Eid Mubarak Said

For Eid 2013  click here! 

Eid Al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, will be celebrated today (Wednesday, August 31), in Morocco, the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs announced in a statement.

The Ministry noted that the fasting month of Ramadan lasted 29 days, and that the first day of of Choual 1432 of the Hegira corresponds to Wednesday August 31, 2011.

As is usual in Morocco, HM the King pardoned a number of prisoners. This year, according to the Ministry of Justice pardons were extended to some 372 prisoners.

The View from Fez Team wishes all readers a very happy Eid.

Essaouira Death's Mystery Deepens

On August 26th, The View from Fez reported on the tragic deaths in Essaouira of Roger and Mathilde Lamb. The couple died while on holiday in Essaouira on Morocco's Atlantic coast - leaving their four children orphaned. The first police reports said that Mrs Lamb had died after an accidental fall from a window. The following day, her grief-stricken husband is reported to have jumped from the second floor of the Sofitel Hotel in Essaouira. He was transferred to a specialist hospital 250 miles (402km) away in Marrakesh where he died on Sunday night. Now a war of words has erupted over claims that Mrs Lamb had been fighting with her husband.

Majid Naimi, the owner of the Moroccan holiday apartment where the wife of Christchurch-based engineer Roger Lamb plunged to her death, says the only way out of the window was if she climbed or was pushed.

According to British reports a ''furious argument'' was heard before Mathilde Lamb, 43, from England, was found on the ground.

The Daily Mail was shown around the apartment yesterday and examined the window from where Mathilde fell.

The bottom of the window would have been at waist level when she stood on the floor and a high wooden balustrade would have prevented her from falling, the newspaper reported.

Despite a criminal inquiry, the flat where the family stayed was still being rented out.

Mathilde had booked the apartment for three days. Naimi said she appeared "very relaxed and happy".

"On the second night of their stay I got a phone call in the middle of the night saying there had been a terrible incident, with Mrs Lamb falling head first on to the street below.

"There had been a furious argument heard by neighbours a few minutes beforehand," he said.

Jamal Dabi, a 23-year-old from Essaouira, was walking near the couple's flat the night of Mathilde's death when he heard "terrible screams".

He told the Daily Mail: "The English woman had been involved in an argument and dropped out of the room where she had been with her husband.

"She dropped on to a ledge above a shop and rolled on to the ground. She had no clothes on except underwear.

"A few minutes later the husband appeared to check her pulse on her neck. He quickly made his way back up to the flat."

She and Lamb, 47, who moved to Christchurch about a year ago, were holidaying with their four sons in Essaouira when they died in two separate falls several days apart.

Moroccan police said Mathilde "stumbled and lost her footing" in the early hours of August 17 from a third-floor apartment where they were staying.

But Majid Naimi, told the Daily Mail, "there was no way it was just an accident".

"The only way out of the window is if someone climbs out or is pushed," he said.

But her brother-in-law Mark Rogerson, speaking on behalf of the couple's families, said these claims were "totally untrue" and "deeply hurtful". "There was no argument at all. It was an amicable holiday," he said. "They were discussing the possibility of relocating the family to New Zealand."

He went on to reveal the version of events preceding Mrs Lamb's death as given by one of her sons, who was in the room at the time.

"On the night in question, there was a great deal of noise outside the apartment," Mr Rogerson said. "Somebody started knocking on the ground-floor door of the building. Tilly leaned out to see who it was and to tell them to leave. Because of an awning at first-floor level, she could not see the door below. She leaned out further and fell."

The Call to Prayer ~ to amplify or not?

For a first time visitor to Morocco, one of the most immediate indications that they are in an Islamic country is the sound, five times a day, of the call to prayer. Because a majority of the mosques now use microphones and amplified speakers, the sound is all pervasive. And there lies a problem - not for visitors but for the locals.

Each year the Moroccan Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs,the body in charge of all the mosques, receives hundreds of complaints about the noise level. According to residents in Fez, for example, the problem is that the proximity of the mosques means that there is a confusion of sound and that some mosques may be boosting the sound level to be heard above other nearby mosques.

The problem is not just in Fez. The latest statistics provided by the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs shows that there are around 48,000 mosques in Morocco - 13,000 in cities and 35,000 in villages. This means that every 5,000 people are served by seven mosques.

And now an "unholy row" has broken out over the use of microphones.

In a recent interview with Al Arabiya, Moroccan researcher on Islamist movements, Saeed Lakhal, called upon the government to ban the use of microphones in mosques on the grounds that they disturb residents in the neighboring areas not only because of the sound, but also owing to the ideas they spread.

“Many mosques in Morocco are not exclusively used for spiritual purposes and serve instead as a channel to propagate political ideologies,” he told Al Arabiya. “This is especially true when it comes to mosques run by Islamists.”

Mosques all over the country, Lakhal added, are under the supervision of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs and are accordingly bound by specific regulations.

“This means that those movements that run mosques either abide by those regulations or give up control over the mosques all together.”

Lakhal added that using microphones also bothers those living in residential areas close to mosques. This becomes more obvious in Ramadan when the taraweeh prayers, performed every evening throughout the holy month and during which a part of the Quran is read, are also transmitted via microphones.

“Using microphones becomes a necessity only in the case of over-crowded mosques when people have to pray outside and need a microphone to hear the prayer.”

Regarding the sensitivity of the issue and how offended some people might be by his request, Lakhal stressed there is nothing in what he suggested that could be considered offensive to Muslims or Islam.

“The strength of faith is never measured by how loud the calls for prayers are and mosques that do not use microphones still do their religious job.”

Lakhal pointed out that the complaints of residents about mosque microphones, which are filed at the Ministry of Endowments, prove that people do not approve of the practice.

Preacher and Islamist scholar Dr. Mohamed Boulouz accused Lakhal of having ulterior motives and of trying to strip Morocco of its Islamic identity.

“Lakhal’s ideas go against the majority. Who is he representing? And to whose benefit is he doing this?” Boulouz told Al Arabiya.

Boulouz added that Lakhal’s request is in line with the “poisonous” ideas he promotes in his articles.

“He pretends he is a modernist while he is in fact an anti-religious exclusionist.”

