Paper 6, Work in progress, Contraband Modern in the Fes Medina Project

Work in progress

THE PREDICAMENT OF GLOBALIZATION: SATELLITE TV PIRACY IN FEZ MEDINA -

By Abdelhadi Tagouchi

INTRODUCTION

Globalization marks a new epoch in human history, just as the industrial revolution and the expansion of the West in the nineteenth century had defined a new stage in world history. No wonder that the microchip and the satellite are icons of a new historical conjuncture. In comparison with previous periods, globalization today combines a remarkable confluence of dense patterns of global interconnectedness, alongside their unprecedented institutionalization through new global and regional infrastructures of control and communication. Driven by interrelated political, economic and technological changes, globalization is transforming societies and the world order.

Therefore, any discussion of globalization and its impacts on local sites should not ignore this question: how are the global and the local interacting, overlapping and affecting each other in a specific context? To answer this question, I am going to try in my present paper to show how the aforementioned terms overlap, interact, and impact on each other in the old Medina of Fez, with a focus on 'Rehbat Zbib'. I will try to demonstrate what has emerged and how different and various subject positions have been transformed, reshaped or (re-)produced as an outcome of the global culture. To clarify, my concern will be with 'Rehbat Zbib' as a local site that has historically been characterized and known for its mystic air, traditions, style of life, values and local products, on the one hand, and the transformation of this cultural locale because of the flow of new global commodities which have provided the dynamic for a radical changeover of the local site, on the other hand. The concerned new global commodities are the computer, satellite dishes, the Internet and the cell phone, to name just few. Their great effect has been noticed in the old Medina of Fez, but we should not forget that these new global icons have also been reshaped by both the Moroccan locale and people who have manipulated and controlled them to serve their needs. Thus, the interaction and interconnection between the local and the global justify the emergence of many and different activities that are commonly judged as 'illegal,' in the official literature. 'Flashing', or the downloading of digital channels from the international airwaves through satellite receivers, is one focal topic of my research. This is justified by the fact that it is a phenomenon which has become well-known, not only in Fez Medina, particularly 'Rehbat Zbib,' but all over Morocco as well.

My aim, then, will be strategically directed towards demonstrating how the global digital world has had a great impact on Moroccan culture and identity, and at the same time to show how the digital world serves as a fundamental solution to some social and economic problems that dog both Moroccan intellectuals and common people. Also, I will try to present the general attitudes of the actual actors towards piracy. That is to say, how they express their views about satellite TV piracy. Besides, I am going to examine how this kind of piracy influences the local site as well as global flows and how the Moroccan government deals with such a phenomenon. To bring clarity to this point, I will problematize and question the issue of satellite TV piracy: whether it will be regulated by intervention from the Moroccan government or the other way round is a question central to this paper.

In short, it seems that flashing or having one's receiver flashed is too far rooted to be stopped or at least be controlled in the short run. To illustrate more, if the Moroccan government puts an end to flashing, it will create many social problems out of trying to attend to one.

To study the transformation that has taken place in Fez Medina, 'Rehbat Zbib', I have relied upon written, oral and data collected personally. To begin with, my many journeys to the space being studied helped me not only to observe directly and indirectly how such piracy takes place, but also to establish and create new relations with new people—sellers and customers alike. Besides, I have made two types of questionnaires. The first is concerned with the sellers who often find themselves 'forced' - to use their language- to be involved in the process of piracy for many considerations, especially the hardships of life. The second is concerned with the customers. Through this questionnaire, I have tried to figure out the mentality of the customers; why do they prefer piracy to membership cards? Then, I have chosen interviews as another methodology which has paved the way for me to understand to the full the reasons and motivations standing behind this unlawful 'illicit' practice, satellite TV piracy. To strengthen my argument, I have resorted to visual aids for they represent valuable and concrete information for my topic of research. I have taken many pictures of the space where piracy takes place. Moreover, I have taken into account some useful official and unofficial views from the Moroccan press and the Internet about such piracy.

The findings, which constitute the core of my paper, will be dealt with in the section on the data analysis. But before I do this, I would like first to begin with a broader context, namely, the attitudes to satellite TV piracy in general. The interest of this short section is to contrast existing attitudes with what the findings of my research can reveal.

I. ATTITUDES TOWARDS SATELLITE TV PIRACY

It is a commonplace that the entire industry of audiovisual content and distribution is facing a vast loss of potential revenue, due to the great influence of piracy, as well as the inability of the existing technologies to fully protect content distribution. It is widely recognized that satellite TV piracy has a powerful impact on both the national and international economies. However, views differ when it comes to the evaluation of its influences in situ. To substantiate my argument, I suggest looking at the both the official and unofficial attitudes towards piracy in Morocco?

1. Official Attitudes

The official altitudes towards this widespread phenomenon are represented by the views of the Moroccan government, and with it of the national customs officers and official organizations.

