A setback for Moroccan press freedom.

Le Journal Hebdomadaire was known throughout Morocco for its strong stand against corruption and for its defence of freedom of the press. Now it is gone and on Saturday a court sealed its offices for failing to honour its financial commitments. Insiders say that the magazine owed over 5 million dirhams in social security contributions, taxes and bank loans.



Le Journal was first published in 1997 and soon made a name for itself with brave attacks on the dubious behaviour of some public officials. When the magazine began to expose the interior minister at the time, Driss Basri, who for 20 years controlled Morocco through a web of informants and ruthless security forces, commentators thought the magazine would be forced to close. However, in what was seen as a very positive sign, the new king dismissed him.

Issandr El Amrani, writing in The Guardian says, "Most of all, Le Journal tried to keep officials honest about the democratisation that they promised in speeches. It relentlessly campaigned for constitutional reform that would shift political power from the palace to parliament. For many of my generation of Moroccans, it provided a political education and an inspiring example of outspokenness".

Supporters and staff say that they had fallen victim to "finanical asphyxiation" and that the "authorities had spent years discouraging companies from advertising in Le Journal".

According to some sources a plan for a wealthy Moroccan businessman to buy the magazine then fell through at the last minute.

The government has defended its actions saying that a series of legal actions and fines against Morocco's press in recent years have nothing to do with freedom of expression but are simply a natural response to bad, poorly-sourced journalism and slander.

However, a statement press freedom group Reporters Without Borders said, "This judicial liquidation heralds the end of the first independent title in Morocco."

Calling all travellers

The View from Fez has heard that Lonely Planet is on the lookout for travellers to join their Travelers’ Pulse Panel - here are the details.

Our panel is a discussion forum where we engage travelers and listen to what you have to say about travel – where to go, how to plan, and other creative travel ideas. We’ve always got interesting topics up for you to comment on, like our current survey on what you’re looking for when you take a trip to a theme park.

Joining the panel is free and if you’re accepted to be a panelist, we’ll send you a free Lonely Planet 2010 calendar as a gift to welcome you on board! Not only will you get to talk about travel, but we regularly run promotions exclusively for panelists where you can win prizes like Lonely Planet products and Amazon gift cards.

If you’d like to join this panel (numbers are limited) all you need to do is click the link below and take a short survey to register. We’ll look at your responses and depending on your age, travel experience and country of residence you might be one of the people we’re looking for! The type of people we need on the panel changes from time to time, so if you aren’t suitable for our panel this time we may contact you to participate in future.

https://www.travellerspulse.com/R.aspx?a=56&Source=BLOG

International Women's Day in Fez

International Women's Day will be celebrated in Fez in a three-day event being organised by Jess Stephens of Culture Vultures on 6, 7 and 8 March.

Jess reports that a dynamic group of women of various nationalities will be coming together to heighten awareness of women's achievements, past, present and future. The programme under construction consists of dinner, performances, readings, debates and more.

For more information, there's a meeting at 16h00 on Sunday 31 January. Call Jess on +212 (0) 6 45 22 32 03 or see Culture Vultures.

New airport for Fez

A new terminal with an annual capacity of 2.5 million additional passengers will be built at Fes-Sais airport, reports the director general of the National Airports Office (ONDA), Mr. Abdelhanine Benallou.


The new terminal (26,000 m2), which required an investment of Dh 620 million, and will bring the total annual capacity of Fez Sais airport to three million passengers, said the CEO of the ONDA, at a meeting this week in Fez. Construction will start in September and aims to support economic development in the region Fez-Boulemane , said M Benallou.

Attention to infrastructure development in the city is part of a proactive approach to structural development, based on an innovative marketing approach. The ONDA is in the midst of an aggressive growth period to attract international airlines, through the establishment of an attractive pricing policy.

"As a direct result of this stimulation at the Fes-Sais Airport, passenger traffic has seen an average annual growth average of 23 percent during the period 2004-2009," said M Benallou.

The Governor of Fez-Boulemane region, Mr. Mohamed Rherrabi, said that this project will allow regions of Fez , Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate and Meknes Tafilalet to strengthen their competitiveness and economic development, especially when taking into consideration other projects already launched like the Fes-Oujda highway.

Attarine Medersa opens after renovation

Perhaps the most beautiful of the ancient medersas of Fez, the Attarine is now open to the public after almost four years of renovation.

main doors, of cedarwood mashrabbiyya, into the courtyard

More intimate than the Bouanania Medersa, the Attarine is next to the Qawariyine Mosque at the bottom of Tala'a Kebira in the heart of the medina. It was built by the Merenid Sultan Abou Said around 1325, and was a favourite amongst scholars. It contains some of most superb mosaic work and some unusual, slim marble columns whose capitals have finely carved calligraphy. The central fountain is fed by a stream.

The carved plaster is mesmerising, and the cedarwood exquisitely worked.

square columns, marble columns

The columns supporting the first floor galleries around the courtyard are square; another unusual feature.