Boulouz argued that Lakhal’s proposal is not valid since there are very few mosques in Morocco in comparison to the population and the majority of worshippers pray outside.

“So instead of calling for building more mosques, he wants to silence the already existing ones.”

As for the taraweeh which Lakhal complained about, Boulouz pointed out that those prayers are performed in the early evening.

“At this time the streets are crowded and people are coming and going. In Ramadan, people stay up till very late.”

Boulouz added that if Lakhal was sincere in wanting to make sure residents are comfortable, he should also call for a law that prohibits microphones in parties and carnivals.

“Don’t those microphones in events organized by modernists like him disturb the sick, students who have exams, employees who have work, and others?”

The Al Arabiya content was written by Hassan Al Ashraf and translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid. Photos: Suzanna Clarke, Sandy McCutcheon

Young Moroccan Wins Quran Recital Prize

A twelve-year-old Moroccan boy, Abdul Baset Abdel-Fattah Wurash , has won the QR 100,000 ($27,000 USD) top prize in the final of the World Holy Quran Recitation Competition of 2011 held in the Katara cultural village in Doha.

Two other twelve-year-olds were also minor place winners. Amjad Yahya Nasser (Yemen) came second with QR75,000. Third prize went to a young girl, Nuralchhama Takya bint Nuri Najmy, from Malaysia, who bagged QR50,000.

Some 2425 children from 46 islamic countries took part in the competition, which uses, for the first time, a multilingual Quran website and which aims at reviving the spirit of competition among children in Holy Quran reciting and introducing the brilliant ones and honouring them for their creative abilities.

Abdul Baset Abdel-Fattah Rush (Morocco), Nuralchhama Takya bint Nuri Najmy (Malaysia) and Amjad Yahya Nasser (Yemen), went through final tests and were chosen from 63 finalists.

The festival, described by local media as "colorful and cheerful", was held this week at the stage of the Katara cultural village with a number of scholars, religious sheikhs and preachers from a number of arab and islamic countries and the United States also attending.

A recitation contest award will be accorded to non-Arabic speakers while the best Quran teachers will be awarded "For The Teacher", a price dedicated to encourage the Holey Quran teachers all over the world. In press statements to reporters following the festival ,HE the Minister of Endowments) and Islamic Affairs Dr. Ghaith bin Mubarak Al Kuwari expressed pride of the ministry for the success of such a competition and said, "the ministry's partnership with Al Jazeera Children's Channel (JCC) has yielded such a good harvest which embodied in such a competition".

Italian Restaurant in Fez - Reopens

With Ramadan drawing to a close, eating a long lunch is again back on the agenda. So the news today that one of our favourite restaurants is opening again, comes as good news.

photo: Suzanna Clarke

The restaurant, L'italian, was only open for a short time before Ramadan, but nevertheless gained a reputation for its interesting menu and ambiance. The service is friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The team have worked hard to get things right and it shows. There is free Wi-Fi for the business types and they do great coffee as well. In the cooler months the front terrace is likely to be crowded.

Entrees range from 50 to 90 dh; pastas and risottos from 60 to 120 dh; meat and fish dishes from 90 to 150 dh and pizzas from 60 to 100 dh. Desserts are around the 40 dh mark.

Details:
Restaurant L'italien is open from midday to midnight. It’s at Residence Longchamp, Av. Omar Ibn Khattab; just down from the corner of Av. du Pakistan, opposite the former Champs de Courses. Bookings and delivery: 05 35 943384.

Mysterious Deaths in Essaouira

The UK newspaper, The Times, is reporting a very strange and tragic event in Morocco. According to the story, by Simon de Bruxelles, a man and his wife died just four days apart. Both died from falls. However, there are many unanswered questions.

The couple, Roger and Tilly Lamb were originally from Pershore, Worcestershire and had been on holiday with their sons aged 9 to 16. The now orphaned children have been flown back to Britain and are now being cared for by a relative.

Reports from Morocco suggest that Mrs Lamb, 44, was badly injured in a 60ft (18m) fall from the balcony of their rented apartment in the resort of Essaouira on Wednesday night last week. She died in intensive care at the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Essaouira provincial hospital on Saturday.

The following day, her grief-stricken husband is reported to have jumped from the second floor of the Sofitel Hotel in Essaouira. He was transferred to a specialist hospital 250 miles (402km) away in Marrakesh where he died on Sunday night.

News of the tragedy has shocked friends and neighbours in Worcestershire and colleagues of Mr Lamb’s in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he had been working for the past year. The circumstances of the death are still being investigated by the Foreign Office as initial reports suggested Mrs Lamb had been injured while hiking with her husband and he had slipped trying to help her.

Friends said Mrs Lamb and the four boys had been planing to join Mr Lamb in New Zealand but were still living in the family home in Pensham near Pershore at the time of their deaths.

Roger Lamb is said to have overwhelmed by grief following his wife's death 

Mr Lamb, a University of Birmingham graduate, had recently been involved in the rebuilding of the New Zealand city of Christchurch after the earthquake in February. In his online CV,he described his interests as ‘’Family, fell running and horses’’. Since moving to New Zealand he had joined a local running club and had been looking for a home for his family.

West Mercia Police said the deaths had been reported to the coroner who had yet to set a date for the inquests. A spokesman said: ‘’West Mercia Police were made aware of this incident this week. Officers from south Worcestershire made some initial inquiries but the matter is now with the coroner for Wiltshire and the Foreign Commonwealth Office.’’

Morocco makes progress - despite regional turmoil

In spite of regional unrest and rising commodity prices, leading to an increase in the trade deficit, the prospects for the Moroccan economy are encouraging, according to Global Arab Network and the highly respected Oxford Business Group. They report that thanks to factors such as a strong harvest and broader diversification, the outlook for 2011 is promising. Inflation also remains low, as shown by figures for 2010 and the first five months of this year.

