Essaouira Struggles With Illegal Renters

Tourism officials say that the industry is being undermined in Essaouira by the informal sector operators such as Airbnb. Illegal renters are said to be avoiding tax and local regulations

Airbnb is a paid community rental and reservation platform for private homes created in 2008 by two Americans. In 2015, the website already contains more than 1.5 million ads in 34,000 cities including Essaouira. With a few clicks, you will have find hundred listings of riads, villas, guest houses, country houses, and apartments in Essaouira. Yet, the city has only 150 legally classified tourist accommodation establishments.

Essaouira is not alone in its struggle. A recent article in the Huffington Post pointed out similar problems in New Orleans. Global tourist destinations like San Francisco, New York, Berlin, and Amsterdam have passed restrictions on the use of the service to protect neighbourhoods from becoming hollowed out. Some regulations are far stricter than others, and in some cases they have sparked legal battles. The laws typically limit how often you can rent out your home. In Europe, some cities fine Airbnb when homes are listed illegally. Enforcement varies.

The problem is exacerbated by there being no restraint on booking. Simply check out the Internet to get contacts and prices. Some establishments are charging over 3000 DH per night. Money, a lot of money, is circulating across borders in the accounts of owners who manage their (illegal) business via the Internet and telephone.

According to the law (Law 80-14) relating to tourist establishments and other forms of tourist accommodation, a tourist establishment is considered to be any establishment of a commercial nature, which receives a passing or staying clientele and provides it with an offer of accommodation, and services, in whole or in part, catering and animation.

According to Article 5 of the Act, which clearly defines the nine types of tourist accommodation establishments, the opening of an establishment of this type is subject to an operating license issued in accordance with the procedures laid down by regulatory authorities. In addition, the operating permit may only be granted when the tourist accommodation establishment has been provisionally classified, the terms and conditions of which are fixed by regulation. The law could not be more demanding as regards the respect of size, safety, hygiene, and energy efficiency standards for any construction, transformation or extension project of this type of establishment.

In Article 43, Law 80-14 sanctions vary from 50 to 500 thousand dirhams for opening tourist accommodation establishment without obtaining the operating authorisations provided for by law.

Hicham Jbari, mayor of Essaouira, says that the municipality has made an effort on the legal, institutional and administrative level, to deal with this problem, with a revision of the specifications governing the conditions for opening tourist accommodation establishments, constitution of a commission of external relations and tourism to study the files of the applicants of regularisation, and mobilisation of commissions of control for a better supervision of the sector.

Measures announced by the mayor encourage all the illegal owners working to regularise their situation while committing to provide them with the necessary assistance.

UNFAIR COMPETITION FROM THE INFORMAL SECTOR HAS PROFOUND AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON BOTH THE INTERESTS OF PROFESSIONALS AND THE REPUTATION OF THE DESTINATION

In addition to the huge tax losses registered by the state and the municipality because of this situation, the security risk remains very high due to the lack of a declaration of arrivals by informal accommodation establishments.

Restaurants in the tourist catering sector are also said to be operating in an informal way - without authorisation.

According to Law 80-14, a catering establishment is classified as a "tourist restaurant" according to the procedures and according to the minimum dimensional, functional, hygiene, production of service and operating standards set by regulation. Therefore, any operator of a tourist restaurant must take out insurance, constantly ensure the qualification, the good behaviour and the morality of the staff during the exercise of his work, ensure the promotion of the prices, deliver to each customer an invoice or a receipt
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"Fair competition never hurts; it motivates us and pushes us to improve our services. On the other hand, the unfair competition of the informal sector has negative and profound effects on both the interests of the professionals and the notoriety of the destination. The fiscal, social and hygiene differential with the structured establishments remains enormous in the absence of a rigour which could help Essaouira to leave the era of the souk towards a structured and better organised tourist restoration," lamented a tourist restaurateur pointing out the popular cafes, snacks and grills that offer tourism catering without the conditions or authorisation.

And now, the good news...

At the same time the city is getting a boost by being ranked by Lonely Planet as one of the "Top 10 Best Value Destinations to Visit Around the World in 2018".

Every year, the publisher of the Lonely Planet Travel Guide selects the best cities, destinations, regions and tourist countries in the world. This year, the "Best in Travel 2018" guide places the city of Essaouira in 6th position of "Best Value Destinations", offering the best value for money.

