Author Lisa Clifford Checks Out the Fez Medina

Lisa Clifford, one of the leaders of "The Art of Writing Fez" - a retreat to be held in November, has arrived in Fez ahead of the event in order to familiarise herself with the Fez Medina. Her response after a week of exploration? "Breathtakingly astonishing... gobsmacking in its uniqueness. I have never been to such an amazing place in my life."

Lisa Clifford exploring Fez

Clifford is thrilled with Fez because it is just what is needed to stimulate the writers in the retreat.

The writing retreat will focus on character, structure, unleashing your creativity and an opportunity to learn the tips and tricks of travel writing. It explores writing from a sense of place – how to immerse your readers in your chosen location through the use of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch – all senses heightened by the evocative surrounds of Fez. It will be held in the former Pasha's summer palace, Jardin des Biehn.

One of the luxury rooms at Jardin des Biehn.

Following a career in radio, television and print journalism in Australia and America, Lisa Clifford moved to Italy and wrote The Promise – an Italian Romance and Death in the Mountains published by Pan Macmillan. She is the author of Walking Sydney and her latest book, Naples – A Way of Love, was published in October 2013 by Penguin. Lisa contributes opinion pieces, guides and lifestyle articles on Italy to The Australian, The Australian Financial review, Gourmet Traveler and a range of other magazines and newspapers.

Lisa at work in the office at The View from Fez 

Other writers leading the retreat include photographer and author Suzanna Clarke and thriller writer Sandy McCutcheon.

For more information click here: The Art of Writing Fez

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Ryanair Announces New Flights to Fez

Good news for travellers coming to Fez from Europe was announced by Ryanair. Starting in November, the low cost airline will offer a service between Madrid and Fez

This is in addition to a number of other European destinations already in operation. They include flights to and from Fez from Paris-Beauvais, Lille, Nantes, Marseille, Nimes, Charleroi, Barcelona, Gerona, London-Stansted, Milan, Pisa, Bergamo, Rome, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Eindhoven.


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Free Concert in Fez on Wednesday April 30

On Wednesday April 30 at 8.15 PM is a performance with an impressive line up of talented American musicians. ABANDA is comprised of songwriters Amanda Homi and Jake Holmes, along with multi instrumentalist Gary Schreiner and percussionist Houcine Ouahban.

Amanda and Jake performed last year in Agadir for a cross cultural concert sponsored by the American Language Center and look forward to their return visit to Morocco. They perform their own songs along with classic cover tunes representing the various styles of American music.

Jake Holmes is a noted songwriter and lyricist. In the early eighties, Harry Belafonte sent Jake to Johanasburg to work with South African musicians on songs for his album “Paradise in Gazenculu”. It was there Jake fell in love with world music and it has been an obsession ever since.

His music has been performed by such artists as Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, the Four Seasons, Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin. His musical “Sidewalking” was produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club and earned a Drama Desk Award nomination.

Jake is internationally recognized for his impact on the world of advertising, and is the only advertising writer to be inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. His credits include “Be All That You Can Be” (U.S. Army), “I’m A Pepper” (Dr. Pepper), and Gillette’s “The Best a Man Can Get.”

Jake has previously recorded five albums of his own and has completed his sixth solo effort “Dangerous Times”. He has performed at major concert venues throughout Europe, Canada and the United States, including Carnegie Hall. To sample some of his music,CLICK HERE.

Amanda Homi is a singer, songwriter and percussionist with a deep and genuine affinity for music from around the globe. Born in London of English and Indian descent she is based in New York. She sings in several languages and has studied dance and percussion in Brazil and Senegal, sung Rembetika in Greece, Gypsy Flamenco in Spain, and written and recorded Reggae in Jamaica. She has two solo albums. “Drumgirls” and “Till i Reach Bombay” which was released this winter to critical acclaim. Her first video of the title track can be viewed HERE.

Amanda has recorded, performed and toured with a diverse selection of Artists including Ray LaMontagne, Jackson Browne, Jane Siberry, Grover Washington, Maxwell, Mavis Staples Pete Seeger and They Might be Giants.

She co produced and hosted a documentary about Latin Grammy lifetime achievement recipient, Toto La Momposina from Colombia and has written and sung on numerous ad campaigns TV themes and film scores.

