Tag Archives: Morocco

October 23, 2011 · 2:05 pm

TechWomen in Morocco – Day 7 – Last Day, in Casablanca

Friday was the last day for the TechWomen delegation in Morocco. We spent most of the time speaking and learning at a technical women’s conference at the Technopark in Casablanca. We were welcomed by the US Consul General, Mr. Brian Shukan. I ran a panel on “Venture Design: Documenting the Start-up Company” with Mimi Hills (of Research in Motion) and Jody Mahoney (of the Anita Borg Institute). Here is a link to the presentation slides. Also, I was on the Imposter Syndrome panel run by Jody.

After the conference, we went shopping (again!) in the souq and then to a dinner and henna party at the restaurant of the Association Solidarité Féminine.

Images Copyright 2011 Katy Dickinson
#WIT11

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Filed under Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Mentoring, Middle East, Morocco, teaching, technical women, TechWomen

October 21, 2011 · 7:22 am

Architecture Observed in Morocco

The TechWomen delegation is finishing its week here in Morocco. We have visited many organizations benefiting women and girls, both teaching and learning. While walking and driving in Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, and nearby cities, I have enjoyed meeting many of the charming, capable, and open hearted women leaders of this beautiful country.

I have also enjoyed observing the architecture, starting with the colors. Marrakech is a red city – with the most common color of buildings being a warm terra cotta brown. The Berber primary colors (yellow, red, blue) are frequent details in Merrakech. When we took the bus to Casablanca, we saw many colors of the earth, from sharp grey stones, to iron-red earth, to the chocolate brown of plowed fields. Casablanca itself is more of a dirty white, in keeping with its industrial style.

At home in San Jose, California, I live in a Spanish mission-style home. I have been charmed to see many of elements of that style here – red tile roofs, white walls, ornate iron work, wide rounded arches, and small balconies.

Diversity at the Hopper Conference

It may seem odd to write about diversity at a conference of 1,300 women and just a few men; however, in many dimensions the Hopper attendees were impressively varied. I particularly noticed this at the Systers lunch. I shared my table with women from Morocco, Mexico, Russia, India, China, and America. There were women who were older and women who were much younger. Many were just starting their career and others were over twenty years into it. Some were rich and others were students.

Conference dress ranged from faded jeans and a t-shirt to an elegant sari, from a western business suit to muslim hijab. Ijeoma Terese Ihenachor of Nigeria (a recipient of the Anita Borg Social Change Agent Scholarship underwritten by Dr. Fran Allen)
was remarkable for the complex elegance of her personal presentation: it was worth looking for her in any crowd.

Still, it was notable that almost everyone at Hopper was both female and working in or
studying science or technology. Stu Feldman (ACM President) opened his remarks
by saying that gender discrimination was alive and well: when he went to register for the Hopper conference, the woman at the desk asked if he didn’t mean to be at the Grocer’s convention, next door.

ghc2006

Tag Archives: Morocco

TechWomen in Morocco – Day 7 – Last Day, in Casablanca

Architecture Observed in Morocco

Diversity at the Hopper Conference

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