At the top of this list is the city of Tallinn Estonia. In second place, the guide recommends visiting Lanzarote Island (Spain). It is followed by Arizona (USA), La Paz (Bolivia), Poland and Essaouira, the only Arab and African destination to be present in this prestigious ranking.

With its natural, historical and cultural assets, Essaouira, a cosmopolitan city, has become a popular tourist destination. Its medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the island of Mogador, its port, dating from the eighteenth century and its beaches, allowing the practice of water sports, make the province an exceptional tourist destination and quality.

Essaouira is known for windsurfing and kitesurfing, thanks to the strong winds that blow almost constantly in the bay and the annual organisation of a stage of the Kitesurf World Cup.

The Medina of Essaouira, formerly known as Mogador, is an exceptional example of a fortified city of the mid-eighteenth century, surrounded by a wall Vauban style. His kasbah is also an architectural marvel.

In recent years, the city has organized the Gnaoua festival and other major artistic and cultural events, including the Atlantic Andalusia Festival, which attracts music lovers from all over the world.

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Moroccan Judaism ~ A Lecture and Documentary

What was once a key part of Moroccan culture and society is now on the way to being forgotten. There is much confusion and even resentment caused by the massive Jewish immigration to Israel and many people now confuse terms such as Judaism and Zionism. This confusion and lack of information has caused many people to forget or to even look negatively on a people who were once their neighbours and a culture that is even now intricately a part of their own. This film seeks to resolve the confusion and to educate people about this history of a culture which cannot be separated from Moroccan culture as a whole.

"My Neighbour...the Jew”

"My Neighbour...the Jew” highlights Muslim-Jewish relations in Morocco. Muslims in Morocco talk about their Jewish neighbours in a very nostalgic manner, and Jews remember Muslims as good neighbours and friends. The Jewish interviewees are strongly attached to their roots and history in Morocco, which they are not willing to give up. The title accentuates the concept of “neighbour,” which echoes the message of the documentary. The neighbour in both Islam and Judaism, as well as in the Moroccan culture, is almost hallowed. The Hebrew Bible says "Love thy neighbour as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18). There is a Hadith narrated by the Prophet of Islam that states "The best neighbour in Allah's estimation is the one who is best to his neighbour" (Al-Tirmidhi, Number 1287), and the famous Moroccan proverb "Choose your neighbour before your house."

This lecture, organised by the ALC-ALIF Cultural Heritage Club, is free and open to the general public.

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Sunday Open House at Fez Medina Children's Library

You are invited to visit the Medina Children's Library in Fez at the Open House this Sunday, October 29 from 4 - 6 pm. Come and meet the local children, their parents, and the librarians who make this such a vibrant and fun little space

The Medina Children's Library has been open since January 2015, and since then children have made many thousands of visits to what has become a treasured community facility.

The local children are proud of their library, which is the only one for young people in Fez. On Sunday they will entertain their parents and visitors with story readings, songs, dances, and a short play. All the children who attend will receive a certificate of participation.

So if you are in Fez, please drop into the Medina Children's Library and share what promises to be an enjoyable celebration. We are at 41bis Swiqt ben Safi, Zkak Rouah, just off the Talaa Sghira. You can find us on Google Maps and Trip Advisor. 

If you aren't in Fez, and would like to know more about the Library and to offer your support, please see our website. CLICK HERE. 

Photos by Samia Bachraoui

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Tales By Light - This Sunday

(Click on image to enlarge)

This documentary is free to the general public

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Daylight Saving Ends On Sunday

Morocco ends daylight saving on Sunday the 29th of October

When local daylight time is about to reach 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to 02:00:00 local standard time instead.

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Fez Enjoys Bumper Tourist Season - Latest Figures

According to the latest statistics from the National Observatory of Tourism, "Fez recorded a good performance with 36% increase in total nights during the first eight months of the current year, compared to 2016". Some 512,335 overnight stays were made during the first 7 months of 2017, compared to 371,590 during the same period of 2016

Officials from the Police Prefecture  have endorsed Fez as a safe destination. "Come visit Fez. The security situation is under control."

Meanwhile the tourist activity is running at full speed.  "With the removal of visas, the Chinese market is exploding," says Aziz Lebbar, hotelier and former president of the CRT (Conseil régional du tourisme).