In the opening address at a symposium organized in Rabat to discuss the impact of piracy and counterfeiting on the national economy, Nabil Ben Abdullah, the current Moroccan Minister of Communication, stated that:

"The aim of the meeting is to work towards the complete eradication of the phenomenon of piracy, which not only damages the national economy, but also destroys Morocco's image at the international level."

With respect to the above quote, it can be safely said that the Moroccan government, in the name of its Ministry of Communication, is intending to put an end to all sorts of piracy because it destroys not only the national economy, but also has a drastic influence on the relations between Morocco and other countries. Along the same line of thought, al-Ahdat al-Maghrebia, a Moroccan daily in wide circulation, published an article entitled “A Month to Fight Piracy in Morocco”. The article calls our attention to what it calls “the dangers of piracy” and its harmful impact on the Moroccan economy. In this regard, LBC has organized a month-long campaign under the title “A Month for Original Programmes”; this action was directed at companies that use information technology in their administrations. In addition, LBC has decided to put an end to all surveillance activities on companies' true memberships. The stated objectives by LBC were to give opportunities for companies to reconsider the use of piracy and to push them to opt for legal memberships. To this end, LBC issued official letters to about 5000 administrations to inform them about the aims it targets to achieve. (Alahdat al-Maghribia, N 2586, 2006,p.16) Thus, the objective has been mainly formulated towards finding an effective solution to piracy since it has a negative impact not only on the national economy but also on the international economy.

However, to put an end to piracy or at least to regulate it is not a work that can be done in a few days. It is obvious that any attempt to stop piracy without providing alternatives would be bound to fail: a huge number of young Moroccan people would most probably lose the source of their daily living. One possible consequence is that the Moroccan government will surely find itself facing more serious problems than the one it attempts to bring to an end. In fact, the Moroccan government is fully aware that thousands of people are making a living from piracy activities. Abou Ben Abdellha has this to say:

Our national and international commitments in the field of protecting copy right oblige us to sketch out a joint policy in order to raise people's consciousness about the negative impacts of the phenomenon of piracy. We should also think of alternative solutions for the policy's social implications. (MoroccoTimes.com)

Even though the Moroccan government is against piracy, it is unable to put an end to it for it knows that the country has more serious problems to deal with. Therefore, the Moroccan government will have to solve many basic social problems before it turns its attention towards the phenomenon of satellite TV piracy.

2. Unofficial Attitudes

The unofficial attitudes are those of most Moroccan newspapers and the Internet polls articles about piracy. To note is that reactions to satellite TV piracy vary and differ from one group of people to another depending on how they see piracy.

In the first place, there are many articles that have been written about the issue of satellite TV piracy. The articles in one way or another seem to sympathize with the sellers and the customers who get access to foreign channels through resorting to piracy. For instance, Sawt Nass has published an article entitled “Football Fans Search for Pirated Channels Broadcasting World Cup in Germany”. The article states that most Moroccans will not be able to watch football matches, except the opening match, semi-final and the final. Moroccans get the chance to watch the matches as an outcome of a negotiation between the owner of ART and the Moroccan king Mohammed VI. This article also states that hackers in Derb Ghalf tried to decode ART channels in order to enable Moroccans to follow football matches in Germany. Moreover, the article surveys some Moroccan opinions towards piracy. To mention just a few, Omar elaborated that he was yearning to find out how to get access to foreign channels in Derb Ghalf. He was very enthusiastic to follow matches on pirated Arabic¬ Sports Channels such as Aljazeera Sport or ART Sport. In the same vein, Souad claims that the possibility to have ART pirated is available, adding that poor people have the right to watch the world cup matches. In addition, Mahdi comments that FIFA should be fair, stating that one should not transform football from being a popular game to a commercial one. (Sawt Ennass, N 157, 2006, p.4)

Along the same line of thinking, Nahar Al Maghribia newspaper has published an article entitled “ART tries to locate channels with no right to broadcast world cup football matches in the streets and asks for financial penalties”. The article states that they had discovered five big screens put up by a collective membership. The screens were located in different areas. The idea of collective big screens came up as an answer to the fact that most cafe owners had increased the prices for watching the world cup matches. Besides, some businessmen volunteered to put up free shows for people to watch the matches as a philanthropic gesture. Additionally, some government responsible offers did give the opportunity to many Moroccans to watch football matches through a pirated channel, with no full membership. Therefore, the police were told to stop that broadcast because the phenomenon was increasing and threatened ART profits. (El Nahar El Maghrebia, N 635, 2006, p.15)

