducing herself to the fishermen. She wore a veil but her heavily made-up black eyes more than compensated for any unseen feminine beauty. She shook hands with each of the fishermen making sure to cover her hand with the sleeve of her djellaba before grasping their hands. I’d never seen that before and I wondered why a woman so scrupulously religious would be greeting the men in such a friendly way. And they seemed to be very friendly in return, each making sure that he, too, shook the hand of the mysterious woman.
In recent years, Morocco has signed agreements with Spain and Portugal to allow their modern fleets to fish these waters. I don’t know what has happened to the Moroccan fishermen. Maybe they are running fish restaurants.
Click the links below to read more about Essaouira…and to see more photos, of course!
http://www.rosemarysheel.com/archives/essaouira-morocco
http://www.rosemarysheel.com/archives/essaouira-morocco-2
http://www.rosemarysheel.com/archives/essaouira
http://www.rosemarysheel.com/archives/essouira