Finnish pianist Laura Mikkola to give concert in Rabat

Laura Mikkola is the winner of several international competitions (Second Prize and Audience Award at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, First Prize and Audience Award at the International Unisa Transnet Piano Competition in Pretoria (RSA)), and in her career so far has performed more than 67 piano concertos.

After a few years in Rome, Laura Mikkola and her family settled in Paris where she appeared as soloist with several regional and national orchestras.

Since 2003, she has become the founder and artistic director of the Musical Festival of Iitti, Finland. She has recorded for Naxos and Aeon among others, works by Mozart, Shostakovich, Rautavaara, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saens, Matthews and Tüür.

The chamber music concert will take place on Thursday, September 20, 2018 at 7:30 pm at the Villa des Arts in Rabat. On this occasion, Laura Mikkola will perform great classics, including Chopin ballads and pieces by Sibelius and Debussy.

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Nordic Film Week in Rabat Offers Four Fine Films

The 2nd edition of the Nordic Film Week in Morocco will run from September 29th  to October 2nd, at the Renaissance Theatre in Rabat. This cultural event is organised by the embassies of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, in order to promote Nordic culture in Morocco

The Renaissance: 360, Avenue Mohamed V Rabat  Phone 0698-412096

With the advent of Scandi-noir on the small screen (The Killing, Borgen, The Bridge...) and the increasing number of Nordic actors on the big screen the Nordic Film Week in Rabat is an opportunity to show the Moroccan public this new wave of cinema.

The four films representing the four northern countries are a mix of drama, thriller and comedy and should be a good introduction to the Nordic pragmatism that marks everyday life.

On the opening night the Ambassadors of Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway will open the season.

Admission is free and sessions begin at 8:00 p.m. All films will be subtitled in French.

Opening night is Tuesday, September 29, 2015 and will feature the first feature by Juha Lehtola, writer and director of theatre in Finland. The films original title in Finnish is Aikuisten Poika or Adult Son. It is also known in English as Boy Upside Down, but has been given the title Drôle de Petit Homme (Funny Little Boy) in French.

Aikuistan Poika is a Finnish feel-good film that starts with a tragedy and ends with new hope. What actually happens shall not be revealed here, but the journey to a brighter future will not be easy for our hero in the film, 11-year-old Oliver. When both his parents die in a car accident, Oliver tries to refute the allegation that his father was speeding. Coincidentally he meets Joonas (Kari Hietalahti), a slightly dubious outsider who has a relationship with the wife of his former best friend. Together, the two of them make an odd but charming couple with different plans and wishes.

Aikuistan Poika makes for reflections, which simultaneously warm the heart and allow us to smile. A well told and well written film is crowned with great performances and delightful characters. Two especially good characters are two elderly brothers who run an old cinema. They take Oliver under their wings, unaware of the tragedy that has happened to the young boy. This dynamic film that is set in Tampere in summer and shows with humour and sensitivity, that instinctive life energy overcomes unbearable emotions. The performance by Esa Nikkilä as Oliver is superb.

On Wednesday, September 30th, the film comes from Norway - Pioneer - a thriller directed by Erik Skjoldberg

Pioneer is set in the early 80’s, at the beginning of the Norwegian oil boom. Enormous oil and gas deposits are discovered in the North Sea, authorities aim to bring the oil ashore through a pipeline 500 meters deep. Petter, a professional diver, is obsessed with reaching the bottom of the Norwegian Sea. Along with his brother Knut, he has the discipline, strength and courage to take on the world’s most dangerous mission, but a sudden, tragic accident changes everything. Petter is sent on a perilous journey where he loses sight of who is pulling the strings. Gradually, he realises that he is in way over his head and that his life is at stake. Warning! This is not a film for the faint-hearted.

On Thursday, October 1st the spotlight turns on Sweden with a delightful comedy from director Felix Herngren. Again there is a confusion over the title in English and French, however many people will know this story as an adaptation of the novel by Jonas Jonasson "The Centenarian Who Climbed Out the Window and Vanished".  Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann has been a gigantic success in Sweden, selling more that 250.000 copies Somehow this title has arrived at the Nordic Film Fest as The old man who did not celebrate his birthday.

