Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Where to find news from Morocco
We receive a lot of email requests for sources of news from Morocco. So here are the places we regularly visit in order to keep up to date.
The Moroccan Ministry of Communication has information in Arabic, English and French. Moroccan Ministry of Communication
Al Maghreb info is a reasonable source of information but although they claim to be in English, Arabic French and Dutch, it can be hard to find much that is not in Arabic or French. lmaghreb.info
MAP(Maghreb Arabe Presse) - The Moroccan national news agency is in Arabic, French and English Maghreb Arabe Presse
Magharebia is an online journal for the entire Maghreb region and often has good stories on Morocco in English, French and Arabic. Magharebia
Medi1 - (Mediterranean International Radio) is in French and occaisionally Darija - and has great music http://www.medi1.co.ma
Al Alam is on of the oldest Moroccan Arabic newspapers Al Alam.ma
Le Matin is the oldest of the French language newspapers in Morocco Le Matin
Another of the popular French daily newspapers is Aujordhui, Aujourdhui
L'Economiste is the national French language economics daily L'Economiste
L'Opinion is an opposition party French language newspaper lopinion.ma
Liberatiion is a mainstream (main party’s) newspaper in French liberation.press.ma
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Monday, October 29, 2007
Madeleine McCann in Morocco - the story that won't go away.
Unbelievable as it may seem the stories about Madeleine McCann in Morocco keep coming thick and fast. Hopefully this story will find a happy ending but we doubt that it will be in Morocco. The latest update follows:
PRIVATE detectives hired to find Madeleine McCann have received three new reports of sightings.
They are now focusing their hunt on a wealthy woman in Morocco.
Three callers to an international telephone hotline set up last week by the McCanns reported separate sightings of the missing youngster in the north African country.
Each caller said that blonde, blue-eyed Madeleine was with the same 60-year-old woman, who they described as “middle class”. Last night, a team of private detectives were on the ground in north Africa searching for the mystery woman.
The investigators are convinced Madeleine was snatched to order from Kate and Gerry McCanns’ holiday apartment at the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz on May 3 by a paedophile gang and smuggled out of Portugal.
The private detectives, on the staff of the elite Spanish agency Metodo 3, are working on the theory that she was targeted after a tip-off from someone inside the holiday complex or who had intimate knowledge of guests’ comings and goings.
The kidnappers are thought to have spied on the family for several days, watching their movements and waiting for the best moment to strike.
They snatched Madeleine from her bed while her brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, slept as their parents dined with friends at a restaurant less than 100 yards away.
The investigators believe she was smuggled to north Africa and is being raised by a childless couple as their own or kept in the hands of the paedophile gang.
But they are convinced the Moroccan woman identified in three “important” phone tip-offs holds the key to tracing her.
A source close to the agency, which boasts a 100 per cent success rate in tracing missing children, said: “We are giving special importance to three calls we received about a girl resembling Madeleine in Morocco.
“One was from a Spaniard, the other two from British people. In each case, the girl was about the same age as Madeleine, with blonde hair and blue eyes. In each case, she was with a Moroccan woman who was about 60 and middle class.”
Metodo 3’s managing director Francisco Marco, 35, said he is certain Madeleine was abducted and her parents were not involved in her disappearance.
He said: “My view is that the most likely place to find her is Morocco.
“We’re working very hard on all information indicating that. But I stress we are following up everything.”
In a signal that the private detectives were leaving no stone unturned, it emerged that investigators are compiling a hit list of Portuguese paedophiles known to target girls of Madeleine’s age.
They then plan to despatch their international network of agents to trace the exact movements of their prime suspects before and after May 3, the day Madeleine disappeared. The source said: “Obviously, talk of Madeleine being bartered around paedophile gangs is extremely upsetting for the McCanns.
“But for the first time a credible theory is being worked on by one of Europe’s leading investigation agencies and it gives them hope she is still alive.
“This is a significant development based on information from experts with access to a huge amount of data.
“It is illegal for Metodo 3 to work in Portugal, and their investigation is separate from the official police inquiry, but has been approved by the local detectives and all information will be passed on to them.”
Last night the McCann family denounced claims in a Portuguese newspaper that Kate was close to suicide, describing them as another evil slur.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Medina Madness?
The following article struck us as interesting. "Mad for the medina" - Times Online - UK For a start the prices are now going through the roof and secondly, for those that think a secondary market is developing - hold your breath. At the foot of the article is mention of the delightfully restored Dar Settash in Fez which is still not sold, despite the price being more reasonable than anything comparable in Marrakech. Here is a quote from the article:
The first comment from friends is, ‘Blimey, you’re brave,’ ” says Peter Cowie, when the topic of his holiday home in Marrakesh comes up at dinner parties. “Then they all say, ‘Can we come?’
