Morocco Reflection: Fiyori Kidane

Witnessing a Double Minority:

I’ve always been in the minority of whatever community I join into. Usually this is because of my skin color and family heritage.  Over the years I have learned to navigate conversations about my identity with others in order to curtail any potential tension or issue.

If I’m being completely honest, I was not expecting that tension to disappear in Morocco. I was always aware of the colorism that occurs across the continent of Africa. While no one treated me in a harsh or disrespectful way, I was very aware and had many conversations with members of the Moroccan church about the troubles they faced being a darker skinned community. It is illegal for Moroccans to practice Christianity in their country so the churches are filled with sub-Saharan Africans who are studying in the universities or have gotten jobs in the cities. They have been able to make a vibrant and loving community of people from all over the continent. Outside of these church walls though, they struggled.

While I was able to relate to some of the racial issues facing the community, they wrestled with their religious identity in a way that I have never experienced. Christian proselytization is il legal across the country, but there is not a clear definition of proselytization. Members of the Christian community are very hesitant when expressing their religious views or practices out in public. Many avoid public expression of their faith completely to guarantee that they will have no trouble with law enforcement. Growing up in the Midwest and attending college at TCU gave me the privilege of never having to worry about expressing my religious beliefs. I couldn’t relate.

Despite these challenges, the Christian community in Morocco is intact. Yes, the members have to navigate difficult conversations throughout the week, but come Sunday morning they are ready and open to receive the Word and praise God with full hearts. They are free to express their religious convictions wholeheartedly during service. You can feel the Holy Spirit working through worship and it carries the community though the next week.  I was blessed to worship in two different services during our trip and both were so powerful that I was moved to tears. The members of the Christian church in Morocco may be considered small as compared to other Christian communities around the world, but God is working through them in inspiring and magnificent ways. I am so grateful to have been a witness to that.