Tango in Fez - Update

In a follow-up to our last story on the Tango Festival, here is a little something to get your feet moving! There is to be an introductory lesson tomorrow in The Redroom at Cafe Clock at 6pm (40dh)

It may not be a traditional Moroccan dance, but if Tango is your thing then what better opportunity could there be than spending six days - October 18 to 24 - immersing yourself dancing in the Medina of Fez

Milongas will be led by Ben Kerroum Antoinette, DJ The Dinamica in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Nice, Paris and Italy. The dance classes will be led by Jorge Rodriguez, choreographer, dancer and teacher of Argentine Tango in Paris and Bordeaux.

For more information email tango.fez@gmail.com

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2012 Hajj and Eid Dates Announced

The dates for this year's Islamic Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca) have been known for some time, but now the High Court of Saudi Arabia has made it official. The Islamic hajj pilgrimage will begin on Thursday, October the 25th. It is expected that three million Muslims from around the world will take part in the pilgrimage that is one of the five pillars of Islam and is required to be undertaken by all able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime.


The kingdom’s High Court, comprised of religious scholars who serve as judges, also announced yesterday that Eid al-Adha celebrations coinciding with the pilgrimage will start a day later, on October the 26th.

News reports from Saudi Arabia suggest that some 1.4 million people from 160 countries have already arrived in Mecca. According to Islamic belief, the Hajj retraces the steps of prophets such as Muhammad, Abraham and Ishmael.

Many Moroccans have already left for Saudi Arabia and at airports around the country red carpets have been rolled out for pilgrims.

For Muslims Hajj is a spiritual experience aimed at fostering closeness to God, the cleansing of sins and a sense of unity and equality.

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Latest Airline News from Morocco

Royal Air Maroc looks for Gulf partner

News today that Royal Air Maroc is seriously considering selling a massive stake in the company to a partner, yet to be selected. The figure being talked about is a 44% stake. While large, this would leave Royal Air Maroc with a controlling interest.

While the airline has hinted at a partnership from one of the Gulf states, no decision has been made other than to look into the idea. A Royal Air Maroc statement says, simply, "We will listen to their ideas on how they see this partnership." This statement yesterday, quoted in Les Echos, also said "For our part, we propose the sale of up to 44% shares in RAM for the selected partner".

The proposal will be made during a rare tour by King Mohammed of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan that starts on Tuesday.

RAM has seen its own financial troubles in recent years, cutting staff and upgrading its aircrafts fleet in a restructuring process aimed to mitigate losses.

In 2011, RAM took $187 million from the state to shore up finances hit by growing competition, lower sales and higher fuel prices. This government capital injection appears to correspond to the 44 percent stake the government may sell, official statistics showed.

RAM operates a fleet of more than 55 aircraft to some 83 destinations in Africa, Europe, Middle East and North America.


Casablanca to Toulouse now with Air Arabia

Concern over the effect on tourism of Jet4You pulling out of the Casablanca to Toulouse route has decreased with the news that Air Arabia will replace Jet4You on the sector.

Toulouse is now well served, with Air France and Royal Air Maroc also providing the same link. Jet4You abandons Toulouse from 26 October.

Meanwhile Air Arabia continues to expand and will introduce new services to many destinations from Morocco this autumn. From 28 October, the company will operate a flight to the Emirates every Sunday. And in mid-November, Air Arabia will add a new flight on Thursdays, to the same destination.

The airline is the first and largest low cost airline in the Middle East, Air Arabia operates scheduled services to 46 destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and Europe to 22 countries from Sharjah, 11 destinations in 10 countries from Casablanca and 5 destinations in 5 countries from Alexandria.

Its main base is Sharjah International Airport where it functions as a low cost conduit base, similar to low cost airport bases in Europe such as Rome Ciampino, London Stansted and Brussels South Charleroi Airport.


RyanAir to return to Fez

With all the anger over RyanAir's withdrawal from London to Fez still bubbling away, news is that the airline will be back - but not during the supposed "low season". According to the airline's website the Fez route will be back in operation Sunday 31 March 2013 and bookings can be made up until Sunday June 30th. At this stage flights will run Monday to Thursday from Stansted. This is particularly good news for the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music.