“It is so exciting,” he continues. “As soon as you land, you know you are in Africa. You are part of a different culture with different sounds, smells and colours. There is a real buzz.” Cowie, 46, and his wife, Rebecca, 47, have fallen under the spell of Morocco, with its sandy beaches, desert interiors, minarets, mosques, souks and carpet-sellers.
On holiday this summer with their three children, Hannah, 23, George, 21, and Mildred, 18, the London-based couple went searching for a holiday home they could use for pleasure, but that would also be a good investment. After a “slightly scary” tour to see what lay behind the decorative wooden doors and windowless walls of the city’s medina (the old Arab quarter), the Cowies bought Riad Najah for £200,000.
Read the full story here: Medina Madness!
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Princess Lalla Salma - back in the international spotlight
After a rather quiet year in public, Princess Lalla Salma strode back back into the spotlight this week to join King Mohammed at a state dinner in the luxurious surroundings of Marrakech's Royal Palace. As one observer said "The Princess looked an absolute a vision in a fuchsia kaftan." Hello magazine said the dress " perfectly complemented her red tresses." The much-loved royal helped her husband receive French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his three-day official visit to the country.
It has been a relatively low-key year for the 29-year-old, much of which she has spent with her children after the birth of her second child, Princess Lalla Kadija, in February. Her return to public duties was marked by a meeting with her good friend Queen Rania of Jordan this summer. The stylish duo, both highly educated and successful professionals before marrying their royal spouses, visited two Unicef-supported projects in Fez highlighting the country’s efforts in combating child labour, a cause close to the royal pals’ hearts.
Since she wed King Mohammed in 2002, the porcelain-skinned beauty - the first female member of the Moroccan royal family to have been publicly acknowledged and given a royal title - has played an important part in receiving foreign dignitaries and marking state occasions. Her increasingly high profile role is just one of her husband's efforts to modernise his country.
For all the latest on Princess Lalla Salma go to our photo essay: The People's Princess
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
A House in Fez - UPDATE #2
Maybe it was a fit of madness, but on just our second visit to the old Moroccan capital of Fez, my husband Sandy McCutcheon and I decided to buy a house there - as one does in a foreign country where you can't speak the language and have virtually nothing in common with the locals.
So begins Suzanna's latest book -A House in Fez - the design and lay out of the book are superb and Viking have gone to town on the beautiful paper and 64 pages of photographs. The first reviews are glowing.
Here is an edited extract: A House in Fez
The collector's edition of the book is available from Australia and is a hardback. The UK and USA editions will be in paperback with only half the number of photographs. Interestingly, we discovered an advertisement on the web for the UK edition with a strange cover.
The very strange UK cover which will be changed before publication!
The "real" coverTags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Friday, October 26, 2007
Fez Sacred Music Festival 2008 - Program
Here is the intended program details for the Fes Sacred Music Festival 2008
6 – 14 Juin 2008
Vendredi 6 Juin inaugural : Jessye Norman ( USA), avec l' Orchestre Lyrique Régional Avignon Provence ( France ). Direction Racael Worby
Samedi 7 Juin A M : Ghada Shbéïr ( Liban ) BBC World Music Award 2007 / Chants des Eglises Chretiennes d'Orient
Samedi Soir 7 Juin : «Nuit des chants sacrés afro-américains et soufis»
Spiritual /Hymns /Qawwali / Gospel ( Pakistan/USA)
Ensemble Faiz Ali Faiz et Bernice Johnson Reagon and the Sacred
Sound Ensemble
Dimanche AM 8 Juin: Mari Boine (Norvège) – Chants sacrés des Lapons du Grand Nord Scandinave
Dimanche soir 8 Juin : Joan Baez – Peace Songs . ( USA ) ( sous réserve de confirmation)
Lundi AM 9 Juin : Huong Thanh – Viet Nam : Chants traditionnels et sacrés
Lundi Soir 9 Juin : Belen Maya ( Espagne ) « Dibujos » : Danse flamenco / Création ( à la Carrière des Merenides )
Mardi AM 10 Juin: Ensemble Cantus Colln : JS Bach - « Jesus Meine Freude « ( Allemagne )
Mardi Soir 10 Juin : Ensemble « I Made Djimat »: Danses Traditionnelles Sacrées de Bali / Indonésie ( Carrière des Mérénides )
Mercredi AM 11 Juin : Quatuor Ysaÿe : Les 7 Dernières Paroles du Christ (J. Haydn) – Récitant Michel Serres ( France )
Jeudi AM 12 Juin : La Roza Enflorese ( Belgique ) Chants sacrés et traditionnels séfarades
Jeudi Soir 12 Juin : grande soirée de chant du Maroc ( en attente confirmation).
