In Fez - Dar El Hana Changes Hands

A gathering held in the Fez Medina on Sunday evening marked a celebration of the transfer of the popular guest house, Dar El Hana, from Josephine Kwan to Suzanna Clarke and Sandy McCutcheon

"It has been a dream business" - Josephine Kwan

For Josephine it was an emotional event as she had poured so much energy into the enterprise over more than a decade.

When she first discovered the dar in February 2005 it looked to be in good condition. But, she explained, "when repairs started on the walls we discovered twenty-six major cracks that needed attention, and balconies were bowed from water damage."

"Features such as window shutters were painted blue and had to be stripped,' Josephine says. "All the wrought iron had been painted silver which had to be burned off".

Guests included Dr Gigi Kay (American Fonduk) and Rose Button (Dar Zerhoune)

Much of the zelige tile work had to be pulled up and restored.  There were no internal doors but, fortunately, she discovered the doors for sale in the back of a local carpet shop.

Josephine also had remodelling to do as the original kitchen was no bigger than a cupboard, and the dining room floor was close to collapse.

Restoration took one year - non-stop - with up to 10 people working every day.

Josephine recalls that at the time of the restoration there were a lot of others projects happening and there was a great camaraderie between the renovators.

Guests enjoying Dar El Hana hospitality

Originally Josephine had no intention of running the property as a guest house - but having spent her money she saw that hosting paying guests was a positive way forward. Despite having no business experience, Josephine discovered she had a talent for it and the enterprise flourished.

For Josephine the strongest and fondest memories are of friendships forged with guests and the warm relationships with the local Moroccans.

Dar El Hana - a classic restoration

"It has been a dream business," Josephine says, "with wonderful happenings along the way. Including four couples getting married after meeting in the house, including my son Anthony, who married the Moroccan girl next door!"

She says it's hard to let Dar El Hana go, but happy that she still has a small house in the Medina, so will be able to visit from her new base in Australia. So it is not goodbye.

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Morocco's Quiet Youth Revolution - Opinion

There is a change taking place amongst the young people of Morocco.  The high acceptance rate of new technologies is leading to attitude changes that will have a lasting and positive effect on the country. Ibn Warraq reports...

According to the annual survey of the ANRT (the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency) one in every two Moroccans has a smartphone. This take-up rate is even higher among younger people, particularly in the major metropolitan areas. The survey shows that there were an estimated 15 million in 2015 on top of which 66.5% of households now have access to the Internet.

The access to the internet and smartphones is having a profound effect on the social behaviour of young people, giving them a freedom to communicate with their peers in a way earlier generations could not. This is particularly true of relationships between young men and women. It is no longer possible to control social interactions as in the past. FaceBook, WhatsApp and Skype mean that the role of the chaperone is defunct. For young Moroccan women, organising a date or simply texting has opened the way for direct communication away of the controlling eyes of parents or extended family.

The access to information via the Internet is opening up the world and its possibilities. While there are those who see this freedom of information as potentially causing problems, for many it is a source of inspiration.

According to many more conservative Moroccans, these new-found freedoms come at price and potentially undermine traditional values. Others say that with the new freedom to communicate young people are quickly becoming adept at managing their own affairs.

Young Moroccans have shown themselves to be fast at adapting to the new social freedoms and use their online networks to share information. Recently, when the major telecom providers attempted to block VOIP calls, the social networks quickly spread the word on how to bypass the restrictions and within days almost every teenager was able to continue to use their calling and messaging services.

At the same time as social and communication freedoms are taking place there are attitudinal changes amongst young people, with an overwhelming majority of Moroccan students declaring themselves secular

Assabah News is carrying a report on a survey of Moroccan students that shows Moroccan students are a secular majority who believe think that religion should remain in the private sphere.

75.6% of surveyed students think that religion should not be taught in school and must remain a personal matter. 15.6% believe that religion promotes good conduct while only a very small minority, 4.5%, think that religion should be involved in politics.

