14th March. Sidi Ifni (60 miles south) and Tiznit (30 miles south)

The treaty of Fez in 1912 partitioned the control of Morocco between France and Spain. Spain got the northern 50 miles or so and another smaller strip in the south that included the port of Sidi Ifni, with France getting everything in between. Sidi Ifni was not occupied by Spain until 1934 and they left in 1969, having rebuilt the town in the art deco style of the 30’s. This blue and white effect gives it an Andalucian look and feel, which seemed to us out of place in Morocco. It also lacked the usual hustle and bustle of a typical Moroccan town, so was more like a faded film set.

Tiznit is the norm: numerous little shops, a market and masses of people. Colin might have been the man in the photo had he been born in Morocco.


General comment: Spain and France’s occupations of Morocco proceeded along very different lines. Spain acted as conquerors and did little except subjugate the population. The French saw themselves as colonists, wanting to develop the country for trade, so introduced education, developed the road network, and brought in systems of administration and government while still retaining Moroccan traditions and religion. This is why Morocco’s second language is French rather than Spanish!