Gary Schreiner is a multi instrumentalist and Emmy Award-winning composer and producer. He has scored hundreds of TV commercials and contributed music to countless TV shows and movies as well as having performed both onstage and recorded with, and produced a multitude of artists.

He recently was a featured guest artist at Sting’s benefit concert for the Rainforest Fund, playing the chromatic harmonica with Rosanne Cash, then shared the stage with Elton John for a duet of “Moon River” in front of a full orchestra.

He has worked with diverse artists such as Elton John, Rosanne Cash, Joan Osborne, Patti LaBelle, Pedrito Martinez, Yoko Ono, Pheobe Snow, Marvin Hamlisch, Run-DMC, Lucy Kaplansky, Carly Simon, Ben Taylor, Blue Man Group, John Pizzarelli, Julio Fernandez (Spiro Gyra), Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kermit the Frog, and World Champion figure skater Randy Gardner.

Most recently he has been producing and arranging Rick Moranis’ soon to be released album “My Mother’s Brisket & Other Love Songs” (release date June 2013). 

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Lecture on Urban Development Monday April 21

“Towns without Shantytowns: A Moroccan Program between Desire and Reality” 

Lecture by Naima Lahbil, author of La Liste

Naima Lahbil pubilshed her first novel, La Liste, last year. In French and set in Casablanca, it is inspired by the tensions between urban development and how it affects those at the lower end of the social scale.

Naima has a strong interest in the changing face of urban Morocco, and used La Liste to explore issues surrounding the pace of change and what it means for those affected. She is Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences in Fez and has published several articles on the medina of Fez.

When: Monday April 21 at 6.15 PM
Where: ALIF Annex Auditorium
22 Rue Mohamed Diouri, Ville Nouvelle
(across the road from the American Language Center. Ask the security guards for directions.)

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Moroccan News Briefs #114

Marines land in Morocco to demonstrate crisis responsibility capability

In today's security environment, the ability to quickly place military personnel on a location anywhere on the globe is at a premium. In order to stay ready for that task, the U.S. Marines of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force conducted a training mission in Tifnit, Morocco, in April 2014.

Their mission was executed in conjunction with African Lion 14, a combined-joint exercise between the Kingdom of Morocco and the U.S. that involves approximately 150 soldiers of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, 350 U.S. service members and additional military personnel from European and African partner nations.

The Marines flew approximately 500 nautical miles in MV-22B tiltrotor Ospreys from Moron Air Base, Spain, to their landing zone in Tifnit. Once they arrived, a platoon of Marines from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, which is the ground combat element for SP-MAGTF Crisis Response, quickly established security of the area.

"Our task was to provide assault support for the tactical insertion of the platoon from the GCE into a simulated U.S. compound in Morocco in order to safeguard U.S. citizens and government property," said Capt. Kyle Stuart, the flight lead for the African Lion 14 mission.

The Crisis Response's flight and insert also demonstrated the rapid-response capability to multinational observers from 14 different countries during the "Observer Program" of African Lion 14. The countries included: Mauritania, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Senegal, Poland, Turkey, Italy and France.


Opera Opens in Rabat

The premiere of "Don Giovanni" in Morocco was held Saturday, April 12 at the National Theatre Mohammed V in Rabat. The premiere of the work was part of the project "Come to the opera!" dedicated exclusively to young elementary school and college students.

It was performed for the first time in 1787 under the direction of the composer himself at the Theatre of the Estates Prague where it met with huge success . It took 227 years to arrive in Morocco but as the audience agreed it was "better late than never!"

The Philharmonic Orchestra of Morocco (OPM) has previously presented eleven operas and under the baton of Benedict Girault, they showed their mastery of the style.

The staging of the colorful and smart "dramma giocoso" was directed by Jean-Marc Biskup with 20 singers,  8 soloists and 68 musicians. A teleprompter was installed to translate texts in French, in order to follow the plot. The production was considered risky for a first in Morocco, but the singers, the orchestra and sets provided 3 hours of "pure happiness."


The new Fez airport terminal to to open in September

The announcement of the commissioning date for the new Fez-Sais terminal was made this week after a visit  to the site by the Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics , Aziz Rabbah and a parliamentary delegation.

According to the CEO of the Airport Corporation (ONDA) Mohamed Zouhair El Oufir , the new terminal ..."tends to dynamics that accompany the tourist needs in the Fès- Boulemane region and accomplishes the strategic objectives of Vision 2020."