Vendredi AM 13 Juin: Ensemble des Femmes Tartit ( Mali ) Chants sacrés et populaires des Touaregs
Vendredi Soir 13 Juin : Mohamed Abdou ( Arabie Saoudite)
Samedi AM 14 Juin : Madhup Mudghal ( Inde ) : Chants Dévotionnels Hindous / Tradition de l'Inde du Nord : en attente de confirmation
Samedi Soir 14 Juin Clôture : Ismael Lô ( Sénégal) avec la Confrérie Tidjanya ou Hamadcha de Fès ( Maroc ) « De Dakar à Fès : de Coeur à Ame»
Evènements additionnels
Expo photo : Mosquées en Terre du Mali : Christian Schuytiser
Film : Latcho Drom : Tony Gatliff ( Film sur les gitans du Rajasthan à l'Andalousie – Primé au Festival de Cannes )
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Harira: Delicious Moroccan soup
Here's the soup that Morocco is famous for; the soup that breaks the fast every day during Ramadan. You can leave out the lamb and meat stock if you want a vegetarian version.
Ingredients250g lean lamb cut into small cubes
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 can chickpeas
1,5l water or lamb stock
125g red lentils
1 can peeled tomatoes
1 tblsp sundried tomato paste
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 red pepper, chopped
50g rice
fresh coriander, chopped
chopped noodles
1. Heat about 2 tbsp oil and cook the lamb until evenly browned; add the onion and cook until soft.
2. Add the chickpeas, lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, red pepper and water or stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the rice and simmer for about 15 minutes until the rice and lentils are cooked.
4. Stir in the coriander, chopped noodles, add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, some dates or some sticky sweet Moroccan pastries.
Note: This soup can be thickened with the addition of a little flour or mashed potato
See all our Moroccan recipes here: MOROCCAN COOKBOOK!
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Morocco to get high speed trains.
According to media reports, France and Morocco are to sign a deal on Monday for the construction of a high-speed rail link between the cities of Tangiers and Marrakech. The agreement is to be sealed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his visit to the north African kingdom.
French magazine L'Express reported on its website that the trains, to be built by French engineering group Alstom, the maker of the French high-speed TGV train, will run for 500 kilometres (311 miles) between Tangiers in the north and Marrakech in the south.
The line, to be operational between 2012 and 2015, is to pass by the capital Rabat and Casablanca.
"The two countries are to sign a deal on Monday in Marrakech for a high-speed line," a Moroccan source reported.
L'Express said the first part of the contract would be worth 1.8 billion euros (2.6 billion dollars), with the project worth a total of 3.0 billion euros.
The Alstom group has only exported its TGV technology out of Europe once before, to South Korea, but it is set to win a contract for a high-speed link between the Argentine capital Buenos Aires and the city of Cordoba.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Tourism in Morocco - impressive increase
First results for 2006 indicate that tourism revenues in Morocco totaled $6.24 billion, up by an impressive 17.4 per cent over 2005.
UNWTO figures for visitor arrivals in Morocco for the first 11 months of 2006 show a 9.3 per cent increase over the same period in 2005.
Since 2001, Morocco has been implementing its tourism development plan ‘Vision 2010’, launched by Moroccan King Mohammed VI to attract 10 million international visitors to the Kingdom by 2010. Tourism growth has been helped by the implementation of an open-skies policy with Europe, and especially by the development of services from a number of low-cost carriers.
Morocco is opening up new regions to tourism, and is targeting six coastal areas for development. These include the Tan Tan region on the southwest coast where, by 2010, around new 5,000 hotel beds and 2,000 apartments will be available for visitors in a large integrated resort area. Tourism development will also be focused on areas where renovation of historic structures are taking place, such as the UNESCO-listed ancient city of Fez, where the medina has been restored, and where a project to renovate the old Arabic gardens in underway.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Morocco makes top tourist list yet again!
The "Bluelist" - the global travel guide has once again put Fez in its top emerging destinations to visit.
The Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008 has included Fez a decision which should boost tourist numbers. For example, last year the guide had hotly tipped the city of Belfast, which later saw record numbers of holidaymakers heading to the northern Irish capital.
The "GoList" includes the eastern African country of Eritrea, Montenegro in eastern Europe, the Tiwi Islands in Australia, Portugal's Azores archipelago, the Syrian capital Damascus and the historic city of Fez, Morocco.
The Bluelist 2008 also features chapters on travelling to Islamic countries, where to go to see endangered wildlife in their natural habitat, and a selection of traveller's tips and photographs.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Morocco gets seven women MPs.
Morocco got a new government on Monday after nearly a month of tough negotiations, with seven women among the 34 ministers - and none from the Islamic party that placed second in parliamentary elections last month.
Longtime Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa was replaced by his deputy, 49-year-old Taieb Fassi Fihri, in the new government - part of a bid to open the door to a new generation.
There were no major surprises among the most sensitive appointments, such as the foreign ministry, traditionally decided by King Mohamed VI. Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa retained his post.
The appointment of seven women ministers - up from two in the previous government - underscored an effort toward modernity in this moderate Muslim kingdom. Morocco in 2004 reformed a repressive family law to increase women's rights.
8 ministers come from Istiqlal
Among women ministers was Nawal el Moutawakil, who won gold in the 400-metre intermediate hurdles at the 1984 Olympics, as sports minister. Amina Benkhadra would head the Energy, Water and Environment Ministry.