The Gross Domestic Product grew by 3.7% in real terms in 2010, The Moroccan High Planning Commission (Haut Commissariat du Plan – HCP) announced in early June, marking the 13th consecutive year of growth. The final result was 0.5 percentage points higher than the estimate the HCP had given in March and that the International Monetary Fund published in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) in April. While agricultural GDP fell slightly, non-agricultural growth stood at 4.5%, illustrating Morocco’s increasing diversification away from the once-dominant farming sector. A 4.7% increase in the value of exported goods and services also helped underpin the expansion. The result brings mean annual growth for the past five years to 4.9%, compared to 2.9% for the previous five-year period and -0.4% in the half-decade before that, underlining the extent to which the economy has been transformed over the past 15 years.

According to the IMF’s WEO figures released in April, Morocco is set for another year of healthy expansion in 2011, with GDP expected to rise to around 3.9% in 2011. The government is more optimistic still, with the Finance Ministry forecasting 5% growth. An anticipated strong harvest, thanks to good weather early in the year, should support a high rate of growth, given the continued importance of agriculture. The government’s assessment assumed a cereals harvest of 7m tonnes but the central bank, Bank Al Maghrib, forecast in June that it would reach 7.8m tonnes.

The tourism industry also helps underwrite the expansion. Although the number of nights has dropped in most major destinations, and Ramadan has furthered dampened vacancy rates, the sector’s receipts were up 8% year-on-year for the first five months of 2011. Economic recovery in Europe also helped push remittances up by 6.8% in the year to May.

Inflation remains firmly under control, standing at just under 1% in 2010 according to IMF estimates, a figure that was largely unchanged from 2009. The consumption price index in May was unchanged from the same point in the previous year, with a 0.8% fall in the price of food having effectively cancelled out a 0.8% rise in non-food prices. However, the underlying inflation rate – which does not include the prices of goods that are regarded as volatile or those with prices set by the state – stood at 1.4% in May. While the WEO figures forecast inflation to reach 2.9% for 2011 as a whole, in June Bank Al Maghrib lowered its inflation prediction for 2011 from 2.1% to 1.4%, thanks in large part to a drop in food prices. It therefore opted to leave the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.25%.

According to the HCP, the official unemployment rate fell in the first quarter of 2011 to 9.1%, down from 10% in the same quarter of 2010 and 9.2% in the fourth quarter of 2010. Urban unemployment was down 0.4 percentage points from its level in the final quarter of 2010 to 13.3%, while the rural joblessness rate rose by 0.1 percentage points, to 4.3%.

Similarly, official figures for urban unemployment for people between the ages of 15 and 24 was down 2.3 percentage points on the previous quarter, an encouraging trend given that urban youth joblessness has been one of the most stubborn categories of unemployment. While the unemployment rate has fluctuated slightly in recent years, with unofficial estimates often suggesting higher levels of unemployment, over the longer term increased growth has successfully helped to bring joblessness down from 14-15% in the late 1990s.

While performance across a range of indicators remains strong, the economy nevertheless faces some challenges in 2011. High oil and wheat prices helped push the trade deficit for the year to May up 25% on the same period in 2010, to Dh76.6bn (€6.65bn). While a 50% increase in the value of phosphate and phosphate product sales abroad helped drive a 22% increase in exports on the first five months of 2010, to Dh69.9bn (€6.07bn), they were outpaced by a 23.7% rise in the value of imports.

Imports of oil by volume fell by just under 5% on the first five months in 2010 but nevertheless increased the import bill, due to a 31% rise in the average price of oil during the period. Wheat imports rose in volume – by 43% year-on-year – and in cost, with international prices having increased by 66%.

Despite some of its economic gains being eroded by expanding costs of imports, rising GDP and falling unemployment should see the growth trajectory continue its upward swing.

This information is provided by Oxford Business Group the acclaimed global publishing, research and consultancy firm.’: Oxford Business Group

One Thousand and One Nights ~ in Edinburgh

Back in June, The View from Fez reported on the problems being encountered by the Tim Supple production of One Thousand and One Nights. The dramatisation from original Arabic texts, translated by Hannan al-Shaykh, is intended to present the ancient stories in authentic form. We had a keen interest in the play as the rehearsals were held in our city of Fez and it was heading to the Edinburgh Festival where much was expected of it. Sadly, the reception has been lukewarm.

On its first outing in Canada, the six hour performance in two three-hour episodes, failed to ignite the critics. At the time the Variety reviewer, Richard Ouzounian, described it as a... "deeply flawed but potentially powerful piece of work which needs some major editing and re-focusing to achieve the success that was hoped for it." There was obviously need for some drastic editing. However, on the way to the Edinburgh Festival the production ran into more problems when visas to enter the United States were refused for some cast members.

Now it has opened in Edinburgh at the Royal Lyceum and while some individual performances and haunting music were noted, the overall response has been less than enthusiastic.

Assaad Bouab as King Sharayar -"brutally convincing"

 Libby Purves, writing in The Times last Tuesday (August 23), says..."I doubt that the storylines, ancient as they are, will enhance any Westerner’s idea of Arab attitudes to women. Nor does One Thousand and One Nights - two lumbering three-hour episodes - suggest that Supple’s attitude to audiences is any more considerate.

"A lot of djinn but not quite enough tonic" - The Times

"It is energetically staged, physically expressive and musically exciting, sometimes bawdily amusing. Houda Echouafni is touching as Shahrazad, and Assaad Bouab convincingly brutal as the King and measured as the Caliph Haroun al Rashid.

"But it asks far more, in time and patience, than it gives. The whole is played in Arabic, English and French, sometimes randomly in the same sentence, all rendered into English in high surtitles which don’t always keep up and fatally distract you from the stage. But those hesitating over which half to book for should know that Part 2 is shorter, has better jokes, more heart, only one major flogging and one eye being sliced out. And for once a woman (the Demon’s Wife, Ava Farhang, very foxy) gets a chance to rape unwilling men."

"But for all the effort and fascination and cross-cultural partnership, it is hard to take away more than a shudder and the memory of some haunting music." - Libby Purves, The Times

How Organic is Moroccan Food?

