Marrakech International Film Festival wrap up

The Marrakech International Film Festival wrapped up its twelfth year a couple of days ago.This year the main theme was a celebration of one hundred years of Hindi film making, and while it may seem a bit unusual to be celebrating Indian films in Morocco, it’s not that strange really because Bollywood blockbusters and Egyptian films have absolutely huge audiences here, far more than any other. Unfortunately, none of the all-dancing, all-singing Hindi films won the main prizes.

Dr. Amin Jafaari (Ali Suliman) in The Attack

The Gold Star went to a controversial Lebanese movie called ‘The Attack’ and two of the other main prizes were won by ‘The Hijacking’, a Danish film.

A Hijacking

But that didn’t mean that there wasn’t plenty of crowd pleasers for the audience in Jmaa el Fna, where the Festival erects an enormous screen for public viewings. Bollywood “demigod and prince charming”, Shah Rukh Khan, whipped thousands of people into a frenzy when he danced to the tunes of movie songs before a preview of his latest film, “Jab Tak Hain Jaan” (Till My Last Breath).

Morocco has had a film industry since the very earliest days of the hand-cranked camera, but despite having had scenes from films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Kundun and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen shot at Morocco’s ‘cine city’ at Ouarzaztae, I’m not sure you could say it has become ‘the world’s second film-making destination after Hollywood’, as French TV Channel France 3 has said. That probably won’t go down well in Mumbai, or Bombay as we used to call it, where most of the big Bollywood hits are made.

This story first appeared at Villa Dinari.


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Morocco in and out - Photography

As part of the Saison Culturelle France-Morocco 2012, the French Institute of Morocco presents: the 6th edition of the Rencontres Internationales de la Photo Fez with the title: 

Morocco: in and out

In a world where it is very rare to find even hidden or secret places, photography can play an important role. This year, the Rencontres Internationales de la Photo Fez reflects the need of the photographer to push open secret doors and to discover what is hidden behind. 


The Photographers

Scarlett Coten is an independent photographer based in Paris. After studying photography for three years at the ENSP in Arles, she moved to Barcelona where she spent several years pursuing personal projects focusing on an intimate and poetical universe. (See her photos above and below.)

In 1998 she set up in Paris as a full-time photographer, working on assignments for publications such as Elle, Marie-Claire, Libération, Le Monde Magazine, Le Figaro Magazine, Courrier International and Grands Reportages.

Jean-Christophe Ballot has a Graduate Degree from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs and a graduate degree from the National School of Image and Sound:FEMIS.
In 1991, he was the president at the Villa Médicis (French Academy in Rome) in 1991. After years of photographic trips around the world, he sees the city of Fez with the eyes of a poet. His work penetrates the intimacy of the medieval town and offers us a reflection on the connections between image and  word.

Omar Chennafi, based in Morocco, offers us Hidden Fez - which reveals the double identity of this mysterious city; the colorful doors and the surprising interiors that lie behind.

Details:
From December 8 to 31 at the French Institute Gallery, Gallery Kacimi, Batha Museum, Dar Batha, Le Jardin des Biehn, Cultural Complex Sidi Mohammed Ben Youssef.

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You Are Welcome in Morocco Ms Putin!

Vladimir Putin’s youngest daughter, Yekaterina is apparently about to tie the knot with her Korean boyfriend Yoon Joon-won in Morocco sometime soon. Derek Workman writes that one Marrakech riad has taken the initiative and offered the Russian President, or his daughter, a room.

You are welcome here any time, Ms Putin!

"The Russian President supposedly visited Marrakech this week to sort out the hush-hush wedding of his daughter, that will probably take place La Mamounia Hotel. All I can say, Vlad dear, is that if La Mamounia is over-booked I’m sure we can help you at Villa Dinari."

They may not get the booking, but they certainly gain points for trying!

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Casablanca Piano For Sale For Around a Million Dollars

It might be any old upright piano to you and me, but it could bring more than $1 million when it’s sold at auction in New York this month. Derek Workman reports for The View from Fez.

When Actor and singer Dooley Wilson sang As Time Goes By in the role of Sam in the 1942 classic film Casablanca, as Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, the unlucky lovers Rick and Isla, leaned on the piano in a flashback to their time in Paris, he never actually touched the keyboard in front of him. The music was played by jazz musician Elliot Carpenter, who sat where Wilson could watch and imitate his hand movements. And, incidentally, the phrase “Play it again, Sam”, one of the most popular phrases in cinematic history, is never used in the film.

