Photographs for Rural Moroccans

If you ask anyone in a Western country what would they save if their house was on fire, after their children and pets, they usually say, "the family photographs". With modern technology, recording and sharing events is something many of us take for granted.

But for those in rural regions in developing countries, who don't have the means to take and print a photograph of their loved ones, the Prints for Prints project is a simple but effective means of doing so.

American photographer Heather Binns was part of a recent Prints for Prints workshop which visited a remote village, and she writes about her experiences.

"I was thrilled to be a part of an amazing photography workshop for teens a couple weeks ago in Outat El Haj, Morocco. Prints for Prints collaborated with the Peace Corps to put on a three day workshop covering basic photography techniques and history as well as incorporating the Prints for Prints mission.

We had twelve enthusiastic and inspiring students and an amazing team of instructors, translators and support staff. The first two days were filled with presentations and discussions on the history of photography, examples of the different categories of photography, and hands-on exercises including a field trip to the local souk (market) and a Photoshop demo.

The Print for Prints crew

On Day 3 we loaded up two vans with our whole crew (including our two fabulous cooks!) and headed up to Oulad Ali, a small mountain village about 45 minutes outside of Outat El Haj. It was time to put Prints to Prints in action with the students! We were hosted at a lovely little gite (hostel) that catered mainly to tourists on mountain treks – it was a great home base while we explored the village.

We split up in to teams of 4-5 students, one Prints for Prints photographer and a translator and headed out into the village. Each team had a small point and shoot camera, which the students had been practicing with for the last couple days and a Canon Selphy portable printer. The students took turns approaching villagers and offering to take their portrait and printing a copy for them. Things started out a little slow but pretty soon word spread and we had a steady stream of great portrait subjects.

My favorite was Aicha, an elderly woman who my team met while she was returning to her home. After one of the students explained the project, she posed for a photo and received her print. I will never forget her reaction (thankfully translated by Tosca, one of the awesome Peace Corps volunteers). She looked at her print and said “I have no teeth but it’s still beautiful” and was just beaming. Then she decided we needed to meet her family member (granddaughter or granddaughter) who was a teacher at the school up the hill. It was truly a great day and so fun to see the students really embrace and use all the skills they had learned, while spreading the joy of photography and the printed image.

Words and photos copyright Heather Binns. To see her website, CLICK HERE. 

To find out more about the Prints for Prints charity project, CLICK HERE. 

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Daylight Saving ~ Reminder to Change your Clocks!

Sunday 29th at 2am change clock to 3am

Details

29 Mar 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Starts
When local standard time is about to reach
Sunday, 29 March 2015, 02:00:00 clocks are turned forward 1 hour to
Sunday, 29 March 2015, 03:00:00 local daylight time instead.

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Fez Medina Cellphone Tower an Eyesore

While nobody objects to the improvements in communications infrastructure in Fez, there are questions being asked about the suitability of the placement and the design of the latest erection

'It's a monstrous eyesore", says Hamid, a local shop owner. 'It doesn't respect the surrounding Medina," says his friend Mustapha, a traditional stonemason.

The tower in question has just been erected in R'cif and though technically outside the Medina by a few metres, it certainly dominates the skyline.

Two engineers working at the top of the massive tower 

It is not the only tower in the area, but the one a hundred metres away above the old Cinema Amal is less intrusive.

The cellphone array above Cinema Amal

There are alternative ways to disguise cellphone towers, but given the scale of the R'cif tower, it is hard to imagine a lone palm tree tower looking much better!

Not a viable alternative for R'cif

The entire area around R'cif is undergoing renovation, restoration and improvement. The finished work will certainly improve this important entrance to the Fez Medina. It would be a pity if intrusions like this latest tower detract from the good work being done in the area.

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Sad Moroccan Footnote to Germanwings Tragedy

The news that the co-pilot of the Germanwings A320 is suspected of deliberately crashing the aircraft brought back memories of another tragedy in Morocco back on August 21, 1994.

During a Casablanca-Agadir flight, the pilot of an ATR-42 Royal Air Morocco deliberately crashed his plane in the Atlas mountains near Tizounine. The crash caused the death of 44 people on board, including four crew members and twenty foreigners. A son of the businessman Miloud Chaabi was among the victims.

The cockpit recorder indicated that the last words of the first officer were registering surprise that the captain had deviated from the flight plan to which the captain responded "die, die ...". The captain, Younes Khayati, was found to have been "disappointed in love".