To the legions of Western eco-tourists who descend on Morocco every year, the souk symbolizes a way of life distant from the ills of the modern food economy. If the supermarket, with its packaged goods and processed foods symbolizes the evils of the 'food-industrial complex', the souk epitomizes 'organic': produce is piled in haphazard pyramids, as if thrown there by the farmhands who picked it. Many fruits and vegetables are speckled with clods of dirt, too 'organic' to be cleaned before sale. However, these appearances are deceiving. Despite the quaintness and charm of the souk, Morocco is far from an 'eco-gastronomy' paradise.
In a recent article on the Morocco Board News Service, Matt Schumann asks just how organic Morocco's agriculture actually is.

According to the most recent data from the World Resources Institute, the area of Morocco's cropland totals around 9,445,000 hectares, slightly less than that of California. In 2006, only 5,955 hectares were devoted to certified organic farming. More than half of these are devoted to Argan oil production which, unlike other agriculture, occurs spontaneously. Compare this with California which devoted nearly 175,000 hectares of cropland to organic farming in 2007

What has prevented Morocco from taking advantage of this potential economic growth?

Alaoui writes that organic farming not high on the government's economic agenda. Though agricultural development is a national priority, such efforts focus on increasing crop yields and water conservation. The former can encourage decidedly un-organic practices, like increased fertilizer use, and while expanding organic farming could reduce overall water consumption, there are other less resource and labor intense ways of doing so.

Additionally, Morocco has neither national standards for organic farming nor any means to certify its organic farms. Setting up a national certification system would take time and money. Guaranteeing its veracity would require significant oversight. Yet these costs are necessary if Morocco hopes to profit from its organic potential. It is the lack of such a certification system that makes it impossible for Morocco's already fledgling organic farms to export their produce to Europe.

See the full story here: Morocco Organic?

Ramadan ~ the other side of the story

Travelling in Europe this August, it interesting to see so many Moroccan tourists. One of the reasons soon becomes apparent when you meet them in coffee shops, restaurants and pubs - they are "escaping Ramadan". In this article in our Ramadan series, Ibn Warraq takes a look at the issue of Ramadan and religious freedom.

"Our family always comes to Europe during Ramadan. It is a sensible choice for us as we do not think that the fast should be enforced on us if we do not want it" - Abdelhak, Rabat

Non-Muslims eat lunch on the terrace of a McDonald's in Rabat, Morocco, in front of a sign which reminds customers that Muslim adults are forbidden from being served at the restaurant during the day during the month of Ramadan. The sign says only children and non-Muslims will be served. In practice it means that Western foreigners will be served.(Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images)

As recently as two years ago, six Moroccans were arrested for having a picnic during Ramadan in protest at the law banning eating in public during Ramadan. Now it appears the debate is on again. Article 222 of the Moroccan Penal Code mandates a one to six month prison term for anyone "well known for their affiliation to Islam" who breaks the fast in public.

As a result, Moroccans who are non-practicing Muslims are obligated to respect the fast in public, while others escape abroad to avoid the restrictions. The latest edition of Global Post carries an interesting article by Aida Alami that discusses this basic issue of religious freedom.

Here is a short excerpt:

MALI (the acronym in French for Alternative Movement for Individual Liberty), the group that held the protest picnic, was formed in 2009. It campaigns for more individual freedoms. Its members have been arrested and intimidated by authorities and members of the general public since launching their first action, the picnic.

“It was not Ramadan that was 'targeted' but instead, we demanded freedom of religion and conscience, the freedom to believe or not, to practice or not, to be a Muslim or not," said Ibtissame Lachgar, 36, the co-founder of MALI and a political activist. “It is a spiritual choice that is personal and individual. We wanted a symbolic action that can really point the finger at the contradictions between the law and international treaties ratified by Morocco.”

Morocco's current political system is not compatible with the establishment of a secular state following the Turkish model, said Pierre-Jean Luizard, a historian and researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research in France.

Abdelillah Benkirane, the leader of the main opposition party, The Islamist Justice and Development Party, condemned demands for a more secular state during a meeting in June, a few days before Morocco’s ruler, King Mohammed VI, introduced the new constitution to the people.

“They want to pervert the faith of this nation and Ramadan to no longer be sacred," he said. "They want to picnic during the holy month and set an example for young people, for your children. It seems that future reforms will restore 'sexual deviance' [homosexuality] — we may see people who say publicly that they are 'sexual deviants'."

Benkirane warned his audience that establishing more religious freedom in a new constitution would threaten the country’s foundations. "If the king adopts it, we will have a serious problem," he said. "Morocco is a Muslim state, and the country’s religion is Islam.”

Read the Global Post article in full here: Global Post

287 Moroccan Prisoners Granted Amnesty

HM King Mohamed VI yesterday granted amnesty to 287 prisoners as part of activities marking the 58th anniversary of the 'Revolution of the King and the People', celebrated on the 20th of August in Morocco.

Seven prisoners will be released immediately, while others will benefit from reduction of their sentences or penalties.

The Revolution of the King and the People commemorates the offensive launched by the national movement after the deportation to Madagascar on 20 August, 1953, of Sultan Mohamed V (grandfather of king Mohamed VI), by the French colonial authorities.

The Moroccan King regularly grants amnesty to detainees on the occasion of national and religious celebrations.

New Low-Cost Flights Between Morocco and France

Morocco’s low-cost carrier Jet4you has begun taking reservations for Winter 2011/12 season, and announced starting 10 new routes between Morocco and France.

New routes are:

Agadir – Bordeaux
Agadir – Lyon
Agadir – Marseille
Agadir – Nantes
Agadir – Toulouse
Marrakech – Bordeaux
Marrakech – Lyon
Marrakech – Marseille
Marrakech – Nantes
Marrakech – Toulouse

In other airline news, turboprop regional-aircraft manufacturer ATR has delivered the first two ATR 72-600s, celebrating the deliveries to Royal Air Maroc at ATR’s Toulouse final assembly line with a delegation from the airline.

Royal Air Maroc will be the first operator of the new ATR “-600” series. ATR says the 70-seat ATR 72-600s will allow the Moroccan national carrier to reinforce its domestic network and its short-haul international network.

"Omar Killed Me" heads to the Oscars

According to a statement from Morocco's Movie Centre (CCM) the latest offering from the Moroccan filmmaker Roshdy Zem, has been entered for the Oscars 2012 in the category of best foreign language film. The film, is expected to be a strong contender.

