Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Fez - A Long Exposure
Last Wednesday the ALC-ALIF Photography Club was out and about - exposing themselves. Literally. Members took the opportunity to learn how to control the shutter speed and what compositions get the best results. The workshop was run by ALIF student Jacob Schwoerer.
Omar Chennafi, who runs the ALC-ALIF Photography Club through the American Language Center, was very happy with the results. "It was such great time especially because everyone was enjoying it and learning new skills. One of the most interesting things for me, is that there are some girls who participate in this workshop. It was different as well, as it was late evening and the first time that we did a night session.
"The workshops mean a lot for me because the club becomes a way for many people to express themselves without someone judging them. I am happy that I can see the new generation taking new action and new vision that reflects their own life style."
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Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Moroccan News Briefs #77
Moroccan middle class faces new tax burden
The draft 2013 Finance Act includes a new solidarity tax. According to Magharebia, he opposition views the proposal as an attack on the middle class.
Morocco's 2013 Finance Act is not yet law, but one provision is already sparking widespread criticism from opposition legislators. Their main complaint about the draft law presented in parliament on Wednesday (October 24th) is a new solidarity tax on those with monthly earnings of 25,000 dirhams (2,250 euros) or more.
The tax hike on the highest earners aims to boost to the Social Cohesion Fund of 2012, which covers the new RAMED medical assistance programme for citizens with special needs and finances education initiatives. A proportional rate of 3% will apply to those with annual incomes between 300,000 and 600,000 dirhams per year. Higher earners will be subject to a 5% rate.
But according to the leader of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) in the House of Councillors, Hakim Benchemmas, the move will hit the middle class the hardest. It will also fail to fulfil the government's commitments, he said.
Chaoui Belassel, the Constitutional Union party leader in the Chamber of Representatives, agrees, arguing that the measure aims to support the needy at the expense of the middle class.
Many workers also disapprove of the proposal and hope that the opposition will be able to amend it.
The government's increase to fuel prices has already had an effect on other items, critics of the new tax measure say. Ahmed Sellami, who works for a company, feels that the proposed solidarity tax will be yet another burden for many households.
"I earn 30,000 dirhams. I have to support my parents and my two unemployed brothers, as well as my small family. I pay school fees for my three children and I have to pay off my loans. That leaves me unable to save anything," he told Magharebia.
Driss Azami El Idrissi, the minister delegate responsible for the budget, has insisted that everyone must pull together in the current economic situation. Businesses, he explained, will also contribute to the Social Cohesion Fund.
Euro Millions site hacked by Moroccans
Members of the Moroccan Ghosts hacker collective recently defaced the Web site for France's Euromillions lottery with a message condemning gambling.
"The messages appeared in Arabic and French and blocked the homepage of the lottery in France. ... The French version of the message said: 'Oh you believers. Wine, games of chance, statues all augur impurity and are the work of the devil,'" AFP reports. "It exhorted people to quit gambling, saying it was used by the devil along with alcohol to 'sow hatred between yourselves and turn you away from God and prayer.'"
"The Moroccan Ghosts are a group of hackers founded in 2012," writes Softpedia's Eduard Kovacs. "Their objectives are not only to defend their country and its king, but also to militate for territorial unity."
Death of a cocaine smuggler
A forty-seven year old Nigerian who died at the airport in Casablanca was found to have 76 capsules of cocaine in his stomach. A Nigerian national died last weekend at his arrival at the airport Mohammed V, following the bursting of capsules of cocaine he had in the intestine. The information was given to the media by an airport security sources. The victim was in transit from a flight from Doha to Casablanca, with an onward ticket to Benin. According to the security source, "the passenger appeared uncomfortable due to severe abdominal pain, before suddenly vanishing in the departure lounge."
Eid Al-Adha in Morocco's prisons
Some 979 sheep and 11 calves were killed in prisons throughout Morocco on the occasion of Eid Al Adha. According to the Delegation General for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DAPR) several institutions and public and private institutions in addition to the central administration of the DAPR had donated sheep and cattle for the benefit of various penitentiaries. The donations came from both local and district government as well as many private sector firms and individuals.
