2023-09-11 14:30:00
And to continue this spine-chilling story. “So I woke up and he had in the meantime broken up with his mother. I then saw the video that my other son had sent me from Marrakech where he showed a little bit of the living room shaking but you mightn’t really see because it was dark.” Benny B was then reassured. “I told myself everything was fine. But, followingwards, we wanted to call them and the network was saturated, no way to reach them. I went to bed hoping to be able to contact them in the morning but I had to wait until late followingnoon before having the first sign of life. They had to sleep outside, they were exhausted and finally came back and were finally able to reach us.”
He insists on one point: “Everything was fine and, once once more, for all those who know Marrakech: there are these slightly luxurious apartments with slightly more solid constructions but those who really suffered were more the houses makeshift, made of earth and stones.” The opportunity to recall two important details regarding Moroccan traditions. “As in many Mediterranean countries, all families live in one room. It’s often a very, very large living room where everyone comes together. On top of that, Friday is couscous. There are people there, we welcome neighbors and we all eat together. What is reassuring is that in general, children are often still in the streets playing, even very late. But there…”
Why doesn’t Morocco accept help from Belgium following the devastating earthquake?
An official video calling for donations
Does Benny B plan to go there? “My eldest son is leaving this Tuesday and I will be going to Tangier on the 18th to see my other family. Because I’m from there. Lots of friends collect donations or create associations. It’s crazy.” And cites an example of solidarity specific to the Moroccan people. “I have seen supermarkets taken by storm with huge lines at the checkout. The shelves are empty. All this out of solidarity for the victims of the earthquake.” If the rapper does not want to put himself too forward in this drama “out of modesty”, he intends to participate in his own way. “I was contacted by an event organizer to put on a show in order to reap all the benefits like with Ukraine at the time,” he explains. Walid from RTBF also contacted me to shoot a video of support and appeal for donations with several other Belgian personalities. Arthur, in France, does the same. He is going to shoot a video clip with French personalities. I sent him a private message to tell him that I would be proud to participate to represent the Belgian community.”
And Walid, RTBF host (La Première etc.) confirmed the information. “We are filming this Monday around 5 p.m. with the faces of Belgian-Moroccan personalities like Hakima Darhmouch, Nabil Ben Yadir, Mourade Zeguendi, Benny B and others. They are calling for donations this evening. “All this, in collaboration with the Moroccan embassy, to avoid scams in this type of solidarity operation. “The urgency is there,” Walid confesses to us. There is a lot of support and solidarity. We know to what extent in Belgium, unity is strength. Alongside this, there is a structural emergency. The needs are not food but there is an urgent need to rebuild as quickly as possible.” The host (real name Oualid Ouahabi), whose friends were affected by the disaster, is also in shock. “We all feel close to people’s distress, to human distress in general, whether in Morocco or elsewhere. From a distance, this official video is therefore our contribution to inviting people to show solidarity as much as possible. It’s the least we can do.”
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