"La Bene" celebrates 65 years of Spanish solidarity in Morocco
They meet every Monday for lunch and reminisce about the city of their childhood: Casablanca. Spanish and French are spoken, as well as Dariya, the Moroccan Arabic dialect. Today there is paella. Teresa Pol Riera is one of the 20 people who regularly attend the weekly event organised by "La Bene" at its headquarters in the centre of Casablanca, in the Gauthier neighbourhood.
Teresa is very grateful to La Sociedad Española de Beneficencia de Casablanca (La Bene, as everyone knows it) for its work to help Spaniards living in Morocco in need. She was born in Barcelona and came to Morocco in the 1960s. She has lived in various cities in the country because her husband worked in dams as a specialised diver and also in various Moroccan ports repairing boats underwater. Not that Teresa has a specific need, and she is in good health, but the meetings at "La Bene" liven up her social life among Spaniards.
"With these weekly lunches you get out of the routine and we talk about everything: Spain and Morocco," she says. Teresa explains that there are very old people who can no longer move easily to meet up with friends in the city, so these meetings are like water falling from the sky. "You get together with people with whom you have a lot in common because you have lived in Casablanca for so many years, and we do a lot of activities, read books and sometimes sew, which I am very good at," she adds.
Teresa has her three children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren divided between Casablanca, Rabat and the French city of Montpellier. "For me, Casablanca is a good place to be close to my family: Rabat is an hour's drive away and I occasionally fly to Montpellier and Barcelona.
Many of those who come to "La Bene" were born in the first half of the 20th century, a period when Casablanca received Spanish emigrants fleeing the famine at the beginning of the century and the Civil War in 1936. Others came because they married Moroccans or because fate brought them here for professional reasons.
In the conversation of the diners, the development of Casablanca as the economic capital of the country inevitably comes up. And they compare it to the Casablanca of the last century. Now there are many more international companies, better roads and infrastructure, as well as more gourmet restaurants serving Moroccan and international cuisine, which give the metropolis a constant buzz.
Teresa, who arrived in Tangier in '62 and moved to Casablanca in '68, remembers that she spent most of her social life among Spaniards. They organised excursions to the surrounding forests and spent the day in picnics and gymkhanas. One of the meeting places was La Cascade, a chiringuito-style restaurant in the middle of the forest near Casablanca.
"We also enjoyed the beach at Dahomey, between Casablanca and Rabat. There, we Spaniards coincided with French and Italian families," Teresa recounts. "When we weren't going on excursions, we were almost always at the Casa de España; we celebrated the Andalusian festival, the Madrid festival and on Saint George's Day we gave away a rose and sold books," she adds.
The diners at "La Bene" lunches come from all over Spain. There is a woman from Santander who got married and came to Morocco, another is of Spanish parents but was born in Casablanca. There are many of them and each one has his or her own story. There are also children of marriages between Spaniards, on the one hand, and Moroccans, Italians and French on the other. And they all know Soledad.
Soledad López is the alma mater of "La Bene". She is the nurse who takes care of all the elderly and dependent people in Casablanca and the surrounding area, as well as those in the Rabat and Kenitra region. "We take care of their health problems, check-ups, operations and treatments in coordination with the clinics and hospitals and we also do social work for those who need it", she explains. On Mondays, a doctor comes for a consultation and this encourages Spaniards to go to "La Bene".
Soledad studied nursing in Barcelona and worked in Switzerland, but she married a Moroccan and came to Morocco in 1981. For many years her professional life has been linked to the aid work of "La Bene".
Many people who stayed in Casablanca after Morocco's independence in 1956 had no social security because of the lack of bilateral agreements with Spain. "The situation of vulnerability as they got older and had more health problems has made 'La Bene' a lifeline to hold on to when the going got tough," explains Soledad.
José Pablo Diaz de Cerio has been the treasurer for decades and ensures that income is optimised as much as possible. At present, "La Bene" is financed by state contributions from two ministries: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation and the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy. And, to a large extent, also from the contributions of companies based in Morocco. It is not essential to be a Spanish company to join the club of sponsors of "La Bene", but the vast majority are.
"The needs are increasing and the funds are fair, we need more companies to collaborate," explains Alberto Ordobás, president of "La Bene". Alberto knows Morocco well from his 14 years of experience in the country and joins forces to improve the lives of those who for one reason or another need help.
"La Bene" assists approximately 80 people in the districts of Casablanca and Rabat. A few months ago, one of the beneficiaries of "La Bene" broke his leg and spent a period of rehabilitation in a Spanish state residence in Tetouan, in the north of the country. Alberto explains that this residence and another one in Tangiers are common destinations when Spaniards in need can no longer fend for themselves. We try to organise trips to the north so that they are aware of the work of these homes and know that they can be well cared for there if living on their own becomes unviable".
Before the pandemic, various fundraising activities were planned. For the past two years, "La Bene" has been organising a Christmas market in December at the headquarters of the Casablanca Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation, with whom they have a cooperation agreement. Here the Spanish community and Moroccans with ties to Spain come together to listen to flamenco, eat churros, drink beer and speak Spanish. It is an event where companies set up a stand and present their services and products. La Bene" uses it to bring in some money for its activities. The youngsters take penalties at the La Liga stand, Spanish can be heard everywhere and the success of the public makes the organisers set a capacity limit to avoid overcrowding. That is why a larger venue is being considered for next year. "We intend to reach more and more benefactor partners to raise awareness of our mission to help Spaniards in need," concludes Ordobás.