Moroccan News Briefs #79

Al Jazeera to reopen its office in Morocco?

Larbi Arbaoui, writing for Morocco World News, reports that Al Jazeera may be about to reopen its office in Morocco, which was closed by a government decision on October 29, 2008. If the reports are accurate, the office will resume its coverage of news in the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania).

Al Jazeera office in Rabat

According to Moroccan media sources, Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassem bin Mohamed Al Thani, director of Al-Jazeera, who is part of the ruling family in Qatar, has sent a letter in this regard to Mustapha El Khalfi, the minister of communication and government spokesman.

The director of Al-Jazeera confirmed in a statement to the Moroccan daily “ Assabah” that negotiations are underway with the Moroccan authorities for the reopening of the Al Jazeera office in Rabat, adding that it depends on the answers to some questions and how these will be addressed by the Qatari channel.

During his speech at the opening of the regional seminar of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization «ISESCO», organized in the headquarters of the organization on Monday, Oct 22, 2012, Mustapha El Khalfi stated that it is time for the development of the profession in terms of competencies and means, as stipulated in the recent constitutional revision.

This past October 29th marked four years for the ban of the Qatari channel in Morocco.


British Prime Minister includes Morocco in trade push

According to the British PM, David Cameron, his government has neglected important overseas markets such as Morocco. He says he is now seeking a concerted trade push in countries that have been overlooked by the UK.

Morocco gets the "thumbs up"

The prime minister recently said that he was appointing eight parliamentarians as trade envoys to emerging markets. He has also requested that the British Trade Minister, Lord Green, find ways of making it easier for smaller companies to increase their exports.

“There are valuable markets out there that just haven’t received the attention from government that they deserve. Places like Mexico, Kuwait, Vietnam, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, South Africa and Morocco – we need to do more to get into those places now,” he said


Morocco's first "green city"

On November 9 King Mohammed VI visited the construction site of the Mohammed VI green city, a one-off project in Africa. Local reports say his visit gives a new royal impetus to a megaproject joining modernity and sustainable development.

The future “eco” development is being built just outside of Benguerir – one of the largest phosphate producing areas in the country. Located just 70 kilometers north of Marrakech, the new city will be constructed in tandem with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, which is designed to attract high quality candidates from around the world to produce a thriving new sociocultural “engine” for the city.

Exactly what will make the Mohammed VI Green City so green has yet to be established, though plans are underway to develop a 4km, 80 hectare corridor between this new development and Benguerir that will be planted with 50,000 trees.

Morocco’s press agency MAP reports that the megaproject will include “convenient infrastructure and an ecological space,” and will cater to the well-being, diversity and cultural and social welfare of its inhabitants.

The university will be built in two phases, according to MAP, and will include facilities for a wide range of programs crucial to the development of a healthy urban development. These include an engineering and industrial management program, green technologies and town planning, as well as sustainable development and architecture.

“This educational facility rests on different fundamentals including education, research and development, transfer of technologies, the adoption of innovative and promising projects as well as the proximity with the corporate world,” MAP reports.

Partnerships with leading engineering and science institutions in France and the United States, namely Ecole des Mines de Paris and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), lend further legitimacy to the university.

To this end, the King entered into two important agreements. The first is with the Ministry of Higher Education and Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP), which signals a budding relationship between the private education sector and what some activists caution is an unsustainable industry, and an additional agreement that outlines a working agreement between the Ecole des Mines de Paris and the OCP.


Moroccan startup launches mobile apps

Recently a mobile startup based in Temara near Rabat, Morocco headed by Moroccan entrepreneur Amine Belouali, has released "Masarat App" - Arabic and Islamic mobile applications. It has already launched two successful applications, “The iQetab of Fatima Al Fihria” and “Salatuk.”

The iQetab (iBook) of Fatima Al Fihria is an interactive children’s book for iPad about the childhood of the Moroccan hero Fatima Al Fihria, the founder of the oldest university in the world, Al-Qarawiyyin located in Fez. The app, which was launched during Ramadan, comes in Arabic, English, and French, with native voiceovers, a dictionary and a few interactive games included coloring games and puzzles.

“Thanks to iQetab, Children will learn more about our local heroes,” says Belouali. Children can listen to the story, learn new vocabulary, play games and also share their coloring books on social networks. Thus far, it’s popular, ranking #1 in 6 iPad App Stores in the MENA region (Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE) and #9 in the US App Store, in the Free Books category, with an average rating on App Store of 4.5 out of 5.