On 14 December the piano goes under the Sotherby’s hammer with a pre-sale estimate of $800,000 to $1.2 million, when the film celebrates its 70th anniversary.

It was first sold by Sotheby’s in 1988 to a Japanese collector, who paid $154,000 for the battered-looking old piano, the highest price ever paid for a movie prop. Since then, interest in film props has grown, said Sotheby’s.

“How can anything say ‘I love you’ better than the piano from Casablanca?” said David Redden, vice chairman and director of the special projects department at Sotheby’s, when he announced the sale. Well, I can think of a few ways that would still leave me with $950,000 to put in the bank.

The film, set in Morocco during World War Two, won three Academy Awards including best picture, best writing and best director for Michael Curtiz, although despite the evocative name no-one set foot on Moroccan soil during its production – it was filmed in a back lot at Warner Brother’s Burbank studio, and some of the sets were left-overs from The Destert Song, which had been filmed there a couple of years earlier.

At least it’s a bit more of a bargain than the for $4.6 million someone paid last year for Marilyn Monroe’s white ‘subway dress’ from the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch. One frock – I could get a whole wardrobe for that!

Derek Workman is an English journalist living in Valencia City, Spain – although he admits to a love of Morocco and would love to up sticks and move here. To read more about life in Spain visit Spain Uncovered. Articles and books can also be found at Digital Paparazzi.

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The Casablanca Tramway Nears Completion

Officially the new Casablanca tramway will open on December 12. At the moment the trams are making test runs and appear to be problem free. Traffic lights, pedestrian access and ticket booths are all nearing completion.

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Rick's Cafe and Casablanca Anniversary

For many people the first time they heard of Morocco was when seeing the classic film Casablanca. The fact that the movie was not shot in Casablanca or indeed anywhere in Morocco, does not take away from the huge impact the film has had on popular conceptions of Morocco.  It has also had an impact on tourism. Now there is a new cause for celebration. On Monday November 26th Rick's will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of the debut of the movie.

When Kathy Kriger made the decision to open a Rick's Cafe in Casablanca the sceptics thought it would be a flash in the pan and probably a tacky Hollywood imitation. How wrong they were. Even if there had never been a film called Casablanca, Kriger's Rick's Cafe would still be worth visiting. Not only is the food exceptionally good, the decor, architecture and general ambiance make it a stand out.

Kathy Kriger in Rick's

For more than 60 years, tourists visiting Casablanca tried to visit Rick’s Café Americain only to discover that Warner Brothers had built the entire set on a studio back lot. In her book RICK'S CAFE, she takes us through souk back alleys, the Marché Central's overflowing food stalls, and the shadowy Moroccan business world, all while producing, directing, casting, and playing lead actress in her own story. Instead of letters of transit, she begged for letters of credit; the governor of Casablanca watched her back instead of Captain Renault; and at the piano, playing “As Time Goes By,” sits not Sam but Issam. She encountered paper pushers, absent architects, dedicated craftsmen, mad chefs, and surprising allies. It took over two years, but Rick’s Café opened in 2004 to rave reviews. Now, as Captain Renault says to Major Strasser, “Everybody comes to Rick’s.” Kathy has brought to life the screen legend that has captured the imagination of generations.

The View From Fez congratulates Kathy and the staff on a wonderful achievement and wish them well for the anniversary celebrations

Kathy Kriger's recent book about her adventure is here.
Rick's Cafe: Bringing the Film Legend to Life in Casablanca
Click on image to purchase


Find Rick's at 248 Boulevard Sour Jdid in Casablanca's Medina. Ph 0522 27 42 07/08
Rick's Cafe Website

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Moroccan News Briefs #80

This week's wrap-up of news from around Morocco 

Free Press in Morocco

Communications Minister Mustapha Khalfi said this week that there could be no "democratic evolution" in Morocco without a free press.

"There cannot be democratic development without a free and responsible press," Khalfi, who is also government spokesman, told a seminar in Rabat on "Evaluating the freedom of the press."

"Morocco is classed as the worst in north Africa... The observer organisations use indicators that are justified, but other factors are involved that are not very precise, which is why dialogue is needed," he said.

