Hicham Nazzal in Scorpion

The French Moroccan animator and actor, Hicham Nazzal, is expected to play his first role in the full length film “Scorpion” starting from May 12.

Spotted at the Moroccan 2M's TV broadcast “15 Years, 15 Talents”, the 27-year French Moroccan animator seems to dig the path of glory in the French cinema.

After assuring his brilliant performances in Morocco by animating the “Studio 2M” shows last year, together with his Moroccan colleague Nabila Kilani, and reporting a live daily journal of Cannes Festival 2005, Nazzal made his first entry into the 7th art world.

He first appeared in one of the ‘Navarro' series, with Roger Hanin, in 2001. He then participated at the TV game “Fort Boyard” with the Miss France team.

In 2005, Nazzal played the role of Karim in Dominique Ladoge's 100 min film “Dénonciation calomnieuse” (slanderous denunciation).

He also succeeded in obtaining a “small role” in Steven Spielberg's film “Munich”.

The young actor still hides lots of talent. Fan of cinema, music and athletics, he speaks fluent English and Spanish.

His uniqueness resides in his dynamism and tireless energy.


Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Bill to ban child labour in Morocco

The Moroccan government is preparing a law to ban child labour and in particular the use of children as domestic servants.



Yasmnia Baddou (pictured above), Morocco's secretary of state for family, childhood and the disabled, told a press conference on Tuesday that the law aimed to "create a Morocco that is worthy of its children" and would focus on "regulating domestic labour and punish all use of little girls as maids."

According to the US rights group Human Rights Watch, Morocco has one of the highest child labour rates in the Middle East and North Africa.

Moroccan law bans children under 15 from working.

However, a survey carried out by Morocco's employment ministry, the rights group International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) and the World Bank, cited by the Maghreb Arabe Press news agency, found that some 600,000 children between the ages of seven and 14 work in Morocco - 11 percent of the country's children in that age group.

The Human Rights Watch's report issued in December last year said that "girls as young as five work 100 or more hours per week, without rest breaks or days off for as little as six and a half Moroccan dirhams (about 70 US cents) a day. These girls are often exposed to physical and even sexual abuse and denied schooling."

The US-based rights group blamed the Moroccan cabinet for neglecting children's rights.

The draft bill is reportedly also aimed at fighting recruitment networks, especially in poor rural areas where child labour is most widespread.

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Exciting new Fez website.

It is always exciting to discover a new website dedicated to the city of Fez. The latest addition is also one of the best and is certainly worth a visit if you have any interest in visiting Fez, or finding out about the intricacies of building, buying or renovating in Fez.

The authors of the site, Jenny Barnard and Jonathan Green, are young, funky and extremely competent. Their expertise has been hard won through the experience of purchasing and renovating their own dar (house).

For those interested in the debate between renovation and conservation will find Barnard and Green in the mid-range of the spectrum of that runs between purist conservation at one end to total renovation at the other. Their style of conservation-renovation is very much in keeping with the best techniques of preserving the heritage values of the Medina and is to be applauded.

Of special interest is their web diary describing the process of renovating their first house near the Talaa Sghira. (see it here: Renovation Blog)

Included on their site is a comprehensive amount of practical information right down to details of how to navigate the bureaucracy in order to install telephone and internet connections on the Medina. For anyone with a genuine desire to get involved in Fez other than as a casual tourist, this site is a must.

What if you hate renovation?

There are many people for whom spending the time and effort of renovating in Fez is either not practical or something they would not enjoy. Barnard and Green have arrived at a practical solution. Through them you can purchase a delightfully renovated house and save yourself the time, energy and hassle. What is special about this service is that the principals of conservation-renovation are applied to all their properties and so you can be assured that where possible the structure, interiors and fittings have been brought together with great care and attention.

You will find more information and contact details on their website: Fesmorocco.com

Or email them: enquires@fesmorocco.com

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

A window on Morocco

It’s not very often that a majority of the ex-pat community in Fez get together – but this week saw them congregate for a rare event – the launch of a new photographic exhibition. The venue was the Orientalist Art Gallery run by the friendly Karmouni Aziz and the work on display under the title of “My Morocco” was by Marion Fawlk and Kate Kvalvik.