The study also reveals that an overwhelming majority (95%) of Moroccan students want more foreign languages ​​offered at school because they believe that improved command of languages ​​is crucial for the employment market.

According to the Assabah News story the study was produced by the Ministry of Education in partnership with the Moroccan Student group. The sample group comprised 5200 students from both public and private schools.

The result is seen as being accurate and showed little change since the last Education Ministry survey back in 2012 which showed that a similar majority of students were describing themselves as secular.

A recent comparative study of young, educated, professional and urban women in Morocco and women of Moroccan origin in France, examining attitudinal changes and discerning cultural trends showed that exposure to global trends, coupled with high education standards showed that young, educated, professional and urban women in Morocco and women of Moroccan origin in France share significant values. These include their conceptions of Islam being marked by a desire for personal interpretation.

Rural Morocco is slower to change

The large proportion of unmarried women in their late twenties and early thirties in both samples indicated a strong desire for self-realisation and determination at the cost of early marriage or marriage altogether.

In a society strongly shaped by the values of Islam and by traditional Arab views concerning honour, modesty, and gender, the speed at which changes are taking place varies widely between rural and urban communities. The social, sexual and behavioural attitudes of young people in Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech or Tangier are far removed from the strongly-differentiated gender roles in the villages of the Atlas Mountains or the Saharan fringes.

This is a quiet, non-violent revolution and while the societal impacts over the next decades maybe hard to predict, one thing is certain, Pandora's box has been opened and can not be closed.


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Fez Photo Walk on Saturday

A free photography event is being held on Saturday, October 11 at 10.30 AM in Fez. The Worldwide Photowalk is one of more than 1,000 walks happening globally. It's a chance to explore, experience, and share your vision 

Click on image to enlarge

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Moroccan society's attitude to divorced women

Divorced women in Moroccan society often struggle to find new partners, writes Zakaria El Hajji

At the age of 35, Tarik, a young Moroccan who works for a press agency in Casablanca, finally decided to share his life with a soul mate for better or worse till death do them part. Not being the type who uses online matchmaking services, he went the traditional way. After a couple of weeks, his liaison, the human search engine, came up with two candidates. They were both beautiful 24-year-old conservative prospects for his quest. That’s exactly what he had been looking for; it seemed that Tarik’s traditional matchmakers were paying off after all.

However, there was one more thing to know, one of the prospects used to be married before she got divorced, while the other had never been married. Tarik had a choice to make, although not a big deal you might say- he would automatically go for the former; well, let’s not judge so fast.

Not having been married before, the latter’s demands were far beyond Tarik’s reach. Not being the rich guy, he couldn’t meet her demands. On the other hand, the woman who was married before, didn’t ask for so much. Well, now you’re thinking what Tarik was thinking of! He decided to marry the woman who was divorced. Let’s think of a second-case scenario, what if Tarik had been the rich guy? Would he have still picked the same prospect? Well, I guess not! After breaking the news to his parents, his mother was really upset and she was totally against his marriage for the simple reason that her would be daughter-in-law was a divorced woman. So, why has society created this negative and degrading image of divorced women?

According to 2011 statistics, the Family Justice Services reported that 1 out of 6 marriages ends in divorce. In a society where virginity is glorified, divorced women often have a hard time finding new relationships. As an alibi, many divorced women faced with the harsh reality of how the Moroccan society views them, resort to prostitution. Divorced women are often left with nowhere to go and do not have a source of income to cover for their expenses.

Tracing this phenomenon back a couple of years ago in Morocco, women had no say whatsoever when it came to divorce. A great living example can be found in Leila Abouzeid’s novella, The Year of the Elephant, which shares a journey of a Moroccan woman during the transitional period between colonialism and the independence of Morocco. Zahra the protagonist, was the subject of divorce, the novella opens: “I come back to my hometown, feeling shattered and helpless. He had simply sat down and said, ‘Your papers will be sent to you along with whatever the law provides.’ My papers? How worthless a woman is if she can be returned with a receipt like some store bought object! How utterly worthless!” This shows how easy it was for a man to file for divorce without his wife’s agreement.