Eight ministers were from the secular party Istiqlal of Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, who was named to the post in mid-September, while seven came from the Socialist Union of Popular Forces.
The naming of the new government followed September 07 parliamentary elections in which Istiqlal won 52 of the 325 seats. Notably absent from the cabinet was the Justice and Development Party, an Islamic party that won 46 seats.
El Fassi, who led the delicate negotiations, had made clear after his appointment that the new cabinet would mimic the previous majority, a coalition including Istiqlal and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces - leaving no room for the Islamic party.
The Justice and Development Party had gained strength in recent years, worrying its secular rivals. However, some in the party saw a role in the opposition as more attractive than being part of a majority melting pot.
Morocco's 44-year-old monarch, who took the throne in 1999, had said the new government must work for democratisation and development.
El Fassi said the government reflected efficiency while taking into account regional concerns and a bid to open the door to new faces.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
The future of the hammams of Fez
The European Commission is involved in a research project that may impact on the future of hammams in Fez. Sadly, many are closing but now that may be about to change.
A sustainable future for Hammams
The Islamic bathhouse, the Hammam, was a central part of the social and cultural life of civilisation around the Mediterranean, where religious, artistic and ceremonial activities took place. Serving a number of functions, it was a source for healthcare and hygiene, as well as for potable water. But the Hammam was also one of the rare public meeting places for women and it provided a place for relaxation. The EU-funded project HAMMAM (the Hammam, Aspects and Multidisciplinary Methods of Analysis for the Mediterranean Region) was an international research collaboration aimed at developing new ways of adapting the old Hammam to contemporary Islamic life. Different scenarios were studied regarding the joint usage of the Hammam by both locals and tourists.
One of the principal goals of the HAMMAM project was to understand and evaluate the role of the Hammam, the technology involved in running it and the rules by which it is governed. The HAMMAM research team, led by Dr Heidi Dumreicher from Oikodrom, the Vienna Institute for Urban Sustainability, studied from a local perspective the cultural, economic and technical aspects of six specific Hammams in five different southern Mediterranean countries and one in Turkey. In Egypt, the institution is in decline, but in Morocco, for example, such public bathes continue to be built even in new, modern areas. Different innovative approaches are developed for the sustainable use of the various sites. The researchers also assessed the risks involved in renovating traditional Hammams and running them on a daily basis.
If the Hammams were to disappear, Islamic cities would lose an important part of their cultural heritage, with unfortunate consequences for society and the quality of urban life. Therefore, particular attention was paid to local technology, the revival of traditional construction methods, the recycling of water, the reduction of environmental pollution and the use of renewable energy.
All the sites chosen for this study are still operational and have been maintained and renovated over the centuries by the local inhabitants. The team was careful to involve members of the community with the evaluation of the Hammams and the development of plans for their future use. One of the areas chosen, the Medina of Fez, is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a wonderful example of an Islamic city still containing most of its original traditional buildings and public facilities.
The project went some way to both maintain and reassess the Hammam as a centre of cultural heritage, filled with architectural, technological, historical and social significance. It also came up with options to help it adapt to the requirements of modern life. Future implementation plans need to take into consideration the requirements of the local stakeholders and inhabitants so that the Hammam can develop into a sustainable resource for the local neighbourhood and the city.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Travel Writing about Morocco #18
A much better than usual contribution comes from Jim Wilson writing for Sun Media
We are rounding the bend, the satellite-tipped rooftops of Fes coming into view in the valley below, when Marrakchi Benjaafar forgets his role as an official with the Moroccan tourist office and briefly turns into ... Stevie Wonder?
"Isn't She Lovely ...," he suddenly sings, a smile creasing his 60-year-old face as if he were a child.
Marrakchi was born and raised in Fes and recently bought a fixer-upper in the old section, next to his cousin's. The impromptu outburst is from the heart. He is coming home and the happiness, he would say later, "stops time."
That may be true but in fact time appears to be catching up to one of the more liberal cities in an increasingly liberal Arab nation. Fes is a convergence of cultures rather than a clash, where much of the city's million-plus people have discarded their jellabas for jeans, where bulldozers compete with donkey carts and restaurant-goers now have a choice between cous-cous and, yes, McDonald's. It is both a UNESCO world heritage site and a university town, the kingdom's first capital (dating back to 808) and its intellectual centre.
Now, settlers from Europe, and from different tribes within Morocco itself, have made Fes a mosaic as colourful as the carpets it is famous for.
It is a city that, as Marrakchi says, "belongs to all Moroccans" -- even if they are Jewish (although the old Jewish sector has pretty much disolved into the core).
The imam may still call for prayer five times a day from numerous minarets but in Fes, race, religion and gender are uniters, not dividers.