A selection commission, which held a meeting this week in Rabat under the chairmanship of writer and film critic Mohamed Gallaoui, chose the movie “Omar m’a tuer” (roughly translated as Omar Killed Me) to represent Morocco in the Oscars 2012 in accordance with the criteria set by "the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences".

The film received a very positive reponse from critics. Denis Podalydes, writing in the Hollywood Reporter says: This second feature from actor-cum-director Roschdy Zem (Point Blank) plunges the viewer into the highly publicized 1990s affair, which saw a man who many believed to be innocent suffer under a Gallic penal system unwilling to look beyond circumstantial evidence and racial prejudices. A mesmerizing lead turn from Sami Bouajila, plus a still-newsworthy subject matter, should grant Omar extended leave beyond France and Europe.

The events began in June 1991 with the murder of 65-year-old Ghislaine Marchal, who was found stabbed and beaten to death in the basement of her villa, located in an affluent suburb north of Cannes. Among the clues discovered at the crime scene was the grammatically incorect inscription “Omar m’a tuer”  written in Madame Marchal’s blood and pinpointing her gardener, Omar Raddad (Bouajila), as the murderer.

Sami Bouajila in Omar Killed Me

At the time, many questioned the fact that a wealthy and well-educated woman would make such an obvious French conjugation error, even on her deathbed. But as the screenplay (adapted from non-fiction sources by Zem and three co-writers) clearly suggests, the local police and prosecutors were less concerned with infallibly proving Raddad’s guilt than with nabbing an easy suspect: an uneducated, illiterate Moroccan who was incapable of defending himself in court.

Crosscutting between Raddad’s long and harrowing prison sentence, and the investigations of a novelist, Pierre-Emmanuel Vaugrenard (Denis Podalydes), whose humanist beliefs push him to write a book proving the man’s innocence, the pace barely lets up during a compact 85 minutes of engrossing historical dramatization. And despite a timeline that stretches for over a decade, Zem convincingly centers things around the gradual rehabilitation of Raddad both in his own eyes (he learns to read, write and better himself while in jail) and in those of the public (he would eventually be pardoned by President Jacques Chirac, though his conviction has yet to be overturned by the French courts).

Marrakech Art Fair ~ coming in October

The online arts magazine artdaily.org reports that for its second edition, the Marrakech Art Fair is bigger and better. The exhibitions of modern and contemporary art will be back at the Palace Es Saadi from September 30th to October 3rd 2011, with 45 international galleries exhibiting their major artists. About 20 additional galleries join the Marrakech Art Fair 2010 exhibitors.

Murat Germen, Muta-morphosis n-¦3, 2010, 150x85cm, Le Caire, courtesy CAM Gallery

Two of the stand-out attractions will be the important representation of the Turkish contemporary scene, and two major representatives from New York. For the first time, six galleries from Istanbul will be participating in an international art fair outside Istanbul (CDA Projects, PI Artworks, Empire Project, CAM Gallery, PG Art Gallery, and Merkur). The Marrakech Art Fair will also welcome Metro Pictures and Edwynn Houk Gallery from New York.

The international profile of the Marrakech Art Fair will be further enhanced by the participation of Galleria Continua, from San Gimignano in Italy as well as, Beijing (China) and Le Moulin (France).

The North African scene (Morocco and Tunisia) and that one of the Middle East are represented by 13 galleries. FJ gallery, L’Artothèque and Sous Sol Art Gallery came to join the Moroccan galleries as L’Atelier 21, David Bloch gallery, Loft Art Gallery, Matisse Art Gallery, Galerie Shart, and also Venise Cadre-GVCC as well as two Tunisian galleries: Le Violon Bleu and El Marsa.

By their side will be a gallery IVDE from Dubai. Art Space, and Athr Gallery, will represent Saudi Arabia. Among the French galleries will be, Albert Benamou, Aline Vidal, Daniela Da Prato Gallery, Galerie Dix9, Galerie Jean Fournier and Besseiche Lartigue. In addition, Galerie Lelong, will showcase a monumental work by internationally renowned contemporary artist and sculptor, Jaume Plensa ((born 1955 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain), produced especially for the Marrakech Art Fair.

Jaume Plensa  - photo C Hidalgo

From Russia, Aidan Gallery, and from Italy, Voice Gallery will join the French and European galleries which took part in Marrakech Art Fair 2010: JGM. Galerie, Magnin-A, Jean Brolly, Galerie Di Meo, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Galerie Rive Gauche/Marcel Strouk, Galerie Marie Vitoux coming from France, and Piramidon Centre d’art contemporain, from Spain.


A cultural circuit around the Marrakech Art Fair

The cultural circuit of Marrakech Art Fair associates this year will include the mythical cinema of Marrakech, Le Colisée, the ESAV (Marrakech Graduate school of visual arts) and other places all of which will welcome an artistic program conceived by the CNAP (National Center of Plastic Arts) and present artists’ videos gathered by two pairs of collectors: Jean-Michel and Charlotte Attal, and also Jean Conrad and Isabelle Lemaître.

At the same time, Marrakech will pay homage to the Moroccan film maker Nabil Ayouch (nominated for the Oscars,) presenting two of his full-length movies and as well there will be videos of young Moroccan artists that Ayouch has produced since 2002.

The main hotels and palaces in the Hivernage district of Marrakech will take part with the Sofitel hosting a touring photo exhibition entitled « Fashion stills, if fashion were told to me », presented by Polka Galerie (Paris).

In addition to these exhibitions, the organizers of Marrakech Art Fair will hold a programme of round-table conferences with internationally recognised personalities renowned for their involvement in the art market calling into question contemporary art in the Arab world.

Keep up to date with the international art scene on Art Daily

Notes from Ramadan

Over the weeks of Ramadan, The View from Fez has published a series of reflections on this month of fasting. Today our guest is blogger and photographer Anita Breland who contributes her "Notes from Ramadan".