Divorce has acquired a negative connotation throughout the history of Morocco. Divorce has always been the storm that disconcerts the harmonious life of any family, it is the bad omen that shouldn’t be brought up under any marital roof, and it is the nightmare of any married woman. “For our people, divorce is a catastrophe, an absolute disaster.” Zahra said. How did divorce acquire this deeply rooted negative connotation? Women have been executed for things they have done as well as for things they are innocent of. For instance, a man can divorce his wife if she frequently gets sick, if she is impotent, if she has a love affair out of wedlock or if she simply gets old- the same reasons for which one would buy a new car or a new TV set.

What is more ironic, is when some men get new business transactions, they also get a new, young, wife as a reward. Thus, leaving behind the divorced wife to a society that perceives her as a social handicap, a malfunctioning and expired member of society who’s unable to settle down and lead a successful marital life.

You can read the rest of Zakaria El Hajji's article in Morocco World News. CLICK HERE.

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Lecture: Family Values in Morocco

Fez academic Saddiq Raddad gives a lecture on Thursday on the ways in which family values are crucial to our understanding of the tensions and transformations in Moroccan society, as an Arab-Islamic country, especially within the context of globalization

The ALIF Fes lecture will outline the cultural and social developments in a country in which Islam (both as religion and culture) is central to the family, tribal, and national institutions. The argument this lecture advances is that in spite of the remarkable impact of industrialization, modernity, migration, colonialism, education, literacy, and globalization, Morocco is still anchored in traditional forms of family and social values.

When: Thursday, January 9th, 6:15 PM

Where: Annex Auditorium
22 Rue Mohamed Diouri, across from the ALC/ALIF

Cost: FREE

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Thanksgiving in Morocco

Thanksgiving in Fez, Morocco

The Thanksgiving holiday is a tradition in both the United States of America and in Canada. It is usual for Americans living outside of the USA to celebrate the day with a turkey dinner followed by pumpkin pie. In Fez this has become an annual event amongst many expats  - and non-Americans are also (thankfully) on the invitation list.

Americans kill more turkeys at Thanksgiving than Moroccans kill sheep at Eid! 

The prize for the most unusual place to celebrate Thanksgiving this year would have to go to actress Sharon Stone, who rode a camel out into the Moroccan dunes.

"Take me to the turkey!"

Sharon Stone found time (and a wifi connection) in the Moroccan desert to post on her Twitter account on November 25. “Our family in Morocco for Thanksgiving”.

Straight after Thanksgiving Stone rode back to civilisation and directly to the Marrakech Film Festival where she is  among the figures that will be honoured at this year's festival

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly traced to a poorly documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts.

The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. Pilgrims and Puritans who began emigrating from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England.

Several days of Thanksgiving were held in early New England history that have been identified as the "First Thanksgiving", including Pilgrim holidays in Plymouth in 1621 and 1623, and a Puritan holiday in Boston in 1631.

According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Pilgrims may have been influenced by watching the annual services of Thanksgiving for the relief of the siege of Leiden in 1574, while they were staying in Leiden.

] In later years, religious thanksgiving services were declared by civil leaders such as Governor Bradford, who planned a thanksgiving celebration and fast in 1623. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" - Jennie A. Brownscombe (1914)

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Luxury Cushion Collection Goes on Display in Fez

For the first time this Sunday Fez gets to see the brand new collection of luxury cushions from Tamerlane's Daughters. Today The View from Fez was fortunate to have a sneak preview and found it to be an outstanding collection. There is a wide range of designs and combined with the rarity of some of the textiles, the Tamerlane's Daughters collection is a "must see" this Sunday

Every cushion is a one-off or limited edition

Tamerlane’s Daughters, the London-based luxury fashion label (featured in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Elle etc), is launching its first line of accessories this weekend. TD’s designer Karina Duebner calls Fez her second home and has created a collection of luxury cushions that are hand-made and hand-embellished in Fez.

