The Gnawa Lions by Christopher Witulski - Review

Christopher Witulski's book, The Gnawa Lions is the result of extensive research and immersion in the the world of Morocco's gnawa culture. It should be essential reading for ethnomusicologists. At the same time the style and content is such that it is easily accessible to a wider audience - especially those with a desire to delve deeper into Moroccan culture

In the book the balance between the academic discourse and vignettes of Witulski's experiences sit happily together.  Witulski was fortunate to be invited into the inner circles of both gnawa and Sufi brotherhoods, not just as a researcher, but also as a performer. The resulting book is a fine contribution that explores a world not readily available to a casual visitor to Morocco.

Traditionally gnawa musicians in Morocco played for all-night ceremonies where communities gathered to invite spirits to heal mental, physical, and social ills untreatable by other means. Now gnawa music can be heard on the streets of Marrakech, at festivals in Essaouira, in Fez’s cafes, in Casablanca’s nightclubs, and in the bars of Rabat. As it moves further and further from its origins as ritual music and listeners seek new opportunities to hear performances, musicians are challenged to adapt to new tastes while competing for potential clients and performance engagements.

Christopher Witulski explores how gnawa musicians straddle popular and ritual boundaries to assert, negotiate, and perform their authenticity in this rich ethnography of Moroccan music. Witulski introduces readers to gnawa performers, their friends, the places where they play, and the people they play for. He emphasises the specific strategies performers use to define themselves and their multiple identities as Muslims, Moroccans, and traditional musicians. The Gnawa Lions reveals a shifting terrain of music, ritual, and belief that follows the negotiation of musical authenticity, popular demand, and economic opportunity.

“Christopher Witulski’s focus on musicians’ lives, including their multiple musical, interpersonal, and ideological interactions and encounters, provides a welcome and important perspective that captures the reality of lived experience, complete with its complexities and contradictions. It is a highly perceptive account that never strays far from the ethnographic experience.” — Richard Jankowsky, author of Stambeli: Music, Trance, and Alterity in Tunisia.

The Gnawa Lions can be purchased online HERE

Christopher Witulski is an instructor of ethnomusicology at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. In the past he has been a correspondent for The View From Fez.

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Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day Morocco!  2 mars 1956. Bonne fête d’indépendance de bladna

March 2nd, 1956 was officially the end of the French protectorate in the kingdom. During the reign of Mohammed V, as King of Free Morocco and Sultan, Independence Day was celebrated on that date. It was under Hassan II that there was the change that still prevails today despite attempts to honor this day in 2011.

March 2, 1956 is a date almost forgotten in Morocco. And yet it officially acts the recovery of sovereignty of the kingdom after 44 years of French tutelage. That day, the page of the French Protectorate was officially turned with the end of the Treaty of Fez concluded March 30, 1912. An event that had crowned more than a week of negotiations between King Mohammed V and the President of the French Council, Guy Mollet. Under the reign of the late monarch, Moroccans used to celebrate Independence Day on March 2nd.

It was only with the accession to the throne of Hassan II on March 3, 1961, that the change occurred. A context that prevails until today. Textbooks, the media, the administration and the majority of political parties have all contributed to anchoring this change in the memory of generations since the 1950s.

November 18, chosen to celebrate the independence of Morocco, also remains an important date in the history of the kingdom. Two days after his return from exile, on November 16, 1955, first in Corsica and then in Madagascar, the sultan pronounced a memorable speech to the nation. In front of a jubilant crowd, he said he was fully determined to recover all areas still under French, Spanish and international control (Tangier, ed). From 1927 to 1961, Moroccans commemorated the accession of Mohammed V's throne every November 18.


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Photo Essay - The Tradesmen of Tangier

Notes from Tradesmen in Tangier - a photo essay by Mohamed Zefzaf

Here are glimpses of tradesmen in Tangier, Morocco. Though unknown, the, like millions of their counterparts around the world, make our daily life better for their skills, their dedication, and a rare and earthy appreciation for living in the present moment. Most of them spend their entire existence in splendid obscurity. They are hardly recognised, much less celebrated. In this digitally globalised world, these good people are left behind, without the salaries or rights, equal to the true value of their labor. It is among these salt of the earth folks that one finds fraternity and wisdom. The fruit of their work is not cloud-based, but can be seen, and touched. It is true, and makes a difference.