"At Fez the believer charged with waking the woman is called the dakak…’one who knocks’…The position is hereditary…He receives a small sum as remuneration from the Habous* and each inhabitant contributes toward paying the dakak of his quarter by handing over fifty centimes with seventeen measures of wheat." -  From 'Behind Moroccan Walls' by Henrietta Celarie (first published 1931)

Arriving in Fez before Ramadan, I knew to expect limited restaurant service, shortened working hours for businesses of all kinds, and erratic availability of Petite Taxis. What I did not anticipate fully were the late-night sound effects, beginning with trumpets ratcheting up the volume about 10:00 pm, and sounding very much like a Moroccan wedding procession.

Early in the day, there is an eerie hush over the medina. Many people are home, sleeping off a night of three meals packed into eight short hours. Most shops are bolted shut and streets are empty. By mid-day, doors are open again, and the souks back in business.

Baguettes, as well as traditional Moroccan breads, are in plentiful supply. For several hours in the afternoon, the souks are packed, filled with shoppers purchasing meats, fish and fresh produce for the evening’s round of meals. A lot of shopping goes on before the cannon at Borj Sud, a 16th century Saadian fort on a hill south of Fez, fires twice to signal time to break the fast.

Fasting hours behind them, men pack street-side cafes, ready to join their fellows for coffee and smokes. Families turn out in force, too, for a stroll along the boulevards in the New City and the perimeters of the medina. Children, energized with sugary drinks, honeyed pastries and Ramadan soup, play late into the evening.

Around 10:30 pm, horns begin to sound in the distance, blasting their one-note repertoire. Outside my door, footsteps and conversations of passersby continue until the wee hours, echoing through the narrow passageways.

Just before 2:00 am, we hear the drum and singing of the dakak, a long-standing Ramadan tradition. These days, the fellow no longer knocks at individual doors to awaken the women of medina households to their pre-dawn duties. However, the chanting drummer’s task remains that of signaling time for preparation of the early morning meal.

The dakak begins his drumming at Oued Chorfa, a small square a few steps inside the medina near Bab R’cif, and passes my window as he starts up the hill. The journey will take about an hour. When I hear the dakak go by, I cannot help but listen, knowing that in a couple of hours, with the first call to prayer from the city’s hundreds of minarets, a new day of fasting will begin.

*Prior to Moroccan independence, the charitable endowments benefitting religious organizations and public institutions

Words and photographs by Anita Breland and Tom Fakler.
Anita's blog is Anita's Feast

Another blogging win for Fez !

The View from Fez has been chosen to receive a Iglu 2011 Blog Award. It came as something of a surprise as we had not entered. However,the judges wrote...

The team at Iglu selected a list of hundreds of contenders for this award, before whittling them down to just ten. The ones in this section are here because they represented their country in such an admirable way. Without sites like these, the world would be a more inaccessible place.

Country guides make any journey easier as they consolidate the information into one convenient package. These are clever information portals that will help show you how to get around, find a bed, feed yourself and generally enjoy the culture. It also helps you identify where money can be saved, and how to look after yourself and your property. The Iglu awards have gone to those country guides which really take you by the hand and show you the sights.

So without further ado, we've compiled the top ten. These have passed through the hands of our team of experts, and have been picked out of the initial shortlist of many hundreds of country guide blogs. Obviously if you want to to go Zimbabwe, these blogs won't be of enormous help. But for prospective tourists or even the curious, the blogs down here are truly in a league of their own.

http://www.iglucruise.com/igluawards2011/categories/winners/country-guides.htm

Once again, I would to express my congratulations for your well-deserved recognition.

 

Morocco's Elections ~ Date change

Morocco's government has changed the date of the proposed parliamentary election. According to Communication Minister Khalid Naciri, the elections will now take place early in November instead of the scheduled date of September next year.

HM King Mohammed VI has said he wants early elections to follow through on a package of constitutional reforms that were designed to reduce the risk of the "Arab Spring" uprisings reaching his country.

Reuters are reporting that setting the new date has involved delicate negotiations between the interior ministry, which oversees elections, and some political parties who say more time is needed to prepare fraud-proof elections.

"The (interior) ministry has proposed to political parties that November 11 be the tentative date for early parliamentary polls," Khalid Naciri, told Reuters.

"Now the parties and the ministry will need to agree on the election system that needs to be adopted, the election laws and whether we should have separate national lists for (electing) women and young people."

Under the constitutional reforms, approved in a referendum last month, the king will hand over some of his powers to elected officials, but he will retain a decisive say on strategic decisions.

In a July 30 television address, the monarch said the constitutional changes should be implemented swiftly. "Any delay may jeopardise this dynamic of trust and squander opportunities offered by the new reform," King Mohammed said. "It's important to start with the election of a new parliament so that we we can proceed with the appointment of a head of the government."

Getting the most out of The View from Fez

Over the last few months The View from Fez has had a big increase in the number of regular readers and so for newcomers, here is a quick guide to getting the most from our site.

SEARCHING THE VIEW FROM FEZ

The first thing to remember is that the site is totally searchable. There are over 3000 stories on the blog and chances are the topic you are interested in has been covered.  Simply type a key word into the search box located at the top left of the page.

There is also a list of topics further down the blog on the left hand side.

If you can not find what you are looking for, please feel free to contact us via email. Our contact page link will give you more information and our email address.

SPECIAL FEATURES

We have special pages or collections of stories covering some general information about areas such as Moroccan Recipes, Suggested Reading and a collection of photographic essays. On our photo journal you will also find all the entries in our fifth birthday photo competition.  So no matter if your interest is in Berber bread making, a beginners' guide to buying Moroccan carpets or some glorious photographs of a traditional Moroccan wedding, you will find them here.

KEEPING UP TO DATE

You can keep up to date with The View from Fez in a number of ways: During the last couple of months we started a Facebook page which hosts condensed versions of stories as well as weather forecasts and exchange rates. You can also follow us on Twitter.

 By clicking on the "follow" link at the top left of our blog's main page you can get email notification of new stories.

OUR THANKS

Thanks to the support of our sponsors we now have a great team of photographers and writers in Fez as well as correspondents around the country. Thanks are also due to our loyal readers. We have had almost two million visitors since we started and that number is growing steadily. This last year we recorded 675,330 visits. We are also pleased that our pages are being syndicated even more widely through our special relationship with Lonely Planet, and many other smaller sites.

