Moroccan Photo of the Day - Fez Medina

Photo of the Day is the early morning view over the Fez Medina by Suzanna Clarke 

"Going onto the terrace at any time of day reminds me of why we choose to live here," says Suzanna. "All you can hear are the birds singing, occasionally donkeys braying, the odd sheep bleating and the call to prayer. It's magic." 

(Click image to enlarge)

Suzanna Clarke is the Features editor of The View From Fez, and has been a professional photographer and writer for more than twenty years. 

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AiR Artisan Residency: Success in Sefrou

Last Friday and Saturday the culmination of a month's work by 10 international artists was on show in Sefrou. Organised by Jess Stephens of Culture Vultures, the artists have been resident as part of the AiR Artisan project 

During September, the artists have worked with local artisans to produce artwork ranging from videos to jewellery, embroidery using human hair, to furniture made from recycled garbage.

Visitors to the exhibition, held on September 26 and 27, included curious locals, city councillors, students and others who had travelled from Fez to see what the artists had been working on. Held in an ancient fondouk in the heart of the Sefrou medina, visitors wandered around the studios and chatted with the artists and each another, while musicians such as jazz guitarist Barry Glick (pictured right) and oud player Hamza El Faski added a laid back atmosphere to the occasion.

As well as the open studios at the fondouk, there were two other spaces nearby featuring a video, as well as a small gallery with two contemporary carpets on display, created as part of the project.

The 10 artists involved in the residency hail from a diverse range of countries. They were Catherine Wilson from Australia, who created a video installation; Hidemi Tokutake, a ceramicist from Japan; Camilia Hall, a designer and artist from Australia; Wilhemina Garcia from the Philippines, an interior designer and social entrepreneur; Alexandra Schmidt from the USA, a radio documentary maker who also works with experimental audio art; Sonia Hamza from France, who works with photography and textiles; Ayano Nishimura from Japan, who creates textile installations; Lisa Bornholdt from Germany, who does installations based on interior architecture; Lucia Perluck, from the USA, who does jewellery, and Fatma Gültas from Germany/Turkey, who works with architecture and philosophy to make installations

Interior designer and social entrepeneur Wilhemina Garcia from the Philippines

Wilhemina worked with local youth from the Dar Shabab

 Philippino interior designer and social entrepeneur, Wilhemina Garcia, involved young people from a local youth centre, or Dar Shabab, in collecting garbage from along the river banks in Sefrou. On the day they did so, a number of other locals joined in enthusiastically.

"We collected a mountain of stuff, and then sorted through it," Wilhemina says. They did an analysis of what the rubbish consisted of. It was mostly different kinds of plastic - and created a pie chart - see below. Working with a local artisan, Wilhemina and the young people cleaned the plastic rubbish, then twisted it into twine that was used to create different kinds of seating.

"I hope that Morocco keeps going with these kinds of environmental initiatives," Wihemina says. "They could really use it." 

Analysis of the rubbish which was collected along the river in Sefrou during the project

Furniture made with twine from the recycled plastic garbage

Another artist participating in the project was Ayano Nishimura from Japan. Inspired by traditional Moroccan embroidery, she used her own hair as thread to create a beautiful border along a piece of fabric.

Ayano Nishimura from Japan

The month long residency proved highly successful, both from an artistic point of view and through interaction with local artisans. Friendships were forged and new skills learned. It was fascinating for the visitors to see the range of what had been created.

The next AiR Artisan residency will be held in March. Details on their blog - link below.

Hamza El Faski entertains the locals

Jess Stephens from Culture Vultures, who organised the residency

See our previous story on AiR Artisan CLICK HERE

For info on AiR Artisan residencies, see the Culture Vultures blog CLICK HERE 

Story and photos by Suzanna Clarke

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Moroccan Photo of the Day ~ Jake Warga

Todays Photo of the Day is a dramatic capturing of a storm over the town of Azrou as seen from Ifrane

(Click on images to enlarge)

The photographer, Jake Warga ,is from Seattle. He is a professional photographer, journalist and instructor who fell in love with Morocco while working on a photo assignment for the Morocco Tourism Bureau. His photos are represented by Corbis and Getty Images, and a multimedia series Faces of Africa was exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum. He teaches photography and filmmaking and holds a masters in Visual Anthropology from the University of London. Jake has traveled to over 50 countries for various assignments and personal curiosity.