The second app, Salatuk, is a Muslim mobile prayer companion available for Android phones. “After a long benchmark, we decided to build one mobile app that will combine the features of all mobile prayer companions available in the market with a strong and rich user experience,” says Amine.

Thanks to Salatuk, you’ll have the prayer timing, locations of mosques near you and the Qibla direction. The Salatuk app algorithm supports calculation methods adopted by many Muslim countries, choosing the appropriate calculation method based on the location of the mobile user. With more than 20,000 downloads per month and an average rating on Google Play of 4.8 out of 5, Salatuk has proven to be a fledgling success.

You can check out Masarat on Twitter @masaratapp, the iQetab Facebook page, the Salatuk Facebook page, and can download iQetab for iPad here, and Salatuk for Android here.

Boat accident - four die, one missing

Four people are dead after the sinking of a pleasure boat. Three men and one woman were died on Tuesday morning in the sinking of their yacht off the coast of Saidia. According to local reports the accident was caused by the strong winds that occurred in the region.

The victims are all believed to be French nationals. So far four bodies have been recovered, and there remains a "small glimmer of hope" for the fifth person on board the catamaran.

The captain of the yacht, which was journeying from Marseille, in the south of France, to Brazil, was experienced, but weather conditions in Morocco's northeast have been "very poor" since the beginning of the week.

And a fire that broke out on Tuesday morning in a shop in Casablanca caused the death of the store's manager. The origin of this accident, which occurred around 7 am, is thought to be a short circuit in an electric grill in the front store. When the grill failed to open completely the manager entered the shop and it is believed he pressed a button which caused a short circuit.


Development Funding of $157 Million for Marrakech Water Projects

Marrakech is to get $157 million of loans from the African Development Bank’s board to help finance water and sanitation improvements.

There are two two loans and both have received approval from the ADB with a contribution from a French development agency. The funds will assist in meeting the water demands of residents and tourists as well as ensure potable water for three million people. It is hoped that the loan will also help meet the needs of Morocco’s phosphate industry.


Moroccan citrus season starts late 

According to a report carried by Fresh Plaza, The Moroccan citrus season started 10 days later than last season and last season was also later than the previous one, making this year around 20 days later than normal. During the summer growing season the citrus fruit experienced five successive waves of heat, affecting in particular the soft citrus category.

Ms. Fatiha, Sales & Marketing Director at Delassus, explains, "The expected production has been affected and we lost up to 45% of the normal volume. In regard to export potential, it is also to be noted that the domestic market is very active and might be an interesting alternative and hence may compete with exports. However, the exporters will endeavour to maintain the decrease in the exported volume at around 20%."

The export of soft citrus from Morocco started last week and will last until April. Three main varieties will be successively exported: Clementine, Nour and Nadorcott.

In December, the oranges will begin with some Navel and some W. Sanguine available. The orange season will last probably until June depending on how active the market is.

Delassus handles 2700 ha of citrus. Its own production represents 80% of its export. The company has farms located in Marrakech, Beni mellal and Agadir areas. "Like all Moroccan production, we are affected by the decrease in volume, thus we decided to concentrate this season on our best customers in terms of partnership. Our main markets are North America, Russia and the UK," says Ms Fatiha.

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Moroccan Photo of the Day

This moth of many colours was photographed by Jearld Moldenhauer on the beach at Saida

Photo courtesy Dar Balmira Gallery, Gzira Fes Medina.

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The Art of Advanced Moroccan Bargaining

Rachida was looking at the ripe red tomatoes growing in the farmer's garden.

"I'll give you 20 centimes for that tomato," said Rachida pointing to a beautiful, large, ripe fruit hanging on the vine.

"No," said the farmer, "I'll get a whole dirham for a tomato like that one."

Rachida pointed to a smaller green one, "Will you take 20 centimes for that one?"

"Yes," replied the farmer, "I'll give you that one for 20 centimes."

"Oukha sidi," smiled Rachida and sealed the deal by putting the coin in the farmer's hand, "I'll be back and pick it up in about a week."