Villagers drive out prostitutes
Writing in the New York Times, Suzanne Daley reports that local groups in the village of Ain Leuh have made a stand against prostitution. According to Daley, for years, this mountain village with its crumbling whitewashed walls was known as the place to go for sex - a Moroccan version of Amsterdam’s red-light district.
Now a group of men here, known as "the Islamists", have taken matters into their own hands.
The men deny that they were on a religious campaign, or that they are fanatics. They were tired, they said, of living side by side with drunken, brawling clients, tired of having their daughters propositioned as they headed home from school, tired of being embarrassed about where they lived.
“It reached a point after Ramadan,” said Mohammed Aberbach, 41, who helped organize the campaign to drive the prostitutes out of town, “that men were actually waiting in lines. It was crazy.”
The changes in Ain Leuh are being held up by some in Morocco as another triumph of the Arab Spring — testament to what can happen when ordinary citizens stand up for change and make life better for themselves.
For others, however, the events of the past year show how the more fundamentalist Islamists, though continuing to be shut out of power in countries like Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco, nonetheless manage to promote their conservative agendas — often taking the law into their own hands, and in this case threatening the prostitutes and their customers and driving away the only industry in these parts.
“The economy is in free fall here,” said Ali Adnane, who works for a rural development agency. “The girls rented. They had cash. They bought things. Some people here are really happy about the changes. But some people are not.”
Full story here: New York Times
Moroccan Agriculture Fair in Agadir
Producers, growers, distribuitors, researchers and many more will meet to discuss current conditions, to share news concerning production and to think about new strategies for the future. The fair expects to have representatives in attendance of Companies from over 15 different nations.
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| The Agadir fair in 2011 |
And now the weather...
Mohamed Belouchi, from the National Bureau of Meteorology says we can expect continuous rain showers until Friday with disturbed and unstable conditions. Heavy rainfall of up to 50 to 80 millimeters is predicted all week. The adverse weather is a result of atmospheric disturbances in western Europe.
Fez should return to sunny conditions on Saturday, with a high of around 25 degrees Celsius. However before that the temperatures will be between 14 (night) and 23 (day). Rabat continues with showers and a range of 18 to 22 until partly sunny conditions on Saturday. Casablanca can expect the same conditions as Rabat. However, Tangiers can expect wet weather right through until Sunday. Marrakech should improve to a few sun showers by Thursday and fine through next weekend with temperatures between 17 and 28.
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Monday, October 29, 2012
Moroccan Photo Of The Day - Moon Over Fez
Today's photo of the day is from Suzanna Clarke. A wonderful view of the full moon over the Fez Medina. The photograph was taken from the terrace of Riad Zany
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| Click image to enlarge |
The View from Fez welcomes contributions for our photo of the day series. Our contact details can be found via link at the top right of this page
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Sunday, October 28, 2012
Moroccan News Briefs #76
Easyjet announces Stansted - Marrakech flights
EASYJET has announced it will begin flying to Marrakech as part of its new 2013 route launches from London Stansted Airport.
EasyJet will fly year-round flights to Marrakech three times a week on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the inaugural flight taking off on February 15 2013.
The airline will also move their larger A320 aircraft to Stansted which will have 180 seats onboard.
Welcoming the news, Nick Barton, Stansted’s Managing Director, said:“Today’s announcement is fantastic news for both easyJet and Stansted Airport and will provide passengers with even greater choice and more exciting destinations.
“We’re delighted to be seeing a welcome return of Marrakesh as we believe there is a real and significant demand for flights to this destination".
14 migrants drown trying to reach Spain
At least 14 people died when a boat carrying some 70 undocumented migrants capsized in the Mediterranean after setting off from Morocco bound for Spain
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Seventeen people were pulled from the water alive off the coast of Alhucemas, Morocco, Spain's Maritime Rescue service said, adding that some of the survivors were in need of "urgent medical assistance." Maritime Rescue took the survivors to Alhucemas.
One of the survivors said 71 people were aboard the flimsy craft when it left Morocco.
Authorities from both countries began searching for the boat on Wednesday after a tip from someone who feared for the safety of a family member aboard the craft. The boat was located by a Maritime Rescue surveillance plane, which lowered a raft to pick up some of those in the water and summoned vessels from both Spain and Morocco to aid in rescue and recovery efforts.