The overnight stays during the month of July 2017 were 61,733, compared to 45,389 overnight stays during the same period of 2016, an increase of 36%. It should be noted that the number of operational rooms in Fez, at the end of last July, stood at 4,362 units, of which 1,190 are 5-star, 1,272 are 4-star and 696 are 3-star and 685 are in the guest houses.

Fez remains a safe and secure destination for visitors

For the months of September and October, hoteliers speak of a high season. The hotels are filled and the medina is bubbling with tourists. "The only downside is that the Chinese market delivers us so far customers who spend little or nothing ... they bring everything from outside, including mineral water," says Lebbar. However, according to him, "the destination should, in a few weeks, attract the richest Asian tourists."

Shop owners are upbeat about the Chinese tourists. While agreeing that they did bring most of their own supplies, they pointed out to The View From Fez that accommodation and guide services were all benefiting.

In addition the new Air Arabia base in Fez ensures connections with the main capitals of Europe. "New services are scheduled in the coming weeks," says airport manager,  Noureddine Laghni.

At the same time, the plans for improvement of the tourist product remains in place. Driss Faceh, president of the CRT, insists on the upgrading of the Place Bab Boujloud and the need to endow the city with a convention centre.

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Fez in Autumn Sunshine - Buzzing with Tourists

Autumn is a perfect time to visit Fez and at the moment the Medina is playing host to hundreds of tourists from around the globe. Shopkeepers report good business and hope it continues in the weeks to come

 Place Seffarine  - the copper souk packed with tourists

The weather outlook is good, with fine weather forecast over the next ten days. The maximum temperatures should range between 26 and 32 degrees Celsius. Nights will be cooler - around 13 to 15 degrees.

Fez is basking in warm sunshine under an African-blue sky

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"Tales from Muslim Heritage" - Theatre in Fez

ALC Drama Club: "Tales from Muslim Heritage" Featuring Eleanor Martin and the Khayaal Theatre Company  Tuesday, October 24 at 6:30 PM ALIF Riad, 6 Derb Drissi, Batha, Fes Medina

This rich collection of tales from the length and breadth of the Muslim world will make you laugh, cry and soar on the wings of your imagination. Come join the Drama Club for an inspiring shared experience of eloquence, creativity and beauty in performance by an acclaimed international artist.

Eleanor Martin, a professional actress and stage director with mainstream TV and film credits, has performed as a storyteller for the past 15 years. She employs a dramatic and physical multi-character role-playing performance style that has been described by audiences as mesmerising and imaginatively and spiritually nourishing and inspiring. She specialises in telling stories from Muslim heritage with a contemporary twist.

Khayaal Theatre Company, founded 1997, is an award-winning theatre company dedicated to the dramatic exploration of Muslim literature and the experience of Muslims in the modern world for the stage, film, radio and education. Over the past 20 years, they have reached audiences of all ages, cultures, ethnicities and faiths numbering in the tens of thousands, both nationally and internationally.
http://www.khayaal.co.uk/about
This performance is free and open to the general public.

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Fez Festival of Sufi Culture - Wrap Up

Festival Director Faouzi Skali and his team are to be congratulated on running a successful festival. The programming covered a wide range of examples of Sufi culture and was enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience.

The contingency plans in case of inclement weather worked smoothly so there was little or no disruption to the events. The choice of the Batha Prefecture Hall as an alternative venue worked well, despite its lack of atmosphere and average acoustics.

Farida Parveen

Highlights included the opening concert: Farida Parveen and the songs of the Samâa of Fez - "Homage to Al Shustari; of the Divine Love, from Morocco to India."  Farida Parveen, a Bangladeshi folk singer specialises in the songs of Lalon Shah and she delivered them in pure tones that delighted the audience. The Samâa of Fez were a given a warm reception, particularly by the large number of locals in the audience.

Shiva Prakash

Indian singer Shiva Prakash produced some gentle  music and was thanked with generous applause. The readings by Katia Légeret (in French) were beautifully delivered.

The concert by Daud Khan was a virtuoso performance,

Ustad Daud Khan 

The theatricality of the dervishes was a firm favourite

The Sufi Brotherhoods that performed varied widely, from the music-centred Tariqa Rissouniya to the popular Tariqa Sharqawiya, Tariqa Qadiriya Boutchichiya and the dynamic Tariqa Naqshbandiya.

Each tariqa had its followers present and joining in the chanting, though there was less audience participation than in some previous years.

The final concert with the dervishes and the Samaa of Fez was an exception, with large numbers of people singing along.

