Mona Ameziane writes about growing up between two cultures, Germany and Morocco, that seem to be separated by more than just a three-hour flight, adventurous cab rides through the Atlas Mountains, and an empty roof terrace full of memories.
When Mona asks her father how many times she’s been to Morocco, he thinks for a moment and says, “Just take your age and multiply it by one and a half, that should be about right.” She doesn’t know how exactly he came up with this formula, but she is determined to ask more questions. Not just of her father, but of herself, and of the country that has always been more to her than it is to most people in Germany. More than a vacation destination or “country of origin” in the newspapers after a terrorist attack – more than racist stereotypes and superficial Oriental romanticism.
Her quest takes her to her grandparents’ home in Fez, to Agadir where she gets to know the richest side of the country, and to remote villages where people just shrug their shoulders uncomprehendingly at the word “Europe.”
“With wisdom, warmth, and a lot of humor, Mona Ameziane tells us about Morocco – and also a lot about Germany. She writes about herself – and in the process also a lot about us. On Basidi's Roof explores the question of how we become what we are, and what the settings of our lives have to do with it.” - Melanie Raabe