Like the main Tamerlane’s Daughters line, all cushions are crafted from antique textiles, chosen by Karina around the world for their superior condition – Ottoman gold embroideries, Burmese wedding shawls, Japanese obi silks, or Uzbek suzanis and hand-woven ikat and Damascene silks.. Each cushion is one-of-a-kind or part of a limited edition, and features the refined attention to detail the Tamerlane’s Daughters brand is known for.

Each cushion is one-of-a-kind or part of a limited edition, and hand-embellished using traditional Fassi techniques.

Detail from one of the superb cushions 

The designer is opening her Fez studio to the public this Sunday (as well as Sunday December 8 and Monday December 9) to introduce the collection. The entire collection will be available for purchase – a great opportunity pick up a unique Christmas gift, or to spice up your own living room.

Open House: 2 – 7 PM on Sunday November 24, Sunday December 8, and Monday December 9

Exhibition location - Nr13

The exhibition studio at 13 Derb Ben Ziane is a 2 minute walk from each the Jardin des Biehn, Ruined Gardens, Riad Fes and Riad Laaroussa, or a 10 minute walk from Dar Roumana.

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Fez Medina Happenings

A Documentary Month from the French Institute in Fez

 The season of films runs from November 13th to 27th 

Movies at The Clock

Th ursday @ 6pm  
X Chamkar 
Directed by Mahmoud Frites with Ra k Boubker, Said Bey, Majdoline Idrissi. The movie is free and is in Darija with French subtitles. 

Squid and the Whale 
Directed by Noah Baumbach with Owen Kline, Je Daniels, Laura Linney. English with French subtitles. 



Yoga in Fez at Jardin Des Biehn

 Brass Info Hunt

Do you know the origin of this design?

A View from Fez reader is interested to find out any information about the style of brass mortar and pestle pictured above. As this technology has been around since ancient times and in most cultures, the answer may be impossible to find - but we welcome any information - drop a line to The View from Fez, via our contact page.


This evening at 6pm the Julian Vadas exhibition opens at Café 44

Beni Ouarain - a reminder of Fez

Our story on the Beni Ouarain rugs brought a flood of emails from people interested in "real" Beni Ouarain carpets. Including a touching response from photographers and View from Fez contributors Nezha et Gérard Chemit on the island of St Pierre d'Oléron in France

"The Beni Ouarain" in our living room in Oleron. just to know that Fez is still in our hearts - even on an island."

Hunger Games - Fez Cafe closed for two days

Those after a little "garden gastronomy" need to hold off until Friday. Paul Biehn informs us that The Fez Café is closed on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 November.

Birthdays

This week saw the 8th Birthday of The View from Fez and the (not 8th) birthday of View from Fez Arts and Features Editor - Suzanna Clarke. Mabruk!

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Mick Jagger in Fez?

The Fez Medina experienced a buzz of excitement this morning with a rumour that Sir Mick Jagger was visiting the Medina.

The questions on every fan's lips were: where is he staying and for how long?

Unfortunately the rumours were impossible to confirm without a sighting and a photograph. But the latest news is that he is probably staying at the Palais Jamai.

Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones have had a long association with Morocco, but most of it centred in Marrakech rather than Fez.

 The Stones discovered Morocco in the mid-Sixties, lured by the 'anything goes' atmosphere that so fascinated the British. Marrakech became the band's favourite bolthole from the outrage they had unleashed in Europe with their and raw, sexy music.

Jajouka musicians with Mick Jagger

Another Moroccan link is with the Master Musicians of Jajouka whom Mick Jagger claimed to be "one of the most musically inspiring groups still left on the planet."

Fit for Sir Mick? The Palais Jamai in Fez

The View from Fez welcomes any news, photographs and updates.