There was less audience participation than in previous years

The audience at the final concert were more vocal

Overall it was a successful festival and it is hope this will lay the foundation for festivals in the future.  The time of year was perfect, despite the unexpected arrival of some rain.

Festival Director Faouzi Skali

On the Downside

*The initial venue at the main gates of the Jnan Sbil Gardens was for opening night was a major staging mistake, as with bad sight lines and the viewing obstruction due to the placement of television cameras, a large number of people had no view of the stage. The problem was exacerbated by the number of performers who sat on the carpet rather than chairs. A raised dais for such performances would be sensible in the future.

Sight lines were bad, but the sound was fine

Thankfully, Festival Director Faouzi Skali took the complaints onboard and acted decisively. The venue was moved and  to a beautiful area of the gardens where a good view of the stage was available to all. The new venue was also set up in the round, which was a sensible decision.

*The increase in the number of people making video recordings with tablets or smart phones has increased and so have the complaints. Obstructing the view of others is not polite. One solution would be to ban all non-accredited photographers, but it would be very difficult to police.

Should phone and tablet photography be banned?

"Watching performances is spoiled by the incessant and unhindered use of mobile phones to take pictures and film, it does not stop ... I have heard many spectators and  foreigners who complained about it ... it's very disturbing and uncivil, the opposite of the spirit of the event ... please make announcements before the performance or ban phones and tablets outright! A show is sacred!" - A visitor from France

*Another issue is the lack of introduction of round table participants. While it is understood that many are well known, they are not so to everyone.  To have speakers in each discussion listed in the programme would also help.

*Translation headphones for English were not available and there was very little attempt to translate discussions. As one German citizen remarked "Do they really think our second language is French?"

* Some audience members felt that it would be a good idea to have fresh faces on the discussions and that overall the festival could afford to take risks in programming to include more "edgy" performances.

Reviews
Click on links to read a full review of each day

Who are the Sufis?
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight

Photographs and text: Sandy McCutcheon

SEE FULL SUFI FESTIVAL PROGRAMME HERE

The View From Fez is an official Media Partner of the Fez Festival of Sufi Culture

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Fez Festival of Sufi Culture - Day Eight Review

The final round table set out a synopsis of the Sufi Festival's series of round tables. It was well attended on a beautiful afternoon in the Medrassa Bou Innania. The evening concert was held at the Bab El Makina

Moroccan hospitality - a man distributes mandarins to the audience

Nine members of the final forum

Women comprised around 65% of the audience

Closing Concert

The opening part of the final concert saw a warm welcome back to the stage for the Turkish contingent - great music, powerful singing, guttural chanting and being treated to an intense display of the dramatic power of the Khalwatiyya and in particular the extraordinary grace of Burak Bildik and his "whirling Dervish" brothers.

The leader of the Tariqa Khalwatiyya, Shaykh Nur Allah Fatih, is no stranger to festivals in Fez and it was a delight to have him back again.

Burak Bildik is mesmerising in his intense concentration

Shaykh Nur Allah Fatih is a powerful and charismatic leader

Part Two - the great voices of the Samâa of Morocco.

53 singers and musicians gave a great performance

The second part of the programme was an explosion of joyful Samâa - with an extraordinary number of musicians and singers - 53 in all. The audience reaction was immediate. This was the home team singing the songs loved by the people and they scored in the opening minute.

Although the solo singers get the most appreciation, the orchestra played superbly. The orchestration produced more than simply a backing band and the audience acknowledged it. Solo Oud and solo flute performances evoked applause from the audience as much as did the individual singers.

Marouane Hajji

The standout solo singer was, once again,  Marouane Hajji. Back in 2011, The View From Fez described Marouane Hajji as a "rising star". Now that that star has well and truly risen. Marouane Hajji, born in Fez in 1987, is a violinist and Sufi singer with considerable charisma, who began singing at the age of five, studying under the tutelage of Sheikh Haj Mohammed Bennis, at the Mederssa Rachidite in Ras Echarratine and with teachers at the Fez Conservatory of Music.

In 1998, he won first place in a competition held at the National Festival of Singers in Fez for his ability to captivate an audience, the power of his voice and originality of his performance.

The orchestra was superb

"Omitting to hear Marouane Hajji at a Festival of Sufi Music in Fez would be like a trip to the Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa."

