Fairytale Morocco

Once upon a time, or maybe not. In Morocco, when a fairy tale is told in Arabic, it begins with this sentence. Once upon a time, or maybe not, who really knows? Only God knows the truth. No one can verify the truthfulness of a fairy tale. Fairy tales are common property, and no reader or listener – especially not the children – asks for the names of the poets; most of the time, they are completely unknown. Moroccan artistic creation, which is always in the context of Islam, follows its own rules, as in Islamic art, only the artwork matters, while the artist remains anonymous. In this understanding of art, anyone who has ever picked up a fairy tale and retells it becomes a fairy tale poet.