The mihrab in the prayer hall is delicately carved and flanked by black onyx columns. The hall also holds a massive brass chandelier that hangs from the domed ceiling of carved cedarwood. Just beneath the ceiling are a number of windows with green and gold Iraqi glass.

carved stucco above mosaics on a column

The restoration has been sensitively carried out by the Habous (Ministry of Religious Affairs). Replaced mashrabbiyya (carved wooden trellis work) has been stained almost to the colour of the original wood that's nearly 700 years old; renewed sculpted plaster is a little whiter than the original as can be seen in the photograph above, but will soon blend in well, with a little weathering.

On our visit, which cost a paltry Dh10 (less than 1 Euro), we were alone. It seems the guides have yet to discover that the Medersa is now open. Don't miss it.

photographs: Helen Ranger

The circus comes to Fez

The circus schools Zepetra and Le Poing de Singe from Montpellier will be in Fez from the end of March to run courses for children and give shows for the public.



The companies will be based at Bab Riafa school in the medina for a week at the end of March, and then at La Fontaine French school for another two weeks.

The Circus Festival is being run by the MRG Organisation, which is a French/Moroccan venture for cultural activities, mostly aimed at children. Founder Marie Roland-Gosselin explains that circus is an international language enjoyed by people of all ages. Fez is twinned with the French city of Montpellier, and the Festival is supported by the Mayoralties of Montpellier and Fez, as well as the Chambers of Commerce in both cities. Ten children from the Zepetra Circus School will be coming along to work with local children.

The culmination of the circus lessons will be free shows on 16 and 17 April in Place Boujloud.

For more information, contact Marie at rg.marie@laposte.fr.

Fez Festival Theme: Journey of Initiation

This year's Fes Festival of World Sacred Music has the theme Journey of Initiation: from mystery to revelation.


Mohamed Kabbaj, Director General of the Festival, explains the theme as follows:

'The journey of initiation is concerned with learning about the world, discovery of the other, knowledge of the self, the quest for spirituality.

We all know of the great mystical figures, those emblems of each religion, such as Ghazali, the poet of the Revelation; Maimonides, exiled to Fez; Charles de Faoucalut in the solitude of the desert; the Buddha and his enlightenment. Knowing about such world figures has nourished civilisations.

'Man knows here what he doesn't know there', wrote Ibn Arabi, whose entire work encompassed a journey of initiation. This great mystical poet cconsidered every journey as being towards God: 'from Him, in Him, towards Him'.

The 16th annual Fes Festival lies within this realm of the journey towards initiation.'


Please note that there are some slight changes to the programme of events at the Festival.
For the programme in English, see here, and in French, see here.

Smile! You're in Fez

The city has a new logo: Smile! You're in Fez.


The chirpy happy face, sporting a fez with tassel flying, graces the cover of the latest edition of L'agenda, the cultural programme brochure distributed by the CRT (Conseil Regional du Tourisme) (see the photo above). You'll also find him greeting you at the airport, and all over the medina.

Bab Boujloud

We hope you're smiling!

Comix? Comics? Comiks? Whatever!

If cartoons are your thing, or maybe you would just like to hang out in Rabat with some folks who really know their stuff. Then check this out....



As always, the "Telephoneandsoup" crew will bring the supplies to draw and caption Shitty Kitty comics – you bring yourself and your friends to this "Meet Up in MOROCCO on January 26th."

More info at
Telephoneandsoup!

Another earthquake in Morocco

There have been a number of earthquakes recorded in Morocco in recent months, with the last being in December 2009. A magnitude of 5.5, its epicenter was located off the coast of Tangier. The quake was felt in several cities of Morocco, but caused no damage or casualties.

Before that The View from Fez reported on a magnitude 3.5 earthquake that struck on September 20 at the eastern province of Berkane. The epicenter of the quake was located in the commune of Boughriba Aklim

Now a 4.1 magnitude on the Richter scale has been felt in the province of Larache, in Morocco's north, on Thursday afternoon. No casualties or structural damage has been reported.

The quake occurred around 17 hours (GMT and the epicenter was near the town of Souk El Qolla near the city of Larache. The earth trembled up to 40 kilometers of the epicenter said an official at the National Institute of Geophysics (ING).
An earlier quake, minor, had been registered in the region in September 2008. Its epicenter was located off the coast of Larache.

Women Writing Africa: The Northern Region

A new book of women's writing from North Africa has recently been reviewed by the Association of Women's Rights in Development.


The book is edited by Fatima Sadiqi from Fez, Amira Nowaira, Azza El Kholay and Moha Ennaji. The review calls it a valuable resource, long overdue, that challenges the usual western-orientated view of women in North Africa. The texts reach back as far as the 15th century BCE when the Egyptian female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, wrote in celebration of her power, 'My command stands firm like the mountains and the sun's disk shines and spreads rays over the names of my august person; and my falcon rises high about the kingly banner unto all eternity'.

The time-span of the writings is remarkable, and yet at the same time the themes that dominate women’s lives thousands of years ago and today are neatly tied in.

The religious, social and cultural diversity of North Africa is well reflected in the book. Although today the region’s inhabitants are predominantly Arab and Muslim, the northern part of Africa has been part of many empires, each of which has left traces of itself in language, culture and belief systems.

The review states that Women Writing Africa: The Northern Region is an impressive and comprehensive tome which undertakes – very successfully – to document North African women’s self-recorded experiences and perspectives over several centuries. At a scholarly and visceral level, this book will be of immense appeal to amateur and professional historians and sociologists and anyone who is interested in human nature and social justice.

