Moroccan News & Fez Medina Gossip #3505

It has been quite a week in the Medina of Fes. Concerts, strikes, odd weather and loads of tourists. Cafe Clock had only just recovered from being involved in a treasure hunt when Sunday rolled around and the Tic Toc crowd were treated to some accapella jazz. Treasure hunt? - yes, bizarre as it sounds, you read it right. Teams of people were scouring the Medina looking for clues.

Clue hunting in the Clock

A group of young Moroccans lads told The View from Fez that the most exciting thing that happened during the week was the news of a new service that will allow mobile phone users to watch TV.


SNRT ( National Company of Radio and TV Broadcasting) on Wednesday launched a , a new mobile TV service that allows mobile phone users to watch five Moroccan TV channels Al Oula, 2M, Arryadia, Arrabiâ and Assadissa. Sadly Fez phone junkies will have to hold their excitement for a while because we understand that the service is only available in Rabat and Casablanca but eight other cities will be covered by the end of 2008.

Morocco is the second country in the Arab world and in Africa to launch this service after the United Arab Emirates and South Africa respectively. Speaking at the launch of the new service, Minister of Communication, Khalid Naciri, deemed it “a new step” in the path of multidimensional modernization, and a "stunning model" of Morocco’s ability to be among the forerunners in this field.

"The Medina is closed" -due to a strike.

The general strike on Wednesday went ahead without any problems. A few decades ago that would not have been the case and civil unrest would have taken place. As Dar Al Hayat reported - "general strikes in Morocco are no longer a cause for concern as they resemble any other exercise of constitutional rights without triggering uncontrollable chaos."

Strikers in Rabat

In Fez the Medina was closed down to the point where getting bread was near impossible. However people took it all in their stride and the day sailed by without incident.

Faces in the Medina - Sara May.

In her own words...

My name is Sara-May. 'Second Sight' can be traced back in my family to the seventeenth century.I trained in the development of my Mediumship for six years in a spiritual church in England.Taking clairvoyant services for over twenty years, giving lectures in selected 'new age' subjects (my formal training is in English and Drama) and thus expaning my knowledge and skills in areas which have been a source of fascination to me, personally, all my life. By profession I am an actress, working almost exclusively in television and my husband is a Doctor of geology.After we got married, he stopped travelling the world, digging things up and I stopped travelling around filming on location, and we started working together. In England we ran a business where we sold rare crystals and minerals,esoteric and new age selected goods and I did 'sittings' (Ten years ago I worked every week for two years at the Spiritual Association of Great Britain S.A.G.B. in Belgrave Square in London).Ths expanded into a second business, this time a bookshop, so that we could allocate more space to grimmoires and magic related stock.With added staff, and an escallation in business, we found we were working seven days a week - plus all the paperwork that this entailed. So, we sold up and moved to Fes in 2005, with the intention of living a more leisurely life, in between visits to England to work on our respective professions. But, now to the 'sittings'.I use a combination of three different Tarot decks, one for the 'actual', one for 'outcomes' and one for the emotions and atmosphere 'psychology' of the situations shown. I devine what is around the sitter, where these situations come from and ultimately where they will arrive.The idea is to bring a greater clarity. to see how things really are, so that decisions and pathways forwards may be made with greater understanding of the outcomes. Prices are negotiable, depending on time and content and ability to pay. Email adam.200.200@hotmail.com

Concert in a private riad

Bernard and Eleanor in Fez

Bernard and his wife Eleanor have been relaxing in Fez, taking in the sights and preparing for his concert at Riad Zany.

Saturday's concert is at Riad Zany at 9.pm. Some seats still available. Everyone welcome but please book! - riad.fes@gmail.com


Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news