Meryem El Gardoum, 20, and Fatima Zahra Berrada, 38 are the first Moroccan surfers to represent the country at a surf contest abroad. Shredding the patriarchy, as reported by PRI, the two wave riders have been competing at Moroccan surf contests for years trying to change how people view this sports. Meryem, who is from a village called Tamraght near Agadir, started surfing nine years ago breaking up with the traditions and the role assigned to women by society. «People all over the world think there aren't girl surfers in Morocco», adding that «when I meet the people and they say, 'Where are you from?' And I say that I'm Moroccan and I live in Tamraght, they're surprised», explained Gerdoum. On the other hand, Fatima Zahra is also a Moroccan water sports icon. She was named one of the top 10 body boarders in the world and won «every Moroccan body boarding championship since the national federation started holding competitions in 2003». The same source points out that in May, the two female surfers travelled with the national team to the international Surfing Association's World Surfing Games in France, being by that the first Moroccan surfing women to ever represent the country in a competition abroad.