Read the full review here. The book is available from Amazon.

Fes Festival of Sufi Culture 2010

Once again, Faouzi Skali has pulled out all the stops to make this year's Festival of Sufi Culture a magnificent event, with interesting topics of discussion and concerts in sublime surroundings such as the Bouanania Medersa and the Batha Museum gardens.


The Festival runs from 17-24 April and has the theme Mystery and Poetry. It will feature presentations, discussions and round tables on subjects such as spirituality and social change, soul therapy, the poetry of Ibn Arabi and the ancient Sufi manuscripts held at the Qaraouiyine Library and in Timbuctu, Mali. Thursday 22 April is Earth Day, when ecology will be highlighted.

Evening concerts will not only feature various Moroccan Sufi brotherhoods, but also Shaykh Habboush from Syria with Jalal Eddeine of France.

Festival Director Faouzi Skali

Here's the full programme:

Saturday 17 April

10h00-noon Introductory Address at the Qaraouiyine Library: What is Sufism? by Faouzi Skali

Address: The Kingdom of Saints by Zakia Zouanat, anthopologist, writer, Sufi specialist (Morocco)

Address: The Sufi manuscripts of the Qaraouiyine by Abdellah el Ouazzani, university lecturer, author and presenter of TV programme for 2M on Islamic news (Morocco)

16h00-18h00: Round table discussion at the Batha Museum: Poetry for Civilisation

Presentation: Bensalem Himmich, Minister of Culture (Morocco)

Edgar Morin, sociologist, philosopher, emeritus director of research at CNRS (France)

Bariza Khiari, socialist senator (France)

Nahal Tajddod, Iranian team member at CNRS and author of several history books (Iran/France)

Jean Claude Carrière, writer, scriptwriter (France)

Mohammed Barrada, former minister of finance and Moroccan ambassador to France, professor of economics (Morocco)

21h00 Concert at Batha Museum: Shaykh Habboush and Jalal Eddeine Weiss Ecstatic Song (Syria, France)

Sunday 18 April

10h00-12h00 Round table at the Batha Museum: Reconsidering development

Assia Bensalah Alaoui, itinerant ambassador for Morocco, professor of public law (Morocco)

Patrick Viveret, advisor in national accountability, philosopher, essayist (France)

Majid Rahnema, writer, lecturer at American University in Paris (France/Iran)

Katherine Marshall, professor at Georgetown University, advisor to the World Bank (US)

Alia Al Dalli, resident representative of the PNUD in Morocco (Iraq)

Mats Karlsson, director of the Maghreb, North African and Middle Eastern desk at the World Bank (Sweden)

16h00-18h00 at the Batha Museum

1st part: Nahal Tajddod and Jean Claude Carrière: La conférence des oiseaux by Farid Eddin Attar (France/Iran)

2nd part: Karima Skalli and Said Chraibi: Homage to Abu al Hassan Ash Shusturi

21h00 Concert at Batha Musseum: The Chishty Sufi Sama Ensemble Shahi Qawwals from Ajmer Dargah Sharif (India)

Monday 19 April

10h00 to noon: Conference at the Batha Museum: Portrait of a Living Saint: Sidi Hamza Al Qadiri Al Boutchichi by Mountasser Hamada, writer and journalist (Morocco) and Faouzi Skali

16h00-18h00 Round table at the Batha Museum: Spirituality and Social Change

Alain Chevillat, director and founder of the Université Terre du Ciel (France)

Yacine Demaison, speaker, educator (France)

Bernard Ginisty, philosopher, former director of Témoignage Chrétien, co-founder of ATTAC (France)

Aoua Ly-tall, sociologist, founding president of African Women's Network (Canada/West Africa)

21h00 Evening of Samaa at the Bouanania Medersa: Hassani songs by the Boutchichiyya Brotherhood of Laâyoune (Morocco)

Tuesday 20 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: Spiritual Chivalry (Futuwwa): A Path for our Times? by Jaafar Kansoussia, intellectual, Sufi specialist (Morocco)

16h00-18h00 Conference at the Batha Museum: The Mystery and Poetry of Ibn Arabi by A. Filali, university professor (Morocco), Cecilia Twinch, speaker in Ibn Arabi Society, Oxford (UK), Ahmed El Kheligh, TV journalist on 2M and Radio Médi 1, Sufi specialist (Morocco) and David Hornsby, member of Ibn Arabi Society, Oxford (UK)

21h00 Evening of Samaa at the Bouanania Medersa:

1st part: Charqawiyya Brotherhood (Morocco)

2nd part: Darqawiyya Brotherhood (Morocco)

Wednesday 21 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: Soul Therapy by Eric Geoffroy, writer on Islam, Sufi specialist (France)

16h00-18h00 Workshop at Batha Museum

1st part: Poetry in a Garden

2nd part: The Savoury Path: nourish the soul, nourish the body by Jeanne Bouguet, gastronome, dietician (France)

21h00 Evening of Samaa at the Bouanania Medersa:

1st part: Alawiyya Brotherhood (Morocco)

2nd part: Wazzania Brotherhood (Morocco)

Thursday 22 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: Earth Day

Ecology: material necessity or a way of living?

