08 February 2018

YE- "Not in our name", 13.12.2017-21.12.2017, Marrakech, Morocco

2 months ago, we wouldn't have thought that in the middle of December we'd be splashing our feet in the Atlantic Ocean, together with our freshly made international friends. If everybody could just enjoy the view of the ocean for a minute, there would be a lot more peace around the globe. This we learned during "Not in our name" project, which took place in Morocco, Marrakech.


8 days full of ideas on how extremism, radicalization and terrorism affect us and what can we do about it all. Well... we all agreed on one thing: we should understand and accept each other's differences. 


Erasmus+ truly connects the world. We’ve felt the reality behind this when we realized that the 36 people (from France, Morocco, Romania, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey) have covered almost a half of world’s countries. We’ve had the opportunity to see the world through their eyes, thus finding we are more alike than anyone would’ve thought. 


Our discussions, presentations and debates managed to approach a variety of topics like: peace building and the profile traits of a peace maker, youth work and conflict management on the micro and macro level. Later on, we tackled sensitive matters, such as the value of human life from three different practical perspectives (abortion, death penalty and prostitution), extremism and radicalisation.


The conversation moved on towards the personal values assessment through the ABIGAIL story metaphor. The methods that were used are first individually rate the characters, then in pairs, than in small group, to then debate the final general ranking in a dynamic group discussion. 


In Morocco we could find that unique mix of architecture, vegetation, cuisine and music, characteristic to the fascinating African world. The embroidered ornaments in stone (Plaster) with Moorish and Berber features caught everyone's attention and admiration. We found Moroccan cuisine full of tempting tastes, spices and flavours and we specifically enjoyed the well-known symbol of hospitality – the mint tea. 




Getting lost in Marrakech can become an adventurous story; There is no better way to experience all of Marrakech's main sights than on foot, we went and got lost ourselfs in the never ending array of alleyways and side streets.


After spending some time in the beautiful Majorelle Garden, we took a stroll to Jemaa el-Fnaa, but not before setting foot in a amazing riad, a traditional house where you can spend the most beautiful nights during your stay in the city of Marrakech. After getting to Jemaa el-Fnaa, we stopped, grabled a seat and watched the Maroccan magic unfolded before our eyes. 


Oana Letitia Florea
Darius Nicolae Plesa
Liliana Cantemir
Tudor Lazaruc
Anca Solot