This film follows the progress of Allan Karlsson, a simple man with a predilection for blowing things up, after he leaves his nursing home to embark on a journey that will take him wherever it takes him. Through flashbacks we see that this is a metaphor for his entire life. Karlsson has, it turns out, been with several significant figures of the 20th century and, unwittingly, has profoundly affected its course.

The film is comic, darkly comic, absurdist, farcical, a chase caper, an espionage thriller and, finally, peaceful. It is all of these things successfully in a way that Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" attempted to be, but didn't quite manage. More importantly, the characters are entirely believable despite the often fantastical story lines. It is also beautifully shot.

The final night, Friday, October 2, belongs to Denmark with Billie August's film Marie Krøyer

At the beginning of the 20th century, Marie is married to Denmark's world famous painter P.S. Krøyer. They are among the country's most admired and famous couples. Marie, who adorns several of Krøyer's paintings, is considered to be "the most beautiful woman in Europe". Together with their daughter Vibeke they experience all the best life has to offer: parties, champagne and luxury. However, this is only the polished surface. Beneath it is living hell. Krøyer suffers from manic depression and syphilis. He can change from being cheerful and upbeat, to a foaming crazy monster.

Marie has struggled to keep up appearances for a long time, but the situation is wearing her down. She is caught in an impossible situation between maintaining the bright social life and the hell unfolding behind closed doors. She feels that she is being suffocated and that she is disappearing. After another of Krøyer's violent fits of insanity and rage, Marie decides to leave for Italy with their daughter.

In Italy she meets the younger Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén. He falls head over heels in love with her and she finally yields to his unreserved and unrestrained emotions. However, their union is not a happy one. Marie is caught between a new life on one side and her love for Vibeke and Krøyer on the other.

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Moroccan Adventurers Fail in Strange Russian Expedition

It was hardly in the footsteps of Ibn Battuta, but it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Sadly, the reality fell a little short of expectations. Reviving the traditions of the Age of Discovery, two Moroccan citizens tried to trek across Russia to Finland with a hand-drawn map while taking notes of the journey.

The Petrozavodsk crossing where a visa is required

According to the Russian Border Guard Service in Petrozavodsk (Karelian/Vepsian/Finnish: Petroskoi), the capital city of the Russian Republic of Karelia, the two Moroccan travellers were detained in the border zone without visas and without permission to enter.

The adventurous Moroccan duo were navigating with the help of nothing more than a hand-drawn map showing local towns and distances to the Finnish border, as well as routes toward Finland, the service said in a statement.

They were also taking detailed notes of their movements, possibly intended to help later trekkers to follow in their tracks, the border guards said.

The famous Petrozavodsk church 

However, the expedition ended in failure: The duo, whose names were withheld, will now have to explain their adventures to Russia’s Federal Migration Service, the report said. Hopefully they will have a chance to see some of the fabulous Karelian architecture before being shipped home.


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Solo Across the Sahara - a First for Finland

 "Jukka Viljasen uskomaton urakka ohitse: Juoksi yksin halki Saharan!"

The headline in the Helsingin Sanomat said it all: Jukka Viljanen, a 48-year-old adventure runner and ultramarathonist, had become the first person to run solo across the Sahara Desert in North Africa.  completing the 1,600-kilometre distance across the desert in 31 days. Along the way he crossed over sandy deserts as well as rock lands from Morocco to Southern Mauritania near the Senegalese border

Photo: MAX MÄKINEN

  “I feel euphoric. I was remarkably high-spirited throughout the entire journey, for which a big ‘thank you’ goes to the on-location support team formed by three friends of mine from Finland”, Viljanen explains.

Jukka Viljanen who has a university degree in business and lives in Espoo, Finland, had prepared himself to complete up to 2,000 kilometres through the Sahara Desert, but the local conditions - starting with minefields - forced him to stick to a relatively direct north-south route close to the coast.