Moroccan victims

A newly married Moroccan couple headed for a new life in Germany were on the Germanwings plane a relative said.

"Mohamed Ettahrioui, 24, and his bride, Asmae Ouahoud El Allaoui, 23, were killed" in Tuesday's crash of the Airbus A320 bound from the Spanish city of Barcelona to Dusseldorf in Germany, Abdelhalim al-Boujoufi, a cousin of the groom, told Agence France-Presse.

"They were married in Barcelona on Saturday with their families there," he said.

The Moroccan consul in Barcelona, Yassine Fares, told the country's Medias24 website the couple were about "to start their new married life" in the Dusseldorf area.

The bride had grown up in Spain while her groom lived the past four years in Germany, according to Moroccan media.

Search and rescue officers in the French Alps hope to identify Asmae El Allaoui from the henna she had applied for her wedding.

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Is Fez to Get an Artificial Beach?

Beachfront properties in Fez? It is a notion that most people with a sense of Morocco's geography would call ludicrous. Yet, if Hamid Chabat has his way, it could well become a reality

Say what you like about the mayor of Fez, one thing you have to admit, he has grand visions. Hamid Chabat is not only a mayor, he is also Secretary General of Al Istiqlal Party. This is the man who, back in October 2012, astonished the good folk of Fez by erecting a replica of the Eiffel Tower. However, public reaction to such a reminder of the previous colonial power, saw it demolished shortly after.

Then there was his plan to build a gigantic arch like France’s “Arc de Triomphe” (Arch of Triumph) at the entrance to the city of Fez on the road from Meknes Now it seems he is wanting to spend 100 million dirhams ($10,212,000 US) building an artificial beach in the city of Fez.

The Fez Eiffel Tower  - before being removed in November 2012

As Bladi.net commented at the time, "In Fez, where unemployment and poverty is one of the highest in Morocco, one wonders how a representative of the people can afford to spend public money to build unnecessary symbols that do not reflect in any way the identity of the ancient city."

Despite critics pointing out that education, healthcare and jobs are what the city needs, it appears Hamid Chabat is seriously determined to carry out his dream.

According to sources close to the mayor, the artificial beach will be built at Oued Fez and cover a total area of 22 hectares. The official website of the Fez City Council states that the water required will be brought from the rural commune of Ain Allah, which is administratively under the prefecture of Moulay Yacoub.

Sources revealed that access to the beach will be free and that women will have their own exclusive area.

Mayor Hamid Chabat - a man of big visions

The artificial beach project has been mooted since 2008, when Le Economiste ran a report about it, saying it would be fed from a source at Ain Sened, and would occupy an area of 70 ha which would include a golf course and a wetland area.

Back in 2014 Morocco World News questioned why such a large amount of money was being allocated to an artificial beach, "that is likely to have a negative environmental impact in terms of water usage, instead of striving to renovate and restore the historic and crumbling buildings in Fez that have a significant and a special place in the history of the Kingdom and in popular memory."

However, local business owner Hicham Tazi believes that both projects deserve attention. "Not one at the expense of the other," he says. "Fez is in desperate need of some cheering up. The artificial beach would be a welcome source of leisure activity and a way to keep cool in the hot summer weather. In addition more parks and gardens should be planned to balance the concrete build out in the growing urban city. But the medina restoration cannot suffer as a result."

The people of Fez appear to be somewhat bemused by the notion of a beach and are in no rush to buy "waterwings" or "floaties" for their children. There also seems to be no surge of investors wanting to purchase beachside frontage. As they say in the tabloids - "don't hold your breath".

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Morocco ~ Security Update

With recent events the region and in particular the attacks in Tunisia, Morocco has increased its security operations. And in a spectacular success just two days after it was officially set up, the Moroccan Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation or BCIJ have dismantled a major terrorist cell

Part of proactive counter-terrorism efforts, the newly set-up BCIJ (described as Morocco's FBI) arrested the alleged terrorist cell members who were operating in the cities of Agadir, Tangier, Laayoune, Boujaad, Tifelt, Marrakech, Taroudant, Ain Harouda and Eastern Laayoune.

While Moroccan security has an extremely good track record, the same can not be said for the Spanish occupied enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. According to the BCIJ the terrorist cell they dismantled had brought arms in through Melilla in order to carry out attacks for the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group.