Similarly, Assabah newspaper has issued an article entitled “Derb Ghalf Has Defeated ART”. The article explains that Derb Ghalf engineers flashed AlJazzeera with the help of a Turkish programme that enabled these street engineers to get access to scrambled channels such as Canal+, Aljazzeera 1 and 2 and other channels as well. The source also states that there are forums on the net where one can have access to new flashed codes with the help of Moroccan, Egyptian and Turkish members; the article confirms that although a Moroccan company responsible for distributing ART cards knows well that Derb Ghalf sells the pirated programmes, it could do nothing to stop such deeds. It is not the first time that Derb Ghalf engineers have pirated foreign channels. The article adds that the engineers of Derb Ghalf have made many famous channels, for instance, Canal+, leave Morocco due to financial losses linked to piracy. (Assabah Al Maghrebia, N 1915, 2006, p.1)

However, it is claimed in an article entitled “Piracy: collapsing benefits, fettered business models, how to make your digital content secure?” that:

"Digital media have created a whole new paradise for hackers and pirates. Indeed, in the digital world, creating a copy is more like creating a clone, which retains all the original's attributes. Permanent quality, ease of use, formats, and standards... at the end of the day millions of potential customers could get access to your content without paying". (“Piracy: collapsing benefits, fettered business model: How to make your digital content secure?” White Paper: version 3-07)

Therefore, it becomes clear that the official attitudes to satellite TV piracy vary and differ from one to another, yet, the unofficial attitudes remain sympathetic towards both sellers and customers, in that there is the issue of poverty that explains and justifies why people resort to piracy.

In brief, there are two sorts of attitudes: one against piracy and the other for piracy. In other words, while the official attitude(s) criminalize the phenomenon, unofficial sources, pirates and consumers alike, tend to naturalize it by holding to the view that it is their right to practice and benefit from the act of satellite TV piracy. Both attitudes are pragmatic because profit-driven.

II. Data Analysis

1. Questionnaires

To elicit information about satellite TV piracy in Rehbat Zbib in the old Medina of Fez, I made a questionnaire for both sellers and customers (please see appendix for samples of questionnaires used). To begin with, I gave the sellers a questionnaire comprising 20 questions. The questionnaire was designed to identify four main points that are the nature of the work, the know-how and the equipments needed for flashing, the causes of flashing and its consequences on the individual and the national economy as well. To elaborate, the questionnaire aimed at identifying the drives and motivations that have pushed the sellers to practice flashing as a job and finding out about the altitudes of the actual performants toward such piracy as well as knowing about the effect of "flashing" on the national economy, Moreover, the questionnaire was made to target the sellers opinions towards the Moroccan reaction whether it could put an end to flashing or the other way round. Furthermore, the questionnaire aimed at exploring the equipments utilized by the sellers to flash receivers and the sum of money they get out of doing such work. To avoid linguistic hindrances, the informants were requested to orally answer the questions in the questionnaire using either Moroccan Arabic or the standard Arabic. I later on translated their answers into English.

Likewise, the customers were given a questionnaire composed of 13 questions based on their views about "satellite TV piracy". The questionnaire aimed to discover why they prefer "flashing" to membership cards. The questionnaire was also meant to investigate about their opinions towards whether the Moroccan government can put an end to flashing or the contrast. Moreover, the questionnaire aimed at knowing about the sum of money they pay to have their receivers flashed.

I deem it very important to note here that the two questionnaires were designed for the purpose of getting both quantifiable and qualitative data. This will be obviously shown on what follows.

2.1. Sellers

From chart 1 below it is clear that I have dealt with few numbers of the sellers. As has been stated above, the majority of the sellers refused to co¬operate for various reasons. To name just a few, some of them claimed that they were very busy or that they were unable to offer help, while others totally refused the idea of answering the questions in the questionnaire; their refusal to answer the questionnaire, I think, was for security reasons. Yet, the five informants I have dealt with were highly co-operative in answering the questions in the questionnaire. As the chart below shows all of them are males, their age ranges between 25 and 33 year old and their level of education is secondary level which implies that they were not able to finish their studies because of the hardships of life.

Chart 1 number, sex, age and level of education of the sellers

Number of the sellers 5 Their sex Male Their level of education Mostly secondary Their age 25 to 33

The sellers were asked to state their attitudes towards "flashing" whether it is some thing good or bad. Their responses are represented by the following chart.

Chart 2 the sellers' reactions towards "flashing"

flashing good bad The sellers' reactions 80% 20%

Chart 2 clearly shows that "flashing" for the majority of the sellers is something good. The result shows that 80% of the seller confirmed that "flashing" is something good in that it enables them to get access to many foreign channels which require viewers' subscription with a cheap price. Whereas, only 20% of the sellers stated that "flashing" is something bad for it is illegal, they added that even though "flashing" is an illegal way to have access to foreign channels, they resorted to it because they had no other choice. This was a typical answer.

