Medina Gossip #3504

Once again it is time to round up the gossip on the streets of the Fez Medina and our spies have been out and about discovering a mixed bag of offerings from blues musicians at the Clock to unrest in the Ville Nouvelle over visual pollution.

Recent visitors returning to Morocco after a break of 48 years were Henry and Meg Clarke from Mullumbimby in Australia. All those years ago architect Henry and Meg travelled in a VW bug right around Morocco - no mean feat back in those days. While in Fez Henry regaled us with tales of a Morocco long gone. One of the things that impressed him this time was the way Morocco has developed so fast and yet retained its essential character. Back on their first visit the intrepid couple had amazing adventures camping, straying too close to the Algerian border and forever trying to find petrol stations. How things have changed.
While in Morocco, Henry had need of medical attention and was happy to report that the facilities in a Fez clinic were world class as was the medical advice and care.

Henry & Meg Clarke

Thami's Closed - for the moment.

One of our favourite eating places in the Medina closed its doors this week and visitors in search of fine Fez food were concerned that Thami was off to pursue another career. Thankfully we can report that it is simply a renovation and not a closure. Thami's building permission came through and we look forward to a speedy return to business.

Tasty blues at Cafe Clock

The cultural program at Cafe Clock continues to impress and last night the offering was blues and jazz. The weather (rain) precluded use of the terrace and so the two instrumentalists and the singer moved into the downstairs salon. The acoustic here was great and our spy enjoyed a great cup of coffee to the tune of Stairway to Heaven! Keep an eye on the noticeboard at the Clock for upcoming events.

Meanwhile on a recent trip to The Majestic Restaurant one of our spies was disturbed to see the number of new advertising billboards cluttering the roadside. While there is probably a place for billboards - the area around Fez is not it, certainly not in the numbers that are now in place. On lone stretch of road our spy counted more than a dozen billboards in less than half a kilometre. They are an offensive intrusion in the cityscape and we are glad to hear that certain city officials are also very unhappy with the number around. When tourists arrive in Fez they do not expect (or want) to see the view obscured by ugly signs of globalisation. It is time to get rid of a majority of these offensive billboards!

Meanwhile... On Friday the President of Amnesty Morocco, Mohamed Sektaoui, was in Fez to report on the "significant achievements" carried out, in recent years, by Morocco with regard to human rights' protection.

"The human rights situation in Morocco has witnessed in recent years several important achievements, including the incrimination of torture and the establishment of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission," Mr. Sektaoui said at the inaugural session of AI's 6th General Assembly (Moroccan section), held in Fez under the banner "Human rights for human dignity".

These achievements, he said, also concerned the adoption of a new family code and the granting to Moroccan women the right to transmit their nationality to their children born of foreign fathers.

"Morocco, which has turned the page of past violations, must now tackle the preservation of the social, economic and cultural rights," he said.

Regarding the situation of women, the Moroccan official pointed out that the Moroccan section of Amnesty International sent a petition to the government in order to incriminate domestic violence.

The Festival of Sufi Culture continues today with Frederic Calmes appearing at the annex of the Institute Francais at 4 pm and tonight's concert at the Batha Museum features the Sufi Brotherhoods Alaouiya/Chadhiliya. It starts at 9pm.




Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news