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Rabat – After an exciting first day of lively discussions and insightful speeches, the 49th Session of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco returned for its second day, where the main topics covered family, societal values and education in our rapidly changing world.
The second day’s program again focused on the family after the first day of the event featured various interesting presentations, including Angelika Nussberger’s discussion on family life rights in European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence, and Luis Solari de la Fuente’s talk on aligning education with family policy.
The event again brought together a variety of experts of top universities in Morocco and beyond, to speak together plainly as members of the academy, resulting in thought-provoking speeches and constructive debate.
As speakers and participants gathered for the second day, the selection of experts brought together by the Academy presented a variety of interesting thoughts on the family, as well as values and education in our contemporary world. The second day added valuable contributions to the event’s overall theme of “family and social cohesions challenged by global mutations.”
The conference pondered the interesting question of what impact the rise of individualism and other international economic,technological and scientific trends have on families in African societies where the family has often been the cornerstone in binding together society.
The Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco presented an interesting morning program which consisted of the third plenary session of the event.
Amid ongoing debate in Moroccan society about the country’s new family code, the “Moudawana,” the topic could not be more relevant. The theme presented the family as “challenged by major economic transformations and scientific and technological mutation,” and discussed the various ways to mitigate potential negatives, while taking advantage of positive trends.
The morning session featured a variety of experts from the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco.Ali Benmakhlouf spoke on how modern reproductive technologies impact our concept of kinship, being a parent or a child amid changing technology and scientific changes. Next was Mohammed Noureddine Affaya, who spoke of the “anxiety of values,” brought upon by our increasingly digital lives and relationships, calling for a structural reevaluation in how we educate and communicate in an ever-changing digital landscape.
To add to the discussion about society and family, Aomar Boum presented a case-study on football hooligans in Morocco and how these groups lead to individuals alienating themselves from family traditional politics to find community in their community of ultras.
Next came Abdou Filali-Ansary, who detailed the difference between how family is often seen by economists, sociologists or politicians, and the realities of family in daily life. Abdallah Laouina next expanded on how climate change impacts the 2.6 million rural Moroccan families, who despite having remarkably strong bonds, face the need to migrate due to floods or drought, or see family members move to cities to supplement the family’s income.
After the third plenary session featured all Moroccan members of the Academy, the fourth plenary was opened by Luis Gonzalez Posada Eyzaguirre, who is a Peruvian member of the academy. He spoke eloquently about the deep, often lingering, impact that migration has on families and particularly children, who can find themselves traumatized or abandoned by the variety of conflicts around the world.
Following his presentation, three Moroccan academy members concluded the session with a deep-dive into changing family values. Tahar Benjelloun focused on how current trends can threaten family cohesion and traditions by impacting our knowledge and ethics, while Mbarek Rabbii focused on how family value systems are changing, and its potential negative consequences.
The final speaker before the general debate, Hassan Rachik, spoke on how changing trends impact the surprisingly diverse values of rural families in their unique environment. A productive and polite discussion concluded an interesting day of brief but constructive presentations from the members of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco.