Built on an area of ​​17,000 m2, the new terminal is part of a major airport expansion project whose total cost amounts to 479 million dirhams. Eventually, the airport will increase its capacity welcome 2.5 million passengers each year as against 500,000 currently . The work is funded by the National Office of Airports (ONDA )and the African Development Bank.


Airshow in Marrakech - April 23 to 26

Under the patronage of King Mohammed VI, the fourth edition of the International Exhibition of Aerospace Industries “Marrakech Airshow 2014″ will take place from April 23 to 26 at the Royal Air Force military base in Marrakech.

“The fourth Marrakech Airshow will be hosting once more, African and Mediterranean civil and military delegations as well as senior corporate executives in order to confederate Marrakech Airshow’s exchange platform and consolidate the position of Morocco within the development of the African aerospace industry,” according to the Marrakech AirShow website.

The Marrakech Air Show, an International Aerospace Exhibition and Conference, is a gateway for better communication and greater opportunity for businesses working within the field of aerospace.

More than 50 official delegations will attend the 2014 Marrakech Airshow.

According to a statement from a French industrialist, published on Eturbonews, “Dassault Aviation will present its large cabin, long range Falcon 7X at the fourth Marrakech Air Show.” It will be Dassault’s second appearance at the show, which bills itself as the foremost trade show in the African region.

The flagship Falcon 7X, the first business jet equipped with digital flight controls, has a range of 5,950 nautical miles and can comfortably fly from Marrakech to Beijing, Los Angeles or Cape Town non-stop.

In related news the French manufacturer of small aircraft LH Aviation is preparing to open a new facility in Morocco and plans to produce the first 100% made in Morocco plane.

Soon to be constructed in Morocco

The Moroccan facility will be producing initially around 80 aircraft per year and may double the number afterwards.


Morocco to crack down on informal importing

Every day between 150 and 200 vans driven by Moroccans living abroad (MRE) cross into Morocco. The goods they carry are intended for local markets and until now checks on goods and payment of customs duty has been haphazard.

Now the customs rules will change. From May 1st MRE carrying goods will be registered in a commercial register  after a declaration to the Customs service. Thorough searches of vehicles suspected of carry illegal goods will now take place.

All merchandise will then be the subject of a detailed statement and all items will be included on an invoice for indicating the type and quantity, weight and value. Customs will then determine the amount of taxes and import duties payable.

The changes were originally to take effect on January 1 but postponed to the beginning of the summer season when the flow of travelers and tourists as well as MRE reaches the peak.

According to the Department of Customs and Indirect Taxes ( SDII ), about 150 vans full of all kinds of goods cross borders every day to supply the market local. The same source has always decried the "bad quality" of some of these goods.

The Department of Customs and Indirect Taxes (SDII)  say that Moroccans abroad are  "engaging in an activity that competes unfairly with both foreign trade, local industry and international transport companies and it is understood that many MRE offer transport for hire or reward, because loads often belong to third persons."

To avoid unpleasant surprises for MRE that land in ports of the kingdom, Customs began an information campaign through diplomatic missions to educate Moroccans abroad. For some of them in Europe, risking the import of goods in personal vehicles is a result of Moroccans in Spain and Italy being very affected by unemployment because of the economic crisis .


Brilliant Fez Surgeons reattach man's penis

A team of Moroccan surgeons managed to reattach a penis on a 35 year old male victim of a violent assault. After 6 hours of operation, the man was able to retain his penis. The news was released in a study published April 9 in the Journal of Medical Case Reports.

The man was violently assaulted by a stranger, with a razor blade cut to his body 3 cm from the pubis. By "luck" the amputation was not complete and after being admitted to the emergency department he was subjected to an operation that lasted six hours, during which members of Urology, University Hospital, Fes were able to reseal the organ.

Having lost a lot of blood and the operation itself causing heavy bleeding, the patient received a blood transfusion. A temporary plastic restraint was placed at the base of the penis in order to reduce bleeding.

Doctors say that "if amputation of the penis is very rare, the success of such an operation is even more so and in this case the appearance and function of the penis have been restored."

The medical team who carried out the intervention welcomed the success, and the patient was able to gradually regain normal use of his penis. "The appearance and function of the penis have been restored," say the doctors. In particular, they noted the absence of tight urethra.