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Marrakech Takes the Cake

When you ask Emma Joyston-Bechal to describe herself she says, mother, wife, hotelier, carpet dealer and then adds...bespoke cake maker. She and her family moved to Marrakech six years ago from London and have since set up the very popular Zamzam Riad. The View from Fez crew admit to a weakness for the odd slice of gateaux and so, fascinated by Emma's fabulous creations, we invited her to explain why and how she has taken the humble skill of cake making into the realms of art and along the way created a very successful business.

As long as I can remember I have been making cakes, with my mother, grandmother or friends. I have always had a very keen interest in food and cooking. I was born in Uganda and grew up in Nigeria and during my extensive travels of the world through out my life many of my travel memories relate to food. I have always been waiting to express my creativity and now making these special cakes I have found that outlet. My mother read me a book when I was very small about a girl who worked in the kitchen at the Giant's castle. She made jellies and cakes and fanciful things all magical and over the top. I was in awe of this little girls creations and that story and those illustrations have stayed with me all my life. I now create them in my cakes.

My commercial cake making started in Marrakech when a couple of friends who own a Maison D'hote Riad here asked me if I would make their wedding cake for their own special day. They knew that every Christmas I made traditional fruit Christmas cakes and my own dried fruit mince meat to fill, what we call mince pies in the UK. Friends in Marrakech had often told me I should do this commercially at Christmas as they were desperate for my Christmas mince pies, however each year I like to make them for family and friends and have a big Christmas party at our hotel Zamzam Riad where all my friends and colleagues can sample an evening of Christmas cheer.

So delighted to be asked, I made my very first wedding cake with three tiers of fruit cake covered in marzipan and icing. The icing was pistachio green with burgundy ribbon and burgundy roses. The top tier was a decoration of burgundy roses. I don't even have a photo of that first cake. Since then word has got about with agencies and friends who also own hotels in Marrakech and my client base is starting to get larger and much more demanding with respect to design. The last wedding cake I made was 3 chocolate suitcases complete with buckles, straps, handles sewing and locks, plus travel stickers including one of the Mamounia complete with bride and groom sitting on top. This whole cake was edible.

Since commercially making wedding cakes I am rarely asked for a fruit cake which is what I consider a traditional wedding cake. Most cake requests are for a chocolate devil's food cake and other flavours that include Mandarin, carrot cake, coffee and walnut, lemon and red velvet cake. I recently made baked lemon cheesecake cup cakes which I must say were delicious. I work together on my cakes with a wonderful lady called Fatiya who I have trained along side me and who is a master at colouring icing to the exact hue requested. Now that my orders have become more serious my husband has built me a large kitchen with a big central slab of granite on which Fatiya and I can work and roll large pieces of icing and make special chocolate decorations. Due to the back breaking weight of the cakes we have also installed two ovens at waist height.

The wedding cakes have now spread to special birthday requests. The lilly cake (pictured above) was requested as a surprise by a woman's husband. I often sketch the cakes and discuss colour and decoration with the client before they order. Some people know exactly what they want but for others its a journey of discussion and design.

For more information on Emma's bespoke cakes, email Emma at zamzamriad@gmail.com or call her on +212(0)661215062. Note: Emma needs four weeks notice to create these cakes as she often needs to buy certain elements in the UK.

Zamzam Riad, 107 Rue Kaa El Machraa, Zaouia El Abbassia, Website: http://www.riadzamzam.com/

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Nearly 400 Fake Guides Arrested in Fez

According to a headline in a French language publication, "Fès : Près de 400 faux guides déférés devant la justice durant les cinq premiers mois de l'année en cours". It was good news. "Fez: Nearly 400 fake guides brought to justice in the first five months of the year"

Make sure your guide has an official badge!

For tourists in the Fez Medina this was a great result. According to the report, a  total of 398 false guides have been brought to justice for theft and fraud, during the first five months of the year. The statistics come from the Tourist Brigade of Fez.

The number of false guides arrested last May, however, experienced a significant decline (68), in comparison with the number (110) arrested in April, said the Brigade.

The report went on to explain that these false guides were arrested in places most frequented by tourists, such as hotels, tourist sites and monuments, souks, bazaars, squares and bus and railway stations.

The same brigade, located within the tourist police headquarters in Fez, arrested of 128 others for various offenses as well as some 68 individuals described as "insane".