Kamal Oudghiri, communication engineer at NASA (Morocco/USA)

Pierre Rabhi, writer, founder of Terre et humanisme (France)

Caroline Chabot, journalist at Actes et Sens (France)

Nicholas Moller, president of the Global Institute for New Energy Technologies GIFNET (Denmark)

Fattouma Benabdenbi, sociologist and founder member of the Association Marocaine pour la Promotion de l'Entrprise Féminine ESPOD (Morocco)

Jean Marie Pelt, renowned ecologist and botanist, president of the European Institute of Ecology since 1972 (France)

16h00-18h00 Conference at the Batha Museum: The Timbuctu Manuscripts

Abdelkader Haïdara, scholar, collector and holder of a private library of manuscripts (Mali)

Abdul Laraw, collector and holder of a private library of manuscripts, specialist in manuscript conservation techniques (Mali)

Souada Maoulainine, speaker, Sufi specialist (Morocco)

Fatima Harrak, director of the Institut des Etudes Africaines (Morocco)

Marie-Odile Delacour, journalist and writer (France)

Jean-René Huleu, journalist (France)

21h00 Concert at the Batha Museum: Haj Mohammed Bennis: Al Munfarija, Samaa of Fez (Morocco)

Friday 23 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: Film and Spirituality: Cinema in the quest for meaning by Nabil Ayouche, film-maker (Morocco)

16h00-18h00: Cultural Café: Art and Spirituality with the participation of Amadou and Mariam (singers from Mali), Setsuko Klossowska de Rola (Japanese painter) and Salamatou Sow (University of Niger)

21h00 Concert at the Batha Museum: Hussain Al Aadhamy: Maqamat du désir divin (Iran/Jordan)

Saturday 24 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: The Quest of Ibn Battouta by Said Taghmaoui, Franco-American actor of Moroccan origin

Love is stronger than Death by Professor H. Joyeux, professor in the medical faculty at Montpellier, founder of the Health, Love and Sexuality conferences, writer (France)

and Fanny Abadi, psychotherapist, founder of the International Centre for Ethical Training and the Association for Humanitarian Ethical Action (France)

16h00-18h00 Round table at the Batha Museum: Islam and the West: traces of light

Mahmoud Hussein, the pseudonym for two authors: Baghgat Elnadi and Adel Rifaat (France/Egypt)

Fatema Mernissi, sociologist and writer (Morocco)

Hassan Abou Ayoub, former government minister, itinerant ambassador (Morocco)

Mustapha Chérif, philosopher, theologian, researcher in human and social sciences (Algeria)

Maati Kabbal, writer and journalist (Morocco)

Abdou Hafidi, politician, professor and presenter of Islam on France 2 (France)

Saad Khiari, writer, involved in many programmes on dialogue between faiths and cultures (France)

21h00 Concert at the Jnan Palace Hotel: Noubas Spirituelles: the great voices of Samaa in Morocco, with Mohammed Briouel

For more information, contact the Association du Festival de Fes de la Culture Soufie at www.festivalculturesoufie.com.

Accommodation in Fez at festival time will be at a premium. If you're planning to attend the festival, check Fez Riads. For homestays with Moroccan families in the medina, see Ziyarates Fes.

Best Moroccan Blog 2010?

The voting has begun for The Best of Moroccan Blog Awards. There are five categories: Best Overall, Travel, News, Culture, and Personal.

Who will win the first annual BOMBies? Are you the BOMB?

The View from Fez has been nominated in two categories of news blogs and best overall blog. We would like to thank whoever was kind enough to nominate us and would urge our readers to vote by going to the Moroccan Blog Awards homepage. The voting form is on the left of the main page. The page is here: http://moroccoblogs.com/ And remember we are nominated in two categories.

Moroccan News Briefs

More than 8.3 Million Tourists visit Morocco in '09

According to the newly appointed Tourism Minister, Yassir Znagui, the number of tourists that visited Morocco in 2009 reached 8.35 million, registering an increase of 6% relative to 2008.

However, in spite of this increase in the number of tourists, tourism revenues stood at MAD 52.4 billion (about USD 6.7 billion), dropping 5.7% compared to the previous year, said Znagui at the opening session of the third Moroccan Travel Market held in Marrakech.

"The tourist sector has showed resilience through realizing a more than honorable performance in such a year as 2009, marked by a difficult economic context," the minister boasted.

He also pointed out that the sector, accounting for 9% of GDP and employing over 420,000 people, attracted investments of MAD 10.8 billion, which are expected to create up to 8,840 more job opportunities.

Speaking about last year's achievements, Znagui added that 13,000 new beds were created, 40% of them in the red city of Marrakech.

"These results are the fruit of cooperation between the public and the private sectors, as well as good anticipation and innovation capacity," stressed the Moroccan minister, adding that they also show that the right strategic choices have been made.

According to organizers, the Moroccan travel Market, to continue till January 17, is expected to receive up to 13,000 national and international professional visitors and decision makers.

The Market, whose program features business meetings and thematic conferences, mainly aims to be a platform for the development of the sector in Morocco.

Last year, Morocco's king, Mohammed VI, had called on the government to prepare a new tourist vision for the year 2020, building on the achievement of the '2010 Vision'.