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Moroccan Mars Meteorite to Go Under the Hammer

A meteorite that landed in the Moroccan desert last summer was ejected from the surface of Mars 700,000 years ago, a new study reports. The meteorite is composed of an abundance of black glass, with noble gases trapped inside. On Sunday a piece of it will be offered at an auction in New York.

The meteorite ( fragment pictured above), named Tissint, after a nearby village, is only the fifth Martian meteorite that people have witnessed falling to Earth. There are about 60 known meteorites thought to be from Mars. But Tissint is unique because it fell into the desert and suffered little damage from Earth’s environment.  According to  Dr Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane, an astronomer at the Hassan II University in Casablanca, it is in perfect condition. “We had no rain between the moment it fell and the moment it was collected,” Dr. Aoudjehane  said. “It was fresh, and it is very exciting to be able to analyse this. Based on the noble gas measurements, we could calculate the ejection age of the meteorite”.

The meteorite may have been knocked loose from Mars by an asteroid or some other large body that hit the planet, the researchers believe. The impact may have also caused some melting, creating the black glass and preserving a Mars “signature” inside the glass.

When Dr Aoudjehane first heard news of the fireball that lit up the sky she traveled 700 miles from Casablanca, over the Sahara, to find the "strewn field" — where pieces spread across the sand. She was not the first one there. "The first thing that I see is hundreds of people in the middle of nowhere. And this is something that I will never forget." Men, women and children were camped out, hunting for the pieces. Meteorites are often found in North Africa — unusual rocks stand out in the desert — and they bring a good price.

A piece of the Tissint meteorite will be offered at a meteorite auction in Manhattan that is billed as the biggest ever, and the fragment on auction starts at $230,000.

It is believed that the fragment on auction fits exactly with the piece (pictured above) at the Natural History Museum in London. Hopefully someone will be generous enough to reunite them.

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Abandoned Children and Adoption - Morocco Struggles to Reform

Whole Morocco is leading the Arab world in many aspects of social reform, the problems of the increasing numbers of abandoned babies and the hurdles to adoption, are far from being addressed in a mature manner. 

In fact, at a time when there is a tremendous need for care of abandoned infants, Moroccan Justice Minister Mustafa Ramid has moved in the opposite direction by issuing a moratorium on international adoptions of Moroccan children. Ramid's justification of his decision with concerns that children adopted abroad will not be brought up to respect their culture, tradition and religion ignores the desperate need to find homes for abandoned children.

The conditions in orphanages and in homes for pregnant single girls have long been criticised as being far below international standards. Child protection experts are quick to point out that adoption reform that allows for international adoption is long overdue. While Mustafa Ramid's concerns are shared by some, overall concern for child health and welfare should take precedent over religious views.

To change the mentality and the system will take much debate, but in the meantime the problem of abandoned children will not go away. In a disturbing article written by Simon Martelli for AFP, the problem is put into stark perspective.

The article points out that Morocco is seeing an alarming rise in the number of babies abandoned by single mothers.

"According to the information we have gathered, from people who take care of abandoned children born outside marriage, the numbers are getting much worse," said Omar Kindi, organiser of a conference on violence and discrimination against single mothers and children.

The existing statistics were bad enough

According to a study carried out by Insaf, an NGO that supports women and children in distress, of which Kindi is the president, 27,200 young women gave birth outside marriage in 2009, with a total of 8,760 babies abandoned. That equates to 24 babies per day on average. Anecdotal accounts of the fate of some of these babies are particularly disturbing.

Kindi and other activists argue that attitudes and legislation have failed to keep pace with social change, as starkly illustrated by Article 490 of the penal code according to which extra-marital sex is punishable by up to a year in jail.