Jake has been featured on The View from Fez several times in our Photo of the Day series. He is also the man behind the wonderful artisan series - a story we ran back in May 2013 (see it here).

See more of our Photo of the Day series here

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A New Moroccan Cookbook

Moroccan Cuisine from Mother to Daughter by Touria Agourram is expected in bookstores on October 2. The book is published by Albin Michel

Touria Agourram sets out 210 recipes and variations that have been transmitted from generation to generation of Moroccan daughters and mothers. In the book, prefaced by Fatima Mernissi, the author pays tribute to her mother and grandmother and points out that Moroccan women are custodians of the creative genius of this artistic and culinary skill.

Expressive, friendly and generous, the cookbook reveals the profusion of flavours and colours in  Moroccan cuisine. Each region has its own character and its specialties: the Southern and Berber recipes (mashed dried beans, semolina soup with caraway), the bittersweet nuances of the medinas of Marrakech (green salad with pears and walnuts, Harira pigeon) and Fez (grated carrot salad with orange, Lamb Tagine with quince), the freshness of the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts (stuffed with dates and almonds Fish, fish pastilla), not to mention the figs with honey, the horns of a gazelle, the Café Spice, Baklaoua ... and more.

In many countries or regions, cooking is an art long remained mere oral tradition, passed down from generation to generation. This book revives this culinary heritage and reminds us that the kitchen is also about love.

 Touria Agourram served as communications officer (public relations, press advertising) in the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) for more than 30 years and director of tourist offices in the Benelux Morocco between 1984 and 1988.

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Security in Morocco - Intercepting Daesh (ISIS) Militants

Authorities have tightened security at Mohammed V airport, expecting the return of Moroccan jihadists who joined the so-called Islamic State.

Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport is the busiest airport in Morocco, with a traffic of around 8 million passengers each year.

According to a security sources quoted in the Arabic daily Al Massae, "45 Moroccan jihadists affiliated with the Islamic state are intending to  infiltrate Morocco with fake passports".  Security at the airport has been strengthened in every area from passport control and baggage and through to thorough checking of people travelling on European visas.

It is understood that the authorities know the names of the 45 jihadists and that international arrest warrants have been issued.

The jihadists are said to have expertly forged Moroccan passports or sophisticated biometric passports with fake Moroccan visas.

Morocco invests in hi-tech security satellites

Morocco takes security very seriously and has just invested $500 million with two French companies for the purchase of two satellites. The news was apparently not warmly welcomed by some of Morocco's neighbours.

The news first circulated in the French media and despite there being no confirmation from Moroccan officials, a magazine, published this month by the Spanish Armed Forces, reports the acquisition by Morocco of two spy satellites acquired from French companies Thales and Airbus Space System

This new acquisition is  significant because of the capacity of two satellites for precision surveillance and high quality imaging.

Unsurprisingly, the Algerian newspaper AlKhabar, which has close links to the Algerian military, was not impressed and claimed the systems were purchased to spy on Algeria.

Morocco is only he second Arab country to adopt this type of ultra sophisticated satellite after the United Arab Emirates.

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Morocco Ramps Up Border Security

Military forces in Morocco have been increased on the border with Algeria, where yesterday a French citizen was beheaded by an Islamist group affiliated with ISIS

The Royal Gendarmerie has strengthened its positions at several border points in the south of Morocco, especially in the provinces of Smara, Laayoune and Dakhla, says Morocco World News. 

According to the Moroccan daily Al Massae, the General Command of the Royal Gendarmerie deployed reinforcements in the southern provinces aiming to increase the security at the kingdom’s borders with Algeria, after a jihadist group announced its allegiance to ISIS in Algeria.

The same source added that in addition to these measures, the Moroccan authorities are regularly carrying helicopter patrols along the borders to prevent any jihadists’ attempt from creeping into the Moroccan territories.

In response to the growing terrorist threats from the Sahel region, Morocco built 70-kilometer long fence equipped with electronic sensors to protect its territory against terrorist threats.

