We can all be change makers.
Ancient art & culture, food to die for, sunshine all year round, beautiful rooftops, a carriage ride to watch the sunset with a view of El Koutoubia Mosque, the many colors of red in the Atlas mountains… Marrakech really has it all. We even got tickets to the first opening day of the brand new Yves Saint Laurent Museum!
But what we most remember from our trip are the colorful people we connected with. Belgian leading ladies from all backgrounds, but also inspiring Moroccan women.
From artist Christina Schultz at cultural riad Le18, to entrepreneur Andrea Bury at Riad Ana Yela, to the marvelous Professor Nadia Motii of Rabat University to venture capitalist Sohaila Ouffata leading the iVentures team at BMW Europe. We were inspired by yoga teacher Tara Gupta during a sunrise session on a rooftop, journalist Raja Felgata that founded De Kleurrijke Top 100. BBC adventurer Alice Morrisson tought us that fear is nothing to be scared of and mountain guide Latifah, Fatima & Malika took us into the Atlas to connect with Berber girls and their families.
Some cultures are different, not better or worse.
When we first announced Morocco as a destination, not all reactions were positive. Perception is often negative, and that’s exactly the reason we wanted to connect. All women share similar goals, and it’s only by making that first step to connect that we can try to understand each other. That’s one of the things the legendary Fatima Mernissi tried to do.
She is often called the Simone Beauvoir of the Maghreb and set up ‘civic caravans’ to stimulate people, especially women, from all corners of society to stand up, connect and become change makers. The perfect mindset for our 72hours reload adventure in Marrakech. For this edition, Saida Sakali was part of our team and helped us look at things through oriental glasses. After all, the mind works best when it is open.
Try to connect and co-exist, don’t judge people from other cultures, but say they are different. It will change your whole outlook of things. If we join forces, we can really do a lot. Prof. Nadia Motii, University of Rabat
Now AI and machines are taking over, what makes us human? The ability to dream, to be creative, to show empathy…. is what sets us apart. Education should focus more on these skills. Sohaila Ouffata, Head of iVentures at BMW Europe and TEDx speaker
Fatima Mernissi made me realize we should all speak up more and stand up to change the world. Raja Felgata .
The first step to making a difference.
At every 72 hours trip, we are amazed by the positive energy of our gang. For this 4th edition, we decide to do something with this vibrant source of ideas. During a brain-picking session, they developed first ideas on how they could help deliver change. Six pitch sessions followed within an hour with projects in education, cross cultural collaboration, etc. Discover the videos soon on our YouTube channel where some of our participants share the impact this trip had on them.
‘Do not believe anyone that tells you they can take the pain away. Reaching your goals is hard work. But fear is nothing to be scared of’ Adventurer and BBC journalist Alice Morrison
So, after New York, what’s our favorite rooftop bar in Marrakech?
That’s an easy one. In the Atlas Mountains, in a small berber village, where people live surrounded by overwhelming red colors, nature, goats. The simple life. Our guide Latifah guided us for a 2.5 hour walk through the mountains, arriving at a village where we were welcomed by the smell of fresh cookies. A very special rooftop awaited us, covered with the most colorful carpets, handmade, fresh bread with tasty argan oil and minttea…. We sat down with the sun going down, when all of a sudden, one of the Berber ladies started to laugh, sing and dance…. And all of us followed. Pure Magic.
Do you also want to be part of the #72HOURSRELOAD gang?
Register now for our special 5th edition in Portugal, 2018
About 30 percent of our participants have joined before and 70 percent are ‘newbies’. They come from all sectors and expertise’s in business, nonprofit, media, the public sector, the arts… All ladies share a positive attitude and a desire to connect with others. Discover more on our Facebook page
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