"Before the end of the year, the government should therefore seek to develop a tourist vision for the future, up to the year 2020," the king had said in a message to the participants in the ninth National Tourism Forum, held in the Mediterranean town of Saidia.

The new vision "must be both flexible and sustainable and should take into account international tourism trends, the challenges of globalization and likely developments in the world economy," he had specified.


Over 5,000 athletes enter Marrakech International Marathon

Over 5,000 athletes will leave the start line of the Marrakech International
Marathon, slated for January 31, the organising association said.

In addition to the best marathon runners in Morocco, some 2,000 foreign athletes from 25 countries will hit the road in Marrakech, chairperson of the association "Grand Atlas" Mohamed Knidiri said in a press conference in Casablanca.

The organising association has offered, besides the winner's prize, to grant prizes to the athletes who will run the marathon distance in less than 2h:10min and those who will break the marathon record (2h 8 min 15sec) for men and (2h 29 min 21s) for women, held by Moroccan Abdelkader El Mouaziz and Romanian Adriana Barbu since 1999 and 1994 respectively.

Kenyan David Rutoh (pictured above) won the 2009 marathon in a time of 2h 10 min 31 sec for men and Ethiopian Yeshi Esayias (2h 29 min 52 sec) for women.


Moroccan Oil Exploration - Update

International oil and gas exploration company Circle Oil has begun extended test production at a well in Morocco.

Engineering works and construction of surface facilities at the KSR-8 well, which Limerick-based Circle Oil said was the most promising of the 2008/09 Moroccan drilling campaign in its Sebou Permit, have already been completed.

In line with expectations, the prognosed winter rainfall and associated flooding in the Rharb Basin has occurred and work on the new drill sites has been temporarily curtailed, the company added. However, civil engineering work and drilling will recommence when conditions permit.

"We are pleased to have KSR-8 in production which sets the stage to increase production significantly once the new trunkline is installed,” said CEO of Circle Oil, David Hough.“The last year has been transformational for Circle and this new production starts 2010 on the right note with much to look forward to this year.”

Other producing wells in the area will be periodically shut in for pressure build up tests.

Morocco extends tax breaks to strengthen stock exchange

According to a number of sources including Reuters, Morocco has given a three year extension of tax breaks for companies on the Casablanca bourse for three years to back its drive for more listings.

Business leaders and market analysts doubted the incentive would be extended beyond last December because the government needs cash to plug a widening budget deficit.

The government expects the economy to grow by 3.5 percent this year from an estimated 5 percent last year.

Morocco wants to double company listings over the next four years to 150 and lift the number of individual investors to 500,000 from about 120,000 to become Africa's second ranked stock market hub after South Africa.

"The government has renewed the tax incentives for listed companies for three years. As a result listed firms will pay upto 50 percent less tax on profit," exchange head Karim Hajji.

Hajji said average annual investor returns on the Casablanca bourse were 15 percent over the 10 years to 2009 and market capitalisation grew five times.

The benchamrk MASI index is up 3.74 percent so far this year after losing 4.92 percent last year and 19.95 percent in 2007.

NEW LISTINGS

Hajji said the exchange expects to list its first foreign company next year.

"We are working on that with Moroccan banks with operations in West Africa. We plan to list the first company from that region in 2011. It would be the first foreign firm to be listed on our bourse," Hajji said but gave no details.

He said he expected one or two firms would be listed this year. No new firms were listed on the bourse last year because of the economic downturn.

Air Arabia expands despite aviation downturn

Cut-price airline Air Arabia has ordered 44 more Airbus planes to be delivered over the next five years, a senior executive said yesterday.
Air Arabia's chief operating officer for Morocco, Rohit Ramachandran told Reuters that the firm's expansion plans might even warrant a further investment on top of this, despite 2009 being a very difficult year for the airline industry.

"At our parent company in Sharjah, we regularly exceed 82 to 83 per cent seat factor even in a difficult year like 2009," said Ramachandran.

"I think it was in the early 80s [for the full year] but the final figure will be released later," he added.

Air Arabia opened up its second hub in Morocco last year and it also has plans to establish a third hub in Egypt this year, as well as collaborating with an Egyptian partner to launch another low cost airline.

"If anything [the Airbus deliveries] won't be able to keep up with our requirements for the three hubs, at least in the next couple of years we see our demand for airplanes outstripping the schedule," Ramachandran said at a recent industry event.

"We might even have to go outside. But we are in a good position right now because good airplanes are available cheap," he added.

Morocco donates $1 million aid to Haiti

Morocco will send relief aid worth $1 million to Haitians who are suffering from a devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake.

"This national emergency aid, worth one million dollar, includes medical and pharmaceutical supplies and will be airlifted as soon as possible," the Foreign ministry said in statement. "In these painful times, the Moroccan people offer their heartfelt condolences and feelings of sincere compassion to the Haitian people and hope that they will overcome this hard ordeal and promptly resume a normal life."

Governments and aid groups from around the world rushed to dispatch relief workers and supplies to Haiti, where the devastating quake is feared to have killed thousands - perhaps as many as 100,000 -, but there are no firm numbers yet.