Youssef

 

I want to make people’s home what they wanted it to be. I am just here to help-that is my work.

Youssef, upholster 32, of Youssef Décor at B’ni Makada-a perfectionist, full of life, with a penchant for Briouats and ketchup, working his way slowly, steadily, and honestly.  

Ayyad

Ayyad, 54-also known as the Boss: nominally a plasterer, but really a jack-of-all-trades; a man of skills and a bon vivant.

My best reward is to see my customers happy-then, I am happy too.

Anis & Adil

 When people call us, most have tried everything themselves. So we are the last resort. We love to see their faces when we actually fix their appliances. For us, the challenge of the work is in finding a solution to a problem. We’re logical people.

Anas 19, and Adil, 38, repair technicians, with a mentor-disciple relationship; they ride around Tangier in a motorcycle, often forgetting to wear their helmets. They fix all sorts of appliances, from leaking faucets to wash machines, and everything in between.

Si Ahmed

There’s order in masonry; there’s precision and alignment. It is practically following nature. I am a simple Moroccan man, I just build homes for people, and my work is honest and lasting. It will be around for hundreds of years.

Si Ahmed, mason, 54: a man of precise habits, mathematical in nature and a veteran of the Moroccan Army.

Abdelhadi

 It’s not easy, but the only way I understand how to make progress is to work hard. I want to see my children have a good future in this Morocco of ours. Despite all, I am an optimist. For me, that is the way to be.

Abdelhadi: 37, House painter, a father of three, making a journey in this life.  

Edited comments and Photos by M. Zefzaf

Mohamed Zefzaf is a Professor of English & Storyteller at the Massachusetts Bay Community College/USA

THE VIEW FROM FEZ WELCOMES CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OUR READERS 

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Moroccan Judaism ~ A Lecture and Documentary

What was once a key part of Moroccan culture and society is now on the way to being forgotten. There is much confusion and even resentment caused by the massive Jewish immigration to Israel and many people now confuse terms such as Judaism and Zionism. This confusion and lack of information has caused many people to forget or to even look negatively on a people who were once their neighbours and a culture that is even now intricately a part of their own. This film seeks to resolve the confusion and to educate people about this history of a culture which cannot be separated from Moroccan culture as a whole.

"My Neighbour...the Jew”

"My Neighbour...the Jew” highlights Muslim-Jewish relations in Morocco. Muslims in Morocco talk about their Jewish neighbours in a very nostalgic manner, and Jews remember Muslims as good neighbours and friends. The Jewish interviewees are strongly attached to their roots and history in Morocco, which they are not willing to give up. The title accentuates the concept of “neighbour,” which echoes the message of the documentary. The neighbour in both Islam and Judaism, as well as in the Moroccan culture, is almost hallowed. The Hebrew Bible says "Love thy neighbour as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18). There is a Hadith narrated by the Prophet of Islam that states "The best neighbour in Allah's estimation is the one who is best to his neighbour" (Al-Tirmidhi, Number 1287), and the famous Moroccan proverb "Choose your neighbour before your house."

This lecture, organised by the ALC-ALIF Cultural Heritage Club, is free and open to the general public.

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The History Behind the Famous Tazi Brush

There are very few plastic objects that have achieved such fame as the Tazi brush. This seemingly simple invention is now found world-wide, but few know its Moroccan origins

 It would be difficult to find a Moroccan home without at least one of these brushes.  Despite its rather basic appearance the Tazi brush has become a cult object! Since it was first released onto the market in 1954 it has sold more than 400 million pieces and currently sells around 12 million a year. Around the world it as been pirated, copied and mass-produced. Looking through the souqs of Fez, The View From Fez  even found one labelled "Made in Australia" and with no mention of the Tazi name.

The man behind the Tazi brush was an extraordinary Moroccan inventor, Abdelaziz Tazi, who died this week (October 10th). He was 91.

Abdelaziz Tazi

Born in 1926 in Fez, Abdelaziz Tazi lost his father, a trader and wholesaler of tea while he was still only a child. Second oldest of seven children, he began working as a radio repairman at the age of 15 to support his family.

