Who doesn’t dream about a good and wealthy life with the possibility to support your family financially? To live in a country where you are able to find work, and where you can earn a lot. To live and work in Europe, America or Canada is the dream of many young Moroccans. Many have already applied for a visa or even tried to traverse the street of Gibraltar to Europe illegally. They know little about the chance to succeed and the life in Europe. It takes a lot of guts to return to your hometown after a failed emigration attempt.

“The people don’t ask me questions about my return. They prefer to fill in the blanks about my return for themselves. They don’t know the truth and most of them don't want to know, they make up their own version of my return.” Mohohammed is president of the organization ATED, (Amicale Tachraft pour l’Environnement et Développement) and ex-migrant. He experienced a clandestine migration to Europe, crossing the street of Gibraltar with a zodiac. Mohohammed lived in France for a while but got caught at the Belgium border. Now he is back in Zenaga, Figuig.

In Zenaga most youngsters have the same dream, to emigrate to Europe, America or Canada. In their village work is hard to find and the youths don’t see any future for themselves in Zenaga. At the town square we see a group playing soccer. The game attracts a large crowd. The sport arena is one of the projects realized by ATED. In the past youngsters could be found here, hanging around, drinking and smoking kif, wasting their time. ATED tries to give these youngsters new hope, a new goal in life. Mohohammed stimulates the boys to finish their education, to do sports and organizes sport events. Monumental buildings are being renovated and the neighbourhood kept clean. Zenaga is now the cleanest neighborhood in Figuig and the youths are proud of it. 

During our journey throughout Morocco there are several themes which reappear. Under the youths the topics unemployment, migration and the negative image of the Islam in the Occident return every time. It is hard to find a job after graduation. The university courses do not answer to the demand of the labour market. The government creates most jobs for the highly educated, but the posts are limited. Other available jobs are scarce and are mostly given to people in the employer's own social network. “Why should I offer the job to a stranger, while my own cousin is still unemployed?”

The high unemployment rates discourages the adolescents. They would like to earn their own money and be independent; they don’t like to rely on their parents forever. They all wish to have a well-paid job and be able to support their family financially. The high unemployment rate stimulates the desire to emigrate. Almost everyone has a family member living abroad. During the summer holidays many migrants return to their country of origin to spend their vacation. The image they leave behind in Morocco is one of wealth. Europe is the place to be to make money. Unfortunately it has become very hard for Moroccans to receive a visa for Europe, due to the sharpened migration policies. Therefore a lot of youngsters consider undertaking the emigration in an unofficial way. Crossing the borders is not a guarantee for a successful migration to Europe. A lot of young migrants are not well informed about the life in Europe and they get confronted with discrimination and prejudices about their cultures.

Mohohammed tells us about his own migration experiences. He has lived in Paris for several years, but after 9-11, he got less appreciation of life in Paris. He got confronted by prejudices and discrimination. “When I sat next to a lady in the metro she moved her bag to her lap and looked anxiously aside. As if I wasn’t to be trusted! My looks suddenly became frightful for people in Paris. As if I was a terrorist!”

In the Occident the attitude and appreciation of the Orient has changed. In the past the Orient was know as exotic and mysterious, rich of culture, wisdom and wealth. Men dressed in white, wearing black turbans and riding their Arabic thoroughbreds framed the picture. Nowadays the image of the Arabic world in the Occident is completely different and a lot of times negative. It is an image of violent war and terrorist attacks and people don’t hesitate to involve the Islam in these stories. The daily life and the existence of peaceful Muslim families living all around the world are forgotten. These people don’t like to be associated with violence and terrorism. A lot of Moroccans bring up this topic during conversations. They don’t like the image given by the Occident and are tired of being attacked because of their religion, the Islam.

Despite the problems in daily life most Moroccans are proud of their country, their religion and their village. The youngsters in Zenaga try to keep their hopes high and believe in a future of their own. Like in the song Jounes, where a young guitar player sings: "Mother I considered migration to Europe, but I prefer to stay here, I still have hope".