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The Strange Case of a Moroccan Kiss That Went Global

There is an old Moroccan saying that translates as "if you come to Morocco, prepare to be amazed". It's true, and even if you live here there are times when amazement turns to incredulity. Take events in Nador during the last week, where a simple kiss ignited a storm. (See update at foot of story) 

It all started when a photograph of two teenagers kissing ended up on Facebook. A local newspaper then printed the photograph and someone lodged a complaint with the police which resulted in an investigation.

Then, in a surprise move, the two teenagers and their friend who took the photograph were arrested.

"It involves a teenage boy and his girlfriend. They were arrested on Thursday for violating public decency by posting a photo of them kissing," said Chakib al-Khayari, president of the Rif Association of Human Rights. The young couple are being held in the juvenile detention centre in Nador. The couple and the photographer are due to appear before a juvenile court next week.

A sit in is taking place outside the detention centre in support of the young people. Their arrest, for violating public decency, has caused such a stir among young people that other couples have begun posting similar photos on their Facebook pages. And on Twitter a campaign has started using the hashtag #FreeBoussa. The Facebook page supporting the cause of their freedom has more than seven thousand likes in the last few hours

In Nador, the issue rapidly gained momentum when preachers in several mosques urged parents to keep a closer eye on their children to prevent a repetition.

For Ibtissame Lachgar, co-founder of the Alternative Movement for Individual Liberties (MALI), the incident was an outrage so she went online and posted a photograph of herself kissing a male fellow activist. Lachgar then launched a campaign to post one million copycat photos online in support of the teenagers.

Comments on the case on Facebook and Twitter show how the arrest has touched a public nerve. Some respondents decry the police's response, urging them to focus on more serious crimes, while others accuse society of hypocrisy for castigating a young couple for copying what they see on TV. A few blame the couple's parents for failing to teach them well.

Unfortunately for Morocco's reputation as an open and forward thinking society, news of the kiss went global with reports on major media services including the BBC and Sky News.

After the scandal went viral, Mr. Mustapha Ramid, the Minister of Justice, in a filmed interview, said that he was made aware of the event on his way to the radio headquarters, when a media site called him to gauge his opinion regarding the issue.

Mr. Ramid confirmed that he is confident that the court in Nador will take proper procedures concerning the teenagers in question.

A video tracking the events of the arrest is underway and in it, Omar Belafrege, President of the Movement of Clarity Ambition and Courage, questioned how a simple kiss could have created such a problem for Moroccan society.

“If a kiss between two teenagers created a problem to the society, the problem, then, is not with the kids, but rather with that society,” - Omar Belafrege

In the same video, Chakib al-Khayari, president of the Rif Association of Human Rights said, “the lawsuit filed against the teenagers is, we believe, invalid because it doesn’t represent a crime.”

Most of students interviewed in the video expressed their solidarity with their peers, saying that the arrest is an extremely harsh punishment.

The Paris "Kiss-in" in support of the Nador teenagers

In Paris, France, a "Kiss-in" was organised on Saturday in solidarity with the two students and their photographer. On Facebook a call has been launched  for a giant kiss-in on Wednesday Oct.9 at the Green Park in the city of Mohammedia, and on Saturday Oct. 12 in Rabat.

UPDATE:  According to a report carried in the Moroccan Arabic language media, a judge has ordered the release of the teenagers involved in the "Facebook Kiss" incident. 

The mother of the young girl involved was pleased that her daughter's freedom had been to restored. However, it appears she has had quite enough of the city of Nador. "I will move to the city of Fez with my daughter, I am grateful for all peace activists from all over the world, and I thank all those who helped in the return of the children to their parents."

It is worth mentioning that the juvenile judge's decision came following a huge wave of resentment from within Morocco and around the world that demonstrated what sensible people thought about the possibility of a minor going to prison on charges of "kissing."

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Visiting Performer Plunges into Fez Medina Happenings

One of the wonderful things about living in the Fez Medina is the exposure to the amazing number of events that take place every day. When singer-songwriter, Martin Pearson arrived in Fez, prior to his concert this coming Thursday night, he was unprepared for the whirlwind of happenings. 

Baby-naming events are not Martin's usual gigs! 

