Throne Day in Morocco 2015

Yesterday, July 30th, was a very special day for Morocco, Throne Day - the 16th anniversary of His Majesty King Mohammed VI's enthronement - one of the most celebrated days of the year

The accession of King Mohammed VI to the Throne on July 23 1999 was welcomed with great enthusiasm among Moroccans and across the political spectrum, even including the hard liners of the Islamist movements.

King Mohammed VI is lauded for his domestic reform policies and pioneering efforts in modernizing Morocco and countering terrorism. He tackles issues of poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion at home, and has improved foreign relations.

Throne day was celebrated around the world with messages of congratulations flooded in including one from John Kerry, US Secretary of State.

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States of America, I offer my best wishes to King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan people as you celebrate the Feast of the Throne on July 30. The United States is proud to partner with Morocco on a broad spectrum of issues ranging from cultural and educational exchanges to military cooperation. Ours is a strategic partnership, and we work together daily to advance our common priorities of a secure, stable, and prosperous North Africa and Middle East. We share a strong commitment to improving economic opportunity and prosperity for all Moroccans through efforts to develop its entrepreneurial ecosystem and educational resources.We applaud recent commitments by Morocco's public and private sectors to create more job opportunities for young Moroccans. Our constructive engagement with the Government of Morocco and Moroccan youth, the private sector, and civil society are helping the Moroccan people realize their civic aspirations. More broadly, we are pleased with our expanding collaboration with Morocco as we seek to address global and regional security challenges and applaud Moroccan leadership on efforts to counter violent extremism. In the spirit of friendship between our people and governments, we look forward to deepening our strong relationship that has endured for over two centuries. I wish the people of Morocco a joyful celebration and prosperity in the year to come. 

Across the globe Moroccans celebrated, including in places as diverse as Azerbaijan and Australia.

The embassy of Morocco to Azerbaijan arranged an official reception to mark Throne Day. Ambassador of Morocco to Azerbaijan, Hassan Hami ,spoke of his country's path of development, noting the country has gained political and economic progress in the last years under the leadership of the King Mohammad VI.

Azerbaijani Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov and Moroccan Ambassador Hassan Hami 

Throne Day in Australia drew a huge number of people

Morocco’s Ambassador to Australia Mohamad Mael-Ainin (standing third from left) 

HM King Mohammed VI traditionally gives a Throne Day address. Here are some extracts.

This annual celebration is an opportunity for us to pause and ponder on the nation’s achievements and the challenges ahead. All that has been achieved, no matter how significant it is, remains insufficient for our country, as long as there is a category of the population still living in dire conditions and feeling marginalised, notwithstanding what has already been done.

It is true that this category is getting smaller and smaller, but I want to see to it that all citizens benefit from the nation’s wealth. I pledged to work, for as long as I live, to achieve this goal, and my ambition for the well-being of Moroccans has no limits.

On the question of education, the King had some interesting observations:

A question has to be asked: will the education our children are receiving today in state-run schools help secure their future? Let us be serious, objective and honest: why do so many Moroccans rush to get their children enrolled in foreign-status schools and private schools despite their prohibitive costs?

The answer is clear: they are looking for appropriate education, based on open-mindedness, critical analysis and foreign language acquisition, which will enable their children to access the job market and start their professional lives.

Despite allegations here and there, I do not think openness to foreign languages and cultures will undermine our national identity, but rather enrich it. Moroccan identity, thank God, is deeply-rooted and diversified, with both European and African components.

I studied in the Moroccan state school, with its syllabi and curricula, but I have no problems with foreign languages. The Constitution voted by Moroccans advocates the learning and mastering of foreign languages as a tool for communication with the knowledge-based community and for interaction with modern civilisation.

Thanks to Asmahan Mouftakir for the photographs from Australia

SHARE THIS!

Morocco's TGV to Run on Wind Power

A few years ago the idea of a train powered by the wind would probably have been relegated to the realms of science fiction. Now the Moroccan national railway authority, ONCF, are intending to make the idea a reality, developing a project to produce green energy for its electric train network

The ONCF is proposing a project to ally with an IPP, an independent power producer, and setting up a wind farm with a capacity of 150 MW. ONCF would purchase the green energy under an exclusive buyer contract lasting 20 years. The project would cost around two hundred million euros, according to early forecasts, and according to French media, ONCF is at the stage of preparing tender applications for the project.

When the notion of a high speed train running from Tangier to Casablanca was first floated, few believed it would come to fruition. Now the sceptics have been proved wrong and the project is well underway The first of the 14 trains on order arrived in Morocco at the end of July and after reassembly will undergo a series of static and dynamic tests. It is expected that the train will also be tested on the existing conventional network from the last quarter of this year before being tested on the high speed line. Each train set will include two power cars and eight intermediate carriages, including two first class, five second class and one buffet vehicle. Each double-deck train will seat up to 533 passengers.

