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Here's Why You Should Move to Morocco
Description
Podcast guest K. Barrett Bilali has recently published articles on ChatGPT’s crisis and AI in (Moroccan) art and music.
An American “MomOf4” drew a quarter-million views with her YouTube video “Why I Moved to Morocco.” Apparently, moving to Morocco is becoming a thing. The other Kevin Barrett, who moved to Morocco before I did, joined me on the Truth Jihad podcast to explain why, and to express his potential willingness to serve as a consultant for those considering such a move. (To contact him, subscribe to his Substack and reply to his welcoming email.)
God is currently showering blessings on Morocco in the form of rain and snow, which the country badly needs after seven years of drought, and also in the form of soccer victories, most recently last night’s thrilling Arab Cup final against Jordan. Next week Morocco starts hosting the Africa Cup, in which its team is the top seed, using infrastructure developed in preparation for hosting the World Cup in 2030, when it will be rolling out the world’s biggest stadium, the Hassan II stadium in Casablanca. Since it overperformed in the last World Cup by reaching the semifinals, Morocco has become a soccer powerhouse, recently winning the U20 World Cup and putting in strong performances in various other categories.
But infrastructure development in Morocco isn’t limited to stadiums. Transportation and communications are also getting big upgrades. The Buraq high-speed train linking Tangier and Casablanca ranks among the top ten of world’s fastest trains, with more high-speed rail under development, and Tangier Med is the biggest port in Africa. Having diplomatically won an international consensus that the Moroccan Sahara is indeed Moroccan, the government is also building the Dakhla Atlantic Port, a $1.2 billion deepwater project scheduled to open in two to three years. It will connect landlocked Sahel countries (Mali, Chad, Niger) to global markets and serve as a hub for renewable energy, fishing, and industry.
Internet connectivity has exploded as well. If you need fast, reliable internet, Morocco is your best bet in Africa. Here in Eastern Morocco, which generally trails Western Morocco in infrastructure, people are excited about the Medusa fiber optic cable that will link Nador to Marseille, France. There is also quite a bit of buzz about a big AI project in Berkane, the closest real city to my Mediterranean vacation town of Saidia.
Like the Chinese, Moroccans are blessed with the impression that their country is growing, developing, and generally moving in the right direction. That’s a marked contrast to the perception among Americans, especially the better- informed among them, that the USA’s glory days are behind it, and that Trump is not only failing to make America great again, but rivaling Caligula as a mad emperor overseeing societal collapse.
Living in a developing, improving, optimistic country is one benefit of Moroccan residency. But there are more tangible ones as well. The cost