Heritagization and Tourist Gentrification of Moroccan Medinas

Description

The development of the Moroccan medinas as heritage sites, particularly that of Marrakech, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, is accompanied by an urban and social reconfiguration that is profoundly transforming these historic areas. Under the guise of enhancing and improving the living conditions of local populations, tourism policies tend to fix the medina in a seductive aesthetic for tourists and investors, often to the detriment of local dynamics and the real needs of inhabitants.

This presentation offers a critical reading of the dominant tourism discourse, which, by valorizing the medina as a mere commodity, conceals the processes of exclusion and gentrification that ensue.

By analyzing the case of the ancient city of Marrakech, we will examine the tensions between heritagization, tourist appeal and the right to the city, while highlighting the coping strategies mobilized by local populations in the face of these transformations.

By analyzing institutional tourism narratives, this conference highlights the way in which these official discourses tend to freeze the medina in an exoticized, folklorized and commercialized image. The aim is to explore the conditions for a more inclusive approach to heritage, one that sees the medina as a “space to live in” rather than a “space to sell”, and recognizes its inhabitants as key players in its future.

Guest Speaker

Aba Sadki, Ph.D is an urban planner and world cultural heritage expert. He has over 15 years' experience in the management and enhancement of historic cities, notably Meknes and Marrakech, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. He holds a post-graduate diploma (DES) in urban planning and development from the Institut National d'Aménagement et d'Urbanisme (INAU, Morocco), a master's degree in environmental management from Senghor University in Alexandria (Egypt) and a doctorate in geography from the Université de Montréal (Canada, 2023). His research focuses on the appropriation of space in the context of tourist gentrification, particularly in the medina of Marrakech. His expertise spans urban geography, cultural heritage studies and research on francophone migration in Canada. His research interests include urban heritage and gentrification, intangible cultural heritage and the dynamics of appropriation of space in historic cities. He is currently a lecturer in Natural Resources and Environmental Management (GEG/ENV 3702) at the University of Ottawa.