Saturday, June 11, 2005

The end of civilization as Moroccans know it

I commented in an earlier post on the Moroccan attachment to a very long lunch.

Well I discovered today that things will change from July 4. In an effort to improve productivity it seems the King has decreed that Moroccans will work from 8.30am to 4.30pm with a 30 minute lunch break, and that the clocks will be set forward an hour for better alignment with Europe.

My local contacts are apoplectic! They simply can't imagine how one can function in the afternoon without a midday nap...

Seriously, I am deeply skeptical that such a cultural change can be achieved by decree. I suspect that Moroccans will adopt a passive-aggressive strategy and find every possible way to work around this new requirement.

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