Still, this is Morocco and modernism only goes so far, particular in Fez el Bali ("the old" sector). Venture through the gates into the steeply walled city and prepare to be lost in a world gone by. Here a 25 sq. km labrynth of lanes and passages, stairs and cul de sacs, some no more than a metre wide, have been said to leave even long-time residents longing for a GPS.
Tourists? Well, you probably won't get hassled but you might get coaxed into buying something when you stop to ask directions. It is a warren of traditional souks and craftsmen, food carts, potters and tanners and dyers, spice shops and a communal wood oven. Prayer halls and ancient mosques hide behind mammoth doors almost as old as the medina itself. And just dip into one of the many riads -- or old guesthomes -- and be prepared to be left breathless by the soaring cedar ceilings and intricately tiled walls.
In one section, gleeful school girls teem out of a Koranic school and mob a foreigner holding a camera. In another, a man purchases a live chicken and has it butchered at once to his liking.
But if Fes is a year-long festival, it only takes you minutes to reach the serenity of olive groves and a few more minutes to reach nirvana. And we're not talking about the unlikely, if magnificent, Fez Golf Course.
No, this comes with a more proper name: Sothermy, the oldest -- dating back to Roman times -- and largest hot springs in the country. Legends abound about its healing properites but the approximately one million people a year -- mostly Moroccans -- who transform the tiny village of Moulay Yacoub into Spa City -- certainly buy into it. You can skip the pedicure, manicure and massage and just immerse yourself for a day in a sulphur sauna and steaming mineral baths for about $10.
Nestled in the heart of the Middle Atlas mountains, Fes is about three-hour drive inland of Casablanca, which, despite the romanticism -- thank you, Humphrey Bogart -- acts, looks and smells like any European city. It is also the main transport hub but fortunately the real Morocco lies not far away. One hour along the coast to be precise, is Rabat, the kingdom's current capital, both geographically and culturally.
This is a city dominated by 12th-century ramparts of the Oudaia Kasbah, a fortress once built to protect the city from foreign crusaders but now embracing them like a long-lost relative. Here, young people mingle along the sea wall with displays of affection practically unheard of in other Muslim countries, where ochre walls, a trademark of life in the kingdom, has given way to a stunning azure, in deference to Moorish settlers.
And it is here, sipping a mint tea in a Moorish cafe, that all the pieces come together. Along the Andulasian sea wall, as the boats bob in the surf of the North Atlantic and young children fish off the rocks, you are left to ponder: In how many other places would the past be so welcomed as part of the future?
Earlier Travel Writing stories:
Travel Writing Seventeen
Travel writing Sixteen.
Travel Writing Fifteen.
Travel Writing Fourteen.
Travel Writing Thirteen.
Travel Writing Twelve.
Travel Writing Eleven.
Travel Writing Ten.
Travel Writing Nine
Travel writing eight
Travel writing Seven
Travel Writing Six
Travel Writing Five
Travel Writing Four
Travel Writing Three
Travel Writing Two
Travel Writing One
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Monday, October 15, 2007
Cool Vibes in Fez
Riad Fes is the latest place to hang out in Fez, as Helen Ranger discovers ...The beautiful Riad Fes has a great bar in its new section around the lovely decorative pool. The marble floor and the columns are decorated in dark brown zellij, there are olives trees, subdued lighting, carved plaster modeled after the Alhambra in Granada and the atmosphere has a zen-like calm. The manager, Roumanian Cezarina Jaussoin, says that recently there's been a younger crowd coming in for a drink before dinner, and a large spattering of local expats. She decided it would be good to have music with a DJ, so in stepped Louis da Fez.
Louis is a professional DJ and brought along his twin desks and all his equipment. Tucked away in a corner behind the bar, he gets the turntables spinning between 7pm and 8.30pm on Thursdays and Saturdays, conjuring up a great atmosphere with some laid-back music. Cezarina hopes the guests will start dancing ...
photo of Louis da Fez: Tom FaklerTags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Morocco's new prime minister
Abbas el FassiSome have described Abbas el Fassi as the man who gets elected between transitional phases; he was elected as the ambassador to France during a time when the relationship between Paris and Rabat was undergoing transformation. Likewise, el Fassi was elected as secretary-general of Istiqlal party in 1998 following in the footsteps of Allal al Fassi and the influential Mohamed Boucetta. In the same vein, el Fassi’s appointment by King Mohammed VI as the sixth prime minister of Morocco after Driss Jettou (2002-2007) and before him the socialist Abderrahmane Youssoufi, heralds the advent of a new phase, one that al Fassi stresses must head in the direction towards democratization and development. - Mohammed Bukhazar writing for Asharq Alwasart
Morocco has a new prime minister, Abbas el Fassi, Secretary-General of the Istiqlal (Independence) party. For those interested in keeping and eye on Moroccan politics you will find an interesting ( and well written) piece in the daily Asharq Alwasart.