The first of the 14 TGVs arrives in Morocco

An ONCF spokesperson says that the work on the high speed line is "progressing at a very fast pace after solving all the constraints the project faces". Some areas of construction are nearing completion, while overall 70% of the project is complete.  The remaining work is expected to be finished by the end of 2016.  Parallel work on railway equipment such as signalling and services is also progressing, with the first of the railway platforms  ready by the end of 2015

The completed  high-speed line will be delivered in 2017 to undergo a series of systems integration testing and approval before commercial operation.

But there is more. Morocco is already thinking about a high-speed network of 1500 km by 2030. This  would involve two rail openings; one north Europe and the other to the Maghreb in the east.

The line currently under construction, called 'the Atlantic line,'  linking Tangier to Casablanca, will be developed simultaneously to the south and north. To the south the line will extend 900 km to the city of Agadir. And to the north, the Atlantic line will connect to the European network via a tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar.

When completed Rabat will be four hours from Madrid and eight hours from Paris. Morocco also plans a route named 'online Maghreb' 'of 600 km, linking Casablanca, Rabat and Oujda. Finally the Maghreb line could extend further and reach Algiers and Tunis.

The Moroccan TGV will run at an operating speed of 320 km per hour. Leaving every hour it is intended they will travel from Tangier to Kenitra in 47 minutes instead of 3:15 today, to Rabat in 1 hour 20 minutes against 3:45 today and in Casablanca in 2:10 against 4:45 now. It is expected that the first section of the TGV Tangier - Casablanca, will carry between 6 and 8 million passengers every year as against 3.5 million today.

SHARE THIS!

Fez Amazigh Festival Ends on a High Note

The final night of the Fez Festival of Amazigh Culture was a fitting end to a very successful festival and on a (thankfully) balmy night in Fez, the Bab Makina venue was once again packed to capacity - it was party time!

Ahidous Oulmes Boukchmir

(Click on images to enlarge)

The night got off to a joyous start with the highly animated Ahidous Oulmes. From the moment they came on stage it was party time and the predominantly Amazigh audience lapped it up.

To an outsider, the repertoire may have felt repetitive, but the high-octane delivery meant it didn't matter. As one, non-Amazigh Moroccan pointed out, "It is all about the energy! I don't understand a word, but I love it!"

Although there were four women in eighteen strong ensemble, they were not utilised and the chanting duties fell to four or five men at each end of the lineup.  In turn the belted out a phrase that was then repeated by the men at the other end. The sheer volume and high pitch was such that it was easy to imagine the sounds travelling in the High Atlas from one mountain valley to the next.

The old actors adage about not working with children or animals was totally overturned by the presence of young Hossain, son of the group leader, Moha. His facial expressions switched from innocent to possessed as he danced, gesticulated and channelled Michael Jackson. It was a joy to behold.

Scene-stealer, Hossain totally absorbed in his moves

It appears that theatricality is a family trait, as Hossain's father, Moha, leapt from the stage and gave a gloriously frenetic performance in the crowd.

Moha dances off-stage

Laura Conti and Eivadòr

Laura Conti was a revelation - with a voice from the world of jazz Laura Conti proved to be a huge hit. Dressed in gypsy black, with high boots the Italian actress and singer delivered a master class in the music of the Italian region of Piedmont.

With the three piece group, Eivadòr, Conti has teamed up with Maurizio Verna, a virtuoso guitarist and arranger, whose work brought alive the traditional folksongs of the Piedmont region.The music's mediaeval heritage felt fresh and enriched with no starchy whiff of the museum.

Having a superb voice with a wide range, plus the skills of an actress, Lara Conti brought old songs to life; songs of love and loss, and love's tangled webs. Despite the fact that she was singing in Italian, her rendition of a love affair between a Piedmontese soldier and a young French woman, a pairing without a common language, was understood by everyone.

While Conti, inhabited the music, the skilful arrangements by guitar maestro Maurizio Verna, gave her the space to bring the songs alive.  Verna's interpretations of the traditional music of Piedmont and the Canavese  respects the music's historical heritage while opening each song up to a fresh interpretation.

The three piece group Eivadòr (Golden River) is named after the old Canavesani name for the Orco River, famous for the extraction of gold.

Laura Conti and Eivadòr certainly delivered gold tonight with a wide ranging repertoire that left the audience wanting more.

Guitar maestro Maurizio Verna

Nadia Laaroussi

There is no escaping the fact that Nadia Laaroussi has star power. She bounced on stage with super-charged energy of someone plugged directly into a high-voltage cable. From her first greeting and prolonged ululation, this Rif Mountains Amazigh woman, showed why she had been given the honour of closing the Amazigh festival.