"A number of categories do not reflect the reality on the ground," added Khalfi at the opening of a two-day seminar attended by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

As The View from Fez reported earlier, Al Jazeera TV will be allowed to return to Morocco. In addition, Sky News, BBC and Al-Türkiye will soon have permission to broadcast in Morocco.  The minister said that the accreditation of Al Manar TV and Al Mayadine was still under consideration because of the large number of contacts in this folder. El Khalfi, who presented the budget allocated to communication for the year 2013, said the Moroccan media field would expand to include the linguistic and cultural aspects as required by the new constitution.


 The Moroccan Istiqlal party wants to legalize cannabis cultivation 

In parliament on Tuesday Nouredine Mediane, member of the Istiqlal party, has fiercely defended the legalization of cannabis cultivation in Morocco. He did so in the presence of Interior Minister Laenser.

The President of the Istiqlal group in the House of Representatives, explained that cultivation could be beneficial for citizens, if it is done in limited areas.

Nouredine Mediane, speaking at a session on the budget of the Ministry of Interior, said that "the transformation of barley into beer and figs into mahia, does not prevent the legalization of barley cultivation or the cultivation of figs."

Mahia is a popular traditional alcoholic spirit made from figs. Morocco already has a very successful wine and brewing industry.


Fez airport - bad news

Passenger traffic at the airport Fez Saïss has decreased by 21.36% during the month of October, compared to the same period previous year, according to statistics from the National Office of Airports (ONDA). This is mainly due to the cancelation of Ryanair flights due to the dispute between the airline and ONDA.


Ryanair returns to Morocco

Ryanair, Europe's only ultra-low cost airline, confirmed the return of 2 London-Marrakech routes to its winter schedule, with 8 weekly flights to/from London Stansted (4 per week) and London Luton (4 per week) from February 2013, as late additions to its winter 2012-13 schedule.

According to Ryanair's Stephen McNamara, "Ryanair is pleased to confirm the return of its London Stansted-Marrakech and London Luton-Marrakech routeswhich will start in February 2013, as late additions to our winter 2012-13 schedules, meaning UK passengers can escape the cold on our low cost routes and enjoy some African sun this winter. To celebrate these routes, Ryanair is launching a 100,000 seat sale with prices starting from £18 for travel across Europe in December, which are available for booking until midnight Thur (22 Nov). Since seats at these crazy low prices will be snapped up quickly, we urge passengers to book them immediately on www.ryanair.com."


Air Arabia announces new route

Air Arabia Maroc, a subsidiary of the Sharjah-based low cost airline, has announced the expansion of its network to Montpellier in southern France on November 14. The carrier is now operating a weekly service with a A320s from Marrakech, complementing existing Montpellier services from Casablanca, Fez and Nador.


Moroccan Unemployed Protest

Moroccan police with batons broke up a protest by more than a thousand unemployed graduates in central Rabat on Wednesday, the second protest this week ahead of the parliamentary vote on the first part of the 2013 budget.

Leftist and Islamist graduates protested in different groups of several hundred each in the area around the Moroccan parliament, in an apparent effort to outwit police who prevented protesters gathering outside the parliament building on Sunday. The graduates said the government had broken promises made in the past year.

"We want jobs," said protester Hicham el-Hachemi. "We got a written promise and the attention of the government, so we are here to push them to take us into consideration."

"If the government doesn't respond, we will unify all the jobless and organise a massive protest," said Mohamed Amine Sekkal, one of the organisers of the protest.


Karan Johar films at Marrakech Festival

Hindi Cinema completes 100 years next year and the Marrakech Film Festival will be the first to pay a tribute to the centenary. As a special gesture they will be screening some of the Hindi movies that have made a mark this year and in the past.

Karan Johar

Karan Johar's Khabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham will be screened on the opening night. Amitabh Bachchan and Karan Johar will be attending the screening at the main square. On 2nd Dec, two of Johar's films that released this year Agneepath and Student Of The Year will be screened at the main square. Johar will be at the screening for Agneepath alongwith Rishi Kapoor. Johar, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan will atttend the screening at the main sguare for Student of the Year.
For Karan, it is even more special, because perhaps for the first time a festival is having three screenings from his banner.

“It’s a great tribute for the Indian film fraternity to be honoured at an international platform such as this. The festival also has a special emotional connect with me because my films, such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, have a vast audience in Morocco,” says Karan.


Moroccan Children Acting Debut in Advert - Stunning

A new advertisement for Nedbank Private Wealth features an amazing performance by two Moroccan children. We would not normally bring you an advert, but the performance of the children is exceptional and worth watching. The filming was directed by Egg Films' Kim Geldenhuys.