And erectile function and sensitivity are now considered normal for this patient.

No microsurgery was undertaken to reconnect each blood vessels. "Our case study allows us to demonstrate that even without restoration of blood vessels, good postoperative results can be achieved," said the doctors.


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Mohamed Briouel and Friends Close the Sufi Festival in Style

The final night of the 2014 Fes Festival of Sufi Culture gathered together some fine musicians for an evening of Andalusian music. However, when audience members turned up at the advertised venue, at the Zalagh Park Hotel, they were directed to a dark and empty fifth floor. One "official" claimed it had been moved to the Jnan Palace, while another suggested that it had moved back to the Batha Museum

Arriving at the Batha Museum at 8 PM, an hour before the concert began, it was still possible to get a seat, but as the concert started there was still a crush of around 150 to 200 people backed up to the entrance and a great number of people standing inside, blocking aisles.

Part of a large crowd at the Batha Museum - blocking all exits

When Faouzi Skali began his introductory speech a chant of protest erupted about the lack of seating. It was clear that the number of tickets sold greatly exceeded the capacity of the venue. Skali apologised, saying the concert couldn't be held at the usual venue of the Jnan Palace, as this was being renovated. As on the night before, with the lack of public safety because of the crush, questions are being asked about why more tickets are sold than are seats available and why public safety is not put before profits. It was not a good note on which to end the festival.

With a circle of Sufis seated at the front, and the orchestra onstage behind them, the performance went some way towards saving the evening. The music of Mohamed Briouel's Andalusian Orchestra was greeted with the enthusiasm for this star of the Fez music scene that it deserved.

On this occasion Briouel was joined by some big names such as Mohamed Bajeddoub, Said Chraibi and Mohmed and Abdelfatah Bennis as well as the up and coming star, Marouane Hajji.

Mohamed Briouel at the Fes Sacred Music Festival 

Mohamed Briouel, known as Sheik Mohamed, was born in the city of Fez, in 1954. From 1963, Mohamed Briouel studied music alongside Haj Abdelkrim Rais, one of the masters of the Arab-Andalusian Music in Maghreb. He was the first Moroccan to receive the first prize of music theory and the prize of honor in Arab-Andalusian music. Mohamed Briouel is the director of the Conservatory of Music in Fez, where he also teaches music theory.

In 1986, he won the Prix du Morocco for the publication of his study, Moroccan Andalusian music: Nouba Gharibat Al Husayn, in which are transcribed into Western notation for the first time, eleven Andalusian scores.

In recent years he has directed his own orchestra, the Andalusian Orchestra of Fez, and travel widely both in Morocco and abroad, in the dual context of the Arab-Muslim music and also Sephardic music in the company of Albert Emile Zrihan, and  Françoise Atlan.

Over the last few years he has worked with young singers in Fez in a choir that has already appeared to acclaim in past editions of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music .

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Ali Keeler & Al Firdaus and Tariqa Wazzaniyya at Sufi Festival

Ali Keeler

Friday night at the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture drew the largest crowd of the festival so far. The double-bill opened with Ali Keeler and the Al Firdaus Ensemble with Keeler featuring on vocals and violin. The music varied from Andalusian to a delightful surprise - a Celtic tune that started much like a slow Irish air before picking up the tempo and developing into a reel - albeit with unmistakably Islamic vocals.

Keeler was ably supported by his group who included some fine voices and wonderful bass cello. However it was his choice of material that won over the crowd with their simple but deeply religious message. The audience needed little prompting to join in the singing.

Al Firdaus - moving the audience

The Tariqa Wazzaniyya

The youngest Sufi

The Al Firdaus Ensemble was followed by the popular Wazzaniyya Tariqa. They entered in single file behind a beating drum and immediately had the audience on their feet. They were in fine voice and clearly had many devotees amongst the audience.

The Wazzaniyya, like the Charqawiyya, are an offshoot of the Jazuliyya-Shadhiliyya. They were founded by Moulay (saint) ‘Abd Allah al-Sharif (d.1678), who had been a member of the Jazuliyya order, and unlike the others take their name not from their master or founder, but from the town in which they are based: Wazzan, located in the south-west of Morocco and founded by al-Sharif in the first half of the 17th Century, and which, according to Halima Baali-Cherif, “is considered sacred to this day”. It is known by many Moroccans as “Dar Dmana” (The Abode of Protection).