While not having the physical stature of some of the Amazonian Amazigh we have witnessed over the last few days, Laaroussi packed a punch way above her weight - and didn't let up in the delivery. Her modern interpretations of Amazigh music had the crowd on their feet and the security guards on alert.

It was the perfect way to end a successful festival. Shukran Nadia.

The View From Fez would like to thank the Amazigh Festival organisers for once again granting us such easy access to the festival and making our reporting an absolute pleasure. We look forward to the 12th Edition, inshallah.

All photographs and reporting: Sandy McCutcheon

SHARE THIS!

Second Amazigh Concert in Fez

The second day of the Fez Festival of Amazigh Culture was a success on all levels. According to the organisers, the forum sessions had been well attended and totally engaging. The evening concert at Bab Makina was never in danger of being anything but great. That was assured by the appearance of Mustapha Oumguil

Amazigh superstar Mustapha Oumguil

The evening began with the Symphonie Amazighe "Adrar". The line up was remarkable array of talent gathered from around the country. Adding to the impact were an impressive twelve gembri players, six drummers and five formidable Amazigh women, who between them created a wall of song and chanting that was spine-tingling.

The five Amazigh female singers - a force to be reckoned with

One of the gembri players was a blind man who was presented with a token of appreciation. And a plaque was also given to the group's musical director, Mohamed Aknouz.

Musical Director Mohamed Aknous receiving his award

The Amazigh women are warmly welcomed whenever they appear and when Raisa Rkia Demsiria took to the stage she was given a heroine's welcome.

Raisa Rkia Demsira also brought along her own troupe of dancers and a talented rebab player

The surprise of the evening was a stunningly dead-pan and clown-like performance from Rais Haj Aarab, who played the rebab,  joked with the audience and eventually left the stage to join the audience - accompanied by four of the dancers who had performed with Raisa Rkia Demsira.

Then it was time for the crowd favourite, Mustafa Oumguil, a native Amazigh singer from the High Atlas mountains. He is from the same region as the late singer Rouicha.  Oumguil has been a star of the Moroccan music scene for over twenty years and is constantly in demand for concerts and festivals in Morocco and abroad.

Oumguil was not into theatrics and performed with consumate skill, but without a lot of charisma.  His set list included songs from his many albums - "Alawah", "Adiyani", "Chkoun ykhelik" or "hal Denya Wach hda". Mustapha Oumguil released several singles that were big hits with the public, including "Wa zin awa", "Zmani ghedar", "Lkha oubridench", "Ida Zman," "Nhmed Sidi rebbi" and "Asawasir". Oumguil is today considered one of the superstars of Amazigh song.

Oumguil was accompanied by an unnamed singer with a voice that could cut through steel. He also had the seemingly obligatory four Amazigh dancers.

Mustapha Oumguil is known for his melodious voice and a Chaabi-Amazigh style. Moroccan Chaabi differs from Algerian Chaabi and refers to several types of Moroccan popular music of Morocco, combining rural and urban folk music. Rural varieties include Jerra and Aïta. Urban varieties are called Sahli.

Famous artists performing this genre include Hajib, Stati, Najat Aatabou, Senhaji and Khalid Bennani.

The future of Amazigh music 

One of the difficulties for non-Amazigh speakers face in researching Amazigh musicians is the absolute lack of a presence on line. While there are many music videos, there is almost no biographical information. The Amazigh music movement would do well to have a campaign to increase their presence on the Internet.

Sunday's concert includes Italian singer Laura Conti and Evidor. Nadi Laaroussi will be the closing act at Bab Makina.

The full program and concert details are here: Amazigh Festival

SHARE THIS!

No Beach Holidays for Morocco's Diplomats

After the lull during Ramadan and El Eid, Moroccan diplomatic activity has increased on several fronts with France and Russia high on the agenda

Russia's Sputnik News Agency reported yesterday (Friday) on an upcoming visit to Russia by HM King Mohammed VI.  It is expected that the King will visit to Russia by the end of the this year, and that during the visit a number of important bilateral agreements will be signed.

Moroccan Ambassador to Russia, Abdelkader Lecheheb, told RIA Novosti on Friday that the preparations for the king's visit planned to take place "by the end of the year" are well underway.

Ambassador Lecheheb

"The forthcoming visit of His Majesty the King has a historical and strategic importance, and is designed to give a strong impetus to the development and quality of bilateral relations and to deepening the strategic partnership between Russia and Morocco," Ambassador Lecheheb.

"We are currently preparing the king's visit, under which Moroccan experts in the fields of energy, the fishing industry, military industry, logistics and agriculture, have already visited Moscow…Many agreements are to be signed during the king's visit, and some major projects will be agreed on," the ambassador said.

The last time King Mohammed VI of Morocco was on an official visit to Moscow was in 2002, when a bilateral declaration on a strategic partnership was signed.