Working closely with M&C Saatchi Abel executive creative director Gordon Ray, art director Helen Botes and producer Bronwyn Henry, Kim shot on location in Morocco at Ait Benhaddou, a fortified city and UNESCO World Heritage Site that has hosted films like Gladiator and Prince of Persia.

The two lead children were street cast, had never acted before, and didn’t speak English, but both produced memorable performances.  with Kim directing them via a Moroccan actress who acted as the translator.



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Autumn Tourism in Morocco

While the flow of visitors arriving in Morocco had been relatively steady over the last month, the numbers appear to have increased in the last couple of weeks. Tour groups from Europe as well a considerable number of families from South America, Australia and New Zealand have been arriving recently. Guest house owners in the Layoun and Rcif areas of the Fez Medina report being at full capacity and with many forward bookings. Visitors are taking advantage of the fact that autumn is a cool but beautiful time of year and after the recent rains the countryside is green for the first time in months.

A frozen cedar forest - photo Jearld Moldenhauer  - Dar Balmira Gallery 

The snowfalls in the High Atlas have abated for the moment and the roads have been cleared of the snow.

Recent visitors (pictured above and below), Amy from Australia and Saara from Finland, exploring the Fez Medina for the first time found it "awesome". They spent a couple of days shopping in the Medina before heading off on a day trip to the Roman ruins at Volubilis, lunch in Moulay Idriss and a visit to the granaries in Meknes. 

Booking Early

Michele Reeves from Plan-it-Fez says that October was a very busy month, and though the numbers of arrivals have slowed slightly, it remains steady. Recent arrivals have been from America, the UK and countries in South America and most had the foresight to book well in advance. Michele says that last year people were booking accommodation and tours at the last minute which caused problems with supplying vehicles. Now, however, she says people are booking for late November and December, well in advance. Culinary tours and day trips, she says, remain incredibly popular.

Aisha Bail (pictured above), who manages Riad Rcif, says that the last couple of months have been incredibly busy with guests flowing in from European countries (due to the discount flights). The interesting demographic change she has noticed is there have also been many South American vistiors from countries such as Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Columbia and Brazil. They have also had a growing number of tourists from the Scandinavian, Baltic and Eastern bloc countries including Lithuania, Poland and Russia. Other riad owners in the Layoun, next to Rcif, have reported an increase in visitors from the Indian subcontinent.

Aisha Bail agrees with Michele Reeves that there is a trend towards many people booking well in advance. Some, she says, as far ahead as August 2013. Like Michele Reeves, she welcomes this as it makes management so much easier.

False Guides

The problem that concerns Aisha Bail most is the new breed of sophisticated false guides on the trains. The View from Fez has reported on this before, but it is worth repeating the warning. According to Aisha, the men, posing as businessmen, get on the trains to Fez at Meknes or Casablanca, and then try to convince visitors that the riad they are staying at is not a good place. Other visitors say that the men act in pairs with one laying the ground work and a follow-up person backing up the stories of poor accommodation. They also try and convince people that where they have booked is a "dangerous" area of Fez. They then offer to act as their guide in Fez and find them "better" accommodation. Unfortunately, even though many false guides have been stopped in recent weeks, the men on the trains continue to evade the police.

More info: 
Plan-it Fez: email: info@plan-it-fez.com. Website: www.plan-it-fez.com Tel: +212 (0) 678 549 482
Riad Rcif website
Rent a riad in Fez
Morocco Basics 

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Air France Rio-Paris Flight Diverted to Casablanca

Passengers at Casablanca airport experienced lengthy delays yesterday (Friday 16th) and although no explanation was given at the time, it appears it was due to the need to find extra seats for 201 passengers from a damaged Air France airliner.

'Even getting through passport control and security took longer than ever,' one passenger told The View from Fez, 'and then we were standing in queues awaiting boarding for the longest time'.

The Air France Airbus A330 had been heading from Rio to Paris but was forced to make an emergency landing in Casablanca due to damage to one of its two engines. According to an Air France spokeswoman the aircraft, which had left Brazil’s southern city of Rio Thursday and was carrying 201 passengers and 12 crew members including three pilots, had been diverted according to safety guidelines.

She said a technical investigation was under way to determine what happened, and added that passengers had been transferred to other flights headed for Paris.