Abdelhak Khiame

The cell was made up of 13 members aged between 19 and 37, most of them without primary school education, said Abdelhak Khiame, head of the BCIJ who told reporters that 440 rounds of ammunition, six pistols, 31 handcuffs and electronic equipment were seized at a cache near Agadir.

Moroccan authorities had been watching the suspects for over five months, but Abdelhak Khiame said that it was not yet clear if they were linked to cells in Europe.

For its part, Spain says it has dismantled several networks, particularly in Melilla and Ceuta, recruiting fighters for the Islamic State. The two enclaves, the only land borders between Africa and Europe, attract thousands of mostly sub-Saharan Africans trying to reach European countries.

The interior ministry said on Sunday the Moroccan cell was dismantled in a nationwide operation and that the arms seized were to have been used for a string of assassinations.

Large amount of ammunition

The announcement of the seizures and arrests followed last Wednesday's attack on the national museum in the capital of fellow North African state Tunisia, claimed by ISIS.

The Moroccan government is quoted by the official MAP news agency says,"The firearms and a large amount of ammunition was to be used to assassinate political, military and civilian figures."

It said members of the dismantled network had pledged allegiance to IS and vowed to target the Moroccan security forces and send recruits to fight in Syria and Iraq. According to official figures, between 1 500 and 2 000 Moroccans are fighting or have fought alongside jihadists in Iraq and Syria as well as in Libya.

Thirteen individuals were arrested in the dismantling operation of a terrorist cell operating in several Moroccan cities on Sunday, the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ), an offshoot of Morocco’s domestic intelligence agency (DGST) said.

The Director of the newly created BCIJ Abdelhak Khiame said at a press briefing in Salé. that the arrested individuals named their terrorist cell as “Wilayat Adawla Al Islamiya fi bilad Al Maghrib Al Aqsa – Ahfad Youssef Ibn Tachfin” (The Islamic State in the Western Maghreb – the descendants of Youssef Ibn Tachfin) and were scheming to launch a terrorist plan undermining the security and stability of the Kingdom.

The seized objects include six automatic pistols of different calibres, 8 computers which will later be analysed at the laboratory of the scientific and technical police, 2 hard discs, 3G modems, USB keys, 18 mobile phones, 14 SIM cards, binoculars, a camera, and CDs and DVDs.

Targeted: Amazigh and Secular activist, Ahmed Assid

The terrorist cell planned to assassinate many Moroccan politicians and public figures, including the Amazigh and Secular activist, Ahmed Assid. “Ahmed Assid was on the top of the cell’s targets,” Abdelhak Khiame said.

He went on to add that the terrorist cell was attempting to kill several Moroccan civil, political and military figures. The terrorist schemes included the perpetration of 119 bombings, the assassination of 109 personalities, seven kidnappings and 41 fire arm attacks, the BCIJ director said. He confirmed that the list of targets did not include any cabinet members but did not reveal the names of the other targets that were on the cell’s list because the investigations are still underway.

Some 132 terrorist cells have been busted by Moroccan security services over 2002-2015. Over the same period, dismantlement operations resulted in foiling 276 terrorist plans and the arrest of 2,720 individuals, he said.

As for Moroccan fighters within the ranks of terrorist groups, Khiame said that their number stand at 1,354 of whom 200 are former prisoners, 246 were killed in Syria and 40 in Iraq adding that 156 have returned to Morocco.

Khiame added that 185 women joined ISIS along with 135 children

Israeli authorities say Morocco is safe for Israeli tourists

The Israeli Bureau Against Terrorism, which is part of Israel's National Security Council, has issued a warning to Israelis intending to travel abroad on the eve of celebrations of Passover and the upcoming spring break.

The Bureau advises Israelis to avoid countries such as Turkey, Jordan, Kenya, Egypt or Nigeria. "The Israelis at present in these regions are warned to leave as soon as possible," says the Israeli Bureau. This warning,  sources say, is based on "solid and reliable information and tangible threats," and that the next Israeli holidays could be a pretext for terrorist attacks against Israel and Jewish targets.

Morocco, on the other hand is not included in the list as it is seen a a safe destination

Many Israelis traditionally travel abroad during the period which runs from the Jewish Passover (April 3 to 10) to the holiday of Shavuot (May 24).

Thankfully, Morocco remains a safe and welcoming tourist destination

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Morocco's Daylight Saving Schedule for 2015

Morocco is to set its clocks forward by one hour from March 29. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Civil Service and Modernisation (Ministère de la Fonction publique et de la modernisation de l’administration). The legal time in Morocco will be GMT +1 as of 2 am on the 29th of March

Daylight saving in Morocco is complicated by the advent of Ramadan, during which daylight saving is temporarily dropped.