Aicha Echanne, another speaker at the Casablanca conference, said the "mentality of society" and the lack of support for single mothers, who are often aggressively treated by officials, were driving factors behind new-born children being abandoned. "We need to shake Moroccan society, and to put pressure on the state, on parliament, to bring about change," said Echanne, who heads the Association of Women's Solidarity. "From 1990 to 2009, 23,000 babies were buried in cemeteries in Casablanca (Morocco's largest city). It is not normal, from a humanitarian point of view, to accept this type of thing," she added.

As well as changing the law, activists emphasise the need for sexual education in Morocco to avoid unwanted pregnancy, with more than 60 percent of single mothers under 26 years old, according to Insaf, and many of them illiterate.

But with an Islamist-led government in power since January, some are doubtful about the prospects of any such initiatives.

Read the full AFP article here: Surge in number of babies abandoned in Morocco

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Seventh Heaven - Taste testing Restaurant 7 in Fez

Resto 7 - a symphony in black and white    Photo: Kirsty Cockburn

A vision in black and white, Resto 7, a new restaurant and bar which has just opened in Fez - is beautifully designed and decorated. Does the food measure up?  Suzanna Clarke checks it out.

On the right - Suzanna Clarke and TV presenter George Negus discuss the menu
Photo: Sandy McCutcheon

Last Saturday night every table was taken by 8pm at Resto 7. And reports are that reservations are a must on other nights as well. While curiosity about a new establishment is understandable, customers soon melt away if the food is not up to scratch. Given that this new restaurant has now been open for a few weeks, the signs of success are promising.

Resto 7 is the result of the combined talents of owners of the Riad 9, Stephen di Renza and Bruno Ussel. Situated just off Tala'a Sghira, it's easy to find with a large "7" in a circle pointing the way.

Behind the black, traditional front door is a contemporary take on a Moroccan theme. Black and white zelij (mosaic tiles) and marble abounds. On one wall are some massive slabs of black and white marble, with water running down them into a pool. Black and white photographs adorn the walls, with just a hint of colour in one of a tall African wearing a deep pink cloak.

After the striking decor, the first thing I noticed was the dessert table, featuring an impressive looking lemon meringue tart, an apple and orange crumble, a chocolate fondant and an orange fondant - a reminder to save some space for later.

The restaurant decor creates a great ambiance  Photo: Suzanna Clarke

The French inspired menu changes daily, according to what is available in the souks. Last Saturday's menu offered a choice of four entreés and four main courses, as well as the desserts. These included a calamari salad (60 dh), which three of our party ordered. It was beautifully presented, and the calamari was deliciously tender. Visiting Australian TV journalist and foodie, George Negus, opted for the green been and mushroom salad with "good cheese". He declared it "admirable".

Next I had the sole with herbs and lemon (130 dh), although I was also tempted by the roasted lamb with au gratin potatoes (140 dh).

The size of the sole was generous, taking up one side of the plate, while the carrot, zucchini, artichoke and daikon radish that accompanied it were cut into ribbons and artistically arranged. All the elements of the plate combined perfectly - the fish was clearly very fresh and both it and the vegetables were just cooked - as they should be, without destroying the flavours. Hints of flaky salt enhanced the dish.

Superb sole - Photo: Suzanna Clarke

To finish the meal, we shared a piece of tarte au citron, or lemon meringue and a chocolate fondant. While the chocolate fondant was gooey and rich, the lemon meringue could have had more of the tangy lemon butter at the base to balance the sweet froth of the meringue topping.

The service was efficient, although naturally slower as the restaurant filled up.

For everyone - their just desserts   Photo credit  Sandy McCutcheon

In the race between photography and tasting - tasting won - Photo Suzanna Clarke

Overall, Resto 7 offers excellent quality and value, with savoury dishes ranging between 30 dirhams and 140 dh. The desserts are all 30 dh. There is a small but well chosen wine list and a selection of imported teas and freshly squeezed fruit juices.

Where: Resto 7, 7 Zkak Rouah
When: Open daily, except Wednesdays, from noon to 10pm.

Contact: +212 (0) 679 442 522 or bruno@restaurant7.com

Info: www.restaurant7.com

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