Morocco's inflation on the rise
Morocco's consumer price inflation edged up to an annual 1.2 percent in September from 1 percent in August, the High Planning Authority said on Sunday.
Food prices rose 1.4 percent in the 12 months to the end of September, against 1.5 percent in August. Transport costs went up 5.1 percent year on year in September, the authority said, without elaborating. Fuel prices in Morocco jumped in June.
On a monthly basis, consumer price inflation was 0.2 percent in September, compared with 0.7 percent the previous month.
Morocco in the path of locusts
The FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, has urged Morocco to be prepared for the arrival of desert locusts and take steps protect agricultural fields.
Currently, swarms of locusts are feeding in Chad, Mali and Niger. Locust populations have increased an estimated 250-fold as a result of good summer rains. Such numbers can be a real threat to the region.
Keith Cressman, the FAO’s Senior Locust Forecasting Officer pointed out that “Prevailing winds and historical precedents make it likely the swarms, once formed, will fly to Algeria, Libya, southern Morocco and northwestern Mauritania.”
Female locusts, which can lay 300 eggs throughout their lifetime, have, so far, given birth to swarms of tens of millions of locusts, according to the statistics released by FAO.
Lacking the equipment to fight the spread of locusts, the FAO is appealing to Morocco to allow field operations in its fields, thus helping alleviate the damage desert locust will cause.
Cressman added that not having access to some locust breeding grounds can worsen the situation.
The Eiffel Tower continues to embarrass Fez
As Bladi.net comments, "In Fez, where unemployment and poverty is one of the highest in Morocco, one wonders how a representative of the people can afford to spend public money to build unnecessary symbols that do not reflect in any way the identity of the ancient city."
Meanwhile... in another country
Jallalludin, the bank's cashier was in attendance: "It would be my pleasure Sir. Could you please show me your ID?"
Sheikh Ali bin Taj: "Well I didn't bring my ID with me as I didn't think there was any need to. I am Sheikh Ali bin Taj, the Prince of all of this fiefdom"
Jallalludin: "I'm sorry, but with all the regulations, monitoring of the banks because of impostors, fraud and forgers, etc. I must insist on proof of identity."
Sheikh Ali bin Taj: "Just ask anyone here at the bank who I am and they will tell you. Everybody knows who I am."
Jallalludin: "I am sorry Prince but these are the bank rules and I must follow them."
Sheikh Ali bin Taj: "I need this cheque cashed."
Jallalludin: "Perhaps there's another way: One day Mohammed Ali came into the bank without ID. To prove he was Mohammed Ali he pulled out his gloves and did the Ali shuffle. With those moves we knew him to be Mohammed Ali and cashed his cheque. And, another time, Mo Farah came in without ID. He pulled out his Olympic medals and ran around the block a hundred times. With the speed with which he finished his run we cashed his cheque. So sir, what can you do to prove that it is you, and only you, the Prince?"
Sheikh Ali bin Taj stood there thinking and finally says: "Honestly, I can't think of a single thing I'm good at."
Jallalludin: "Will that be large or small notes?"
Editorial Note:
For several years The View from Fez has been a featured Lonely Planet blog and a strong supporter of their Moroccan guide books. Recently the Lonely Planet site encountered a problem and some 1600 stories from The View from Fez vanished. Lonely Planet has apologised and informed us that they are working on the problem. We will let our readers know when the issue is resolved.
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Saturday, October 27, 2012
Fez Photo Of the Day
With the wet cool weather set to continue until Thursday next week, we selected a wonderful reminder of warmer weather. Today's photo of the day is a view of Fez in spring, taken from Mount Zalagh. The photograph is by Jearld F Moldenhauer.
The View from Fez welcomes contributors' photographs.
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| photo by Jearld F Moldenhauer Click photo to enlarge
courtesy Dar Balmira Gallery, Gzira Fes Medina.
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The View from Fez welcomes contributors' photographs.
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Friday, October 26, 2012
Celebrating Eid in Fez - 2012
Today in the Fez Medina was a day for the family, for going to the Mosque and for celebrating Eid. From early in the morning people were gathering to complete the last minute tasks and in some cases to bring home a last minute sheep.