Additionally, when the sellers were asked to state their reasons for becoming satellite TV "flashers", all of them affirmed that their social and economic status stands behind their choice. To clarify, earning a livelihood, poverty and unemployment, lack of job opportunities and the hardships of life were the driving forces that have pushed them to become satellite TV flashers.

Moreover, when the sellers were asked to give their opinions about whether the Moroccan government will be able put an end to flashing or the other way round (chart 3 below), the majority of them said that the Moroccan government is unable to put an end to flashing. Besides, they explained that the Moroccan government is aware that it will create many problems with having only one phenomenon regulated. That is why they have never been in trouble with law enforcement measures.

Chart 3 the sellers' opinions about whether the Moroccan government should put an end to flashing or not

Should the Moroccan Government put an end to "flashing" Against For The sellers' opinions 20% 80%

Chart 4 the sellers' attitudes towards practising "flashing" as a job

Having "flashing" as a career Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Not very satisfied dissatisfied The sellers' attitudes 20% 40% .... 40%

Furthermore, chart 4 above clearly shows that there is a significant difference between the sellers in terms of their attitudes towards practising flashing as a job. The result depicts that 40 per cent of the sellers are fairly satisfied and 40 per cent are dissatisfied, while only 20 per cent of them are very satisfied with having flashing as a career. This result explains why all the sellers stated that they would surely and certainly take a new job if given the chance to do so, which implies that the sellers find them selves obliged to practice flashing as a job because of the hardship of life and unemployment. To bring clarification to these results, the sellers claimed that the revenue they got from flashing is to be spent for their families' daily needs.

2.2 Customers

Chart 5 below represents the gender and the number of the customers I have co-operated with. The chart shows that I have dealt with 19 males and 13 females. Their attitudes, motivations, reactions and opinions are to be elaborated in what follows.

Chart 5 the customers' gender and number

Male Female 19 13

Chart 6 the customers' reactions toward "flashing"

"Flashing" Good Bad The customers' reactions 81% 19%

Chart 6 above obviously shows that "flashing" for most of the customers is something good. The result depicts that 81 % of the customers considered flashing as a crucial and important thing that helps them to get access to foreign channels with a low price while just 19 per cent of them said that flashing is something bad because, for them, it is an illegal way to have access to foreign channels and it does harm the national economy.

In addition, when the customers were asked to state their motivations to have their receivers flashed instead of buying membership cards, the majority of them claimed that they can not offer to buy a smart card in that it is very expensive. This, they resorted to flashing because it is very cheap and it provided them with the opportunity to watch more foreign channels. This implies that their preference to have their receivers' flashed is related mainly to their social and economic status.

Moreover, when the customers were asked to give their reactions about whether the Moroccan government should put an end to flashing or not (chart 7 below), the overwhelming number (88%) of them claimed that the Moroccan government is unable to stop or regulate flashing. They added that the Moroccan government should put an end to other "things" that are more important than "flashing". On the other hand, only 12% of the customers said that the Moroccan government can put an end to such piracy if, according to them, its intervention is a serious one.

Chart 7 the customers' reactions about should the Moroccan government put an end to flashing or not

Should the Moroccan government put an end to "flashing" For Against The customers' opinions 12% 88%

2. INTERVIEWS

I have chosen interviews as another methodology to elicit information about my topic of research that is satellite TV piracy. The interviews made it possible for me to get more information about "flashing". Their importance as a means to elicit information lies in the way through which they have been conducted. To explain more, the interviews provided me with the opportunity to get more details, to be close to the interviewees and then to have a friendly conversational discussions with both the sellers and the customers.

I have interviewed four sellers and four customers about the phenomenon of "flashing". They were highly co-operative in that they provided help without any reservations about time and place (please refer to appendix for a sample of the questionnaires used).

It is worth mentioning that I have interviewed two sellers from my hometown, Jorf El Melha, because I was able to interview only two sellers from "Rehbat Zbib". But, my interviews with the customers were all conducted in Fez.

3.1. Sellers

"I have tried to find any job to earn my living, but in vain. "Flashing" is the only job that offers me an opportunity to win bread. Yes, it is wrong, but otherwise I would have no way to live.

It is wrong because the companies suffer from piracy, but I have no other choice when the subscription is highly expensive. In fact, if I had a good job, I would not practice flashing as a career.

Who are the people that organizations like the Ministry of communication and the office of Intellectual Property Rights are trying to spot and punish? They are fairly young people like me--27, 31 and 32 years old….” Thus spoke one of my interviewees.