Within the space of twenty-four hours Martin and his travelling companion Alex Pryor, had toured the Medina, experienced a traditional Moroccan wedding parade, drank mint tea in Seffarine to the percussive music of the coppersmiths, been taken by the hand through the Medina by an eight year old boy and had supper with a Moroccan family. Then at nine-thirty this morning they took part in a baby-naming ceremony for the new daughter of well known restaurant owner Thami.

Martin Pearson, Alex Pryor and their young guide Si Mohammed

The proud mother shows off her baby daughter

Alex Pryor, who hails from Melbourne Australia, was almost speechless, "It hasn't even been 24 hours and already I have experienced so much joy from experiencing the culture, the sights, colours and smells that make Morocco what it is. Every corner, every face... and the food..."

Martin Pearson was impressed with the acoustics at Riad Zany, but is still pondering which songs he will sing as many in the audience will be Moroccan with limited English. "Maybe the more melodic songs," he said.

Martin checks out the acoustics at Riad Zany

Martin Pearson will be performing on Thursday night at Riad Zany at 8.30pm. Entry is by donation and an escort service will be provided to bring people to the Riad. The meeting place at 8-815pm will be Cinema Amal in Rcif.

For further information and to book a seat (seating is limited) please contact The View from Fez via our contact page .


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A little Night Music in the Fez Medina

ANOTHER MUSICAL FEAST AT RIAD ZANY

A surprisingly warm Saturday night in Fez and amidst the trees and candles and wafting incense at Riad Zany the music was pumping out.  It was something of a minor miracle that the concert took place at all, given that the idea was first floated at 11pm the previous evening. But it was an idea too good to refuse and so the team swung into action organising, food, seating, amps and speakers, candles and incense.

There have been many memorable music nights at Riad Zany, but this one was a departure from many of the previous offerings. There was no sign of the galloping Gnawa, no hint of Hamadcha and the music certainly wasn't ancient Andalusian or melodious malhoun! Instead the riad reverberated to the sounds of Old-Time Georgia Country and Blues.

The two musicians, Chris Witulski and Russell Brown, had toured in America as the group Picardy Junction, but this was their first public appearance in some years.

Russell Brown producing sweet music

Chris Witulski - his "hollering" drove the locals wild! 

Chris playing bass guitar, spoons and vocals was accompanied by Russell on guitar, banjo, penny whistle and harmony vocals. It was a winning combination. They entertained the audience with everything from some wistful blues, to old-time hollering that had the local Moroccans wide-eyed in amazement. Chris and Russell played  a couple of their own compositions and, as Russell told the audience, it was the first time some of the tunes had been played in public.

Included in the set-list were such favourites as Chocolate On My Tongue, Old Time Religion, Catwalk Into Town, Back On The Corner, Oh Death and Take 'em Away. Russell's guitar work was an entrancing highlight as was an improvised bass solo from Chris. It was an evening to be remembered.

The audience moved from appreciation to exhilaration ! 

The audience members - Americans, Australians, French, Germans, Italians, Moroccans and New  Zealanders - had varying degrees of familiarity with the style of music but once the concert got underway they were engaged, clapping and singing along. After the intermission for tea and cakes, the  musicians upped the tempo and they audience responded enthusiastically.

When asked about the evening, Chris was unusually laconic "I'm glad some people showed up."
Russell loved the concert and when asked about his Moroccan trip, said (with a broad grin on his face), "This whole trip has been a series of ridiculous events, It's becoming surreal." To which we all replied, al humdulliulah!

Footnote: At the end of the night there was one beautiful surprise... a candle dripping into the fountain had produced a magical pattern that appeared to be set against the stars. It was begging to be photographed and... right, we couldn't resist.

The View from Fez would like to thank: 
Chris Witulski and Russell Brown for the fine music
Nouredine and Rachida for the set up and refreshments 
Phil Murphy for the loan of his banjo
Photography and text: Sandy McCutcheon
Click on photographs to enlarge

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