Good Songs, Good Memories

“Sometimes it only takes one good song to bring back thousands of good, old memories.”

Music seems to have a special power, a power which can bring people together, a power that can change any mood, and a power that can bring back memories. While in Nicaragua I heard Ariana Grande playing over the restaurant's speakers, now even to this day no matter the song, when I hear her music a thousand good old memories flood back into my mind. From Jesus showing me his amazing dancing, to playing ball with Miguel. Not only do I associate my emotions and memories with the music but with the artist as well, making it as if each song conveys a story. For those three minutes that song has the power to transport someone, it traps them in the beat and the stories fill your head. In Cambodia, the kids would play their music on the speakers and just let go and dance. Personally I am not a huge fan of dancing but in Cambodia the world melted away and all that was left was the laughs of the kids as we tried to dance with them. In Tanzania, we danced at the Maasai village and while although it was not like the dancing we do in America, it was more jumping, I will never forget how high they could jump, nor how fun it was to be apart of it.

Now as I am going to Morocco I can’t wait to be immersed in their culture and to listen to their music. However just like the lyrics to the songs Morocco has its own unique story. In the early 20th century there was a struggle for power over who would control Morocco, Spain was given the Spanish Sahara and France was given majority of Morocco, this lead to the French protectorate in 1912. It was not until 1956, that Morocco gained full independence. Thus their song took on a new tone, it was more up-beat and free. Since then Morocco has been rapidly modernizing by improving their renewable energy, and their economy. Thus the standard of living is improving as well. However, in the present they are facing difficulties from climate change, they are going through a water crisis and did not have enough rain for their crops last year. This lead to a drop in the income as many farmers were not able to create as high as a yield as they had years previous. Not only is the climate change causing a water shortage, but some of their drinkable water is being poisoned by waste from mines. The mines are a great benefit to Morocco as they are a very mineral rich country, specifically mining phosphate, but the waste is hurting the water of those who need it. There have been many protests against the current government to fix the pollution but so far not much has been done about it. These climate changes and shortages mostly affect those who are poor as they are not able to afford better irrigation systems for their crops or better filtration systems for their water. Thus this difference is how the gap between the poor and the wealthier is getting wider. Looking into the future there is hope, as the government wants to create renewable sources of energy to fuel their country that means that they are environmentally conscious and hopefully, will help out their people to get them through this water crisis. Thus their song can be joyful and full of hope as they persevere through the present and into the hope that the future holds.