The aircraft, an Airbus A330, was the same model as the Air France airliner that plunged into the Atlantic in 2009 and killed all 228 people aboard during a Rio to Paris flight.

In a July report, French accident investigators concluded that technical faults led an ill-prepared crew to lose control, resulting in the airliner’s crash.


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Marrakech Takes the Cake

When you ask Emma Joyston-Bechal to describe herself she says, mother, wife, hotelier, carpet dealer and then adds...bespoke cake maker. She and her family moved to Marrakech six years ago from London and have since set up the very popular Zamzam Riad. The View from Fez crew admit to a weakness for the odd slice of gateaux and so, fascinated by Emma's fabulous creations, we invited her to explain why and how she has taken the humble skill of cake making into the realms of art and along the way created a very successful business.

As long as I can remember I have been making cakes, with my mother, grandmother or friends. I have always had a very keen interest in food and cooking. I was born in Uganda and grew up in Nigeria and during my extensive travels of the world through out my life many of my travel memories relate to food. I have always been waiting to express my creativity and now making these special cakes I have found that outlet. My mother read me a book when I was very small about a girl who worked in the kitchen at the Giant's castle. She made jellies and cakes and fanciful things all magical and over the top. I was in awe of this little girls creations and that story and those illustrations have stayed with me all my life. I now create them in my cakes.

My commercial cake making started in Marrakech when a couple of friends who own a Maison D'hote Riad here asked me if I would make their wedding cake for their own special day. They knew that every Christmas I made traditional fruit Christmas cakes and my own dried fruit mince meat to fill, what we call mince pies in the UK. Friends in Marrakech had often told me I should do this commercially at Christmas as they were desperate for my Christmas mince pies, however each year I like to make them for family and friends and have a big Christmas party at our hotel Zamzam Riad where all my friends and colleagues can sample an evening of Christmas cheer.

So delighted to be asked, I made my very first wedding cake with three tiers of fruit cake covered in marzipan and icing. The icing was pistachio green with burgundy ribbon and burgundy roses. The top tier was a decoration of burgundy roses. I don't even have a photo of that first cake. Since then word has got about with agencies and friends who also own hotels in Marrakech and my client base is starting to get larger and much more demanding with respect to design. The last wedding cake I made was 3 chocolate suitcases complete with buckles, straps, handles sewing and locks, plus travel stickers including one of the Mamounia complete with bride and groom sitting on top. This whole cake was edible.

Since commercially making wedding cakes I am rarely asked for a fruit cake which is what I consider a traditional wedding cake. Most cake requests are for a chocolate devil's food cake and other flavours that include Mandarin, carrot cake, coffee and walnut, lemon and red velvet cake. I recently made baked lemon cheesecake cup cakes which I must say were delicious. I work together on my cakes with a wonderful lady called Fatiya who I have trained along side me and who is a master at colouring icing to the exact hue requested. Now that my orders have become more serious my husband has built me a large kitchen with a big central slab of granite on which Fatiya and I can work and roll large pieces of icing and make special chocolate decorations. Due to the back breaking weight of the cakes we have also installed two ovens at waist height.

The wedding cakes have now spread to special birthday requests. The lilly cake (pictured above) was requested as a surprise by a woman's husband. I often sketch the cakes and discuss colour and decoration with the client before they order. Some people know exactly what they want but for others its a journey of discussion and design.

For more information on Emma's bespoke cakes, email Emma at zamzamriad@gmail.com or call her on +212(0)661215062. Note: Emma needs four weeks notice to create these cakes as she often needs to buy certain elements in the UK.

Zamzam Riad, 107 Rue Kaa El Machraa, Zaouia El Abbassia, Website: http://www.riadzamzam.com/

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Moroccan News Briefs #78

Morocco welcomes Obama's election victory

The response among Moroccans to the victory by US President Obama was overwhelmingly upbeat. The feeling among Moroccans of all classes was also shared by the nation's media who heaved a collective sigh of relief at the defeat of Mitt Romney.

The first official response came from HM King Mohammed VI who sent a message of congratulations to Barack Obama on his re-election. In his message, the King renewed the will of Morocco to continue working in cooperation with the US and to further develop and expand the bilateral ties.

Your re-election for a second term reflects the vibrancy and effectiveness of American democracy. It is also a strong indication of the great confidence placed in your wise leadership. This re-election attests to the high esteem in which you are held, given your human qualities, your political acumen and your wise decisions based on consultation, realism and compromise.

