VZCZCXRO1107
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHRB #1136/01 3431835
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081835Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9414
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 4414

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RABAT 001136 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PREL KISL MO
SUBJECT: MOROCCO AND EID AL ADHA: CAN'T AFFORD TO BE POOR 
ANYMORE 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
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Summary: 
-------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Working class and poor Moroccans are expressing an 
almost existential angst about the political and economic 
state of the country resulting from worry over the price of 
sheep for this year's Eid Al Adha (feast of the sacrifice). 
One man said that Morocco was a country in which people 
"could not afford to be poor anymore."  Many interlocutors 
said that this Eid season has left them unsure of their place 
in an evolving Morocco, and feeling powerless before the 
larger political and economic forces affecting their lives. 
End Summary. 
 
-------------------- 
Angst Over Ungulates 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In a public hammam (bath) in the working class 
Ennahda neighborhood of Rabat on December 7, where Moroccans 
without running water take their families to wash and enjoy 
social time with neighbors, bathers expressed an almost 
existential angst about the political and economic state of 
the country resulting from worry over the price of sheep for 
this year's Eid Al Adha (feast of the sacrifice), which 
begins on December 9.  One man complained to Pol Off that a 
small sheep cost 1,300 dirhams (USD 151) (which he said was a 
significant increase over last year's prices), while 
average-to-large animals were running between 2,500 (USD 290) 
and 3,000 dirhams (USD 348).  Both press reports and people 
on the street have attributed the problem to the overall rise 
in the current price of feed and forage and, conversely, to 
the fact that heavy rains presage a rich pasture season, 
causing farmers to hold back stock in anticipation of 
fattening animals cheaply in the coming spring for next 
season. 
 
----------------------- 
Can't Afford to be Poor 
----------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) A father at the hammam lamented that he could 
hardly support his family, but could not bear the thought of 
disappointing his children by not buying a sheep.  While 
scrubbing his young son in the crowded, hot and noisy 
chamber, he said that Morocco was a country in which people 
"could not afford to be poor anymore."  His statement met 
with a chorus of approval from others in the room.  One block 
away from the hammam, a large, undeveloped lot played host to 
a teeming impromptu sheep market filled with trucks and 
animals from the countryside, and customers from the city. 
 
---------------------------- 
Small Increase, Large Impact 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The sheep phenomenon captured the airwaves and 
newspapers in the run-up to the holiday, prompting the 
Government to publish a statement indicating that the price 
of mutton only rose by 4 dirhams (USD .46) a kilo over last 
year.  However, this relatively small increase seems to have 
had a disproportionately large impact on the psyche of 
certain segments of the population feeling battered by 
broader up-ticks in food staple prices, and fighting a sense 
of fear over the repercussions of the global economic crisis. 
 Whether accurate or not, several interlocutors living at, or 
just above, the poverty line, including a widowed housekeeper 
with two children, separately expressed a similar and deep 
sense of worry brought to the fore by concerns over abilities 
to afford Eid sheep. 
 
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Lamb Loans 
---------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In an interesting development, banks are 
advertising Akrad Akbash (Lamb Loans) to help ease the 
pressures on families.  Anecdotal and press reports seem to 
indicate a recent decrease in sales, as some families 
possibly hope for a price drop the night before the feast. 
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Comment: 
-------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Sheep at Eid play a cultural role similar to 
 
RABAT 00001136  002 OF 002 
 
 
Thanksgiving turkeys in the United States.  The cost of a 
large sheep in 2008 is more than the monthly salary of a 
great many Moroccans.  Regardless of the reason for the price 
increase, many interlocutors have said that this Eid season 
has left them unsure of their place in an evolving Morocco, 
and feeling powerless before the larger political and 
economic forces affecting their lives.  End Comment. 
 
 
 
***************************************** 
Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat 
***************************************** 
 
Riley