In addition, Morocco's Red Crescent granted the Haitian quake-stricken population a donation of 250,000 Moroccan dirhams ($32,000).

The donation comes in response to the call made by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to raise $10 million in order to assist some 20,000 families affected by the 7.0-magnitude quake.

The aid, which includes medical and pharmaceutical supplies, will be airlifted as soon as possible.

Moroccan King pardons 450 prisoners on Independence Manifesto Day

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has granted pardons to 450 prisoners on the occasion of the Independence Manifesto Day, celebrated each year to mark the signing on Jan 11, 1944, of the country’s declaration of independence.

The Justice Ministry said in a statement here over the weekned that five inmates benefited from the pardon over their remaining prison term, while 346 others had their prison terms reduced.

Twenty-four prisoners were granted pardons over their prison sentences. Five inmates benefited from a pardon of imprisonment terms while fines against them were maintained, the same source said.

A prisoner had his imprisonment term and fine annulled, and 69 others had their fines suspended.

A House in Fez ~ Korean edition now available!

After months of waiting, a fabulous translation of Suzanna Clarke's worldwide bestseller "A House in Fez" is now out in a new edition ~ in Korean.

The book, which has been published in several editions in the UK, USA , Australia and New Zealand, is continuing to be a must-read book for those interested in Morocco, Islamic architecture and every day life in the Fez Medina.

There have been a large number of requests for a French and German translation, but so far a translator and publisher remains to be found.

A House in Fez has had a marked inpact on visitor numbers to the Medina, with many guest house owners reporting their clients have read the book. Hopefully now there will be an influx of Koreans!

Sadly, a lot of us do not read Korean with any great fluency, so, if you would like to purchase the English language edition, go here: A House in Fez

Spirit of Africa at the Fez Festival 2010

Fes Festival of World Sacred Music concerts on Sunday 6 June will feature artists from Tanzania, Zanzibar and Burundi.

Rajab Suleiman plays the qanun

First up is the Rajab Suleiman Trio with vocalist Shakila Saidi at the Batha Museum. Hailing from Tanzania, these artists will perform taraab in the Swahili tradition. Taraab is an intoxicating Afro-Arab-Indian tradition from the east African coast, particularly Tanga in Tanzania and Mombasa in Kenya. The women vocalists sing in Swahili about the problems and joys of everyday life - the Arabic tarabun means joy, pleasure, rapture, entertainment and music. Songs are often commentaries on class, gender and social relations, and can be protests against or affirmation of social behaviours. But they are also expressions of joy and elation.

Shakila Saida record cover, 1989

Shakila Saida is a well-known and well-loved performer of taraab. She and her husband performed in the Black Star Musical Club in Tanga, then left to form the Lucky Star Musical Club in the early 70s. The amalgamation of traditional taraab with dance music such as samba and rumba, and the addition of guitar and bass guitar, was introduced by Black Star and became a more modern interpretation of taraab.

The Sunday evening concert at Bab al Makina will feature the Sufi Ensemble Mtendeni Maulid from Zanzibar, and les Maitres Tambours from Burundi in a rendition of Sufi ritual and sacred rhythm. And a spectacular evening it should prove to be.

Zanzibaris Mtendeni Maulid

The Mtendeni Maulid provide a visually spectacular and spiritually uplifting experience. There are only three remaining groups in the world still practising this religious artform – all based in Zanzibar. The Maulid comes from a centuries-old tradition with roots in the Arab World. Ustadh Majid Said Mansour founded the group in the mid-1960s after learning the traditions from his grandfather. The people of Zanzibar clearly hold this tradition close to their hearts and turn out in thousands to witness the shows when they perform at Islamic religious festivals.

The musicians play percussion instruments only. They are arranged on the floor with the dancers who are kneeling in one line. Starting very softly and almost motionless, the music and singing slowly unfolds and encapsulates, weaving its spell among both artists and audience. Slowly the rhythm and music build in intensity, until the right moment, when the musicians seem to move to another, completely higher, level.

Joining them will be the athletic drummers from Burundi.

Les Maitres Tambours from Burundi

The drummers work themselves into a trance-like state with great exuberance and joy. In Burundi, they signify ingoma, meaning both 'drum' and 'kingdom'.

The Festival's day devoted to African artists promises to be spiritually charged and spectacular.

National Film Festival in Tangier

The 11th Moroccan National Film Festival will be held between 23 and 30 January in Tangier.


This festival became an annual event in 2007 and is held under the auspices of the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography. It's the largest national film festival in the country. As many as fourteen full-length films will be shown, which proves the robust health of the country's film industry. Pioneer film-makers such as Latef Lahlou will present 'La Grande Villa', Abdelkrim Derkaoui his 'Chroniques Blanches', as well as Mohamed Ismail with 'Oulad Lblad'.

This is a great opportunity, too, for new film-makers who are showing what could be their very first full-length feature. In this category is Mohamed Lyounssi with his 'Allo 15'.

The film that wowed Marrakech, 'The Man who sold the World' by the Noury brothers will also be screened.

Heading the panel assessing the feature-length films will be Ivory Coast film-maker Timité Bassoré, accompanied by Nezha Drissi, director of the festival, photographic artist Ytto Berrada who is also director of cinematography at the Rif Cinema in Tanger, Mohamed Dahan, lecturer and cinema critic, Boualem Lahmene of Disney France, Hassan Nraiss, journalist, and Meneme Richa, from the Europa Cinema in Lebanon.