Hollande visiting in September

Francois Hollande is expected to visit Morocco in September. The French head of state is expected as part of this visit to award the insignia of Officer of the Legion of Honour to Abdellatif Hammouchi, Morocco’s head of the Domestic Intelligence Agencys, DGST and DGNS.

The decoration is seen by various political analysts as the last step to bury once and for all the “spat chapter” that hallmarked the relations between the two countries few months ago, a tussle triggered by French police officers looking to arrest the Moroccan DST chief, who was visiting France, for allegedly torturing a French national on Moroccan soil.

Abdellatif Hammouchi

The two countries resumed corporation in February following fruitful discussions at the Elysee Palace between President Francois Hollande and King Mohamed VI.

President Holland is due to hold new talks regarding a set of issues of common interest, such as enhancing security coordination and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Moroccans trapped by Libyan Revolution

A much more difficult situation is that of Mbarka Bouaida, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. This week she revealed that more than 70,000 Moroccan citizens have been removed from Libya since the start of the Libyan revolution in February 2011.

Bouaida, pictured above,  told the Moroccan parliament on Tuesday that when the situation began to deteriorate in Libya, Morocco was very concerned with the safety of its citizens, adding that "out of 120,000 Moroccans living in Libya, less than 50,000 remained there".

Bouaida said a joint committee from the ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Moroccan Expatriate and Migration Affairs was formed to follow up on the subject. According to the minister, two offices were opened in the border between Libya and Tunisia to welcome those who wanted to enter Morocco after the kingdom closed its consulates in Tripoli and Benghazi.

Bouaida added that Morocco has "removed all Moroccans who asked to return to their country and we allocated a special budget to facilitate their travel."

Commenting on the minister's remarks, an opposition lawmaker from the Socialist Union Party said "there are nearly 5,000 Moroccans trapped at the Ras Jadeer border crossing in Tunisia."

SHARE THIS!

Festival of Amazigh Culture Opens in Fez ~ Photo Essay

The 11th Fes Festival of Amazigh Culture opened today and runs until Sunday. There are a series of discussions each day as part of the international forum with the theme "Alliance of cultures and religions for peace" Each evening sees major concerts at Bab el Makina and free concerts at Place Florence

The opening session at the Palais des Congres was well attended, with a guest list that included academics, politicians and most of the Fez A-list celebrities. There was also a large number of members of the general public.

The opening also included a tributde to Amazigh millitant, Moha Lyoussi and a Keynote Speech : “Morocco and USA: Interaction of Culture and Religion for Peace” delivered by Keith Martin (Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Morocco in the USA).

Tribute also needs to be paid to the team of workers who brought this festival to fruition and in particular the tireless efforts of Moha Ennaji (pictured above) and Fatima Sadiqi (pictured below) from the Institute for Languages and Cultures, Fès

The evening concert at Bab Makina was packed to capacity and the audience treated to a mixed program of Moroccan, Latin Fusion and Flamenco all leading up to the Diva Latifa Raafat.

The Ahidous Tizwit (literally Brotherhood of the Bees) is a well known Amazigh group from Kalaat Mgounza in the Middle Atlas. Their dance is as expressive as their chants and the interaction between the men and the women is a great example of living folklore.

The Spanish group Lenacay gave an up-tempo set that included a good dose of fusion from Jazz to rumba rhythms and some high energy vocals. However, the crowd saved its warmest appreciation for the flamenco dancer.

Yet, despite the energy, Lenacay failed to ignite the crowd who, despite numerous requests for them to get up and dance, remained sedately seated. It became clear that the large audience had taken their seats and were waiting for the final act.

Lenacay's overly long set ended at around twenty minutes to midnight. But not a single person had left the venue. The Diva was coming and they were happy to wait.

Twa7achtek Bezaf!  (I miss you a lot!) - the crowd yelled 

Latifa Raafat did not disappoint. From the first note she sung, Latifa had the audience in her thrall and that was where they remained for the entire concert.

The title of her 2006 song, Twa7achtek Bezaf (I miss you a lot), written by Algerian, Mohamed Lamine, was like a calling card and as she came to the stage it was obvious that the missing was on both sides of the footlights.

Unlike the set by Lenacay, this audience needed no second invitation to dance. Latifa's third song was Twa7achtek Bizef and the all it took was a few notes and the audience were on their feet and danced through to the end of the concert well after one in the morning.

Born in 1965 in Kénitra,  Latyifa Raafat first came to the Moroccan music lovers attention in the 1980s.

In 1982 she recorded her first song Mawal Al Hob . Other well known songs (meaning everyone knows all the lyrics) include Khouyi,   Moghyara, Donia,  Al Hamdo Li Llah, and Ana fi Arek Ya Yama.

Tomorrow night the huge drawcard is Mustapha Oumguil, and tonight, as people were wending their way home, he was the name on everybody's lips.

The full program and concert details are here: Amazigh Festival

SHARE THIS!