Herve Gourdel, 55, who was killed in Algeria 

The Algerian group “Jund al-Khilafa”, called Soldiers of the Caliphate, which pledges allegiance to the jihadist organization of the Islamic State (IS), kidnapped a French citizen, Herve Gourdel, aged 55, on Sunday September 21, in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria. Yesterday the group killed Mr Gourdel, 55, after its deadline for France to halt air strikes on ISIS in Iraq ran out.

French President Francois Hollande condemned the killing as a "cruel and cowardly" act.

He said that French air strikes which began on ISIS targets in Iraq last week would continue.

Speaking at the UN general assembly, Mr Hollande said that Mr Gourdel's abduction and decapitation was a barbaric act of terrorism which presented a problem not only for the region but also for the world.

He said the fight against terrorism should know no borders and that France was now in mourning.

For more on this, see Morocco World News and BBC News.


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Agadir Opens School in English

Last year the Minister of Higher Education, Lahcen Daoudi, said that English was the way of the future, and schools across Morocco should be adopting it. Now a new Moroccan School has opened in Agadir, teaching in English

The Moroccan School is the first to use Moroccan and an Anglo-Saxon school program in English, according to Colin Kilkelly for Morocco World News. Classes for the primary school are in session for the 2014-2015 academic year.

The school’s Director of Academic Affairs, Fatima Iffsate, began working on the project 3 years ago. The school opened at the same time as the launch of the international baccalaureate in Morocco.

The Moroccan school’s goal is to strengthen the local education infrastructure by introducing new technologies and techniques that meet international standards and enable students to find high-level employment in line with their academic achievements, in order to prepare them as a capable future generation.

As reported by Medias24, The Moroccan School in Agadir has high quality facilities. Its building has five stories and is 9, 500 sq meters. There are interactive white boards in all classrooms and an intranet system so that teachers can communicate with each other, the administration, and students’ parents. The school has an innovative approach with a music room, theatre, art gallery, library, sports ground, and a prayer room.

To see the full article, CLICK HERE.

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Eid is coming ~ and so is commercialisation

Eid al-kabir (also called Eid al-Adha) is one of the two most important Islamic festivals, Eid al-kabir begins on the 10th day of Dhu'l-Hijja, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Lasting for three days, it occurs at the conclusion of the annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid al-kabir, not simply those undertaking the hajj. Sadly, there are some countries where the character of Eid is changing

The huge sheep souk in Fez

In Morocco Eid is a time for families

Eid in Fez is a festival that brings families together and is centred around the sacrifice of a sheep and the sharing of food. It is a time of joy, celebration and sharing.

However, in some countries, commercial interests have taken Eid as a time to maximise profits and boost local businesses. For years Christians around the world have lamented the commercialisation of festivals such as Christmas and Easter. Now the signs are that Eid may be heading down that path.

In Dubai, the DFRE (Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, have announced the dates for what they are calling "The Eid in Dubai Festival".

The festival will run for seventeen days and appears to have little to do with the traditional religious festival as we know it.

In Fez and other parts of Morocco the first indications that Eid is coming are the appearance of street sellers offering sheep food and hay and the opening of the large souks selling sheep and goats. Going to the souk and haggling over a sheep is an important moment followed by the struggle to get your sheep home, up the stairs and into your house.

There will be fireworks

It is a different story in Dubai. The Eid in Dubai Festival makes no mention of sheep. It does however promise Eid fireworks on Kite Beach beginning October 2nd and running through until October 11th. In addition they are offering concerts by Australia's Top Ten Tenors and Circo Boom, a comedy circus, who will perform a series of 45 minute shows.

There will be a number of other activities and shows during this period such as the Rotana and Layali concerts, a theatrical performance of Aladdin and a hindi theatrical performance of Ismat Apa Ke Naam.

Children will enjoy the Sesame Street performances and fashion followers can quench their thirst for fashion at the next season of Fashion Forward. The fellows can look forward to the aptly named Big Boys Toys exhibition.

Comedian Wonho Chung and Max Amini bring in the laughs for the season with their very own comedy shows in Dubai.

Laila Suhail, CEO of DFRE, is quite unabashed about the commercialism. "We are delighted to bring to our residents and tourists a distinct agenda of exciting events and activities, in addition to an array of fantastic promotions that are set to further enrich their experiences of Dubai, highlighted by the city's iconic landmarks, leisure and entertainment attractions," she says. She goes on to point out that annual festivals like Eid in Dubai continue to play a pivotal role in strengthening the retail and tourism sectors. It also helps towards remarkable growth in sales at the shopping malls and shopping centres.

