The Djemaa el Fna is a town square in the medina of Marrakesh. Set amidst the bustling souks, this central marketplace also gets very crowded in the late evening. During the day there are orange juice vendors and snake charmers trying to make a few dirhams, but as nightfall approaches there are tons of attractions such as this bout between two young boys. I found this particularly riveting because these two fighters were really going after each other (in between when “coach” steps in to show how it’s done.)
At the very beginning and then again at the very end you’ll see the guy in the blue hat circling the ring. Cameras/camcorders are regulated here the same way as they are near the snake charmers. If you are spotted with one, you’ll be asked for money. This happened to me (and I gave up some coins) right before the beginning of this video. If the guy who asks for money breaks eye contact with you, briefly walks away, spots you a minute later still filming, and you’re as white as I am, then you’ll be asked for money again. Thus you can hear me near the end offering up a “I don’t have any more. OK. Alright.” The funny part is this was completely true. I couldn’t even afford a room in a hostel in Morocco (now that’s poor) that night, but I did find a place that let me sleep for next to nothing on their roof overlooking the Djemaa.