In the late 1940s, he left Fez and moved to  to Casablanca where he became engaged in the struggle for Morocco's independence. A man of the left, he joined the Moroccan Communist Party, which later became the PPS, and which he remained close to throughout his life.

After independence, Abdelaziz Tazi went into business and invested in a material that he believed would revolutionise the lives of households: plastic. He invented the famous brush that bears his name - the brush with round tips to leave room for the fingers that direct it - although in an interview with The Economist in 1992, declined the paternity of the famous object, declaring soberly: "imitate first, then create".

He is also responsible for cult objects such as the famous plastic ball and the "cat on wheels" (Le chat à roulette). In 1965, he founded the company Richbond "dedicated to the commercialisation of plastic."

Le chat à roulette - every child's toy

Abdelaziz Tazi was also the man who came up with the idea of using polyurethane foam instead of the lumpy wool and alfa in Moroccan furnishings.

From 1983 onwards, following the economic downturn, he chose the path of integrated diversification: Richbond became a spinner, then a weaver, then a manufacturer.

Tazi was also, along with his wife, patron of the arts and sponsor of the eponymous Touria and Abdelaziz Foundation and  initiator of the L'Uzine cultural space.

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Ashura is Coming!

No one in Fez can have failed to notice an increasing number of loud bangs from fireworks. However, it is little cause for alarm, merely a sign that Ashura is coming. Ashura, known also as the day of Zamzam, is celebrated on the tenth day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar, just a month after Eid Al Adha

The day of Ashura is full of surprises!

The day is a religious celebration for both Shia’ and Sunni Muslims, the way Moroccans celebrate Ashura is unique and very different from the rest of the Arab and Islamic countries.

While Shiites commemorate the death of al-Hussein ibn Ali, son of the Prophet Mohammed's cousin, in Karbala, Sunnis commemorate the day God liberated Moses and his people from Egypt and its menacing Pharaoh.

The Moroccan custom of celebrating Ashura is believed to originate from the practices adopted by Moroccan Jews before they moved to the Middle East. The ritual of water splashing is said to date back to early rituals of Judaism. Moroccan Jews maintained it for centuries, as they believe that water was a reason for the survival of the prophet Moses in the face of oppression by Pharaoh and his soldiers.

Jews believe that water becomes sacred during the days of Ashura. For them, it is a symbol of life and prosperity. In some historical writings, Jews celebrate water, and their kids splash each other with water during the whole day, while adults sprinkle their property and possessions, in the hope that God will bless them.

Sunna also places importance on the survival of the Prophet Moses by calling upon Muslims to celebrate it by fasting on the ninth day of the month of Muharram in addition to the day of Ashura on the tenth, in contrast to the Jews who fast only on the tenth day.

Moroccans start celebrating Ashura the night before by setting tree branches on fire and roaming the streets with the torches while repeating chants related to the occasion. Sometimes Moroccans light a fire in the yards of their houses and start jumping over it.

This ritual is called “Sh'ala (Arabic: الشعالة‎‎),” meaning “flames,” and is mainly practiced in working class districts and desert areas.

The following day, Moroccan youths throw water at their friends and neighbours as a gesture of intimacy that is said to have started with women’s bathing in cold water on Ashura morning, a ritual believed to bring prosperity for the coming year.

In the desert areas, residents wake up before sunrise and start sprinkling water on everything they own that is related to the land like the fields, crops, agricultural equipment and cattle.

Due to the strong connection between Ashura and water, said to be related to the parting of the sea by Moses, the day came to be called Zamzam day, in reference to the holy water of Zamzam well in Mecca.

In the last two or three decades, the celebration of Ashura has been evolving in Morocco. In the past, people in the south east of Morocco celebrated it with great enthusiasm, as every tribe slaughtered a bull or a cow on the eve of the day of Ashura. Each tribe invites another to join in the customary practice of splashing buckets of water on each other throughout the day.

Nowadays the celebration is different, as it has become risky to splash of water on people with mobile phones as they are normally less than impressed!.

Some of the traditional Ashura rituals continue nowadays. In urban cities, for example, parents buy taàrijas (Moroccan drums) for their children. The children of each neighbourhood get together early in the morning and start playing their taàrijas as they parade around the streets.