The interviews were conducted in Fez Medina, Rehbat Zbib, as well as in Jorf El Melha. And the interviewees were quite open about talking with me. Their responses were given to the point. I knew what they were talking about. When the interviewees said things like "nothing is illegal" in Morocco, I assumed that they were talking and commenting on the lack of law enforcement measures in Morocco. All the interviewees claimed that the Moroccan government can’t do much to put an end to "flashing". A 31-year- old seller explained that if the companies that produce "smart cards" are unable to find an efficient way to stop "flashing", how come the Moroccan government could do so? The interviewees agreed that all the Moroccan government talks about is the illegality of "flashing", but with no action, for the majority of the sellers affirmed that no authority has ever interrogated them nor ever confiscated anything from their shops. All of the receiver "flashers" think that "flashing" is something wrong. Yet, it is a source of income for them.

Most of the sellers download the latest flashing codes from the internet and copy them onto blank discs for various TV channels such as El Jazzeera News, El Jazzeera sport, Euro sport, Action, and TPS; they also get the flashing codes from other sellers involved in the same domain. The aforementioned channels are the foreign channels people prefer watching, and the price of "flashing", according to the sellers, depends on the kind of "flashing" one asks for. Generally, it ranges between 20DHs and 50DHs. Most sellers said that they used the revenues they got out of "flashing" just to make both ends meet, and some used the money to help their poor families. I realized that the sellers or electronic "flashers" had little choice, as a result of the unemployment rate in Morocco; that is, they could find no other alternative jobs. Moreover, because there is no capital needed, except for a personal computer and access to the Internet, electronic piracy is the easiest start. Whatever money they spent on buying such equipment is quickly recovered. So “flashing” is pretty cheap and easy to do. The sellers I interviewed also said that "flashing" was a good thing, for it provided people with more channels to watch. Only one of my interviewees claimed that "flashing" was a wrong practice. For him, "flashing” negatively reflected on national economy; but when I asked why he chose to be involved in electronic piracy, he explained himself, as others did, by insisting on the lack of other opportunities: “Spurred by poverty,” he said, “I resort to piracy since it is cheaper and it is the only way for me, too, to have access to foreign channels.”

Most satellite TV "flashers" learnt "to flash" receivers either through the help of other electronic “nerds” in the domain, while only one seller stated that he had learnt "flashing" by himself. According to him, he was intrinsically motivated to know about the secrets of this job. That is why, he damaged many receivers and had to repay his customers for that! Another seller spoke about his experience with "flashing" as a success story. He said that he did not own a shop. He had only simple equipments such as the computer, the network connection, and some pc accessories at home. Thus, he downloads the serials and smart card codes. He is very famous because customers from all walks of life come to his home asking for "flashage”. All his services are provided at his house. The customers have to bring their receivers and then get them back after they have been "flashed". He stated that his customers consider his services as the best ones in town, and they have a high respect for his services.

From these accounts I realized that, for some, “flashing” was also undertaken as a test of their skills, or as a challenge to prove that they, too, could be “nerds” of the new electronic age, although the latter was hard on them. Indeed, many electronic pirates pride themselves on the skilful decryption of codes and divulging of technical secrets; they feel empowered in this way.

3.2. Customers

I have interviewed four customers about the phenomenon of flashing. The customers think more than the sellers that the law would be enforced. However, a 32-year old customer who works in a cell-phone thinks that it is too difficult for the Moroccan government to put an end to "flashing", adding that it is a globalized practice. For him, local law-enforcement is as thin as air, because there are global networks involved in electronic piracy: from hackers and crackers to anti-globalization movements.

Due to the fact that global TV packages are highly expensive for the Moroccan customers, the latter have no other way to get access to foreign channels than to have their receivers flashed. For one of the customers, flashing is a blessing. It is very cheap, he thinks, and gives the greatest majority of people the chance to open their eyes onto various foreign channels.

All my interviewed customers get their receivers "flashed" by the people who own the equipments for flashing. They pay about 20DH, and sometimes a little more for extra flashing services. Some of the customers think that if they could afford to pay for the membership, they would—except that this is not a possible choice in Morocco, they add.

In brief, the customers stated that flashing is very cheap; so, they will always have their receivers flashed. All of them hold positive attitudes toward flashing.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS

1. Sellers' interviews

Interviewee 1

Name: Khalid
Sex: male
Age: 27
Education: secondary

He likes best to watch foreign channels especially Action TPS foot, Ushuai TV and MBC2.

He gets access to those channels through having his receiver flashed; flashing for him is something good because, according to him, there is no harm in doing so.

He learnt about flashing by himself, he is intrinsically motivated to become a receiver dish flasher which he considers as a hobby. He had no job before.

The equipments he utilizes to flash receivers are the computer, cables, the internet and downloadable codes.

He has never been in trouble with the authorities and nothing has been confiscated from his shop.

For him, the Moroccan government has nothing to do with flashing because there are no Moroccan companies that can be affected by such piracy.

He states that the common price he gets for flashing a receiver is between 20DHs and 50 DHs, depending on the kind of flashing the customer wants.

He is very satisfied with doing "flashing" as a job, yet, he claimed that he would accept a new job if there is an opportunity for doing so.