English woman Marion Fawlk’s work is a series of large, full colour prints, accompanied by a short text in both French and English that give a poetic and, at times, a spiritual response to the subject matter. All of the work is interesting and reflects an immediate reaction to a new country and culture. With a fine eye for her subject matter she has transcended the normal tourist view and gone deeper into colour and texture. For me the best work was a finely composed photograph of a scrap of tattered text on a post, a work that could certainly find a home amidst any collection of . The colour and framing producing a work that could endure many hours of contemplation. The other work that attracted me was of a sun drenched alley in Marrakech. The golden luminosity of the image was an invitation into the hidden heart of the medina.

Where Fawlk is less secure is with a couple of the works that include people. One, of a handsome young Moroccan man is a little too posed and an otherwise interesting image of a woman weaving would have been enhanced by a more creative use of lighting to give the subject matter more depth. Overall her work is of a fine standard and certainly deserves more than a cursory look.

Kate Kvalvik is a Norwegian whose familiarity with Morocco is immediately apparent. The decision to work in a black and white square format is an interesting one that could easily have produced difficult composition and framing issues, but Kvalvik’s background as a graphic artist and book designer give her the skills and experience to more than rise to the occasion. The focus of her work is on Moroccans in various parts of Morocco and is highly successful. A portrait of a strong Berber woman in traditional dress against a mountainous background is a real standout. There is also, we must confess, an interesting detail of our own Riad Zany – a view of an old doorway, a portrait of HM King Mohammed VI and a lemon tree – that I found intriguing.

The exhibition, that runs until May 23 and deserves a visit. You will find the Orientalist Art Gallery at 38 Abdelaziz Boutaleb in the Ville Nouvelle.

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

More news from the Fez Festival

- ROUND TABLES -

Mornings: from 08h45 to 12h30 at ‘Musée Batha’ Afternoons: from 18h00 to 19h30 at ‘la Salle de la Prefecture’

Saturday 3 June : Spiritual Values and Economy

Moderators: Mohammed Kabbaj, Faouzi Skali, Katherine Marshall, Philippe Douste-Blasy

Morning : Rachid Arhab, Rachid Benmokthar, Francisco de Bourbon, Elizabeth Guigou, Albert Mallet, Henri Panhuys, Majid Rahnema,Yazid Sabeg, Patrick Viveret.

Afternoon : Benjamin Barber, Othmane Benjelloun, Bertrand Collomb, Marc Luyckx Ghisi, Dominique Strauss Kahn.


Sunday 4 June

Riches and Poverties

Moderators: Faouzi Skali, Katherine Marshall, Wim Wenders

Morning : Jacques Attali, Roland Cayrol, Emmanuel Dierckx de Casterlé, Steve Gentili, Simon Xavier GuerrandHermès, Jean-Louis Guigou, Majid Rahnema, Azziz Senni, Hassan Zaoual.

Afternoon : Patrice Barrat, Susan Collin Marks, Emmanuel N’Dione, Robert Reznik, Siddartha.

Monday 5 June : Islam and Globalization

Moderators : Faouzi Skali, Katherine Marshall

Morning : Ahmed Abbadi, Amal Arfaoui, Hamid Barrada, Jean-Pierre Chevènement, Abdou Filali Ansari, Ghassan Salamé, Kristiane Backer.

Afternoon : Aryana Farshad, Abderrahim Hafidi, Chems Eddine Hafiz, Adil Jazouli.

Tuesday 6 June : Forgiveness

Moderators: Faouzi Skali, Katherine Marshall
Morning «Learning to Forgive»: Assia Alaoui Bensalah, André Azoulay, Nadia Benjelloun, Pascal Boniface, Leila Chahid, Jean-Pierre Chevènement, Aisheh Hashem Nimer Aqtam, Johns Marks, Mireille Mendès-France, Michael Möller, Nurit Peled, Jean-Claude Petit, Yaël Reinharz Hazan, Driss El Yazami.
Afternoon «Forgiveness» : Sheikh Abdulaziz Bukhari, Henri Bonnier, Rabbi Hirschfield, Gunnar Stalsett.