Short films are not forgotten. These will be judged by Martine Zevort of the Ecole Superieure des Arts Visuels in Marrakech, aided by Souad Hossein, head of the cinema project at the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie in Djibouti, along with Mohamed Sekkat, Allal Sahbi and Brahim Akhyate of the same organisation.

For more information, see Centre Cinematographique Marocain.

Quirky Fez Medina shop

Visitors to Morocco will notice that in Marrakech, medina shops are almost entirely aimed at tourists. In the Fez medina, however, most shops are for the benefit of local residents. The View from Fez visits one such shop

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On a dog-leg down Derb el Horra between Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira, you can't miss the plastic flower shop. Firstly, the street corner is usually adorned with all sorts of trees, bouquets and baskets. On the day of our visit, it was wet and windy so these wares were not displayed, except for a fetching cascade of wisteria attached to the doors.

Secondly, the shop is well-known for its music that blares out down the street. Bob Marley is a favourite, though it is just as likely to be Andalusian or Gnawa music. The owner has been known to make tapes for people who like the music.

Venture inside, and you can choose from just about any type of plastic plant that takes your fancy. Also available are flower collages, framed in gold, and various vases and potplants. Now and again, there are some real plants like cactuses. At the back of the shop, there's a tatty but comfortable-looking brown armchair where you can sometimes spot a local policeman having a teabreak during his shift, specially at night.

This is not a shop aimed at tourists, but it does raise a smile and is a musical landmark. Unfortunately, it might well disappear when Dar Mohamed Ba Chergui and the Ouezzani palace in Derb el Horra are eventually restored to become a fancy hotel.

Morocco launches Amazigh TV channel

It has been a long time coming but finally on Wednesday Morocco launched the first Amazigh TV channel.

There has been radio coverage for Amazigh speakers for some time, with RTM Chaîne Amazigh catering for Tachelhit, Tamazight and Tarifit speakers. These are all derivations of the Berber language. Tachelhit is spoken in south-west Morocco, in an area between Sidi Ifni in the south,Agadir in the north and Marrakech and the Draa/Sous valleys in the east. Tamazight is spoken in the Middle Atlas, between Taza, Khemisset, Azilal and Errachidia. Tarifit (or Rifia) is spoken in the Rifarea of northern Morocco. A small number of programmes are broadcast in Hassaniya, which is widely spoken in Western Sahara.

As we reported two years ago, the road to Amazigh tv has been a rocky one

There are an estimated 23 million Amazigh, the majority of whom are Sunni Muslim . The largest populations are in Morocco and Algeria, in addition to smaller numbers in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. The Amazigh have been living in North Africa for nearly 4,000 years. Some 75 percent of the Moroccan population is Amazigh who say their language and culture are not properly acknowledged by the authorities and this has caused friction with the Moroccan government.

They were named Berber by the Arab invaders, but this is perceived as a derogatory term.

Back in 2008 a joint statement from several rights organizations said they were protesting against what they called a perpetual policy of discrimination and marginalization from the government. According to the statement, “Officials are insisting on not fulfilling their obligations as far as the existing television station programming is concerned.”

Morocco’s Ministry of Communication promised that an Amazigh television channel could be set up during 2007 but several obstacles have prevented this plan from being realized. Moroccan authorities say the money allocated for this purpose, some 160 million dirhams ($21 million) is not enough to establish a professional high-quality channel.

Officials, they say, maintain the programming is of low quality, that there is a shortage of journalistic staff and that there is no agreement on the language that will be applied in this programming. The Amazigh say all these reasons are baseless.

Now it is a reality and we await a reaction from those who have struggled so long to make it happen. The Amazigh TV will air for six hours each day during the week and ten hours on the week-ends.

Moroccan Vocalist Karima Skalli

Moroccan Vocalist Karima Skalli who performs both Classical Arabic titles such as esmahan, farid al attrach, oum khaltoum, fairouz and others and Moroccan Andalusian song

Moroccan News Briefs

HM King flags changes

More than two years after first floating the idea, King Mohammed VI of Morocco has announced plans for a major shake-up of the way Morocco is governed.

HM the King has named a 22-member Advisory Committee on Regionalisation in a bid to devolve power away from Rabat but also to reaffirm Morocco’s claims to Western Sahara.

The committee has been given six months to come up with a plan “specific to Morocco’s needs rather than an imitation of foreign models”.

The result, he said, would lead to the renovation and modernisation of the state.

As for Western Sahara, the King said the region must not be allowed to stagnate but should be among the first to benefit from the reform.

Morocco regained the mainly desert, phosphate-rich former Spanish colony in 1975.

However, the Algerian-backed Polisario Front has been fighting for independence for decades.

Several United Nations initiatives to resolve the dispute have all failed.

The Committee, whose chairmanship was entrusted to Omar Azzimane, Morocco's ambassador to Madrid, is composed of 21 members including three women.