Interviewee 2

Name: Mohamed
Sex male
Age: 27
Education: Higher

He prefers to watch foreign channels specifically Euro sport, El Jazeera sport and channel 2.

He gets access to those channels through "flashing" which is for him something good, in that it is cheaper and it provides him with the chance to watch many foreign channels.

He learnt to "flash" receivers through the help of other people expert in the domain. He had no job before. His motives to be a satellite TV flasher are poverty and job less ness.

He utilizes the computer, cables, internet and codes as the main equipments he needs to flash receivers.

He has never been in trouble because of law- enforcement measures. That is why nothing has been confiscated from his shop.

He stated that the Moroccan government would do nothing to stop flashing for the latter does not have a great impact on the national economy.

He claimed that the price he gets out of "flashing" the customers' receivers ranges between 25DHs and 50DHs depending on the kind of flashing.

He would accept to change his job even though he is very satisfied with practicing flashing as a job.

Interviewee 3

Name: Mohamed
Sex: male
Age: 31
Education: Secondary

He enjoys watching foreign channels that are El Jazeera, New El Jazeera sport, and MBC2.

He gets access to those channels through having his receiver flashed. Flashing for him is something good it provides him with the opportunities to see more foreign channels.

He learnt to flash receivers by himself and through being in contact with active people in the domain. He used to sell technological products. He claimed that the world is based on corruption and globalization stands behind the emergence of many ills.

The equipments he utilizes to flash receivers are the computer and downloadable information about the codes.

He has never been in trouble because, with respect to him, there is no serious law-enforcement measure. He added that the authorities do not give much attention to what he and others do.

He confirmed that the Moroccan government can not put an end to flashing he explained that if the companies which produce smart cards are unable to find an efficient way to stop flashing, how come can the Moroccan government do so?
The price he usually gets from flashing ranges between 20DHs and 30DHs.
Even though he is fairly satisfied with practicing flashing as a career, he stated that he would accept a new job only if it serves his interests.

Interviewee 4

Name: Abdelkrim
Sex: male
Age: 32
Education: secondary

He likes best to see foreign channels which are El Jazeera News, El Jazeera Sport, Euro sport, ART and TPS.

He has access to them through having his receiver flashed; flashing for him is something unacceptable, because it has a great impact on the national economy. But spurred by poverty he has taken to flashing, since it is cheap and because it is the only way through which he can get access to foreign channels.

He has learnt to flash receivers by himself as well as through contact with more experienced people in the domain. He used to work as a seller of different consumer goods on the streets. His motives to become a sat TV flasher are poverty and the lack of job opportunities.

The equipments he uses to flash receivers are the computer cables, and downloadable information about the codes.

He has been in trouble because of law enforcement measures. He said that the authorities once confiscated some of his equipments. But ever since, he has learnt how to evade the surveillance of law-enforcement authorities.

He claims that it is next to impossible for the Moroccan government to put an end to flashing. Yet he thinks that it could reduce the damages that piracy causes.

The price he usually gets from flashing ranges between 20DHs and 50DHs.

Because he was not very satisfied with flashing as a job, he said that he would surely accept to exchange his job with a new one that could improve his social status.

He added that piracy is a social and economic phenomenon, which is the outcome of bad economic growth and unemployment, and stressed that unemployment and poverty were the ills that dogged Moroccan citizens like him. He and others like him resort to small jobs that are "illegal" in order to earn a living.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS

2. Customers:

Interviewee 1
Name: Chakib
Sex: Male
Age: 34
Education: Primary

He enjoys watching foreign channels such as Arabia, TPS, Al Jazeera and MBC.

He gets access to them through having his receiver flashed, since buying a smart card is very expensive for him.

Flashing for him is something good because it is very cheap.

He can have his receiver flashed everywhere. It is a common practice; his motives behind resorting to flashing are basically related to his financial resources. He states that he pays between 20DH and 30DH to have his receiver flashed, depending on the channels he wants to see.

The customer claims that the Moroccan government is able to put an end to flashing, adding that the latter has a great impact on the companies that sell the legal products, smart cards.

He states that flashing is something good for him. Thus, he has positive attitudes to sat TV piracy.

Interviewee 2

Name: Rachid
Sex: Male
Age: 32 Year old
Education: Secondary

He likes best to watch national TV, but when there is nothing important, he watches foreign channels like Aljazeera Sport, Dubai, TPS, Euro sport, France 2 and Multivision.

He gets access to those channels through having his receiver flashed by his friend. Flashing for him is a blessing.
His motives behind preferring flashing to membership are related to his social status.

In his view, the Moroccan government cannot put end to flashing since it is too difficult to do so.

He finds himself obliged to have his receiver flashed because he sees no alternative to this.