Allow me to take this opportunity to say how much I value the solid, longstanding relations between our two nations, and how keen I am to continue working with you, Mr. President, to further develop and expand our bilateral ties. The strategic partnership between our two countries has undoubtedly given fresh impetus to our bilateral relations and opened up vast, promising prospects. -King Mohammed VI

Full text of the message: HERE


Slow progress in Morocco's fight against corruption

Siham Ali, reporting for Magharebia in Rabat, writes that Morocco's Central Authority for the Prevention of Corruption (ICPC) in delivered its annual report to Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane last week, criticised the pace of progress in tackling graft.

Abdelilah Benkirane's government under fire for the slow pace of reform  [photo: AFP/Abdelhak Senna] 

The 2010-2011 report, released to the public on Friday (November 2nd), stated that the situation in Morocco has not improved significantly and the government's policy still lacked a strategic dimension and an effective commitment to tackling corruption.

The ICPC also highlighted the lack of co-ordination between the various bodies in charge of inspections, monitoring and accountability due to the absence of close institutional ties between them, a lack of co-operation and sharing of expertise and information, and legal loopholes which are hampering efforts to curb corruption.

The authority has called for a genuine and serious commitment to tackling corruption, monopolies, privileged and dominant positions before embezzled funds can be recovered and public resources can be protected.

Since the current government took office, the prime minister and his cabinet team representing the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) have trumpeted their desire to tackle the issue.

The opposition has taken the government to task over its failure to act. Hakim Benchemmas, the parliamentary leader of the Party of Authenticity and Modernity in the Chamber of Councillors, has said that the government's pledges and words about this subject have not translated into anything concrete.

Civil society has also raised the alarm. Transparency Maroc has drawn attention to shortcomings in the law. It has said that the Law on the Protection of Witnesses and Whistle-Blowers falls short of expectations and that the identities of witnesses should be omitted from statements. It also claims that existing measures to guarantee the safety of witnesses and whistle-blowers are inadequate.

Michele Zirari, the deputy secretary-general of Transparency Maroc says, "If, for example, someone becomes aware of a corrupt act within their institution and reports it, they risk losing their job on the grounds of breach of professional secrecy,"


Marrakech scores "Top African Destination" award

The Moroccan city of Marrakesh, known for its enchanting charm that attracts tourists from all over the world, was elected by the 19th World Travel Awards (WTA) as “Africa’s Leading Destination” for 2012.

The WTA which has just unveiled the leading travel brands in Africa for 2012 pointed out that the ancient medina of Marrakech saw off competition from many tourism resorts like the Kalahari Desert (Namibia), Kruger National Park (South Africa), Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) or Cape Town (South Africa) to win the coveted title of “Africa’s Leading Destination”.

Properties in Marrakech also enjoyed top honours. Amanjena was voted “Africa’s Leading Luxury Resort”, whilst the Royal Mansour was named “Africa’s Leading Hotel” in a category that included The Palace of the Lost City (South Africa), Fairmont the Norfolk (Kenya) and Grand Hyatt Cairo (Egypt).

The comprehensive WTA programme, hailed as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ by the global media, highlights and rewards those travel brands that have made the greatest contribution to the industry in quality, innovation and service, over the past year.


Morocco and Australia to strengthen ties

According to visiting Australian Senator Gavin Marshall (pictured left), Morocco and Australia are two countries with "common challenges" ahead. He says that thew countries are expected to further strengthen their political and economic relations, taking advantage of the huge opportunities that could offer such cooperation.

"There are opportunities available for both countries, which face the same challenges, to strengthen their political and economic relations," said Marshall, in a statement to the press after his meeting with Minister delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and cooperation, Mr. Youssef Amrani.

Regarding the issue of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, Australian senator welcomed the permanent dialogue "to reach a mutually acceptable solution to this issue." This "is very encouraging," he said.

He has also said that discussions with the Moroccan official also focused on regional and international issues of common interest, including the latest political and security developments in the region.

Australian Senator Gavin Marshall made ​​a working visit to Morocco at the head of a parliamentary delegation.


Marrakech Film Festival to honour Zhang Yimou

The International Film Festival of Marrakech (30 Nov — 8 Dec 2012) is to honour the career of Chinese director Zhang Yimou 張藝謀.

Zhang Yimou

The Moroccan festival will play his most recently completed film The Flowers of War 金陵十三釵, starring Christian Bale.

