Oum Fatima has labored virtually every day of her 55 years. With four children and a chronically ill husband unable to help financially, she could only hope to bring in money by doing housecleaning in the wealthier homes of the labyrinthine medina (or old city) of Marrakech.

Beyond regular washerwoman duties, it was normal for Oum Fatima to handle a gamut of contacts between the “outside world” and the home and children for whom she worked so hard. Such activities varied enormously. On some days the mailman would arrive with letters; Oum Fatima would deliver each to the addressee, knowing simply by the type of handwriting or script used – Arabic or French – who should receive which letter. Once a month the “electric man” would arrive to collect money for the month's charges; Oum Fatima handled this affair with just a question or two, drawing money from an earthenware jar in which she stashed odd coins and bills in anticipation of his visits. At the souk (market), Oum Fatima's skill in mental arithmetic and bargaining was legendary. Not only could she switch effortlessly between the several parallel currency units in use – dirhams, francs, and rivals (a base-five system) – but her ability to negotiate the lowest possible price made her a well-known figure in the derb (quarter).To those of her social class, as well as to those “higher up,” Oum Fatima was a woman worthy of great respect.

Never having gone to school, Oum Fatima could neither read nor write in any language, nor could she do simple arithmetic on paper.