Four killed, 48 injured in road accident in Western Morocco

Four people died and 48 others were injured in an accident which took place on Monday near the city of Kenitra (40 km north of Rabat), local authorities said.
The accident occurred when a bus overturned near Oulad Boucheib locality on the Kenitra-Tangiers highway. A psychological support unit was mobilized to assist the victims who were admitted to the nearest hospital, the same source added.

Five Moroccans die in apartment blaze in south of France

Five Moroccans of the same family were killed Friday morning in an apartment fire at a social housing building in Nîmes (South of France), and three others are in a serious condition. The father of the family, 55, his mother, 74, and his three children (aged 15, 11, and 26) died in the blaze, whose circumstances remain unclear.

The deceased's wife and two other children, 4 and 21, were hospitalized in very serious condition.
Ten other people in the building were slightly injured and three others are in very serious condition, according to rescue services. An investigation was opened to determine the circumstances of this tragedy.

MOROCCO’S ECONOMY GREW 5.6% IN Q3 2009

Morocco’s economy achieved a growth rate of 5.6% in the third quarter of 2009, against 5.7% in the same period a year earlier, the High Planning Commissioner (HCP) reported.

According to figures published by the HCP, this growth is ascribed to the increase posted in both the agricultural value added volume ( 26 %) and the non-agricultural GDP ( 2.6%).

The growth rate of the mining and energy sectors fell short of that registered a year earlier (-5.9% against 0.3%), while processing industries posted a limited growth (0.4% against 2.6%).
Services increased by 4% compared to 5.3%, it said, adding that the GDP rose by 4.4% in comparison with the same period of 2008.


Danish Cartoonist Targeted

It is a problem that just refuses to go away for Kurt Westergaard, who must be asking himself just how long will people maintain their rage at the controversial cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that sparked a storm of Muslim protest five years ago. Danish police have shot and wounded a man at the home of Kurt's home and he is now in protective custody.



Danish media reported last night that Westergaard, 74, was at home near the city of Aarhus with his wife and grandchild when a 27-year-old Somalian man armed with a knife and axe tried to break in.

Chief superintendant Morten Jensen, from East Jutland police, said: "At 10pm a personal alarm was received from Mr Westergaard's house."

Officers found a man "armed with an axe and a knife in either hand," he said. "He broke a window of Mr Westergaard's house. He tried to attack one officer with an axe and he was shot in his right leg and his left arm." He said the man was not seriously injured and was now in custody.

In 2005 the Jyllands-Posten newspaper published a caricature by Westergaard depicting Muhammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb with a fuse.

Islamic tradition says no image of the prophet should be produced or shown.

Danish embassies were attacked including the one in Damascus which was burned down in 2006 and death threats against Westergaard forced him into hiding.

In March 2008 Denmark's three main newspapers reprinted the cartoon after the arrest of three men for plotting to murder the artist.The three – a Dane of Moroccan origin and two Tunisians – were picked up in a dawn raid near Aarhus following a long surveillance operation by the country's intelligence services, the PET.

The Dane was eventually released without charge and one of the two Tunisians was deported. The other was sent to live in an asylum centre north of Copenhagen.

The Jyllands-Posten also carried a statement from the cartoonist revealing how he had feared for his life but then "turned fear into anger and indignation".

"It has made me angry that a perfectly normal everyday activity, which I used to do by the thousand, was abused to set off such madness," the statement added.

In today's Jyllands-Posten, Westergaard described the incident: "He threatened to kill me. I ran out to the bathroom where our security room is. I was worried for my grandchild. I was afraid.

"I knew that I could not match him. So I alerted the police. It was scary. It was really close. But we did it. It was good."

Westergaard was moved to a safe place last night but was unable to say what the attempted attack would mean for his future.

Faces in the medina: Vincent and Vanessa Bonnin

News that there will be a new French restaurant in the medina has been buzzing for some time. The View from Fez introduces the people behind the plan: Vincent and Vanessa Bonnin.

Top chef Vincent Bonnin

Vincent, who underwent rigorous training in France, has worked in various Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK. Vanessa trained in journalism and photography, but they've both been in the hospitality industry for some years now. Vanessa says that if you want to ever see a husband who's a chef, then you've got to work with him. They have spent some years working on yachts in the Caribbean.

Vincent has always wanted his own restaurant. The opportunity arose when Vanessa read an article in a British newspaper's property section about Morocco. The article was mostly about the Marrakech property market, and Fez was only mentioned briefly, but it was enough to pique her interest. Within days they were on a flight to Fez.

Vanessa Bonnin

They had a week to find a property, and of course, were told it couldn't be done. But once you're on the right track, things have a tendancy to fall into place, and this is just what happened. The house is in Derb Moulay Ismail, just off Tala'a Seghira, so is a perfect location for a restaurant.

There's a way to go yet. The house has to be renovated, and Vincent and Vanessa are now in the throes of applying for various permits. But within a year or so, the medina could have its first ever French-run restaurant, which will be called Restaurant Faracha, meaning butterfly in Arabic.

Restaurant Faracha will specialise in Mediterranean brasserie-style food, with an emphasis on Spanish, Italian and Greek fare. Vincent plans mid-range prices that he thinks will appeal to tourists and residents alike. If you'd like to try Vincent's culinary skills, head for the Majestic where he's currently working as head chef.

Majestic: 0535 729 999