A popular Kuwaiti television programme has upset some Moroccan viewers, who say it depicts Moroccans in a negative light. The cartoon, called Bu Qutada wa Bu Nabeel, portrays Morocco as corrupt and its women as greedy, as they try to entrap the Kuwaiti male characters into marrying them.
Several clips are available on YouTube. One, below, shows a scene in which Moroccan police attempt to elicit a bribe from the arriving tourists, while another shows the Moroccan female characters practicing witchcraft.
The show has created a rift between Morocco and Kuwait, and an online spat, prompting a quick apology from Al Watan for the offending cartoons, reports Al Arabiya.
Moroccan blogger Mouad wishes to start a cross-cultural dialogue about the cartoons and the stereotypes they depict:
Other topics was treated by the 2 “special Morocco” episodes such as the naive nostalgia of some in Arabophone world to reconquest the Andalus in a way that it could be considered as against Arabs & Muslims if makers weren't Kuwaitis. Personally, I appreciated the way it mocked the behavours of some Khalijis which make them rich dumbs in the eyes & mind of people abroad. Needless to say that conceptors didn't pay any attention for details of cities or behavours of Moroccans.
So, I think clichés from both people of Gulf & Morocco & other Arabophone world the opportunism of some are the main problem. Maybe it's time to sit and discuss. I wish other bloggers from Gulf and Arabophone world join to it and to talk about this topic.
Waiting for what? Let's go!
Writing in Arabic, Kuwaiti blogger Frankom notes:
This short post attracted around 120 comments so far, with reactions ranging from those who don't blame the Moroccans for their outcry to those who see no harm in the cartoon and characters it depicted.
Q8PING writes:
While Sara says:
اللي انعرض هذا الواقع ومايزعل وأتمنئ الكويت والله تقطع علاقتها مع اللي يسئ لها جان الدول حسبتلنا ألف حساب
Candle, who is just back from Morocco, disagrees with the way in which the Moroccans were stereotyped saying:
And His asks:
How would we react if another country made cartoons about us?
Similar sentiments are being echoed in Kuwait's popular online forums. On the Salmiya Forum, Awhaam says:
مافيه اي اساءه للمغرب
مجرد ان ثلاث متزوجين يريدون الذهاب الي المغرب وتلحق بهم زوجاتهم وتحصل بعض المواقف الطريقة بالمطار
والقناة اللي عرض الي فيها هي قناة الوطن الخاصة مالها علاقة بالحكومه الكويتية
On the same forum, Amal Al Haifa disagrees saying:
ولو انعرض شيء من هذا القبيل عن ديرتي اكيد بتضايق وبزعل
The reader continues to explain what the serial showed:
اول شي قصدهم ان المغرب بلد الخراب والدليل ان لما سافرو الحقوهم حريمهم كأنهم خايفين من شي
ومن بداية المطار واهما يتكلمون عن الفساد بالمغرب عن طريق شرطتهم اللي مايمشون امور السائحين غير بالرشاوي ..
وبعدين بنات المغرب اللي قاعدين يتصيدون لرجال الكويت من المطار بدافع الطمع والزواج منهم
وبعدين ياخذونهم عالبيت ويسوونلهم سحر .. وبمجرد انهم يعرفون ان هذيل الرجال يعانون من ديون وقروض علطول يروحون يفجون السحر يعني كل هدفهم فلوس وبس
وبعدين يورونكم شلون شعب المغرب ميت على فلوس الكويت وكل شي الكويتيين يقدرون يشترونه بفلوسهم
بصراحة من الاخر مسخرة .. حتى لو هالاشياء فعلاً موجودة بالمغرب او بأي بلد ثاني مو لازم يعرضونها بهالصورة خصوصاً وان المغرب دولة شقيقة واحنا مو ناقصين ناس عرب ينشحنون علينا
Meanwhile on Facebook, several groups calling for an end to the series have been formed, attracting a few thousand followers.
One of them is Egyptians and Moroccans Calling for an End to the Kuwaiti Series which Hurts Morocco (Ar), which has attracted more than 2,200 ‘fans’ so far, and another is Together for Calling for an End to the Abu Qutada and Abu Nabil Series and a Kuwaiti Apology for Moroccans (Ar), which has so far attracted just over 1,000 members.
In retaliation, Moroccan hackers allegedly hacked the official Kuwaiti Amiri Court website, replacing its content with derogatory content targeted against Kuwait and its people, according to Kuwaiti online news site Alaan.
10 comments
This is what Moroccan TV is showing about khaliji people
http://www.larbi.org/post/2010/08/Si-toi-aussi-tu-n%E2%80%99aimes-pas-l%E2%80%99humour-kowe%C3%AFtien
الرجل المشرقى بعيد كل البعد عن ثقافتنا و عاداتنا. كمغربية افضل مغاربي أى من المغرب العربي او مسلم من أوروبا على التزوج من مشرقي. أما أب يقال ان ألمرأة المشرقية لا تتزوج الا بأبن بلدها فان المسكينة ليس لها بتايا الحق ان تتزوج من غير ابن عمها او أحد من قبيلتها أو عشيرتها. و هدا ينطبق بالخصوص على بنات الخليج. أما عن السحر فانه يصيب من يربد الله أن بصاب به. و المسلم أو المؤمن لآ يقدف المسلمات باى نوع من الكلام الخادش. بل لنرى كيف نوعظ بعضنا البعض.
Ans thank you for publishing this message
oh please!!! let’s not get worked up over a freakin tv show!!! That show particularly makes FUN OF the stereotyping and the general behaviour of people…if u can’t handle the harsh truth then don’t watch the show!!!! It made fun of major politicans and even the Kuwaiti society and they’ve all taken it with a light sense of humour and jest…..do NOT blow things out of proportion….why don’t u redirect your anger on those who oppose our religion and vow to hate it than a program meant to entertain?!!!!!!
And what is the Morrocan reaction to this?! they hack into the Dewan Al Amiri site and post obscenities on it….how brotherly is that?!! there’s something called a sense of humour people….some should invest in it!!!
but the most spoken about Moriskyn people an i m a little more thinking about cartoons