Shopping is a big thing in Dubai and during the Eid Festival shoppers can "look forward to a world-class shopping experience with the leading malls and shopping centres extending shopping hours throughout the 17 days of festivities".

Photograph of  sheep on Mt Zalagh by Jearld F Moldenhauer,

courtesy Dar Balmira Gallery, Gzira Fes Medina. 

Meanwhile, back in Morocco, the sheep are getting nervous.

At its heart Eid is a reminder of Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael in obedience to a command from God. The occasion serves as a reminder to all Muslims that they should submit to God and be prepared to sacrifice anything that God wishes. It has little to do with shopping and fireworks.

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Artists and Artisans On Show This Week

The results of the AiR Artisan month long artists' residencies come to fruition this week. On Tuesday a round table discussion about artisanship will be held in Fez, while on Friday and Saturday, ten international female artists will have their work on show in Sefrou

Artwork by Australian artist Camilla Hall

During September, the AiR Artisan project, initiated by Jess Stephen's Culture Vultures, saw ten female artists from Spain to Japan take up residencies to develop their artistic work. The program they pursued involved academic presentations, art workshops, regional visits and introductions to a wide network of crafts people.

The artists were encouraged to immerse themselves in the community, and offered the opportunity to create work in the medina of Sefrou. On Friday September 26, from 3 - 6 pm, and on Saturday September 27 from 11 - 6 pm, their studios will be open to the public, who can explore what they have created.

Australian interior designer Camilla Hall says she has gained a lot from the residency, and finds Morocco fascinating. "It’s an ever changing and evolving pattern, constructed with complex diversity. This ‘geometry’ of life, here in Morocco, is subtly evolving.’

The round table discussion on Tuesday from 5 pm, on present and future artisanship in Fez, will be led by the son of a craftsman, Hamza El Fasiki. He will facilitate thoughts and perspectives from artisans and their supporters.


What: AiR Artisan Open Studios
When: Fri September 26 (3 - 6 pm) & Sat Sept 27 (11 - 6pm)
Where: Sefrou Medina

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Strike Across Morocco on Tuesday

A nationwide strike to be held on Tuesday September 23, involving public service employees, will cause major disruptions across Morocco

"The police will be on strike, so it would be wise to stay off the streets," said Fez local, Si Mohamed Abdellaoui.

As well as government offices, universities will also be closed. The National Union of Higher Education has called on all officials to observe the strike from September 23 to 25.

The General Union of Workers of Morocco (UGTM) voted to participate at a meeting on September 12.

“This is our way of saying ‘no’ to the government’s decision to keep employees in higher education in their positions after they are 60 years old [the age of retirement in Morocco],” said Abdelhamid Fatihi, head of the Democratic Labor Federation (FDT), at a press conference.

The austerity policy implemented by the government, and subsequent price rises of staples including oil, water and electricity has also been cited as a reason for the strike, as well as the government's decision to reform the pension system. The UGTM and FDT claim that the changes will result in a reduction of nearly 30% of pensions.

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The Fez French Institute Presents a Lecture...

An adaptation of Street Thieves  - the novel by Mathias Enard

Thursday, September 18 at 17:30
Mediatheque French Institute Fez

Free admission 

The company manufactures Small Utopias

During this residency, BRUNO THIRCUIR, director, who has to his credit several plays, confronts the world of Mathias Énard, pacing the maze of stories of a young Moroccan Tangier, a boy with no history, just too eager for freedom. This is "The street thieves" An adventure novel - the tragic adventure of today's world.

Representation
Adapted and directed by Bruno Thircuir
Mathias Énard, Street thieves - Stage design François Gourgues
Francis Mimoun music - Lakhdar distribute in Morocco
Bassam Alphonse Atacolodjou - Judith Isabelle Gourgues
The mortician Jean-Luc Harvest - Video Aisha Ayoub and Latifa Idmassaou

Residence: September 12 to 20 in Dar Batha.
The show will then tour the network of the French Institute of Morocco in September-October 2015. 

