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Moroccan locals participate in world-wide social experiment

October 26, 2015 By Mary Stucky

DSC_4668

By Kayla Dwyer, photos by Hannah Steinkopf-Frank

RABAT, Morocco — “You felt weird vibrations between you and the other person,” said Bouchra Zidaoui, 30, pictured above left. “We don’t usually look at each other’s eyes.”

But Zidaoui, of Rabat, did just that — for one uninterrupted minute with 19-year-old Basma Boujendar, right, on the grass outside the Comedy Cafe off Mohamed V Avenue in the center of Rabat, Morocco’s capital. Nearly 100 people joined her on October 15 in Rabat for what’s being called “the world’s biggest eye contact experiment” by The Liberators International, a social movement that organizes public events encouraging people to connect. Liberators International estimates that over 105,000 people from 143 cities including New York City, Madrid and Hong Kong. In Morocco, Fez also hosted an event.

Nearly 100 Moroccans gathered outside the Comedy Cafe on Avenue Mohammed V to participate in the eye contact experiment.
Nearly 100 Moroccans gathered outside the Comedy Cafe on Avenue Mohammed V to participate in the eye contact experiment.

“Where has the human connection gone? Share 1 minute of eye contact to find out…” said signs at the event. Accordingly, people sat two-by-two in chairs or on blankets, some barely containing laughter while others held intentional gazes. Many embraced after the experience.

“It’s not interesting to do it with your friends,” said Louay Baba, 24, one of the organizers in Rabat. “You have to do it with strangers you meet.”

Baba took pictures and recorded video of the interactions. The Liberators affiliate in Perth, Australia, plans to edit the global video footage into one video. Battoul Didi, 18, of Rabat, says the experience was enlightening.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen people do something like this in Morocco,” she said. “Finally, people are connecting.”

Kayla Dwyer Tagged With: eye contact experiment, Kayla Dwyer, Liberators International, Reporting Morocco

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Reporting Morocco is produced by U.S. university students on an SIT Study Abroad program called Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media. They are mentored by veteran journalists from The New York Times, The Associated Press, and Round Earth Media in a program applying technology and global consciousness to produce high-impact journalism on vital social issues.

Reporting Morocco strives to be a reliable resource for news and information about Morocco.

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A pioneer in experiential, field-based study abroad, SIT (founded as the School for International Training) provides more than 60 semester and summer programs for undergraduate students in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative programs in multiple locations.

Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media is a program of SIT Study Abroad.

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