Meanwhile, just out side the Medina...

Sidi Mustapha's neighbours, the Abdellah's, had recently bought a camel and kept it in their backyard, right beside Mustapha's back yard. It was a problem because it kept Mustapha awake all night with its incessant rasping and belching sounds.

One night, unable to stand the noise any longer, he got out of bed and headed off to the Abdellah's to sort out the problem once and for all.

On his return to his bed, his wife asked him what he had done about the camel.

“Hah! I purchased the camel and brought it over to our back yard. Now we will see how the Abdellah's tolerate the noise!"

Morocco would like half the tourist income from the Alhambra

One of Morocco's many great contributions to the world's cultural heritage would have to be Al-Qal‘at al-Ḥamrā’ - "the Red Fortress" - the Alhambra. It is ironic that Spanish Christians spent 800 years trying to kick the Moors out and, having succeeded, are now making so much of the city's income from their legacy. However, if one visionary Moroccan Government Minister has his way, that may be about to change.

Built by artisans whose ancestors had brought with them the building and design skills from Fez and whose descendents would eventually return there, the Alhambra is a complex of royal palaces, grand courtyards with exquisite fountains, and delightful formal gardens.

Constructed under the Moorish Nasrid dynasty in the 14th century, today this Moorish architectural gem brings millions of euros into the local economy and entrance fees alone raise half a million euros a year. It is the most significant surviving example of Muslim architecture in Europe.

The Nasrid Palaces, The antechamber, the Mexuar, is a gentle introduction to a series of elaborately decorated salons and courtyards, each more magnificent than the last. Following classic Islamic design principles, there is either a fountain or a channel of water in the centre of each courtyard. The intricacy of the plaster and tile work decorating the walls is breathtaking and took the army of artisans more than 30 years to create.

Another memorable sight was a gigantic star-shaped design in the ceiling of the Sala de los Abencerrajes, made of stalactites of carved plaster. This is supposed to be the room where the last Muslim ruler, Boabdil, invited to dinner a family with whom he had fallen out, then had them killed – an act which must have made subsequent guests nervous.

After Boabdil surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella, the fate of the Alhambra was shaky for a few centuries. Subsequent generations of Christian rulers put their stamp on it, by demolishing sections and re-building in styles they preferred.

In 1812, Napoleon's troops attempted to blow up the place while decamping. The fact that the Alhambra still exists today is due to a soldier who made sure the explosives didn't detonate. Instead, the site was left to fall into decay. Drawings show the wonderful Court of the Lions with holes in the paving and weeds growing through the marble. We have the advent of tourism to thank for its restoration.

Now, Morocco is claiming half the income from tourists who visit the Alhambra Palace in Granada.

The Moroccan Culture Minister, Bensalem Himmich, has proposed that a mixed company be established between both countries to run the Granada monument, considering it would be justice for Boabdil, the last Moorish King of Granada. He was expelled by the Catholic Kings, spent the last years of his life in North Africa.According to the Minister, "Boabdil’s descendents were Moroccan".

The Minister, who has made this suggestion to both the Spanish Government and the Junta de Andalucía, considers the mixed company could manage both the visitors and conservation. He claimed that such an arrangement could ‘open bridges of cooperation and friendship between our two countries’.

Later on Wednesday however, the Moroccan Embassy denied that their Culture Minister had called for income from the Alhambra. 'After consulting with the Ministry, we have no data to verify these declarations'.

References to the story have also disappeared from the two Moroccan sites.

We don't expect any further mentions of this story to surface anytime soon.

Photographs and reporting from Spain: Suzanna Clarke

Two Hundred and Fifty Dirham Coin for only Five Hundred!

A significant marker of the twelfth anniversary of HM King Mohammed VI's ascension to the throne is a commemorative 250 dirham coin, issued by Morocco's central bank, Bank Al Maghrib.

The obverse of the coin bears the image of the Sovereign as well as "Mohammed VI" and "the Kingdom of Morocco" struck in Arabic, with the dates "2011-1432".

The face of the12th anniversary coin is written in Arabic and French, along with an image of the Royal Palace of Rabat, olive branches, the royal arms and the fiscal value of 250 dirhams in numerals and Arabic letters.

The coin is available at Bank Al Maghrib agencies, but before rushing out to purchase your piece of numismatic history, be aware that the actual purchase price is 500 dirhams.

Not All Ramadans are Equal - opinion

For the faithful, Ramadan is a time of spiritual and physical cleansing - a month long detox that is welcomed each year. However, as Ibn Warraq reports for The View from Fez, daylight hours vary from country to country and this does cause some very real health problems and its timing may need some adjustment.

The thirty day Ramadan fast between sunrise and sunset is not simply about refraining from food, drinking, sex and smoking. It is a time for prayer and reflection. However, not all Ramadans are equal. The hours between sunrise and sunset may not vary much in places like Mecca in Saudi Arabia, but spare a thought for those living elsewhere. The problem is the difference between the Islamic and Gregorian calendars. As the Islamic calendar is eleven days shorter than the Gregorian, Ramadan moves back by that number of days each year.

Why is this a problem? Well, if you are a practising Muslim living in Sweden, Norway and Finland, for example, where the sun may not set until around midnight and rise again only a few hours later, the length of the fast and the lack of real sleep becomes a major health issue.

Reporter Murad Ahmed, writing in the Times, says it is also a problem for British Muslims who complain that fasting in August with sunrise at between 3am and 4am and sunset between 8pm and 9pm, means going without food and water for 16 hours a day! As he points out, "...nutritionists will say that though this may be good for the soul, it is not great for the body".

Murad Ahmed recalls that when he first started fasting as a youngster, Ramadan was in the middle of December. "The sun set at about 4pm, perfectly timed for a meal after I got home from school".

All the best medical advice is that you need to eat breakfast to restore energy after sleeping and to drink water all day to maintain concentration. Islam has been very adaptive when it comes to Ramadan. For obvious reasons, airline pilots are not allowed to fast and there are exemptions for pregnant women, the sick, the elderly, the very young and those travelling.