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| Outside a cafe in Rcif, a man tries to get his last minute sheep home |
The View from Fez team were out and about in the Medina and celebrated Eid with our friend Thami and his family. Our day was typical for many in the Medina.
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| The moment of sacrifice |
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| Old and young - Thami's son Hamza watches with his grandmother |
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| The wonderful lace-like patterns of the stomach-lining - washed and dried |
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| An unusual find - felt balls from the stomach of a "carpet-eating" goat |
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| Suzanna Clarke loads up the skewers |
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| Thami cooking in his lounge room - not an everyday sight |
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| The cooked pieces of heart and liver wrapped in stomach lining - delicious! |
Meanwhile, out on the streets the scene is more basic. The heads of the sacrificed animals are donated to local boys who have a great deal of fun cooking them, often on an old metal bed frame. As one passing tourist remarked, 'this is not something I have ever seen before, anywhere. It is an amazing sight - like a scene out of Dante.'
The skins of the animals quickly become items of commerce and within an hour of the first sacrifice they are piled up ready for sale and transport.
During the first few hours of the celebrations most people are at home, but around one in the afternoon, the streets again fill with people going to and from the Mosques.
The Eid celebration will continue for the next few days and we wish our readers Eid mubarak said.
Photographs: Sandy McCutcheon
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Thursday, October 25, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The Moroccan Fez ~ on the road in Australia
Regular readers of The View from Fez may remember that we recently reported on an ancient Fez that left Morocco and has turned up some forty years later on the head of a cigar shop proprietor in Helsinki, Finland. Today we bring you another story of the travels of not one, but sixty, Fez hats.
Over the years, millions of Fezes are purchased by tourists and taken to their home countries. The View from Fez admits complicity in the production and transportation of 60 of them to the "Humour Valets of Australia". All the hats were made here in Fez, including the extraordinary super-fez, worn by Jean-Paul Bell.
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| The Humour Valets and Jean-Paul Bell |
The Humour Valets are the brainchild of the Arts Health Institute in Australia who they have created a "Fezbian movement" - taking Fez wearing performers into aged-care facilities. Jean-Paul Bell, known as the Grand Poo Bar Fez, reports that the Institute is thriving with close to 70 performers.
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| Jean-Paul in the super-fez, with Australian Actor, Jack Thompson |
Read more about the great work of the Arts Health Institute and the Humour Valets here: The Healing Power of the Fez!
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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Preparing for Eid 2012
Eid is fast approaching and all over the medina of Fez the sheep are being trundled in, or walked or even carried. And it is not only sheep. In Rcif this morning there was much hilarity as a young bull broke free and rampaged up and down a street. Unfortunately our photographer was too busy getting into the safety of a doorway to take a photograph. However, we can report that nobody was injured!
Later in the day one of our photographer went out to capture some less dramatic, but nevertheless, familiar sights.
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| Meals on wheels? |
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| Wait until you see the other one. It's this big... |
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| Stock food to keep any sheep happy... at least until Friday |
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| Hold on... we have a steep bit next... |
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| Charcoal sales are booming |
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| Not exactly the same as walking a dog... |
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Sunday, October 21, 2012
Preparing for Eid - A Cautionary Tale
Sidi Driss was frantically searching his wardrobe for an outfit to wear for Eid. Finding nothing that would fit, he hurried into the Medina and deciding he would not wear the usual traditional djellaba, he hunted for something more modern. Wanting to stand out and look splendid for the holiday he bought himself a new and very expensive pair of designer jeans and an Italian designer shirt.
When he went home and tried them on, he found that while the shirt fitted him well, the trousers were too long by 15cm.
He asked his mother to help him shorten the jeans for him but she was not feeling well and told him to go ask his wife to do it for him.
So Driss approached his wife. But she said she was very tired and she still had a lot of work to do preparing for Eid.
Finally Driss asked his daughter. His daughter apologized for not able to do it that night because she had agreed to meet some friends in the Ville Nouvelle.