In a ritual is called Heq baba Achour children knock at every door asking for dry fruit, cakes, or even money. Once they have collected a few pennies, they buy eggs and throw them at their friends. Recently they also have started to throw firecrackers.

Adults invite their relatives and have a meal together featuring, mainly, Fakiah, a plate of dry fruits, dates, and sweets. Some Sunnis also fast for two days on the ninth and tenth days of the month of Muharram. People also give alms and make contributions to charity for orphaned kids and poor people.

Have fun during Ashura - but watch out for fireworks and buckets of water! 

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Travel Writing - Irish Times Criticised

Over the years travel writing about Morocco has improved. Gone are the stories rife with orientalist fantasy, or filled with warnings about being ripped off by unscrupulous vendors in the souks. However, the Irish Times recently ran a story by Michelle Walshe that has created a debate amongst both expats and locals

The headline - 'As a woman in Morocco you cover up, no matter what the guide books say' - immediately evoked a reaction on social media from readers.

Cafes are men-only domains. Shopping malls cater for Muslim not western women. The veil is not only in fashion, it is integral to the culture. As a western woman, you make adjustments. You don’t go out alone at night. In fact, you don’t go out alone at all. You cover up, no matter what the guide books say. And you speak French or you don’t manage. - Michelle Walshe

Shopping malls only cater for Muslim women? One response on Twitter pointed out - @IrishTimes And the shopping. How can one miss Zara, H&M, Mango, in heart of city? All next to cafes filled with men and women.

Marrakech resident Mandy Sinclair responds...Statements such as, "Cafes are men-only domains. Shopping malls cater for Muslim not western women. The veil is not only in fashion, it is integral to the culture,” are not only inaccurate but a laughable misrepresentation of the city. One doesn’t have to venture far to discover cafes lining the street with both men and women. And head on down to the central plaza (everyone knows it) on the weekend where international high street shops Zara and Mango are heaving with locals and you’ll soon find that the same clothes available in these shops are available in any other city around the world. I can speak from experience as I recently nipped in to Zara while back in Canada and during a weekend getaway to Barcelona.

"Cafes are men-only domains"

The comment about "covering up" also drew a response.

hey @IrishTimes I'm heading in my gym gear, unveiled, to a mixed gym for spin class. Ready to pull your misinformed article Marrakech yet?

"It has never been suggested to me, either explicitly or in material I have read about Morocco, that I should cover my head in any manner in order to fit in" - Canadian Expat Kathi Black.

Most general advice to tourists is to dress respectfully. While it is true that young women often find themselves the centre of unwanted attention, in general, Moroccan men are respectful to women. Most expats soon find they are recognised as part of the community and treated as such. Even in the Fez Medina, which is far more conservative than Marrakech, women feel safer on the streets than they would in many Western cities.

Mandy Sinclair backs that up. "What couldn’t be further from the truth is the blanket statement, “As a western woman, you make adjustments. You don’t go out alone at night. In fact, you don’t go out alone at all.” In fact, I’m waiting for my single female colleague to finish up for the day so we can meet at our favourite wine bar for after work drinks. I’ve felt safer in Morocco than I do in most European and North American cities."

Another expat, Kathi Black, agrees, "I live my life as I would in Canada. I live alone, work alone, and travel around the city and country alone. I exercise common sense safety measures of course. But I have never felt scared to leave my house alone".

Kathi also disagrees with the Irish Times story and the claim that Marrakech tries hard to be like the West. "Western countries like to call themselves “melting pots” and flaunt their “tolerant” views, but Morocco is quietly living those values and has been for centuries. Moroccans are extraordinarily proud of who they and would never try to be something else. They don’t try to be like the West, but they are in many ways, because of their French influence and in that sense they come by their Western influence and liberal thinking honestly, in an authentic way. But they also live unabashedly in their ancient roots. In Marrakech you can pass the morning in the shops of the local shopping malls, and the afternoon in cafes and restaurants as you wish, and the evening in the ancient medina among an exotic culture that in many ways hasn’t changed since the 7th century".

Kathi goes on to say, "As a guest in this country, I do my best to show graciousness toward my hosts. I attempt to communicate in French, a language I do not speak. I have learned a few essential phrases in Darija in order to show respect, but I have never had a problem not knowing the language. There are more than enough selfless locals who will give you the shirt off their back, a ride to the local agency, their translation services and split their lunch with you. It has never been suggested to me, either explicitly or in material I have read about Morocco, that I should cover my head in any manner in order to fit in.

