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Rabat – The mysterious appearance of a Casablanca taxi circling the Arc de Triomphe in Paris has fascinated people across Morocco. In Morocco, taxis are painted a specific color to indicate the city or zone they are allowed to work in. It is therefore rare to see a specifically marked taxi straying outside its “natural habitat.”
Morocco’s “petit taxis” are one of the most famous and most used forms of transportation in the country’s urban centers. Each city has its own color taxi. Taxis in Rabat are blue, while nearby Sale has yellow taxis, with both never venturing into each other’s designated zone.
The “petit taxi” is a cheap and common mode of transport that provides a constant reminder of which moroccan city someone is in.
Yet this February Moroccans online were gripped by the mystery of an online video of a Casablanca taxi that had not just strayed outside city limits, but was cruising around one of France’s most iconic landmarks.
Many were fascinated by how a Casablanca taxi could have made it more than 2,300 km north to Paris, in what is essentially a 24-hour drive outside it’s allowed city limits.
As Moroccans online speculated on the epic journey the tiny weathered Fiat Uno must have taken to end up in Paris, the source of the mystery was revealed this week.
The video of the Casablanca taxi in Paris had been recorded as part of a music video by a hiphop group of Moroccan origin who had recreated the iconic red taxi in France.
Rap collective “Bimmers Fighters” had organized the amusing stunt for its music video “Diwani 04,” meaning “customs officer.” It featured the red Casablanca taxi, emblazoned with Morocco’s national crest on its hood.
The Bimmers Fighters collective, and the Casablanca taxi stunt, is the brainchild of Moroccan rapper Rabii Loukara who wished to bring the beloved icon to Paris. Loukara is a keen lover of his native Morocco and expressed that love in his lyrics and creative ideas.
While the mystery of the Casablanca taxi in Paris might have been resolved, Bimmers Fighters’ creativity and originality in performing the stunt has nonetheless amused many Moroccans.