Later that night, Driss’s mother thought to herself, "My son has been very nice to me. I'll just help him to shorten his new jeans before going to rest." So she shortened the trousers by 15cm and went off to sleep.
A short time later his wife finished her work and thought,"Poor Driss, he knows I am always very busy and seldom asked me to help him. I would oblige him today." So she shortened his new jeans by 15cm.
It was late when his daughter came home from visiting her friends and everyone was asleep. But, not feeling tired she thought, "Papa loves me very much and when I turned him down, he was not angry at all! I would help him to shorten his jeans." So she shortened her father's trousers by 15cm and left them by his bedside while he was asleep.
All of which explains why Sidi Driss became the first man in the Medina to wear designer shorts on the holiday and why people now call him "Driss - the knees of Eid". It also explains why - on every Eid thereafter - he wore a djellaba.
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Faces in the Medina - Julianne Kuhlmann
Recently The View from Fez met up with yet another Australian living in Fez - Julianne Kuhlmann. She kindly agreed to chat with us.
Julianne: I came here in early 2012 on a holiday with friends and fell in love with the place. Being the business entrepreneur that I am, I never resist an opportunity to hand out my business card and the holiday was no exception.
I returned to Adelaide and continued to stay in touch with the contacts I had made and researched some more about living/working in Morocco, particularly Fes. I networked like crazy both in Adelaide and online and within a few months I had some work for a Travel Company (Live & Breathe Morocco) based in Fes and was doing some virtual work for them (developing/writing/managing their new website, business cards etc). This led to an opportunity to continue the work in Fes as they saw some benefit in me being here to assist in developing a strategic plan & marketing strategy.
TVFF: What were you doing before this?
Julianne: I am the Director of my own business, Kool Results, which has been going since 2000 and based in Adelaide. My expertise is in Leadership Training & Development, Communication and Business Development. Our company specialises in Executive Coaching, Leadership Development and HR Consulting.
TVFF: How long have you been here?
Julianne:I have been here for 2 months and will return to Adelaide in time for Christmas.
TVFF: So what are your impressions of Fez - the good and the bad?
Julianne: Wow, what a culturally rich city Fes is. I have enjoyed:
· soaking up the Medina, its heritage
· the wonderful warmth of the people,
· vibrant colour,
· the artisans and their patience, meticulous labour intensive work and always with a smile on their face
· gaining a deeper understanding of the Muslim culture and gaining a great deal of respect for their belief, even tho I am not a follower of any religion
· traditions steeped in sooo much history
· call to prayer – it’s such a calming meditative call across the city
· strength of the women surprised me – the Hijab always seemed like a barrier to me but it certainly is not.
· food markets and Moroccan food flavours/aromas.
My experiences have been mostly positive and amazing but not without some challenges along the way:
· I crave a conversation in English,
· Learning to tell the taxi driver that I am married (even tho I am not!) to avoid being proposed to!
· the heat and the dust drained me when I first arrived and I wasn’t sure I would survive my planned time here
· could do with a good Aussie BBQ with one of our fabulous glasses of wine!
I hope to return next year to more work – or maybe I’ll do something more exciting like set up a business here eg Riad/Cafe. Need to do more research on this yet but it is inspiring!
TVFF: Where do your clients for Live & Breathe Morocco come from?
Julianne: they mostly come from Europe and Australia and have an average stay of a couple of weeks.
Live & Breathe Morocco provides VIP trips to Morocco so their style and unique service/product doesn’t see them facing too much competition, even though it is always good to have healthy competition. They don’t provide too many day trips, but mainly anything from 3 nights to 3 weeks.
TVFF: How do you see the present tourism situation and your view of the future?
Julianne: My perspective? There is a huge gap in how tourism businesses in general operate here compared to other parts of the world. I know the Government are keen to increase and improve the tourism market here but there is still a long way to go in these businesses developing a more professional approach to their operations.
