“Present in trade, finance, medicine, industry… the Moroccan community in Senegal is a fine example of successful integration, in a world where barriers are increasingly being erected between peoples,” writes the newspaper in an article entitled: “The secrets of integration” and illustrated with a photo of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, taken with Moroccan students during the visit made by the Sovereign to the Main Hospital of Dakar in 2016.
The media emphasizes that between the two countries, “relations are very old and built on very solid foundations of blood and religion”, recalling that Morocco and Senegal had a few decades ago, under the leadership of the former head of state Léopold Sédar Senghor and the late HM King Hassan II, signed the Establishment Convention which gave the nationals of each country the right to settle freely in the other country, without hindrance.
In addition to the tax area, the publication notes, “almost all aspects of economic and social life were covered by this very ambitious Convention”, noting that under this convention, nationals of each party will be able to access public employment in the other party, under the conditions determined by the legislation of each State.
“Every year, many Senegalese people go to Fez to pay their respects at the mausoleum of Sheikh Ahmed Tidjani, one of the greatest propagators of Islam in West Africa. Added to this are all the Senegalese nationals in the Cherifian Kingdom, some for work, some for reasons related to studies,” observes the Dakar newspaper, which underlines that on the other hand, “every year, there are dozens, even hundreds of Moroccan nationals who choose Dakar, in particular the Faculty of Medicine to continue their studies.”
“Without visas, without special formalities to settle in Senegal, the Moroccan community has continued to grow over the years, not without constantly renewing itself. Perfectly integrated, they are in the fabric trade, medicine, big business, particularly banking and insurance,” indicates the Senegalese daily, which notes that Moroccans, in many areas of economic and social life, enjoy the same privileges and are subject to the same obligations as nationals.
In this context, “EnQuête” recalls the images that recently made the rounds on social networks in Senegal showing Moroccans singing the qualification of the Lions of Senegal for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. “This is not happening in the streets of Dakar, but in the stadiums of Morocco”, rejoices the newspaper, which evokes “further proof of the beautiful integration between the Moroccan and Senegalese peoples, both in Morocco and in Senegal”.
In this regard, the publication gave the floor to Sidy Mohamed Lahlou, President of the Moroccan Investors Club in Senegal, co-founder of the Moroccan-Senegalese Circle of Friendship and Fraternity; who reviewed the evolution and challenges of cooperation between the two countries.
To shed more light on this “successful integration” of the Moroccan community, the newspaper also collected testimonies from Moroccans, who recounted the experience of integration in Senegal, such as the case of Mehdi Hatim, and Sara Mechate (Medicine), and Zoubida Berrada (journalism student), who, writes the media, represent “faces of cultural diversity” in the country of Teranga.
2024-08-22 18:23:31