Interviewee 3

Name: Ahmad
Sex: Male
Age: 28
Education: Higher

He prefers to watch local channels (RTM, 2M) and sometimes he watches foreign ones such as Al jazeera Sport, Al jazeera New and MBC2.

He has access to them via having his receiver flashed by his friend.

Flashing for him is something good, in that it gives him the chance to free access as well as its cost is very cheap. The price he pays to have his receiver flashed ranges between 20DH and 40 DH, and sometimes for free.

He thinks that the Moroccan government can put an end to flashing, adding that if it wants to stop flashing it has first to stop selling satellite dishes.

He has positive attitudes towards flashing as it is cheaper than anything else. Accordingly, people will always have their receivers flashed.

Interviewee 4

Name: Karim
Sex: Male
Age: 30 years old
Education: High school

He prefers to watch 2M as a national channel as well as some foreign channels like ART Sport, Aljazeera Sport, Rotana cinema and MBC2.

He gets access to them through "flashing" which he considers as something bad, he resorts to it for extra money.

The price he pays to have his receiver "flashed ranges between 20 DH and 60DH depending on the channels he wants to get access to.

According to him, the Moroccan government is able to put an end to such piracy.
He has positive attitudes towards flashing, because it is cheap and extremely convenient.

II. Photographs

1. Picturing the Site

Taking many pictures of the site under study made it possible for me to be very close not only to space and people, but to the technological goods that circulate in "Rehbat Zbib" in the old Medina of Fez. I have chosen to interpret some of the pictures which seem to have a great contribution to my topic of research.

Image 1: Most of the Shops are closed in the afternoon.

Picture 1 clearly shows that "Rehbat Zbib", the space in which "flashing" takes place, is almost empty. The shops, as the picture projects, are closed and there are few people there because it is 18.08. Usually the market is open till 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Yet all around we can see smuggled goods packaged in boxes.

Image 2: "Rehbat Zbib" is full of people

Picture 2 obviously shows that the place under study is full of people. It is 12:22 pm, the zenith time when the bargains take place. People from all walks of life come to "Rehbat Zbib”, looking for the latest cell phone brand or inquiring about flashing possibilities. The greatest majority of the market-goers are young people.

Image 3: A typical shop in the market

Picture 3 clearly shows that the shop is a small one, as most shops are in the place. It is crammed with all sorts of technological products such as receivers, televisions, cameras, etc. In the background we can see the owner of the shop, whereas in the foreground a veiled woman is passing by. There is a striking contrast between tradition and modernity.

Image 4: A billboard about flashing

Picture 4 functions as a means of publicity about flashing. It is placed above the door of the shop and the caption reads: "Reparation and Flashing of Receivers by x". It also shows a drawing of both a receiver and a television. The ad clearly shows that the electronic pirates take for granted their business, illicit as it might be viewed. Here flashing is naturalized as a common and accepted behaviour.

Image 5: Another billboard about flashing

This is an other ad about flashing. The drawings show the icons of the new global television: a satellite dish, a television set, and a receiver. The caption reads, “X’s Small Digital World.” This ad, too, tends to naturalise digital piracy through advertising techniques. That is, flashing is taken for granted.

IV. CONCLUDING REMARKS

The interest of this short section is mainly going to be directed towards problematizing the subject under study in order to see if there is a third space for interrogating the phenomenon of flashing. Before embarking on this, I would like first to start with contrasting the existing attitudes to piracy with what the findings of my research have revealed.

As the first section shows, there exist two sorts of contrastive attitudes, one official and the other unofficial. While the first one represents the Moroccan government, custom officers and official business organizations, the second represents the unofficial press coverage and the internet polls. The official attitudes definitely are against all sorts of piracy, whereas the unofficial attitudes are more or less on the side of piracy. Organizations like the Ministry of Communications and the Office of Intellectual Property Rights are concerned with piracy’s impact on the national economy, with the losses that formal business suffers from this, and with the negative image that piracy constructs about Morocco. On the other hand, it is stated in some Moroccan newspapers such as Sawt Ennas and Alahdat Al Maghribia that flashing is the only means through which Moroccans can get access to some foreign channels that require viewers’ subscription; many Moroccans express themselves on this point, by stressing their right to sharing information on the World Wide Web. While the official attitudes criminalize the phenomenon, informal sources, pirates and consumers alike tend to naturalize it by holding to the view that it is their right to practise and benefit from the act of sat TV piracy. Both attitudes are pragmatic because they are interest-driven.

The findings in my research show that most Moroccans hold positive attitudes to electronic piracy, but there are other conclusions to be drawn. First, the majority of the sellers as well as the customers have naturalizing attitudes to flashing; they have stated in both the questionnaires and the interviews that flashing is the only way to get access to many foreign channels, taking such a move for granted. The advertisements that some electronic pirates use to publicize their flashing are a case in point. Second, though all interviewed sellers have stressed social causes like poverty, unemployment and lack of job opportunities as the main motives behind piracy, electronic flashing, it seems to me, is also an empowering practice for many; it is a way of survival and self-affirmation under new globalizing circumstances that leave them little room for survival.