Viljanen arrived in Morocco on January 3rd and spent the first couple of days making preparations. The Finns acquired supplies together with a local desert safari firm, which also assisted in the actual effort by providing vehicles and crew.

During the first five days and 250 kilometres Viljanen encountered difficulties. His advance was complicated by a condition called "runner’s knee", an ailment that often requires a couple of months of rest to heal. But not for the first time in the history of ultra-long-distance running, as by miracle, the problem sorted itself out. This can happen when a person aspiring to produce an intense performance comes face to face with a tough situation. “Organising a run like this requires so much effort that after that motivation is just off the chart. This must at least partly explain the ‘miracle’ recovery”, Viljanen reckons.

The next ten days and 500 kilometres were marked by sandstorms. At times the wind was so strong that he was unable to open the support vehicle’s door. And there was sand everywhere, even in the breakfast cereal. The sand also worked its way into Viljanen's running shoes, causing blisters. “I treated a couple of painful blisters with antibiotic cream”, Viljanen recalls.

By the 750 kilometre mark the landscape was changing to sand dunes, small acacia trees, and also camels. “Camels are able to wander around for months without replenishing their water supply, but I had to drink about a litre of water fortified with electrolytes every hour”, Viljanen explains. And in providing the water the support team’s role was crucial. “At times they had to drive hundreds of kilometres to get water.”

Finally, after 20 days and 1,000 kilometres Morocco gave way to Mauritania and a new local support crew joined in the effort. Viljanen had his first shower since the start of the run and continued on without major incident to complete the crossing in just 31 days.

Jukka Viljanen was born in 1963. He lives in Espoo with his partner Kirsi Montonen, who is another adventure runner in her own right. Viljanen has run (and cycled) the North Pole Marathon in 2007, made a 200km run (non-stop) ultramarathon across the Libyan desert in 2008, a 100km Antarctic Ice Marathon in 2009, a 1,000km run across the Kalahari Desert in 2010 (with Kirsi Montonen and South African Greg Maud), and now the slightly more than 1,600km jog across the Sahara. When one considers that for this last feat he ran 50 kilometres a day for thirty-one straight days across soft sand or difficult broken rock terrain, it gives some idea of the man's determination and physical fitness.

The View from Fez says : Onnea Jukka. Rotu hyvin juosta! 

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The Finns are coming!

The language skills of Morocco's street kids have always been impressive. It is not unusual for them to have few words of greeting in almost any language you can imagine. However, even The View from Fez was impressed the other day to hear a eight or nine year old on hearing that the young backpacker was from Helsinki, smiled and said "tervetuloa - terve poika!"

Now Moroccan businessmen may need to sharpen their Finnish skills because, although Morocco has long been a holiday destination for Finns, Finland has just announced that it wants stronger business ties with Morocco.

Finland is keen to reinforce ties with Morocco, especially through boosting trade exchanges and economic cooperation, by taking advantage of the country's relations with the European Union.

The remarks were given Friday by visiting Under-Secretary of State, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Pekka Huhtaniemi who is leading a delegation of businessmen operating in communications, construction and civil engineering, energy, health, water and forest.

Pekka Huhtaniemi

The visit to Morocco is aimed at showing Finland's interest in reinforcing and diversifying relations with Morocco, mainly in economy and trade, Huhtaniemi told the press following a meeting with Moroccan State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Latifa Akharbach.

Pekka Huhtaniemi said Finland wants to consolidate ties with Morocco within the framework of the European Union, which, last year, granted Morocco an Advanced Status that secures special ties between the north African country and the EU. He also discussed with Moroccan Minister for External Trade, Abdellatif Maazouz, means to bolster ties between the two countries.

Earlier in the day in Casablanca, Herra Huhtaniemi called on Moroccan businessmen to take advantage of the trade opportunities offered by Finland’s market, and to conclude partnerships with Finnish peers for investment projects in both countries.

For their part, Moroccan officials and businessmen highlighted the trade and investment opportunities offered by the country, inviting the Finnish businessmen to benefit from the investment climate in the country.