For the record, French newspaper, Le Monde. has named Marrakech among the world’s top 20 destinations to visit in 2017. According to data from Morocco’s Tourism Observatory, more than 8.1million tourists visited Marrakech in the first nine months of 2016.

Kathi Black is the co-owner of the tour company Roaming Camels

Mandy Sinclair runs the popular blog Why Morocco? She also is the founder and managing director of Say Something Communications SARL and Tasting Marrakech food and cultural tours

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Moroccan News Briefs #136

A round up of the latest news from around Morocco and links to all Fes Festival concert previews

Electrifying Rural Morocco

Masdar , Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company, has installed 50 percent of the solar home systems as part of an innovative project to electrify rural Morocco. The installation of 9,000 out of 17,670 systems across 940 villages comes only a year after the partnership agreement was signed between Masdar and Morocco's Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE).

The project is expected to be fully completed by the second half of this year. All of the 290-watt solar home systems are designed, supplied and installed under a project that is being executed by the Masdar Special Projects team. Along with other local initiatives, the full installation will result in 99 percent of rural Morocco having energy access by the end of 2017.

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, the Chief Executive Officer of Masdar , commented: "The Kingdom of Morocco is a mature market for utility-scale renewables, but the country has also made exceptional progress in electrifying rural areas. The UAE and Masdar are pleased that our partnership with ONEE is realising one of the largest and most innovative solar home installation projects, which is having a transformative impact on hard-to-reach communities throughout the country. This project advances the Global Goal of delivering sustainable energy for all, and is another remarkable achievement for Morocco as it prepares to host COP22 at the end of this year."

The solar home systems are bringing energy access to those rural areas that still lack access to the national grid. Each of the installed systems consists of 290-watt solar panels and batteries with sufficient storage capacity for three days, thus ensuring uninterrupted power supply. In addition, the systems include energy-efficient appliances such as LED lamps and a 165 litre refrigerator.

Director of Masdar Special Projects Khaled Ballaith said: "The uniqueness of our Special Projects unit lies in the team's ability to deliver customised renewable energy solutions to remote, rural communities, often under challenging conditions. The systems we designed for rural Morocco are adapted to the particular geography, and various technical elements, such as the mounting frames and three-day storage capacity, help the systems function even under snowfall."

The Ongoing VOIP War

The three main Moroccan telecom operators Maroc Telecom, Meditel and Inwi colluded in early January 2016 to ban “Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services of 3G and 4G mobile subscribers (Abisourour, 2016). This move dismayed their 44 million customers of one of the fastest growing markets in their region; in early 2015, Morocco’s mobile market approached 135% penetration (BuddComm, no date), which inevitably caught the attention of foreign investors in the telecom market.

Writing for the Diplo Internet Governance Community website, Hanane Boujemi says that not only does the recent decision to ban VOIP in Morocco limit the free flow of communication exchange, but it also affects consumer trust in the domestic telecom operators. Knowing the limited purchase capacity of the Moroccan consumer as minimum wage stands at USD288 (The Economist 2014), VOIP services catered for low-income households to communicate with their families abroad and locally. Over 4 million Moroccan immigrants (Al Andaloussi, 2014) rely on these services to maintain ties with their home country and it is now almost impossible for them to maintain regular contact since the cost of calls from and towards Morocco are still exorbitant.

Morocco’s digital natives made the Internet their platform to protest against this decision. Several Facebook campaign pages were created to condemn hindering. Consumers’ freedoms. Critics and rights groups slammed the absence of “rights approach” by the Moroccan government, which reinforces inherent rights such as access to information, freedom of expression, network neutrality and free flow of information. In reality, do consumer rights even matter in Morocco?

However, this is a struggle that the consumers may well win. In the last couple of months savvy users have turned to VPN (Virtual Private Networks) and found a safe way around the bans.

Moroccans have taken to using VPNs to avoid VOIP bans

Improving Tour Guides Services

A law in Morocco was implemented in February to improve the quality of the services provided by tour guides. Law 05-12 is also designed to regulate tour guide services and allow professionals in the business to benefit from better recognition in the travel and tourism industry of the kingdom.