The festival said that Zhang has received some of the world's most prestigious awards including the Cannes Grand Jury Prize for To Live 活著 (1994). It also noted that his films had been selected three times as China's foreign-language Oscar representative.

Zhang received a lifetime achievement award last month at the Mumbai Film Festival.

The 12th Marrakech International Film Festival will also have the largest ever Indian delegation of actors and filmmakers attending. While the event marks the Indian film's industry's centenary, there will also be a special tribute ceremony for Amitabh Bachchan, president of the Indian delegation.

In a press statement, Bachchan said: "I am deeply honoured and delighted to be attending the Marrakech Film Festival to be held on November 30th. I would also like to thank the relevant authorities for giving the respect and relevance to the Indian Film Industry which, I believe, will form a special section in this year's Festival.

"I remember with deep gratitude my last visit to Marrakech in October 2003 and the warmth and hospitality that was extended to us during our short stay. I wish the Festival all success and do look forward to the pleasure of being there again."

The Festival will welcome the largest Indian delegation ever assembled at an international festival, including Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Arjun Rampal, Ileana D'Cruz and Karan Johar.

The festival will include a series of open air screenings at the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, including a special screening of Jab Tak Hai Jaan as part of a special tribute to the late director Yash Chopra.


Moroccan authorities detain eight "terrorist cell"" members

The Interior Ministry announced this week that authorities had arrested eight people suspected of plotting attacks against strategic sites. The news came less than a week after the kingdom announced it had dismantled a "terrorist" cell.

The latest arrests involved a group called Ansar al-Sharia in the Islamic Maghreb. An interior ministry statement said they had dismantled the cell whose eight members planned to "commit acts of sabotage against strategic sites". The cell's targets included "sensitive buildings, security headquarters and tourist sites in several Moroccan cities," it added.

The suspects "were developing contacts with terrorist groups linked to Al-Qaeda," whose North African franchise is active in the Sahel region and in northern Mali, the statement said. A security official reached by a French news agency (AFP), said one of the cell members "was preparing a trip to the Sahel to get financial support from Islamist groups in that region."

They added the arrests were made in Rabat and several other cities. One of the suspects had previously been detained under the kingdom's anti-terror laws. Morocco announced the dismantling of a "terrorist cell" several days before, comprising nine members plotting to set up a training camp in the Rif region, in order to attack "the authorities".

Hassan Younsi launched a web page to attract
people to the Ansar al-Sharia movement in Morocco.

The operation came less than two weeks after the arrest of Hassan Younsi, founder of the "Co-ordination of Ansar al-Sharia in Morocco". The new group had made its presence known on September 17th with the launch of a Facebook page and the posting of a doctrinal document on jihadist forums.

Younsi, who lives in Salé, was arrested October 21st in the northern Moroccan city of Tétouan after visiting Sheikh Omar Hadouchi where it is believed he had asked the Sheikh to help resolve his dispute with the leaders of "Co-ordination for the Defence of Islamist Prisoners in Morocco", which includes veteran Moroccan jihadists who returned from Afghanistan.

Hadouchi, however, disavowed "Ansar al-Sharia in Islamic Maghreb", warning Salafist Jihadists against joining the new group.

It is not yet known whether Younsi is the leader of the cell dismantled on November 5th.


The tricky question of tax - is it Zakat?

Just a few months ago, before the Moroccan elections Abdelilah Benkirane and the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) mentioned in their manifesto the necessity to incorporate Zakat in the state’s budget.

Zakat one of the five pillars of Islam - a compulsory donation that has to be given by any Muslim whose income as exceeded a certain amount during the year. This sum is set at 2.5 % of the Muslim’s assets once they reach a value of at least 85g of gold.

From a religious point of view many consider it as a personal matter between themselves and God. However, there are a number of Muslim countries that have created Zakat funds which allow those governments to increase the budget for social welfare.

Since coming to power the PJD, through the Islamic Affairs Ministry, have been working towards the creation of a national Zakat fund. According to Najb Boulif, Minister Delegate of General Affairs and Governance, they are “working on a management model” so that “the government can create implementing mechanisms”.

Some Moroccans believe that the government will have a better way of managing Zakat funds and avoid individuals donating to private charities. On the other hand, there are those who believe that Moroccan citizens already have a hefty tax burden. So adding a new compulsory Zakat tax might make their already difficult economical situation worst. The response from critics is an interesting one. They believe that the 38% tax that is taken from all Moroccan citizens should be considered as Zakat.