A note on public safety:

Several members of the audience commented to The View from Fez that they felt insecure because of the size of the crowd. While the Batha Museum is a fine venue, this evening it was unfortunately packed beyond its capacity. The overcrowding and the placing of last minute "reserved seats" in front of audience members who had come early to get a good vantage point, caused entire sections to reposition their seats. This resulted in the complete blocking of aisle and exits. Fortunately there was no incident that required their use, but it was a situation that was far beyond normal health and safety practices. Ticket sales are important, but so is the safety of the public. Note: See Abd Rahman's comment below this post.

Tomorrow: A great evening of Samaa at the Hotel Zalagh Parc Palace. Please note the event is sceduled to start at 8.30 pm


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Turkish Whirling Dervishes ~ Tariqa Khalwatiyya at Fez Sufi Festival

The Tariqa Khalwatiyya

Allah, Allah, Allah

Allah ya Mawlana

Allah, Allah, Allah

Bifadlika Kuli

The Tariqa Khalwatiyya is an Islamic Sufi brotherhood that, along with the Naqshbandi, Qadiri and Shadhili orders,is among the most famous Sufi orders. The order takes its name from the Arabic word khalwa, meaning “method of withdrawal or isolation from the world for mystical purposes". The Khalwati order is known for its strict ritual training of its dervishes and its emphasis on individualism.

The Khalwatiyya are based in Turkey. However, though Moroccan, and more generally North African, Sufism is characterised by the devolution of multiple brotherhoods over time from a small group of orders who brought Sufism to North Africa, principally the Qadiriyya, the Shadhiliyya and the Khalwatiyya themselves, there exist a great number of similar annexes in Turkey, including orders descended from all three of those just mentioned. Rather than shedding light on some fundamental historical difference between Moroccan and Turkish Sufism, therefore, the “originality” of the Khalwatiyya, in contrast to their Moroccan counterparts, appears largely coincidental. Their origin will be seen to have played a part in the uniqueness of their rituals in comparison to the other brotherhoods.

Having said all this, it should be reiterated that the Khalwatiyya have a very strong presence in North Africa, principally through the Tijaniyya annex, which is the largest tariqa in West Africa and whose founder, Ahmed al-Tijani (d.1815), lived and was buried in Fez. Indeed it was al-Tijani who was responsible for propagating the Khalwatiyya order, which he had encountered in Cairo on his way to Mecca to perform the Hajj, in the Maghreb.

In a further example of the inter-connectedness of the brotherhoods’ histories, Tijani had also been an initiate of the Wazzaniyya and the Qadiriyya. This reflects the widespread diffusion of the oldest Sufi orders throughout the lands of Islam, and demonstrates how no order should be considered indigenously “Moroccan”, their origins stretching back to the medieval Middle-East and Central Asia. Similarly, whilst we may talk of the “Turkish Khalwatiyya”, the fact is that they originated in Tabriz, in what is present-day Iran, their master the Persian speaking ‘Umar al-Khalwati (d.1398).

Sheik Fatih Nurallah

The Concert

The Tariqa gave Fez a night of dhikr wa Samāa, or prayer and contemplation, and much more besides.

The evening began with the brotherhood chanting in a semi-circle, and progressed to one of the most spectacular and beautiful of Sufi practices - the whirling dervishes. To watch them is to have a sense of suspension, as though they are almost levitating.

The Tariqa re-grouped and began their deep, drum-like chant, over-toned by a singer on stage. Then they rose and moved into a tight circle, rotating as the chanting intensified. They opened out, and three dancers ran into the centre, leaping, turning and tossing their hair in a wild and joyous display.

The circle formed again, and more acolytes came to join, as the audience rose to add their voices to the experience.

As a finale, individual roses were thrown into the audience; a fitting token for a moving and exciting event.

Festival Director Faouzi Skali embraces Sheik Fatih Nurallah

Coming Up

Tariqa Wazzaniyya

Friday at 9pm at the Batha Museum: Ali Keeler and the Al Firdaus Ensemble followed by samaa with the Tariqa Wazzaniyya - Harraqiyya

Words and photos: Suzanna Clarke. Additional material: Fitzroy Morrissey

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