Communication is key and is often missing, both within the company and with their potential or existing customers. This also includes a reasonable grasp of the English language. The finer detail is ignored or not even noticed by the staff or business owner. For example, a Riad I went to inspect recently for one of our clients had just painted all their woodwork. When I asked the people staying there how they liked the Riad, they where not at all happy with all the furniture being wet and sticky. No-one had indicated this to them before they arrived. Live & Breathe Morocco then offered to assist them to find somewhere else and to indicate to the staff that this was not appropriate for their customers. Their response was simply that they had painted it 2 weeks ago and is still wet!!! Customer Service is critical and although we don’t want Fes to `change' we do need the industry to improve in how it delivers a professional service to it’s customers.
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Saturday, October 20, 2012
Wanted: office manager for animal hospital in Fez
Enjoy working around animals? Want to use your administrative skills to make a difference to the Fez Medina? Want to be part of a dedicated and dynamic team?
The American Fondouk is a charity that helps to heal the working animals of Fez - donkeys, mules and horses. It's an essential service that provides veterinary care to those who would otherwise be unable to afford it.
The Fondouk is looking for a part-time office manager to help in the daily running of the place. They need an organised person who can speak and write French and also has some English. Darija would be helpful, but is not essential. The job involves dealing with staff and resources, liaising with government agencies, managing the student intern program and the office paperwork, including overseeing accounts.
To find out more about salary and conditions, please email theviewfromfez@gmail.com
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Friday, October 19, 2012
Moroccan News Briefs #75
Moroccan King visits Syrian refugee camp
On Thursday, as part of a wide-ranging trip, King Mohammed VI toured a field hospital treating Syrian refugees in northern Jordan -- the first Arab head of state to visit the desert compound.
On the second day of his trip to Jordan, where he held talks with King Abdullah II, Mohammed VI inspected a Moroccan field hospital in the Zaatari camp, which houses around 36,000 Syrian refugees. “Long live Morocco,” chanted a group of refugees as they greeted Mohammed VI, who shook hands with some of them before ending his 20-minute tour amid tight security, according to AFP.
After his 20-vehicle motorcade left the camp, around 100 Syrians gathered, chanting: “The people want to arm the Free Syrian Army, regime forces are traitors.”
Earlier in Amman, Mohammed VI and King Abdullah II discussed the Syrian crisis, a palace statement said. “King Abdullah warned against the dangerous repercussions for the entire region,” it added.
He called on “the international community to keep helping Jordan to provide services for more than 200,000 Syrian refugees in the kingdom.”
Did Salafists destroy ancient carvings? Claim and denial
A disturbing story has emerged this week claiming that petroglyphs (stone carvings) in Morocco's High Atlas mountains dating back more than 8,000 years and depicting the sun as a pagan divinity have been destroyed by Salafists. A local rights group confirmed this on Wednesday.
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| Stone carvings depicting the sun as a pagan divinity in Morocco's High Atlas mountains (AFP, Simon Martelli) |
"These stone carvings of the sun are more than 8,000 years old. They were destroyed several days ago," Aboubakr Anghir, a member of the Amazigh (Berber) League for Human Rights, said.
"One of the carvings, called 'the plaque of the sun,' predates the arrival of the Phoenicians in Morocco," Anghir said. "It lies in a well-known archaeological site in the Yakour plain south of Marrakesh, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Mount Toubkal."
"There are several Salafist groups active in the region and it's not the first time these pre-Islamic sites have been attacked. We have sent a message to the ministry of culture, but have not yet received a reply," he added
Salafists, Muslims who adhere to a hardline Sunni interpretation of Islam similar to that practised in Saudi Arabia, which strictly prohibits "idolatry," have enjoyed a surge in strength in Arab Spring countries, benefiting from wider freedom.
Meryem Demnati, of the Amazigh Freedoms and Rights Watchdog, also confirmed the destruction of the petroglyphs and added that residents in the area blamed Salafists.
However, despite the claims of destruction by a number of groups, officials at the Moroccan culture ministry denied that Salafists had destroyed stone carvings dating back more than 8,000 years in the High Atlas mountains.
The report is "totally unfounded," it said in a statement, adding that an investigation had been carried out with local and regional authorities. "This kind of incident, contrary to our values, can not take place in Morocco," it said. But such sites "can suffer, like elsewhere, the effects of natural and even human degradation, sometimes through vandalism and trafficking."
