A short Instagram video by Moroccan-Chilean influencer Karisma Rashard, who goes by Just Zmagriya online, captured a moment that feels uncomfortably familiar to many Moroccans : being turned away when speaking their own language. The 34-year-old called a restaurant to book a table, first in Darija, then in French. The result was striking: her request in Moroccan Arabic was rejected, but the same request in French was immediately accepted. The short clip went viral, sparking widespread criticism of practices that undermine local customers, disadvantage Darija-speakers, and prioritise foreigners. Karisma opened her post with a disclaimer: «The video is a reenactment», she clarified, «but the situation is real and happened to my cousin». «I made this video to raise awareness about an issue I've witnessed for years in Morocco: the way some places treat foreigners better than Moroccans», she told Yabiladi, explaining her motivation. She added that this behaviour is all too familiar. «I saw it growing up with my own father, noticing how people treated us differently depending on whether we spoke French or Darija. That contrast has always stayed with me». For Karisma, curretly based in Melbourne, Australia, the message is simple: «this is not okay». «I've heard countless stories from people with similar experiences», she said, recalling her own incident in 2019 during a private tour in Morocco, when she was advised not to speak Darija if she wanted to keep receiving «premium treatment». «When I tested it, pretending to be a foreign tourist at first, I could feel the shift immediately once I spoke Darija. The professionalism changed. Suddenly the effort wasn't the same». Working in the hospitality sector herself, she was stunned by the response to her video. After posting the video, she «found hundreds of messages, notifications, and comments». Hundreds of viewers shared similar stories, while others denounced what they referred to as «the foreigner complex», describing the behaviour as discriminatory and harmful.