Details

29 Mar 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Starts
When local standard time is about to reach
Sunday, 29 March 2015, 02:00:00 clocks are turned forward 1 hour to
Sunday, 29 March 2015, 03:00:00 local daylight time instead

13 Jun 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Ends
When local daylight time is about to reach
Saturday, 13 June 2015, 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to
Saturday, 13 June 2015, 02:00:00 local standard time instead

18 Jul 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Starts
When local standard time is about to reach
Saturday, 18 July 2015, 02:00:00 clocks are turned forward 1 hour to
Saturday, 18 July 2015, 03:00:00 local daylight time instead

25 Oct 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Ends
When local daylight time is about to reach
Sunday, 25 October 2015, 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to
Sunday, 25 October 2015, 02:00:00 local standard time instead

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Morocco's Language Debate Continues

According to a new survey conducted by news website Hespress, Moroccans are overwhelmingly in favour of replacing French with English in the Moroccan educational system.

Do you support that English language should replace the French language in Morocco?

Yes 35 705 (85.98%)
No 5821 (14.02%)
Number of participants: 41 526 -Hespress Survey

Of the more than 41,000 people who participated in the survey, only 14 percent said that French should remain the country’s first foreign language. People in favour of replacing French with English, on the other hand, pulled in a whopping 85.98 percent of the vote.

Moroccans have become more outspoken about the importance of switching the country’s education system from French to English. For the majority of them, as it is the case with the sample surveyed by Arabic-speaking news website Hespress, French is limiting their access to knowledge and economic opportunities. Even Moroccan officials have expressed on numerous occasions the importance of adopting English over French within the Moroccan educational system. For the head of government Abdelilah Benkirane, for instance, English is the language of today’s science, technology and commerce.

However, there are still people in Morocco who fiercely lobby for French to be kept as the first foreign language of the country. Their efforts have yielded results as the Supreme Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research is said to be reconsidering earlier recommendations to replace French with English in the Moroccan curriculum. The new recommendations, if adopted, will be included in the Supreme Council’s Strategic Report to be submitted to King Mohammed VI.

The council headed by Omar Azziman, an advisor to King Mohammed VI, is said to have ordered the formation of a sub-committee to review the proposal of replacing French with English, a proposal already hailed as the right move by many members of the Council’s Permanent Committee on Curriculum, Programs, Training and Teaching tools in earlier sessions.


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Casa Fashion Show 2015 Brings Out the Stars

The 6th edition of the Casa Fashion Show will feature many international stars, including Tonya Kinzinger, Helene Segara and Estelle Lefebure

The event takes place on Saturday, March 28, at the Casablanca Sofitel. Industry insiders tell The View from Fez that it is not to be missed!

This year, the major fashion houses will be part of an unforgettable show. The list is impressive: Roberto Cavalli, Emporio Armani, Versace, Philipp Plein, Marco Bologna, Balmain, Christophe Guillarmé, Pinko, Pronovias, Etro, and more.

On the catwalk will be 23 models before an audience including stars such as Helene Segara and Natasha St-Pier; both guests of honour and who will sing on this occasion.


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Creative Way to Start Libraries ~ Exchange a Book for a Concert Ticket

The novel idea of exchanging a book for a concert ticket is a concept dreamed up by Boultek in Casablanca. Named Dekhla b'ktab, the event takes place on on April 5th

Attend a concert and do a good deed at the same time is the idea of ​​Dekhla b'ktab ("entry with a book"), concert organised by the Boultek installed in the basement of the Casablanca Technopark . To attend the event, you must give a book. All books collected will be used to establish libraries in remote regions of Morocco.

The strategy has already proved its effectiveness. "Two libraries have already been installed with this concept, a Outat El Haj (region of Fez Boulemane) and another in a village near Guelmim," says Hamza Hachlaf, member of the rap group L'Bassline, who have invited 3 other groups to give free performances. "The idea is to make culture a social action lever," says the vocalist of L'Bassline.

L’Bassline (“The Misbehaved”) is one of the few hip-hop bands that aren’t inclined to mince their words. Formed in the conservative city of Fes in 2010, l’Bassline first became well-known for their single “Chayllah Système” in 2012

The other groups are scheduled include Kafline, who will open the concert, and Al Nasser. The programming and the concept are intended seduce fans of the Moroccan underground rap scene. It appears to work, despite minimal promotion. The first event was attended by more than 300 people.