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Kafala Protest Gains Strength

Our Sunday opinion feature takes a look at the unease over moves to restrict adoption in Morocco, at a time when the situation of orphaned or abandoned children is critical.  A recent circular from the Ministry of Justice dismissing the right of non-resident foreigners to adopt has led to grave concerns about the future welfare of Moroccan orphans. The latest protests come from a group of six children's welfare associations. Their concerns join those of couples currently in the process of adopting.

Boys in a Moroccan orphanage

Unfortunately Morocco has not kept pace with international standards when it comes to adoption and still adheres to what many see as an outdated system known as kafala. Islamic views on adoption are generally distinct from practices and customs of adoption in other non-Muslim parts of the world like Western or East Asian societies. Raising a child who is not one's genetic child is allowed and, in the case of an orphan, even encouraged. But, according to the Islamic view, the child does not become a "true" child of the adoptive parents. For example, the child is named after the biological, not adoptive, father. More conservative Muslims go so far as to claim that adoption is forbidden by Islamic law but that it is permissible to take care of the child in a fostering arrangement. In Arabic this is known as kafala.

The intent of kafala is to ensure that a child is raised as a Muslim. But, because monitoring kafala can not be assured abroad, the Ministry fears that the adopted child will not be educated in the teachings of Islam.

On September 19, a circular (No.40 S/2) issued by the Ministry of Justice and Freedoms was a bombshell, saying that after investigation kafala should be refused "to foreigners who are not ordinarily resident in Morocco." And therefore it "is granted only to applicants who reside permanently in the country."

The argument developed by the Ministry is based on the fact that judge responsible for granting or denying kafala has an investigative role to determine "moral fitness and social ability to raise an abandoned child in the the precepts of Islam". In the case of adoptive parents living outside Morocco this is impossible. Article 9 of the Law on kafala requires the supervising judge  to ensure that all the terms of any agreement continue to be met. Failure to do so gives the judge power to revoke the kafala. In practice this is never done, but is all the justification needed to deny kafala to foreign couples.  What all this ignores is the welfare of the child.

The six Moroccan associations fighting for the right of abandoned children to have parents were alarmed by the September 19th circular and took the case to the Courts of Appeal and Courts of First Instance.

The decision to exclude foreigners to kafala, even if they are Muslims (who do not live Morocco) has caused great  concern and confusion within the associations working to better the lives of abandoned or orphaned children.  The associations in the frontline of this fight for the children are Village Children, The Babies Association of Morocco, The Rita Foundation, The Zniber Association, Dar Al Wafa Atfal, The Osraty Association and the Association of Children's Friends. These associations are gaining strong support for a public a petition against the Ministry's decision. They have also questioned what, if any, alternative measures the Ministry will come up with "to protect the best interests of the child as defined by national and international law."

As it currently stands, the Ministry circular has effectively deprived thousands of children the opportunity of adoption and a better life. The children will continue to live in orphanages with often substandard conditions and the risk of institutionalisation. According to the welfare associations the damage to the children is significant and, " 80% of children who remain in orphanages become offenders and 10% commit suicide." The associations go on to say, "This circular will aggravate the situation for the centres who are even now unable to receive more children and child trafficking networks of all kinds will not miss this opportunity."

It is difficult to understand how the Ministry intends to rectify the situation that will develop from the kafala ban.  According to estimates, 24 babies are abandoned every day in Morocco. With an annual rate of 6000 abandoned children, the capacity of the orphanages has been far exceeded. The numbers of Moroccan families and foreigners resident in the country cannot absorb the number of children. According to Asmaa Benslimane, founding president of the association Babies Morocco, the rate  "national kafala is practically equal to the international kafala (50%)."

The effects of the ban, according to the authors of the petition, will be "dramatic" as the numbers soar of infants and children without parents who are unable to be adopted. The statistics confirm their case.  Public awareness of abandoned children has gained momentum in recent years and rather than banning adoptions, Morocco needs to encourage suitable applicants, whether they live in Morocco or abroad. According to the national survey conducted in 2010 by INSAF, 27, 200 single mothers gave birth in the previous year out of wedlock. According to the same study, 153 babies are born out of wedlock every day, and 24 of them are abandoned.

An earlier study, conducted in 2009 by the Moroccan League for Child Welfare and UNICEF , revealed that the number of abandoned children was 4,554, (in 2008), representing 1.3% of total births in that year. These children, some of whom are lucky enough to be accommodated in nursing homes and other care centers for children, "have the right to parental affection," said the Child Welfare League.

