Despair and Clairvoyance in Morocco

Despair and clairvoyance in Morocco
In the working-class district of Hay Nahda in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, a woman named Touda claims to provide counselling to people in need. Though she is not a licensed therapist, she sees about ten clients a day, and has for many years. Touda is a psychic, and tells all newcomers that she "inherited the job" from her aunt some 20 years ago. Wearing her usual green dress and red scarf, she starts each new consultation with the same phrase: "I shall try to dispel the evil spirits torturing you so that you can find happiness once more." A cloud of incense hangs heavy in the air, spreading its penetrating aroma. The lighting is subdued.
Like many in her line of work, Touda has achieved some measure of success. On the day Magharebia visited her "practice", there were eight women patiently awaiting their turn in the lobby. One could easily think they were waiting for a renowned medical doctor. Some seemed uneasy and tormented. Others chatted away calmly.
"Fate plays some clever games. I’m at the edge of a chasm, and no one realises," one disoriented-looking woman who refused to give her name said. "All I hear is words that hurt and leave gaping wounds." At 42 years of age, she is not yet married. The pitying looks of her friends and neighbours cause her daily suffering, she said. Success in her career as a bank official has failed to bring the serenity she has sought so fervently. "At the moment, it is despair that guides me. The most ridiculous thing is that I know full well that clairvoyants cannot do anything. But all the same, they manage to give me some new hope. I need, at least, to be heard."
Next to her, El Hajja Zahra came to Touda for her son. "My son is 30 and has not yet worked, even though he has a French literature degree. I’m in anguish. Perhaps Touda will comfort me and give me something to thwart the bad luck," she said, her eyes filled with tears.
He explains that clairvoyance has always had an...