Spanish or Moroccan, that is the question

Coast of Tangier with Spain visible in the distance.

Story & Photo by: Lyla Ye, Tangier, Morocco

During our visit in Tangier, we visited the Mediterranean coast where we could see Spain right across the strait of Gibraltar. As you can see from the photo above, Spain is visible from Morocco with the naked eye. Spain is just a 40-minute boat ride away if you take the fastest ferry. As we all know, Morocco had been colonized for a long period of time. In 1912, the Treaty of Fez made Morocco a French protectorate. Spain also gained authority over Ifni (in the south) and Tétouan (in the north). Tangier was made an international zone in 1923 under the joint administration of France, Spain, and Britain under an international convention signed in Paris on December 18. It wasn’t until 1956 that Tangier finally joined with the rest of Morocco and gained full sovereignty. There are still two more Spanish enclaves that are within Morocco’s boarders: Ceuta and Melilla.

According to our tour guide, Mr. Aziz Mikdar, Moroccan citizens need to get a visa when traveling to Ceuta and Melilla, even though the two cities are right within the Moroccan land. Spain still refuses to turn over the two cities even today. As a result, the official language in these cities is Spanish, although a large portion of the population consists of native Moroccans who speak Arabic and Berber. However, the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories does not consider these Spanish territories to be colonies. It is very likely that Ceuta and Melilla will remain under Spanish control, at least for the foreseeable future. Our tour guide expressed strong dissatisfaction toward the Spanish government and wished that one day Ceuta and Melilla would be “de-colonized” and return to their motherland. The Kingdom of Morocco has gone through much to gain its independence. Spain uses this as an excuse to maintain control of the two cities —— Spain claimed the territories before Morocco got independence from France, but what about the history before that?