The Fez Festival of Sufi Culture opened with an homage to Al Shustari and so the Samâa, based on the poetry of Al Shustari, brought the Sufi festival to a fitting end. 

Text and photographs: Sandy McCutcheon

Reviews
Click on links to read a full review of each day

Who are the Sufis?
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight

SEE FULL SUFI FESTIVAL PROGRAMME HERE

The View From Fez is an official Media Partner of the Fez Festival of Sufi Culture

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Fez Festival of Sufi Culture - Day Seven

Friday was a day for the Dervishes (Click images to enlarge)

The first Friday round table took place before a small audience in the Prefecture Hall. By comparison, the panel itself was large, with ten participants, including Festival Director, Faouzi Skali. The theme of the discussion was the question, "Can we teach Sufism today as a culture?" The general consensus was in the affirmative.

The ten member panel

The 4 pm: Round table: "Rûmi or the religion of Love: poetry of the spiritual journey"

Leili Anvar

Evening Concert
First part: poetic and musical recital of Rumi poetry by Leili Anvar, Frédéric Ferney and Fady Zakkar

The poetry recital was an hour of beautiful tranquility with fine performances from Leili Anvar, Frédéric Ferney and Fady Zakkar.

Leili Anvar' - a fine voice and a sense of stagecraft

Leili Anvar showed she had more than just academic skills and a fine voice. Her stage craft was that of an actor who, knowing they were seated with the audience on four sides, played to all sections of the audience.

Frédéric Ferney

Frédéric Ferney's dramatic voice was perfect for the parts he read, as was Leili's gentle singing.

Fady Zakkar provided the musical soundscape, playing on a series of instruments including a twin flute, where one pipe acted as a drone beneath the melody, played on the other. It was the performance of an accomplished musician and he was accorded warm applause.

Fady Zakkar with his twin flute 

Some background
Leili Anvar was born in Iran, graduated from the Ecole Normale Supérieure, is a graduate of the Razi High School in Teheran, and has a PhD in Iranian Studies (1999) and an Associate in English (1991).

She is a lecturer in Persian Literature at the National Institute of Eastern Languages ​​and Civilisations in Paris.

In addition, she is a columnist on French Culture and the world of religions. Leili Anvar is a frequent panelist on discussions of Sufism and Persian culture.

As a translator and specialist in mystical literature, she has worked on the work of the poet Djalâl ad-Dîn Rûmî, in addition to a number of academic articles. She published Rûmî,  a book on the life and work of the Persian mystical poet of the 13th century,. She directed the publication of an anthology of Arabic, Persian and Turkish poetry entitled Orient - Thousand Years of Poetry and Painting for which she translated Persian poems in 2009. She also written a biography of the poet Kurdo-Persian Malek Jân Ne'mati, and an anthology of his works: Malek Jân Ne'mati, "Life is not short, but time is short"

Part Two: Tariqa Naqshbandiya

However, despite the serenity of the first part of the concert, the night belonged to the dramatic Tariqa Naqshbandiya. They are familiar to audiences in Fez who have seen Turkish Sufi Brotherhoods at previous festivals, and were welcomed warmly.

Once again they arrived with chanting and drums and once they were all on stage they formed a semi-circle and went straight into action, producing over an hour of intense high energy chanting.

It was a bold and unhesitant performance with a vocal roughness that is startling to those experiencing the tariqa for the first time. It is the only Sufi group that could possibly intimidate a Maori rugby team doing a haka. The group's solo singers, (known as munshid in Morocco) had commanding tenor and baritone voices.

These musicians, singers and dancers (Semazens), represent one of the most intriguing aspects of the mystical culture of Turkey. The Sema - the whirling dance - and the Zikr - the hymns sung by the sacred choir - are connected to each other in a spiritual ambience that leads the Dervish to enter a mystical universe.

There were initially three Semazens (dancers), but one unfortunately dropped out.

It was a great performance on a beautiful night in the Jnan Sbil Gardens.

Tomorrow at the Festival - the final day
Saturday October 21st

4pm: Round table: A roundup of the week's discussions

8pm: Closing ceremony with the great voices of the Samâa of Morocco at Bab al Makina

Text and photographs: Sandy McCutcheon

Reviews
Click on links to read a full review of each day

Who are the Sufis?
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight

SEE FULL SUFI FESTIVAL PROGRAMME HERE

The View From Fez is an official Media Partner of the Fez Festival of Sufi Culture

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