Informal constructions claim a new victim in El Jadida: The curse of Sidi Bouzid

According to several historians, Sidi Bouzid is none other than Poseidon. In Greek mythology, he is the god of the seas and raging oceans, a bringer of death and responsible for earthquakes. To have his blessing, sailors once built temples where offerings were made to him. Centuries later, and by a coincidence whose secrets only linguistics can decode, these temples took the name of Sidi Bouzid. From Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia, where the young Bouâzizi set himself on fire on 17 December 2010, to Sidi Bouzid in Morocco and more precisely to Douar Bahhara, which adjoins it, another young man, Y.N., set himself on fire on 27 December 2011. The approach is quite astonishing; the distance between the two Sidi Bouzids is significant, but the social gap between the two victims is insignificant, as are the motives behind this act in a moment of despair. Indeed, Y.N., like all his neighbours and nea…