"The Al Haouz earthquake and Moroccan lessons" by Pr. Abdelhak Azzouzi

The earthquake that struck Al Haouz and the Atlas on the night of Friday, September 9, registering a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale, caused unprecedented collective pain and sorrow.

The earthquake was devastating, given the number of dead, injured and the widespread destruction of homes and dwellings in the villages. Rocks fell from the mountains, and the intense tremors forced people to flee their homes while birds abandoned their nests. This catastrophe significantly affected Morocco's intangible heritage.

However, what astonished the world was the overwhelming demonstration of solidarity by Moroccans, young and old, with their compatriots affected by the earthquake. Images poured in from all corners of Morocco, including the Moroccan Sahara, the Rif region, and from east to west, north to south, even from Moroccans abroad.

Photos showed Moroccan vehicles heading to the affected areas, human chains buying essential supplies in stores to help those in Al Haouz, Taroudant and Ouarzazate. Images also showed long lines of blood donors in hospitals. I personally witnessed this when a medical center was set up at Euromed University of Fes; students, their families, staff and professors all competed to donate blood. Not to mention the generous financial contributions made to dedicated accounts. Images also showed the authorities, the royal army and medical teams providing relief to the affected communities. This exemplary response by Moroccans surely adds to the list of the country's remarkable achievements, embodying the unity between the throne and the people.

While Morocco struggled to count the victims, support widows and orphans, rebuild devastated areas, and consider the children and orphans of the Al Haouz earthquake as the "afflicted of the nation", there were detractors and foreign critics. They used media platforms and empty magazines to provoke Moroccans' feelings, minimizing the remarkable resilience of the Moroccan character in the face of challenges.

These entities could not accept that Morocco is an independent and sovereign nation with a growing reputation in the international system, forging strategic humanitarian "win-win" partnerships with African, Arab and global countries. Of course, their biased reports failed in the face of the wave of fraternity and solidarity displayed by the Moroccan people.

The visit of King Mohammed VI to the victims at the Marrakech hospital, his blood donation for the victims, his generous contribution of one billion dirhams to counter the effects of the earthquake, and his chairing of relief and relocation sessions are the ultimate testimony of the "symphony" of national solidarity written by both the throne and the people.

Moroccans, bearers of great values of nationalism and humanity, proved that phrases such as "Cradle of free men... Source of enlightenment" are not mere empty slogans, but actually rest on timeless principles that neither change nor fade.

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