Wednesday 7 JuneSpirituality and Ecology

Moderators: Faouzi Skali, Jean-Marie Pelt

Morning : Katia Légeret, Nicolas Moller, Pierre Rabhi, Jonathan Rose, Rupert Sheldrake, Siddhartha


Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

No we are not dead!

Salam, from Fez. We have arrived and are settling back into the hustle and hassles of Fez. It is truly wonderful to be back and Zany and I will start posting as soon as we get the internet connected as to use the Arabic keyboard in a cafe is frustrating!

Thank you to the readers who sent us kind wishes for the flight aand also those who left comments (including Sarah Mansour - our favourite Moroccan Olypic skier! Shukran bazef Sarah).

More later, inshallah.

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Flying to Morocco.

This is the last post before we fly in two hours time to Dubai for a couple of days and then Casablanca and an overnight in Rabat before arriving in Fes on May 7, inshallah. We will post again shortly after that. Thank you for you ongoing support of The View from Fez.

SEE YOU IN FEZ!

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Haifa Wahbi dumps on Morocco

Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbi appears to be in self-destruct mode. First she decided she wanted to take control of her own affairs and then she stacked on a hissy fit about Morocco. All of which would be pretty ho-hum and boringly typical pampered starlet behaviour, if it wasn't that she appears to be losing control of her career.

Now, in the latest drama, she has really spat the dummy and requested that her business manager cancel all trips to Morocco and to refuse all requests to hold concerts or interviews with the Moroccan press.

Apparently Haifa’s decision is due to what she thought was the mistreatment she faced during her recent visit to Morocco. Haifa claims she was searched in an inappropriate manner by a female security officer at the airport. When Haifa asked why she was being mistreated, the officer said that she simply does not like her. Well, Haifa dear, not everyone is an adoring fan.

In addition, during an interview Haifa held with a Moroccan television station she walked off the set after reviewing the pre-prepared questions, claiming they were drafted to insult her.
Meanwhile, Haifa has begun the countdown for the release of her upcoming album. She seems to have made a mistake in deciding to produced the album herself, although assigned 'Rotana' the responsibility of distribution.

And there's more. Haifa's newest music video music video for the song "Boos Al Wawa" (Kiss the Booboo), has received criticism for being inappropriate, not to mention silly. Filming of the clip lasted for three days.

In the clip Haifa plays a babysitter who is hired by a couple to take care of their one year old child. She begins to care for the child, feeding him and attending to his needs, and suddenly her lover appears, played by an Italian model. Haifa takes the baby with her to meet him.

Haifa was recently in Cairo to record songs for her upcoming album, scheduled for release in the near future. The singer also held work sessions with a number of composers.

Haifa recently gave a performance in Syria, and will begin a tour around the Arab world stopping in Lebanon, Qatar, UAE, and Egypt. The singer explained that she wanted to try something new outside production company guidelines, and so decided to produce her own album. Maybe an asprin and a good lie down would be a good idea.

See our earlier stories: Haifa? What's the fuss?


Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb Haifa Wahbi

Responsible donkey ownership?

The first big decision in Morocco will be - which donkey? The trouble is we are not sure if we are a one or two donkey family. What model to choose? With the rising worldwide prices of oats, can we afford a four-leg drive? Or should we go for a cheaper oat-saving two-leg version. As the world heads towards what the pessimists are calling "peak oats", we want to do our bit and move to a more sustainable donkey. Having walked behind many donkeys, I certainly know that there are wind and gas models available.



Research has failed to develop a solar-powered donkey, in fact the more sun, the slower they get, so maybe I can find a scientist willing to test my hypothesis about the suitability of a moon-powered version.

Just for the record, Zany has been test driving the various models and likes the white one (above) but wants it with airbags and black racing stripe. And, before anyone comments, those pics are probably both mules!

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news