Moroccan reality show leaves the man home alone (Al Arabiya)

By HASSAN AL-ASHRAF – How would men act if their wives go on vacation and leave them to deal with everything? “Madame M’safra,” or “My Wife is Away,” is a new Moroccan reality show that answers this question through following the lives of husbands whose wives go on vacation for a week and who are therefore assigned the duty of taking care of the children, as well as performing all the household chores. The first Arab version of BBC’s “The Week the Women Want,” whose success brought to the screen American, Dutch, German, French, and Indian adaptations, allows viewers to observe the daily lives of 10 husbands whose wives travel to the city of Marrakech in the south of the country to chill out, go to beauty spas, and enjoy some girl time. The 10 volunteer families come from the same neighborhood in Casablanca, so the women who travel know each other, and the same applies to the men, who will need to seek the help of their fellow volunteers as they try to manage in the absence of their wives. “Madame M’safra” is different from traditional reality shows in the sense that there is no competition involved, said Zakia Taha and Ahmed Busheala, the show’s directors. “The show rather aims at pointing out the great role played by women in the house, which is sometimes not appreciated until she actually goes away for a while and the man has to deal with everything related to the family,” the pair said. The show, which airs on Channel Two “Deuxième,” has garnered opposing reactions from viewers. Some criticized the fact that the show is an adaptation of a Western idea and argued that cultural gaps make applying what happens in Europe to an Arab country not possible and makes comparing a woman who grew up in a liberal environment to one who was raised in a conservative society not feasible. Islamic researcher Abdul Karim al-Qalali is among the show’s staunchest opponents, and he called the idea “sneaky” and “deceitful.” “You are telling the wife to leave her husband and children and travel. It is as if this show is helping in the disintegration of the family.” Qalali accused the show of humiliating women through presenting them as victims who need pity. “It is also a flagrant violation of Muslim women’s honor who are used by the show for making money without any consideration of religion and traditions.” On the other hand, supporters of the program argue that it has been reshaped to suit the Moroccan society, for the women travel together and for a short time. In addition to this, the husbands were willing to take part in the experience. They added that detractors of the show do not consider women to be mature adults who can go anywhere on their own and without having someone to take care of them. “There is nothing against Islam in the travelling of women,” said many commentators in response to attacks launched against the show. They also pointed out that the new Moroccan constitution grants women freedom and equality.