Some state that among Abbas el Fassi’s most prominent characteristics is a calmness that distinguishes him from another class of politicians in the state who are loud in declaring their opinions. They also maintain that he does not favor difficult decisions and is more inclined towards winning by scoring points instead of striking. He is known to adopt a negotiatory approach in the face of contentious issues and for achieving objectives in a gradual and progressive manner.
Abbas el Fassi led the Istiqlal party to the top after many had believed that the party had lost significant public support, proving that the voice of moderation is what is required for a state that follows a policy of moderation.
Although blessed with success and fortune throughout his previous political track, al Fassi is expected to face the press in Morocco, which was not very welcoming towards his appointment and barely gave him the opportunity to make his first statement as prime minister before launching into hostile and skeptical campaigns – especially the ‘independent’ newspapers. Some of the attacks undermined his capabilities while others wrote about his “deteriorating health” and his lack of responsibility whilst some were of the opinion that his failure is expected.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Fabulous! A House in Fez - update.
Cruising the internet we came across Topblogging's "Fabulous" page
Fabulous Fez photo!Thanks Fabulous!
2007-06-21 03:30:00
Browsing the blogoma today, we came across the always interesting blog of Purple Circle honcho - Louis da Fez. What caught out eye was the photograph of the ceiling of his main room. The photograph, taken by The View from Fez writer and photographer, Suzanna Clarke is stunning.
Later this year Penguin will publish Suzanna's much awaited book A House in Fez complete - so we are told- with more than sixty pages of photographs. We will bring you more information about the publication in a couple of months. But for now, enjoy this unique view of Louis' extraordinary ceiling.Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Suzanna ClarkeThe story reminded us that we have not updated the latest information on A House in Fez.
The book will be launched in Australia and New Zealand on November 9th.Then there is the great news that the rights have also been sold in the UK and also the USA. Sadly the UK publication will not contain all 64 pages of photographs, but only 30 or so. We understand that the USA publication will be the full deal. The Antipodean version is on fine art paper and looks absolutely delicious!
Suzanna is gearing herself up for publicity tours as well as setting up her new enterprise, an apartment in Bordeaux she has renovated and plans to rent out for people wanting to explore the wine scene in Bordeaux. (Check it out here - The Terrace in Bordeaux).
At the Frankfurt Book Fair Penguin will be selling the translation rights to A House in Fez. Hopefully it will soon be available in French and other major languages.
In between all her writing and travelling, Suzanna manages (somehow!) to be the Arts Editor of the Brisbane Courier Mail.
For those of you who have not met here - here is the official version:
Since 1996, Suzanna Clarke has worked as a photographer, reviewer, travel and feature writer for The Courier-Mail, before being appointed arts editor in 2007.
She began her professional life as a photographer when her first project, on children with disabilities, was exhibited in Sydney when she was just sixteen.
During the late 1980s and early ‘90s, Suzanna worked as a freelance photographer for editorial, commercial and government clients, such as The Australian and The Age newspapers and The Bulletin magazine.
When the Keating Labor government was in office the prospects for multiculturalism looked rosy, and she became the project administrator for the coffee-table book Beyond Black and White: The Many Faces of Australia. It was an enormous task, using the work of 150 photographers and 14 writers.
Turning her hand to writing, in 2002 Suzanna’s manuscript Being Isadora was short-listed for the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards in the emerging writer’s section.
The following year her photographic work was the subject of a major solo exhibition, A Gift of Presence: The Spirit of Reconciliation, at the Queensland State Library, which also toured state-wide.
Recently Suzanna spent several months overseas in Morocco. Her new book, A House in Fez, is being published by Penguin.
Details:
| Format: | Hardback , 304 pages |
| RRP: | $49.95 |
| ISBN-13: | 9780670070350 |
| Imprint: | Viking |
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Morocco celebrates Id Al Fitr
Morocco celebrates Id Al Fitr, (marking the end of the Holy month of Ramadan)today.
According to the Habous (Endowment) and Islamic Affairs ministry religious and government authorities spotted the rise of the lunar crescent on Friday night, which makes today the last day of the holy month of Ramadan and Saturday the first day of Shawwal.
The Islamic months are calculated according to the cyclic rise of the moon that occurs on the 29th or the 30th night of the month. The nations inthe far East usually celebrate the Id a day earlier than the ones in the West due to the calculation system.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Little known facts about Morocco #4623!
When you think about Morocco, you probably think great music, tagines, yellow babouche, Islamic architecture, and wonderful streetscapes. What you probably don't think about are the products that Morocco exports. Let's just check the list: Argan oil (now being sold on French television as "the secret ingredient in the best shampoo"), roses for the French perfume industry, sardines, saffron and peppers! Wait, did I just say peppers (capsicum if you are English)?
According to the website Peppers Today ( yes it really does exist) Morocco is up there competing with the big source of peppers - Spain. According to the Moroccan Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters (APEFEL), a total of 35,200 tonnes was exported in the 2006 campaign, whereas in 2007 the total tonnage was 34,400 in the period from October to May.
