When we come and found an OpenVillage House in an area with a “pristine” culture … how to preserve it and the local knowledge around it? Discuss! 
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Sheltering a place like this is no permanent solution, obviously. The problem as I perceive it from parallels to “developing” countries I have been to is that the local people are lured into wanting the wrong thing. By watching advertisements and being exposed to products of affluent regions. Or to rich tourists etc…
If there only would be a way, somehow, to let them see the long-term consequences of that kind of lifestyle. Which are the very reason you and others enjoy the natural, untouched, traditional places like this now. It’s not about being parochial or luddite, either. Tech and modern stuff has its place, but greed and affluenza and crappy made-to-break products has not.
Maybe it’s not “educate the tourists”, but “educate the locals”, then?
My question is, do they have any problems for which we could be of help?
Because if not then your fears seem to be more justified. The world is full of great places that creative, artistic and mystical people discovered and showed (willingly or not) how great life can be there. After which, people (with taste to be sure but with a need to make serious money to support that taste) settled there and drove the cost up beyond what an aspiring artist or nonprofit community worker can afford and then the old life is gone completely. Quintana Roo in the Yucatan is this way, and as you know, so is the Bay Area.
Some of that seems inevitable and out of anyone’s realistic control, but isn’t one on pretty safe ground if involved in solving real problems? And if the problems aren’t there, even if the good surf is, then you find someplace else if otherwise the price means disrupting the good life of the locals.
Thanks for raising this issue @unknown_author I always have the same doubts for the potential scenarios that could happen.
was just discussing with a friend that there is this old building for a school in Downtown Cairo that I have never seen used since I was a little kid, I would love to reuse it and do some projects there involving the mechanics and cafes nearby but it is very tricky not to be involved in the process of gentrifying downtown cairo anyway that’s off topic and can’t be realized now anyways.
I believe that we can’t control the whole process but we what we can do is build real ties with the locals and gain mutual trust so we can help also as @johncoate was saying without bringing the uneeded investments to the town.
that’s a start, I believe it also depends on the people who will go and live there, games could help them to get involved, other important thing is the language, and Moroccan people getting involved from our side.
even starting learning the language is a sign and builds trust, so organizing lessons that local people can teach us their local language, for me is a good point to start longer deeper collaboration.
sharing food, activities ( surfing or any kind of sport or game ) involving them in the festival and other stuff, working will come naturally then.
Just as it is important to find out what problems exist in order to help, is getting a sense of what the people want. Do they want things to stay as they are with no outside assistance? Do they want to improve things but determine that for themselves? Do they want an influx of money so they can improve the economy so their smart kids won’t move away? What do they want for their community? And are they even unified in that?
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