“The reports that these stone carvings were damaged, as you can see, is not true,” Communications Minister Mustafa Khalfi told journalists, on a government organised trip to the Yagour plateau.“It is one of our goals to protect these pre-historic monuments, which reflect Morocco’s cultural diversity and the deepness of our history,” Khalfi said
Amazigh, or Imazighen, lived in north Africa long before Muslims set foot in the land in the 7th century. While there are no official figures on their numbers, Morocco is widely believed to have the biggest Amazigh community in the world.
Amazigh activists say Moroccan authorities were partly to blame for failing to protect ancient artifacts and other Amazigh archaeological sites.
"Some 37,000 Amazigh petroglyphs like the one that was destroyed this week have been smuggled out of Morocco in the past 20 years," said a spokesperson.
Fez -Barcelona link announced by Vueling
On Tuesday evening the Catalan airline Vueling presented its strategic plan for the next two years, which plans to transform Barcelona El Prat Airport into Europe’s main hub for short and medium distance flights by 2014. In order to reach this objective, Vueling will link Barcelona to 100 destinations from summer 2013. It will add 28 new routes, including 5 destinations that have never been directly connected to Barcelona El Part Airport: Dresden (Germany), Rennes (France), Rhodes and Kos (Greece) and to the delight of many in Morocco the list includes Fez.
Details of schedules are yet to be announced.
Morocco's digital divide.
Naoufel Cherkaoui writing for Magharebia in Rabat reports that, according to a recent study, Internet access is still restricted to urban areas in Morocco. Despite the government efforts to bridge Morocco's digital divide, discrepancies in access to information technologies remain in the kingdom.
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| [Photo AFP/Abdelhak Senna] |
"Internet access is still restricted to urban areas and educated categories in cities," according to the first-of-its-kind study released on October 2nd by the Open Society Foundations (OSF) in association the Institute of Graduate Management Studies (HEM) think tank.
Decision-makers are now aware of the digital divide and believe that full access to the digital world is the goal that the state has to realise, the New York-based NGO said at a Rabat seminar.
The National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) launched the strategic programme "Digital Morocco 2013" to expand access to new information technologies. The government also worked to mainstream information technology in public education.
Still, "Morocco hasn't yet joined digitisation, given that there has been only partial migration to digital communication", according to the report.
"Most households are not equipped to access content provided by digital media, while the state is still the only monopoly in terms of media ownership, controlling radio and television and their online platforms," the study concluded. "It also exercises significant influence on political party newspapers and has a legal and economic arsenal to control and manage the competition."
An Eiffel tower in Fez?
The oddest news this week courtesy of Larbi Arbaoui writing for Morocco World News, is that the eccentric Mayor of Fez, Hamid Chabat, who is also Secretary General of the Istiqlal Party, has inaugurated a project to build a replica of France's Eiffel tower in a square in Zouagha, not too far from his home. In addition, the mayor of Fez intends to build a gigantic arc like the “Arc de Triomphe” (Arc of Triumph ) at the entrance to Fez on the road to Meknes.
The people of Fez are probably wondering why Chabat intends to build such a monument which was built by Napoleon Bonaparte for the French to remember the victories of their army in the Battle of Austerlitz, instead of renovating and restoring the historic and crumbling buildings in the historic Fez Medina that have a significant and a special place in the history of the Kingdom and in popular memory.
It is worth mentioning that Hamid Chabat has already promised the people of Fez to build an artificial sea in Fez in addition to his determination to set up huge projects that will challenge the famous landmarks in the global cities. This project has never come into being.
Essaouira buzzing with Game of Thrones
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| Iain Glen and Emilia Clarke on the set in Essaouira |
The top-rated TV show Game of Thrones is filming several sequences in Essaouira. Although security is tight, one of our readers and another local have managed to get some shots of Moroccan extras rehearsing as well as some glimpses of the stars. Essaouira is the location for Astapor, a city in Essos where Daenerys Targaryen travels. The photo of Emilia Clarke shows the "Queen of Dragons" with an iPhone.
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| Storage area for props and set dressing |
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| Moroccan extras doing drill training |
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| Emilia Clarke and her iPhone |
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| Moroccan extras in costume |
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| A sneak preview of some great costume design |
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| The old and the new - a star with fans! |
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