That law aims to raise skill, training, and access for the profession . The law regulates diploma requirements, and is helping to structure requirements and activities for tour guides.

Special diplomas will be required for guides showing tourists around national parks and heritage areas. A special licenses will be issued for this. The Ministry of Tourism will soon announce the graduation of the first 20 specialty guides with such a license.

Guides to be trained in security, first aid and foreign languages

In October 2015, the Ministry of Tourism launched a pilot training program for city guides. Training was conducted at the International Higher Institute of Tangier. This job specific two year training program, will assure guides graduating are highly qualified.

Along with the initial training, the Ministry of Tourism will launch a training program for more than 2,800 authorised guides . This training program is now a mandatory requirement necessary for the renewal of licenses.

Such a mandatory education program will upgrade and strengthen the knowledge and skills of licensed guides in order to meet the expectations of international travellers. Tourists are increasingly demanding in terms of quality and safety .

The Ministry of Tourism will also conduct a professional examination for candidates with experience in this field and with certain skills. In order to pass such an exam subjects guides must be trained in security, first aid, accompanying techniques, and foreign languages.

These new regulations will assure visitors to Morocco and travel agents or tour operators selling Morocco, they are in good hands when hiring licensed local guides.

Police Bust Baby Trafficking Network

According to a story published this week in the Moroccan daily Assabah, the Moroccan authorities successfully busted a network operating between Morocco and France that specialised in infant trafficking.

According to the news source, the network is headed by a Moroccan woman who resides in France.

The investigation found that the woman was using intermediaries to contact poor pregnant women, to whom the head of the network offered huge sums of money to purchase the infants. The intermediaries received between 10000 dirhams to 20000 dirhams for every transaction ($1000 to $2000 dollars).

On the foreign market boys fetched higher prices than girls. Whereas in Morocco baby girls are much sought after due to their potential usefulness in domestic service.

The Moroccan authorities are currently investigating with the busted network to unveil more information about this case, Assabah said.

Currency Forgers Nabbed

The judicial police in Salé have arrested counterfeit currency specialists.

The daily newspaper, Al Akhbar reports that during the operation the police seized a high performance scanner. used to make 50, 100 and 200 dirham notes in very large quantities.

The counterfeiters had manufactured large sums that quickly ended up in the weekly souks (markets) on the periphery of  Salé and Temara.

One of the accused is reported to be an habitual criminal who had previously been convicted for manufacturing and trafficking of counterfeit notes. The duo will appear on Thursday before the public prosecutor in the district court of Salé.


Renault to Invest 10 Billion in Morocco

French carmaker Renault and component suppliers will invest 10 billion dirhams ($1.04 billion) in Morocco to build an "industry ecosystem", the country's industry minister said on Friday.
Renault's ecosystem and its new plants will raise Renault's local sourcing of components to 65 percent from 32 percent and are projected to generate 20 billion dirhams in revenues.

Renault already has two car plants in the kingdom. - a modern plant in Tangier producing cars and body pressings for export and another, older assembly plant in Casablanca.

The director of the company's Africa, Middle East and India region, Bernard Cambier, declined to give details but said that at least 15 component makers are committed to investing in the project.

Renault's Tangier car factory, the biggest in North Africa, required initial investment of 600 million euros ($683.70 million) and is expected to reach an annual production capacity of 400,000 vehicles in the coming years.

Morocco expects auto industry exports to reach 100 billion dirhams a year by 2020 as a result of PSA Peugeot Citroen's decision last year to build a 557 million euro factory in the country, slated to produce 200,000 vehicles a year.

The kingdom has attracted a number of big auto and aerospace investors in recent years, including Delphi, Bombardier and Eaton Corp.

Unlike many countries in the region, Morocco has managed to avoid a big drop in foreign investments in the wake of the global financial crisis and the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, partly by marketing itself as an export base for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Also in automotive news came the confirmation that Ford is moving into Morocco.

"Ford will start producing thirty new vehicle models by 2020 in African countries, including South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana and Kenya," said Jim Benintende, President Ford for the Middle East and Africa in a statement reported by Bloomberg.

When the American brand had announced the establishment in Morocco of a representative office, several rumours began circulating about the installation of a factory.

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