I leave for Morocco in just over 48 hours, and, with all my last-minute preparation, I’ve had little time to worry about the trip. I’ve scotch-guarded my new Nikes, checked up on succession issues in Monaco, and turned 21. I really couldn’t be expected to do anything else.
A lot of my free time for these past few days has been dedicated to reading Marvine Howe’s Morocco: The Islamist Awakening and Other Challenges. Howe spent a lot of time in Morocco starting in the 1950s and has the annoying habit of describing her subjects as seeming more something than something else. For example:
While King Mohammad has retained the traditional rituals of state, close associates say the young monarch is more at ease skiing or water skiing, dressing in the latest sportswear rather than ceremonial robes, and in the company of his old school friends rather than the political and religious dignitaries of the realm.
This is not the only instance where Howe notes Mohammad VI’s apparently keen interest in water skiing. Despite my own aversion to water sports, I can’t say I’m displeased by this image of a hip (dare I say, Xtreme) king, especially when Monaco’s Prince Albert II is an enthusiast for the much lamer sport of bobsledding and also the ruler of a fake country.