Moroccan companies face logistical problems: “Morocco has its own problems. The cost of transporting 14 tonnes of product from Agadir, in Morocco, to Perpignan, in southern France, is nearly EUR 4,000. Our production costs must be reduced in order to improve profitability.”
Morocco is ready to provide properly certified peppers to the European market, while the retailers are intransigent on control levels. Over 70% of the pepper harvest from Moroccan companies has been grown under biological control in this campaign. In the case of the Fusetto and sweet blocky varieties, several companies have applied IPM techniques to 100% of the harvest.
APEFEL added that the development of the crop benefits from Morocco’s climate, which is similar to that of Almería: “There are few countries apart from Israel that could consider growing in the winter period. The cost of the pepper shipments in the winter season has to come down, if a regular supply chain between Morocco, the Netherlands and the UK is to be established.”
Check out our earlier stories about: Saffron, Sardines, Argan OilTags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Need a break from Morocco? Try Bordeaux!
The Terrace apartment in BordeauxIf you are looking for the perfect place to holiday in France, then think no further than the newly restored ancient heart of Bordeaux! Heart of the wine tourism region and famous for its cuisine - Bordeaux will thrill you. It is also a lot less expensive than Paris! The ancient city is mainly a giant pedestrian precinct and a great place for a holiday.
The view from the terraceLa Terrasse à Bordeaux ( The Terrace in Bordeaux) is a fully furnished apartment on the 4th floor (yes it does have a lift!) and is perfectly located and easy to find. The kitchen is superbly equipped and the large terrace is the perfect spot for drinks at sunset
Bordeaux is at the heart of wine tourismMinimum stay is three days and lower rates apply for longer periods.
All enquiries should be emailed to: bordeauxterrace@gmail.com
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Cafe Clock - coming soon!
Cafe Clock's Chicken Caesar Salad
Recently, a plaintive note was sounded by an English tourist who said he'd wandered the medina streets looking for Cafe Clock, to no avail.The View from Fez can report that the Cafe is due to open within weeks, and promises to be a most welcome addition to the Fez eating scene. It is a bit late (the opening party was in May), but as everyone knows who has tried to restore a house in the medina, things don't always go according to plan. But then, when you want perfection, things always take a little longer.
Last night Helen Ranger, Tamsin and Rose were guinea pigs as Cafe Mike was trying out a new chef. The Chicken Caesar Salad was fresh and delicious, with the right amount of dressing, crispy garlicky croutons and lashings of grated parmesan. It was a treat to the eye and the palate. Next came lasagne which promises to be a great dish. The finale (made by Tariq whose cakes are already famous) was banana, walnut and chocolate dessert cake, with a white chocolate sauce.
There's very little left to do on the restoration front. Lights have been installed in the street outside (Derb Magana, leading off Tala'a Kebira at the Bouanania Medersa), the kitchen is almost complete and the rooms are stacked with interesting-looking furniture and objets. The bookshelves for the library are finished, there's a great calligraphy mural on the wall, staff t-shirts are being made - it's all oh so close. We'll keep you posted.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
King inaugurates USD-300K social center for children
On Monday the Moroccan King, Mohammed VI, visited Fez and dedicated a USD-310,000 social centre for children, set up by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity.
Located in Ghassani Hospital, the social facility hosts 80 abandoned babies and offers them a set of services through various spaces, notably four dormitories with a capacity of 80 beds and a medical check-up room.
Also in Fez last Friday the sovereign inaugurated a USD-350,000 training centre for children, set up by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity.
The facility will accommodate street children as well as children from poor areas. It will provide them with pedagogical studies and training programs aimed at enabling them to have right professional qualifications to join the job market. It will also provide medical care through an emergency medical unit.
The centre includes workshops of hairdressing, electricity and aesthetics, an IT room, two classrooms, a library, an administration and a room of first aid.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Leonardo DiCaprio films in Morocco
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty ImagesBody of Lies
David Ignatius, columnist at the
Yassir Yaghfouri, on his blog yaghfouri.canalblog.com, reports that the good citizens of
Shooting apparently moves on to Ouazarzate soon.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Important Urban Issues in Fez
In case you missed it, here's what The View from Fez reader, Girl in the Crosswalk, wrote as a comment a couple of days ago in response to our report on civil action in the face of price hikes in basic necessities:
You are probably wondering why I’ve been lurking about your blog so much. I’m taking a class on Urban Development and Issues in the Middle East and we have an assignment to write a paper based on a blog about a city. I’m going to be following your blog for the next few weeks for my paper, although I’ll probably keep following afterward because it’s very interesting and informative. I was just wondering, though, what do you feel the biggest urban issues are in Fez? (Only if you have time to answer such a question though.) I’m trying to figure out what to really look for in writing about the urban issues and what’s being done to cope with those issues in the city. I am particularly interested in the Berber culture though, so any types of urban issues that may have to do with that would be really interesting to learn about.