A major concern for the associations is the question: why does this circular prohibit kalfala to couples not resident in Morocco, knowing that 50% of adopting parents are foreigners, and that the ministry was aware of this?

The answer to this first question comes from the circular itself: "Monitoring of judicial practice indicates that these provisions (those provided by the Kafala Act) are not executed efficiently and correctly, to reflect the legislator's intentions which are to find the appropriate framework for the protection of the abandoned child, and that education takes place in a climate that prepares a child's future, so that it plays its role in society."

Latifa Taoufik, a judge and assistant general secretary in the Ministry of Justice, is reassuring. She  said that the circular came "in response to reports that the Department has received, and that state that there are adoptive parents who exploit and abuse children adopted abroad without any control." Since the procedure is applied incorrectly, Taoufik says, the department "wanted to tighten up the procedure, until bilateral agreements are signed on the issue with countries where kafala is applied."

And what of the foreign applicants who have already started the process?  Their fate is still uncertain. For example, the Lalla Hasna orphanage in Casablanca, opened in 1956 making it one of the oldest in Morocco, has are no fewer than 22 pending applications from foreigners not resident in Morocco.
"The couples are varied, with mixed marriages, foreigners converted to Islam and Muslims by birth. They come from France, Canada, Dubai, United States," said Samira Kaouachi, director of the orphanage. She added that these foreign Muslims often choose children with physical or mental conditions, that Moroccans would never accept.

She concludes that "It is not normal that the 22 pending cases are not resolved, the future parents are determined and they feel a sense of frustration at not being able to complete their process. Let's get these files first." She says it is unacceptable that these children are "stored" in an institution and face an uncertain future.

Another problem complicating things in the Casablanca children's home is that from late 2011 to October 2012, the orphanage has recorded four returns of adopted children, and two more are in progress. "In all cases, the adoptive parents are Muslim Moroccans living in Morocco, who have decided these children are defective products, simply because they are nervous, restless or whatever. Is this Islam?" asks the forthright Ms Kaouachi.

From 1990 to October 2009, the Lalla Hasna orphanage welcomed 2,447 children and 1,389 of these benefited from kafala adoptions. Between 2010 and October 2012, it hosted 300 children. 244 of these were adopted - 50 to non-resident foreigners in Morocco. Currently, another 22 are awaiting adoption by foreigners. Of these, 18 suffer from a physical or mental disability. Boys are in the overwhelming majority, because the orphanage receives almost no girls. "Girls do not come here unless they are sick or disabled," said Samira Kaouachi, psychologist and director of the orphanage. This is explained by the fact that, "mothers rarely leave the girls, they are more docile than boys and their education is relatively easier. We receive only girls whose mothers are in prison, needing psychiatric treatment or girls with disabilities".

The orphanage receives abandoned children whose parents are unknown, and advises couples wishing to adopt a child. "Even if (the adoptive parents) they have good conditions, they feel the lack of a child. The balance, training and affection are only possible in a home between loving parents, even if they are adopted. 70% of these children are cared for every year through kafala, and we would have liked it to be more. We would like our orphanage to be seen as reception center, " laments Samira Kaouachi.

The Hague Convention

The best solution to Morocco's adoption problems would be to sign the the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (or Hague Adoption Convention). However, the problem arises that the convention and Islamic law have fundamental conflicts that need to be overcome.

It is an international convention dealing with international adoption, child laundering, and child trafficking. It was concluded on 29 May 1993 and entered into force on 1 May 1995.

Recognising some of the difficulties and challenges associated with international adoption, and in an effort to protect those involved from the corruption and exploitation which sometimes accompanies it, the Hague Conference on Private International Law developed the Convention.

The main objectives of the Convention are:

To establish safeguards to ensure that intercountry adoptions take place in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights as recognized in international law;

To establish a system of co-operation amongst Contracting States to ensure that those safeguards are respected and thereby prevent the abduction, the sale of, or traffic in children;
to secure the recognition in Contracting States of adoptions made in accordance with the Convention.

As of April 2012, this Convention has been ratified by 89 countries. Haiti, Nepal and The Russian Federation are signatories, but have not ratified.

The convention states:

"Intercountry adoptions shall be made in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights. "

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