It is obvious that flashing is a contested site. Flashing can never be stopped, because many things should be solved first. Not only that, this act of piracy compels us to rethink globalization. Generally speaking, the latter means the flow of goods and people across national borders – a process that has been facilitated by the development of communications technologies. In spite of this, the liberating forces behind globalization tend to follow a top-down model; that is to say, a model which serves the interests of big business. What electronic piracy, on the other hand, shows is a different model, a view from below, which is more concerned with everyday life and the strategies of survival for a large number of people. Besides, electronic contraband has revealed the constitution of a consumer public that seem, so to speak, to outpace the process of globalization itself. My account of the process of globalization in satellite TV piracy, thin as it might seem to be, is consistent with the actual evidence on transnational patterns of cultural flows and culture consumption: globalization has never been “the story of homogenization,” as Arjun Appadurai puts it. Fez Medina as a local space has become inextricably tied up with global mediascapes at large for good or for bad.

APPENDIX

Questionnaire I (for Sellers)

The following questionnaire is meant to help me to do my research about TV piracy and I would appreciate a lot if you can answer all the questions as closely as possible. Your answers are important to what I am doing. Thank you very much in advance.

About you:
-Name:
-Sex:
-Age:
-Education (please tick the right answer):

a. Primary b. Secondary c. Higher

-Occupation:
-Location:

1. Do you watch television?
a. Yes b. No
2. Do you usually watch national TV or satellite Television?
a. National TV
b. Sat TV
c. Both
3. How often do you watch TV?
a. Very often
b. Sometimes
c. At night
4. What are the channels do you like best to watch?

a- local channels (2M and RTM)
b- Foreign ones

5. Could you please mention the names of foreign channels you enjoy watching?

a. b. c. d. e.

Other? Please specify:

6. As you know, there are many channels that need viewer subscription. Please would you tell me how do you get access to them?

a. by buying a smart card.
b. by having your receiver "flashed"

7. If your answer is (b), what does "flashing" mean to you?
a-something good
b-something bad

Please explain:

8. How did you learn to flash receivers?
a. by yourself b. someone helped you c. both
9. How long have you been doing this for?
a. 1-2 years b. 3-5 years c. more than 5 years
10. Did you have any other job before? What did you do?
11. Please can you state a few reasons that have pushed you to become a sat TV flasher?
12. What kind of equipments do you need for flashing?
13. Have you ever been in trouble because of law-enforcement measures?
14. Have the authorities ever confiscated your belongings or shut down your place?
15. If yes, how did you manage to deal with such a situation?
16. In your opinion, can the Moroccan government put an end to flashing?
17. What about customers? How much do they pay for your services?
18. What kind of consumers you usually get? (You can choose more than one).
a. Well-off people; b. mostly young people; c. all ages; d. all categories including the poor
19. Are you satisfied with doing this job?
a. very satisfied b. not satisfied c. fairly satisfied d. dissatisfied.
20. If there is an opportunity of getting another job, will you take it or will you keep this one?
Please explain

QUESTIONNAIRE II (For Customers)

The following questionnaire will help me do my research about TV viewing and I would appreciate a lot if you can answer all the questions as closely as possible. Your answers are important to what I am doing.

Thank you very much.

About you
-Name:
-Sex:
-Age:
-Education: (please tick the right answer)
a. Primary
b. Secondary
c. Higher
-Occupation:
-Location:

1/ Do you watch television?
Yes…….. ; No………
2 / Do you usually watch national TV or satellite Television?
a. National…………..; b. Global…………..; c. Both………

3/ How often do you watch TV?
a. Very often…………; b. Sometimes…………; c. At night…………

4/What are the channels do you like best to watch?
a- National channels (2M and RTM)…………….. b- Foreign ones………….
5/ Could you please mention the names of foreign channels you enjoy watching?
a………………….;b…………………;c…………………;d………………;e………………
Others please specify:
6 / As you know, there are many channels that need viewer subscription. Please can you tell me how do you get access to them?
a. by buying a smart card.
b. by having your receiver flashed.

7/ If your answer is (b), what does flashing mean to you?

a-something right b-something wrong
Please explain:

8. Where do you take you receiver to be flashed?

9. How did you know about flashing?
a. by yourself b. someone told you

10. Please can you say why you resort to flashing instead of getting a smart card?

11. How much do you pay to have your receiver flashed?
20 Dh-------- 30Dh------ 50Dh------ More-----

12. In your opinion, can the Moroccan government put an end to flashing?

13. In general, what do you think of sat TV flashing?