Best wishes,
Girl In the Crosswalk
Well, firstly Fez and Morocco are NOT in the Middle East - we're in North Africa and/or the Maghreb. That aside, Girl in the Crosswalk poses an interesting question .... what are the biggest urban issues in Fez? Here are a few ideas:
- a serious problem with falling-down architectural masterpieces in the medina, the very basis of cultural tourism in Fez. What's to be done? Should there be a national inventory of culturally important buildings and their contents so that they can be protected against vandalism and eventually restored?
- urban pollution all over the country: plastic bags are the national flower and people throw rubbish everywhere without a care (or a thought), to say nothing of the ghastly pollution that throttles Fez, from the belching buses (government vehicles at that!), the taxis and trucks and private cars with faulty exhausts to the oily black filth emanating from the potteries - where is it all to end? Can any form of recycling ever be introduced in Morocco? Would the government ever consider tax benefits for solar power users?
- Literacy - or illiteracy - is an urban problem too. How important is it that people can read and write? Does it matter if they're over 50, if all the efforts to educate people are aimed at children currently at school?
So, Girl in the Crosswalk, here are a few ideas for your paper. And The View from Fez readers are invited to put their points of view. What do you think are the important urban issues in Fez?
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Fes Festival of World Sacred Music 2008
Always first with news of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, The View from Fez can confirm that the dates for the 2008 event are Friday 6 to Saturday 14 June.
While the programme has yet to be announced, the theme of the Festival will be Chemins de la Creation, which could translate into English as Pathways of Creation or Pathways of Creativity - we await clarification. But such a theme
New Director General
The View from Fez reported at the beginning of August that the Director General of the Spirit of Fes Foundation that organises the Fes Festival, Naima Tagemaouti, had resigned after less than one year on the job. Her appointment followed the resignation of the founder and first Director General of the Sacred Music Festival, Faouzi Skali, who now runs his own annual Sufi Culture Festival in Fes which will take place in April 2008. The search has been on ever since for someone to take Naima's place. Fatima Sadiqi fits the bill and was appointed in September though this has only recently been common knowledge.
Fatima Sadiqi is Professor of Linguistics and Gender Studies and has been affiliated to Harvard University since 2006. Well-known for her work on Moroccan languages and women's issues, she is also a familiar face at the Arabic Language Institute in Fez where she's a lecturer.
She's been a Fulbright Scholar at four US universities and founded the first graduate unit of Gender Studies in Morocco. Fatima founded the Centre for Studies and Research on Women at the University of Fez and is currently President and Founder of the ISIS Center for Women & Development. Fatima's husband Moha Naji runs the National Festival of Amazigh Culture. Learn more at www.fatimasadiqi.on.ma.
Gerard Kurdjian Returns to Fez
Find further information on the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music at www.fesfestival.com and on the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture at www.par-chemins.org.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Monday, October 01, 2007
Morocco suffers in the search for Madeleine McCann
On 30 September, an editorial in Aujourd'hui Le Maroc newspaper bemoaned the fact that Morocco has suffered from stereotypical views in the tragic case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance.
While everyone sympathises with the horror that her parents must be going through, it was interesting to note that presumed sightings of the child in Morocco make this an international case, not just European. Morocco adds a twist of the exotic unknown, where presumably children can be abducted and never found in such a mysterious environment. Driss Ajbali of Aujourd'hui makes the point that the Rif mountains, where the latest supposed sighting of Madeleine took place, are seen as a hotbed of mafia-like networks and are known for rampant drug-trafficking. In the photographs taken by Spanish tourists, the mother of Bouchra, the look-alike child, is dressed in the traditional striped apron and pompom hat of the region, which adds to the strangeness and feeds the fear of the unknown. Ajbali also points to the hysteria caused by stereotypical thinking: as everyone knows that all Arabs have black frizzy hair, what's a little blond girl doing in Morocco - it must be Madeleine! How could it be anyone else?
This kind of hysteria is not doing Morocco any good at all. And why should Madeleine be here in Morocco as opposed to anywhere else? Sadly, as she disappeared so many weeks ago, it can only be assumed that the child is no longer alive and won't be found here in Morocco or anywhere else.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
New faces in the Medina - Erich Groat
Erich Groat has recently arrived from the US to join the staff of English teachers at the American Language Center. He's no stranger to Fez though, as he studied Arabic here earlier in the year. Here's what Erich has to say about himself:
"I'm a musician, a theoretical linguist (in theory, at least, anyway), and (more practically) a teacher of linguistics and the English language, now working at the American Language Center and living in the medina. I've come to Fez to escape being consumed by the ever-expanding, ever-dying Boston metropolitan area, to correspond with faraway friends, to make more music and more friends, to learn at least two kinds of Arabic, and to wander the streets of a truly living city, a place where the ancient and modern coexist and transform each other in most unpredictable and engaging ways."
Welcome, Erich. We think the students at the ALC are going to enjoy their new teacher.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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