The rules that made sense in Arabia back in the 7th century are being adapted and scholars have suggested that to overcome the negative health consequences of extreme fasts, people in countries such as Finland forget about local time and simply fast during the hours of daylight occurring in Mecca. Many Muslims are now adopting this sensible approach.

What is so heartening about this is that with pragmatism and flexibility, Ramadan can avoid being a health risk and remain a time of commitment and inspiration.

Breaking the Ramadan Fast in Fez

For visitors to Morocco, the month of Ramadan can be a very interesting time. One of the great joys is the moment each evening when the fast is broken. Our special correspondent, Rose Button, gives a personal account of a wonderful evening in the Fez Medina.

Photo: Suzanna Clarke

 I am sitting and watching the sunset over the city of Fez. I have always thought this is one of the most beautiful times, when day turns to night in spectacular colour display - especially over the warm cities of Morocco. And today it is even more special. I am waiting to hear the beautiful call to prayer that resonates as mosque after mosque joins the chorus.

 Now the setting sun is turning more orange. Every change is like a ticking clock, for once it slips below the horizon the call to prayer will follow and it will be time to break my fast; to nourish and hydrate my weary body with water and food. In one way I am eager for the sun to set and in another , I want its beauty to last for longer.

Photo Rose Button

Ramadan is a great and strange time to be in Morocco - to see the usually busy coffee shops empty; shops closed and locals just sitting and waiting, or sprawled asleep. And about two hours before L’ftar, the Ramadan breakfast, the souqs (markets) are bustling with locals buying fruit and vegetables. They purchase fresh, hot bread from the bakery, freshly squeezed juices by the bottle to give the hit of sugar, water and vitamins that weary bodies need, and lots of sticky sweets. Then abruptly the stalls close, as everyone returns to their family to break the fast together.
 
During the month long period of fasting, emotions can run wild. There is a man who normally sits placidly selling cigarettes. Now I see him leaping up and down and shouting to everyone who passes, urging them to buy his cigarettes at low prices. Crowds squabble over the best figs or the last of the juice bottles. But mostly, everyone just waits.

Photo: Rose Button

 People ask me where I will break the fast and if I say I am alone, I am almost dragged to peoples’ houses. It is not possible to break the fast alone, as we are all in this together.

The sun slides lower and as the first meal is prepared; I can smell the gorgeous food. Today I have found it tough. I have wanted to drink and drink. As it is not an option, I have been dithery and ended up having an afternoon sleep, which felt much better. I still have a day job to do.

photo: Rose Button

I am a Kiwi living in Morocco and I am not a Muslim. I have chosen to fast to gain an understanding and link with Moroccan people. I also think of it is an opportunity for me to practice discipline; to learn about my body and how to take care of it. I have fasted before in England and that was different - there was not the togetherness and spirit that I feel here. In England I had to work so could not rest when I felt tired, like I did today. I like being part of this community, this culture, this way of life and want to experience all as many aspects as possible.

It is time for the sun to say goodbye. I hear the canon fire, which is the signal to eat, and then the call to prayer sounds and enjoy it even more than I usually do. In the minutes that follow there is an unusual silence in the city; no traffic and no talking as everyone disappears into their houses to break the fast with friends, family or with someone they dragged off the street.

Photo: Rose Button  

My fast is broken with dates, fresh fruit juice, harira soup, briouats (pastries) and other homemade goodies.

Hamdoulah bezzef! Ramadan Mubarak said.

Lonely Planet - a must have guide book for Morocco

Lonely Planet is the the most popular guide book for Morocco and now there is a new Moroccan edition available in the better book shops. The care and attention to detail that the authors have delivered means that this is once again the "must have" guide book for Morocco. The View from Fez team will do a full review of the book in the near future.

CLICK IMAGE TO ORDER

In addition the Lonely Planet website is a valuable source of information and articles on Morocco. A recent article by Stefanie Di Trocchio, for example, gives the following very handy hints to prepare the first-time visitor for a wonderful time in the country.

Moroccans are famously hospitable and love showing visitors their country. You’ll meet plenty of friendly folk who’ll ease your path, but these tips will make your trip even easier.

•   Go in spring when lots of Morocco is lush and green. Don’t underestimate the extremes of summer and winter – they can be brutal. Ramadan is an interesting time to travel, but be aware that many restaurants and cafes will be shut during the day. In 2011, Ramadan begins on 1 August and finishes on 30 August. The dates change from year to year, so check it out online (www.when-is.com/ramadan.asp) before you go.
•   A few words of basic Arabic will take you a long way. Try es salaam alaykum(hello, literally ‘peace be upon you’), ‘afak (please – it has a glottal stop before it, like the sound between the vowels in ‘uh-oh’. If you’re talking to a woman it’s ‘afik; to a group, say ‘afakum) and shukran bezzef (thank you very much) for starters.
•   Stay in a riad – a traditional Moroccan house built around an internal garden.Marrakesh, Fes and Essaouria are classic riad destinations.  Check out Lonely Planet Hotels & Hostels for recommendations.
•  Load up your pockets with small change. Tipping is an integral part of Moroccan life, and a few dirham for a service willingly rendered can make life a lot easier. Tipping between 5% and 10% of a restaurant bill is appropriate. Also tip taxis, guides and small boys who help you find your way out of the complex maze of streets in the old parts of town.
•   Don’t engage a faux guide (false guide) for the day. They’re illegal. Engage an official tourist guide through a tourist office instead.
•   Petit and grand taxis are a great way to get around, but be prepared to wait – grand taxis won’t leave until all six cramped places are full. If you’re a woman travelling alone in a grand taxi, it’s a good idea to buy the two places in front for yourself.
•   Treat bargaining in souks as a friendly game. It’s an intrinsic part of the culture and is always expected of you, so just ignore the first price a merchant puts forward.
•   If you’re offered a mint tea by a local, sit down to enjoy. Mint tea is the hallmark of Moroccan hospitality, and it’s impolite to refuse it. A sit-down tea session takes about half an hour.
•   If you’re a woman travelling alone, try to ignore unwanted attention. You’ll hear cries of gazelle! and perhaps even get the odd marriage proposal, but the best thing to do is to avoid eye contact. If it persists, threaten police involvement. It’s surprisingly effective.