Dekhla b'ktab, Boultek Technopark, Casablanca. April 5 at 16h.

Meanwhile, the new Medina Children's Library in Fez is booming! They are currently seeking donations for future improvements and running costs. Find out more here: Medina Children's Library

The Fez Medina Children's Library - can you help?

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The 30th Marathon des Sables Begins April 5th

The Marathon des Sables - the toughest marathon in the world - begins on April 5th.

The marathon is in reality a multi-day ‘ultra-marathon’ or ‘ultra’ run in six days over a course of around 250 km. 

Some 1500 competitors are expected to take part in in 50 degree Celsius heat and with a backpack containing their food and camping equipment.

The actual routes and formats change every year. The Race Director and his team spend a month meticulously planning routes that are held secret until the day before the event starts.

Started in 1986 by Patrick Bauer, the race is now in its 30th consecutive year and continues to grow in popularity every edition. Places are much sought after, but those who do make it to the start line are richly rewarded. Under the scorching Moroccan sun, life-long friendships are fostered through a shared experience of unforgettable days spent running across saltpans, up desert-mountains, through ruined towns and through the occasional sand storm.

The Marathon des Sables is open to individuals and teams of individuals, amateur and elite runners. With runners coming from all over the world, the MdS is a truly international event that has a positive impact on the local environment and in local communities. Through the MdS foundation Solidarite, runners have raised funds to help hundreds of families through education and improve their quality of life.

The British team will also include a famous name. Sir Ranulph Fiennes (GBR-D271) is undoubtedly one of the greatest explorers of the twentieth century.

The first man to reach the north and south poles by land, first person to cross the Antarctic entirely by foot, the holder of numerous endurance records and a prolific writer, he will be on the start line of the 30th SULTAN MARATHON DES SABLES.

His target is to raise 2.5 million pounds (3.5 million euro) for the British Marie Curie Foundation, which provides support and care for those affected by terminal illness.

Sir Fiennes has championed several great causes over the years, and has set himself the goal of raising 20 million pounds (28 million euro) during his lifetime (he has 3 million pounds to go). Trained by Rory Coleman (who has clocked up 10 MDS and over 800 marathons!), 71-year-old Sir Fiennes hopes to be the oldest Brit to cross the finish line.

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Horse Whispering in Fez

A recent visit to Fez by famed French horse whisperer Jean-Francois Pignon offered local mule owners a different way of working with their animals

Brought to Morocco by the American Fondouk, Mr Pignon has an extraordinary reputation for communicating with the most difficult of horses. Since 1991, he has held spectaculars in arenas worldwide, featuring horses guided by him using a silent language of trust.

For Director of the American Fondouk, Dr Gigi Kay, the hospital for working equids in the Fez Medina, seeing Mr Pignon's methods changed the way she worked with horses, mules and donkeys. "I saw Jean-Francois a few years ago and his show was so amazing, I realised I had been working with horses all my life, and I hadn't understood how fully you can communicate with them."

"Then in May 2014, I did a workshop with him, and he showed us his technique."

Usually Mr Pignon is highly paid to perform and teach, however, he offered to come to Morocco free of charge to assist local mule owners.

The mules and donkeys of the Fez Medina are a hardworking bunch of older animals, that can be relied upon not to kick fellow pedestrians. The source of their owners' very modest income, they spend their days labouring up and down the narrow alleys carrying large loads. They are generally unused to kindness, as they are not pets.

"I don't expect them to take on Jean-Francois's techniques, but I do want owners to see their mules more as a partner and less as a machine...to inject a little love into the partnership," said Dr Kay.

When one work-worn mule met Mr Pignon, it first ignored him. "The mule seemed zoned out. It had obviously worked so hard and it was old, used to a difficult life. But the animal was still able to respond to him."

After twenty minutes of guidance and kindness, the aged mule followed him around. The mule owners were astonished and, as one giving voice to all their thoughts said, "Look, it's following him like a dog'."

After the demonstration, Dr Gigi Kay overheard more than one mule owner saying, "He's so soft; we are too hard on our mules."

The mule owners had plenty to think and talk about

Visitors are welcome at the Fondouq. 

See the animals and have a close look at the interactions between the team of vets, technicians and the owners of the animals. Drop-in visitors are always welcome as well. We suggest you arrive in the morning. Also visit their website HERE

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