At Sultano, a small Moroccan cafe in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba, Yassine Arabi says Morocco’s run to the World Cup semi-finals may not be enough to undo colonial legacies – but it does count for something.
“You can’t say it’s revenge,” the cafe owner says as he pours mint tea. “But this is a form of payback in a clean, nice way, via sport.
“But you cannot change history. We were colonised, and colonisation never happens with flowers. It definitely acts as some motivation to win against them.”
Arabi has celebrated every victory in Morocco’s historic run, which has included victories against Spain (a former colonial power in Morocco), Portugal and Belgium, with his community in western Sydney. “Our community here is not that big but still there is a good group here,” he says.
“We are all very, very proud. They play as a team, for the nation, for us. We here in Sydney are very happy, it’s brought our community together.”
Now the community is preparing for the biggest football match in Arab history, the semi-final against France (a country also deeply involved in Morocco’s colonial history) on Thursday morning Australian time, acutely aware they have become anchors to an escalating sense of pride in being Arab.
Videos and photos of a wide variety of communities celebrating Moroccan wins in cities including London, Paris and New York have circulated widely.
“It means more, in diaspora, in migration, it definitely means more,” Arabi says.
Moroccan flags fly high in Haldon Street in Lakemba, where shisha cafes have been showing the games at all times of the night. After Morocco defeated Portugal in the quarter-finals on Sunday morning, fans spilled on to the streets at 4.30am, beeping car horns and waving flags.
At Al Andalus cafe, its owner, Shade Zarqa, lines up his friends as the TV behind him blares out Moroccan pop music. “You see, we have an Egyptian, a Saudi and I am Palestinian,” he says. “This is a space for all Arabs, and we are all celebrating Morocco.
“We have shown every Morocco match here, their community comes here to watch it, we make them shisha even in the morning. But their victory is also a victory for all Arabs, we have never been happier as a community.
“This is our maximum level of happiness.”
The cafe, previously owned by Moroccans, has maintained its north African roots, with Moroccan flags hanging from the walls. It serves classic Arab coffee and double-apple shisha.
Zarqa says Al Andalus has become a makeshift community centre, bonding Arabs from all backgrounds.
“This is like their own home, it’s something special,” he says. “They are our brothers. Our connection is stronger now. And that is across all Arabs, all Arabs feel like siblings.”
Morocco’s success has come at the first World Cup held in an Arab country. Qatar has come under intense criticism for its treatment of migrant workers and minorities but the presence of so many fans from Middle Eastern and Arab countries has given the tournament an entirely different flavour from previous events.
Prof Karima Laachir, a director at the Australian National University’s Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, says it has been a turning point for Arab solidarity and the perception of Arabs in western countries.
“Pan-Arab solidarity has always come from the ground up, between people who share language and culture, and it’s always been there,” she says.
“There has been lots of attempts by some Arab states to divide and rule and follow certain kinds of ethno-nationalism but this tournament has showed it hasn’t succeeded.
“The joy is shared – it always has been.”
Laachir says Morocco’s victories over European countries have been an opportunity to “speak back” against lingering colonial narratives. “It’s a chance to say, we are not backwards, we are not inferior. This is a chance at claiming pride in our achievements in post-colonial times.
“It’s really gratifying to see something good coming out of the region, a global success story on an Arab country.
“And I think that has produced a sense of pride, in coming out as Australian-Moroccan, or Dutch-Moroccan or Spanish-Moroccan, without feeling that you’ll be on the receiving end of a torrent of racism.”
