Fatima Zahra Berrada

Moroccan surfer Meryem El Gardoum standing on a beach, looks directly at the camera.

Shredding the patriarchy: Two Moroccan women just surfed onto the world stage

Culture

Champion surfers Meryem El Gardoum and Fatima Zahra Berrada are the first women to represent Morocco at a surf contest abroad. Despite their success, back home in Morocco, some men aren’t sold on surfing and don’t approve of local women and girls taking part. And there’s pushback from local women, too.