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Lecture: The Hammam in Moroccan Culture

Naima Lahbil, celebrates the survival of the hammam

The hammam has a vital place in everyday Moroccan culture and experience. Join Naima Lahbil, Moroccan Professor of Economics and current consultant with ADER Fez on the HAMMAMED project, who will discuss its importance on Thursday at 6.20 pm 

Professor Lahbil has long been a champion of the cultural and historic heritage of Fez Medina and worked with UNESCO and the World Bank on many projects.

The HAMMAMED project is working to restore and maintain the architectural and historic integrity of some of the most significant hammams in the medina.

This public lecture will give those who attend an insight into the Moroccan hammam experience, as well as an opportunity to learn more about the direction and goals of the historic restoration projects in Fez.

When: Thursday September 18 at 6.20 pm
Where: ALC-ALIF Annex Auditorium
22 Rue Mohamed Diouri
Ville Nouvelle, Fez

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Essaouira Fights Back Against Royal Air Maroc Decision

Essaouira is at the centre of a dispute between Royal Air Maroc (RAM) and the Moroccan Office of Tourism. The decision by RAM to end the three flights a week between Paris and Essaouira has caused an uproar and the city is not taking it lightly. The Paris -Essaouira link had been running for ten years.

A conference on Saturday, organized by the Governor of the Province, brought together a wide range of important figures for a a briefing on the future of flights to Essaouira and the measures proposed by the Moroccan National Office of Tourism (ONMT).

Among those attending were Abderrafie Zouiten, CEO of ONMT,  tourism industry representatives, hotel owners, leisure providers, and restaurant owners.

From the local government sector were the Governor of the Province of Essaouira, the Provincial Delegate of Tourism in Essaouira, President of the Municipal Council of Essaouira, the Provincial Delegate of culture and, importantly, André Azoulay, the adviser of His Majesty Mohammed VI and a fervent ambassador for the city.

Ironically, it was only a couple of weeks ago that The View from Fez reported on the tourism boom in Essaouira (See story here; Boom Town).  The city has long been one of Morocco's iconic cities and a destination popular with fans of Gnawa music who gather in their thousands for the annual Gnawa Festival.

The Paris-Essaouira link provided by RAM has been removed as, according to the airline, it was no longer profitable.  At least 17 unprofitable routes were removed by RAM as part of its restructuring plan in 2011 which resulted in early retirement for more than 2,000 employees.

An official of RAM, quoted by The Economist, said,  'We kept this route until now so as not to cause disruption. In addition, for tourism considerations, we did not want to reduce arrivals'.

There is also another reason. Transavia, the low cost subsidiary of the Air France group, has two weekly flights to Essaouira from Orly at very attractive rates that RAM says it can not match. 'The real problem lies not in commercial competition,' says RAM, 'The French company is subsidized by the ONMT whereas RAM is not '.  A source close to the CEO of the RAM, Driss Benhima, says, 'the opening of this line by a French company is subsidized by a Moroccan public body worsens the deficit of RAM on this route.'

After going through a restructuring programme imposed by the State, at a time when the airline was in financial difficulties, RAM was able to improve its finances and by 2013 had record his first post-restructuring profits. In late June, the company reported net profit of 168 million DH in 2013, and an operating profit of 789 million dirhams, an increase of 10% and a total turnover of 13.38 billion dirhams, including 12.42 million dirhams in the transport business. RAM exceeded 'the goals of the program contract signed with the government in September 2011,' said a company statement. About 6 million passengers were transported in 2013, down 3% compared to 2012.

"Essaouira has staked everything on tourism. Large public and private investments are at stake, not to mention the social aspect that is linked to the economic. Tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs are related to tourism" ~  Redwane Khane, President of the Essaouira-Mogador Association

At Saturday's meeting in Essaouira Mr Zouiten reassured tourism operators that RAM's closure of the route was a management decision and had nothing to do with the attractiveness of the city itself.

In the meantime the good news was that Transavia will launch two additional flights between Paris and Essaouira from 1 November 2014 and in April 2015 the London-Essaouira sector will be serviced by Easyjet with 2 weekly flights.

Other projects are under consideration, including a direct bus connection between the airport of Marrakech and Essaouira  so that passengers could land in Marrakech as a stopover before going on to Essaouira. Negotiations with RAM are also underway for the creation of a flight between Casablanca and Essaouira. There are also discussions with ONDA (National Airports Authority) for exemption from some airport taxes.


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