Settat experiments with nomadism and medieval aspects “Photos”
Muhammad Manfaluti_Heba Press
The inhabitants of Settat, and even its visitors, have a hard time talking about something beautiful that has been achieved in their city. The city that once bore the title of the agricultural capital of Chaouia has suffered a significant decline in various fields, and almost everyone is certain that the vital facilities needed by citizens have long been forgotten, and their expectations and aspirations for a better future have turned into mere dreams and nightmares, hence the marginalization and “destruction” of green spaces and their transformation into barren areas, pastures for livestock of all kinds and a shelter for the homeless, this is the dominant image…
*** Bedouin and medieval aspects dominate the scene
No one disputes, and no one denies, except an ungrateful person or a disguiser, that the city of Settat lives today under the influence of ancient times, after the spread of nomadic and medieval aspects, including the spread of animal-drawn carts. that their owners transported citizens to the residential neighborhoods opposite Al-Dhahibiyya Street, in a scene of scenes generated by the consequences of the rural exodus that have intensified and worsened in recent years … as well as the spread of stray animals. dogs and beasts of burden near residential neighborhoods and public parks and their transformation into fertile land for livestock, which has become a major obstacle to the development of the city’s cultural sphere, and which causes pollution of the environmental sphere with the terrible spread of the sphere. droppings of cattle, sheep and goats, the residents suffer greatly due to the great inconvenience caused to them by these animals, not to mention the proliferation of stray and homeless dogs, which have become a threat to the lives of citizens, especially those who go to their workplace early in the morning, as well as students, as well as frequent visitors to mosques to perform dawn prayer, which forces many parents and guardians to get up early to accompany their children in order to protect them from stray dogs attacking their souls.
** Dying gardens and the authorities responsible in the news.
Most of the public parks and green spaces in the city of Settat have been transformed into pastures for livestock and animals of all kinds, while some of them, especially those adjoining popular residential areas, have been transformed into dumps and garbage collection centers, which has had negative consequences that have led to environmental pollution due to the spread of plastic bags and empty bottles, which has destroyed the aesthetics of the place and deprived the city’s residents of rest in light of the waste scattered and accumulating in public parks.
Among the things that Settat’s gardens complain about are the disruption of their lighting, the damage and breakage of their lamps, and the uprooting of the rest of their grass. The newspaper closely followed the herds of donkeys and mules that were wreaking havoc throughout the garden, leaving behind herds of donkeys and mules. behind barren areas with a total lack of maintenance and care, where there is no trace of roses and blooming flowers or where there are no permanent guards and there are no suitable spaces for children to spend their pleasant moments, which has given these parks a negative image of the green spaces of the city of Settat, pushing residents to do without them and their services, especially since they have been transformed over time into ruins and pastures for strollers and vagabonds.
*** A city nostalgic for the past…
It is Settat that has become nostalgic for the past and at the same time lives to the rhythm of the constraints of the present. Let us all stop and think about how most of the main streets and beautiful squares were a place for strolling and hiking. and the shops have become a favorite place for the different types of animals, carts and trucks that accompany them. Their owners come from the outskirts of the city or from the weekly markets, loaded with vegetables and fruits, which, after finishing their activity. trade, leave behind piles of waste. If we add the smells of animal droppings, we have a special perfume recipe that fills the noses of passers-by, not to mention the swarms of flies and different insects.
** Public property is being misappropriated by shop, cafe and store owners
Many zealous people in the city of Settat have denounced the growing phenomenon of occupation of public property in the city, believing that the issue raises many question marks, and clearly demonstrates the failure of the competent authorities to confront this phenomenon and find a real approach that can contribute to reducing this hemorrhage and reclaiming the public space that is supposed to generate huge profits for the community treasury, and thus serve the community.
They pointed out that the city had become a private domain belonging to people who salivated at the thought of plundering state property and exploiting it shamelessly under the eyes of officials, so that their material and moral conditions improved at the expense of simple and honorable citizens and the interest of the nation, until the matter became a nightmare threatening the security and interests of citizens, who often found themselves forced to use sidewalks and roads to achieve their goals and avoid colliding with these mobile fences.
These concerned zealots called on the authorities concerned to work to recover public property from the grip of the occupants, the owners of certain shops and certain cafes, who have gone so far as to erect iron barriers which even prevent citizens from moving around, or parking their cars day and night.
Yes, we understand the need of every citizen to live with dignity, whether in the city of Settat or in the rest of the other Moroccan cities, and we understand that there are a set of constraints and accumulated problems in terms of poverty and unemployment rates that are eating away at the body of Settat society, but that these miserable social and economic conditions are exploited by these people to destroy the urban space and bring the city back to the aspects of nomadism of the Middle Ages is totally unacceptable. …
