Claiming the duduk is Turkish rather than armenian is a cheap attempt of appropriation. trying to copy and claim a whole of a culture is an unprecedented level of cultural appropriation.
The cultural tension in the Maghreb has evolved into what many observers describe as an existential heist. For Morocco, a nation with over twelve centuries of documented monarchical and architectural continuity, the friction with its eastern neighbor is not a simple "neighborly dispute." It is seen as a systematic attempt by a younger, post-colonial state to fill a "heritage void" by cannibalizing the established brand of a neighbor.
The "Heritage Void" and the Need for a Myth
The fundamental issue lies in the historical timeline. While Morocco’s identity was forged through successive homegrown dynasties—from the Idrisids to the Alawites—that remained independent of Ottoman rule, its neighbor’s history was largely defined by centuries of Algiers Regency under Istanbul, followed by 132 years of French departmentalization.
When the colonial era ended, the new state found itself with a powerful revolutionary identity but a fractured cultural one. To build a modern tourism sector and a "national brand" from scratch, it faced a choice: innovate, or appropriate. The latter proved easier.
Strategic Brand Theft: Tourism as a Weapon
In the competitive world of global tourism, "authenticity" is the primary currency. Morocco has spent decades marketing the "Moorish" aesthetic—the Zellige, the Riad, the Caftan, and the specific culinary alchemy of the Tagine.
The appropriation strategy follows a brutal, three-step cycle:
Claiming Commonality: Arguing that everything is "Maghrebian" to dilute Moroccan ownership.
Revisionist Marketing: Launching state-funded festivals and social media campaigns that present Moroccan crafts as "ancestral national heritage."
Institutional Theft: Attempting to register Moroccan cultural staples with international bodies like UNESCO as part of a "shared" or "national" portfolio.
The Cost of Fabricated Identity
This is not just about tiles or clothes; it is about the sovereignty of image. By attempting to hijack the Moroccan "brand," the post-colonial state seeks to bypass the centuries of organic cultural evolution it lacks.
"It is the ultimate irony of the post-colonial condition: a state that fought so hard for political independence now seeks cultural dependence on the very neighbor it claims to rival."
The brutality of this appropriation lies in its intent to erase the distinction between a civilization-state and a nation-state born of a colonial decree. For Morocco, defending its heritage is no longer a matter of pride—it is a matter of protecting its national intellectual property against a neighbor trying to build a future on a stolen past.