Beauty contest photo shoot cops flack

Pictures of candidates for Belgium Beauty Queen 2013 taken at Morocco’s largest mosque have stirred controversy and local authorities have been quick to shift the blame.

The pictures, being circulated on line, raised questions about the responsible government agencies that granted the license for the photo shoot of a bunch of Belgian belles in their tank tops and short shorts in the square of Casablanca's Hassan II Mosque.

The photo shoot did not go down well with Attajdid, the paper of the ruling Party of Justice and Development (PJD) "This behaviour could provoke discord and instability. It's an attack on a place of worship," the paper wrote in an editorial yesterday. "Who authorised these young women to pose right in front of the mosque?" it demanded.

The picture also prompted furious outbursts on Moroccan news websites.

"I'm outraged by these photos, which touch our identity and our religion," wrote one commentator on Hesspress.com, one of the most popular sites.

Popular Moroccan news website Hespress quoted a source from the ministry of Islamic affairs denying any role for the ministry in the incident and pointing fingers at the mosque’s administration, which is in charge of the overall management of one of the world's largest Islamic landmarks.

Casablanca’s city council has also distanced itself from the incident. One of its members said the council did not authorise the photo shoot at the mosque.

A newspaper close to the opposition Socialist Union Party quoted a source at the mosque’s administration as saying that a company behind the photo shoot was granted the permission by the Moroccan Cinema Centre (MCC).

The Ittihad (union) newspaper reported that the centre gave the license to the Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF), the public broadcasting body of the French Community of Belgium.

Hespress quoted prominent religious preacher Sheikh Abdul-Bari Zamzami as holding the interior ministry responsible for the incident.

Some people saw the incident as unacceptable and called for the responsible parties to be hold accountable. Others expressed disinterest stressing the mosque lacks serious religious significance because it was built as “tourist destination not as a house of worship.”

But it was left to  As-Sabah, another Moroccan daily to bring a little commonsense to the fracas. They made light of the subject, running an article entitled "Ladies in Wonderland."

"It's a storm in a teacup. Allah loves beauty and there is nothing wrong with these young beauties posing in front of the Great Mosque."


The "eye of Sauron" discovered in Morocco

The discovery of a skull fossil in Morocco has revealed a new species of giant, meat-eating dinosaur. Palaeontologists have named Sauroniops pachytholus. Which if your Greek is a bit rusty let's remind you means "eye of Sauron". It sounds like a joke or a cunning promotion for the about to be released Peter Jackson film "The Hobbit"... but no, it is for real.

Palaeontologists say the Sauron's Eye was native to North Africa, and the meat-eater was as big as the Tyrannosaurus rex. The fossil was discovered in Morocco in 2007,but a research paper on the discovery has only just been published.

The tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings comes about due to the creature's fossilised eye socket. Palaeontologists only found part of its skull, that was the fossil's most defining characteristic. According to Andrea Cau, the paper's lead author, "The idea of a predator that is physically known only as its fierce eye reminded me of Sauron, in particular as depicted in Peter Jackson's movies."

It is to be hoped that the Dark Lord of Mordor is suitably flattered.

Finally... the weather

Definitely autumn  weather all week throughout Morocco. Fez temperatures dropping to as low as 4 Celsius at night and reaching between 17 and 20 Celsius during the day. Marrakech mostly fine with a temperature range from 8 to 23. Rabat a showery weekend and average highs of 17. Casablanca can expect some showers on Sunday, but otherwise fine - 11 to 21 degrees most of the week. Tangier should also have weekend showers and a temperature range from 11 to 18 Celsius.

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Tragedy strikes Star-crossed Lovers in Tangier Kasbah

This week in the Kasbah of Tangier, tragedy strikes two star-crossed lovers from rival clans. Joe Lukawski reports from Tangier for The View from Fez.

Mouna Rmiki

The original musical “F7ali F7alek” (Like me, like you) inspired by the West Side Story brings the Sharks and Jets, and classics like Bernstein’s “Somewhere” from the West Side to contemporary Tangier. Here, Tony (who is “really called Kerim”) and Maria get tangled in a fight for neighborhood dominance between their families, one from Tangier and the other from ‘the Dakhl,’ the provinces in local parlance.

Sponsored by the American Language Center of Tanger through a grant from the US Embassy in Rabat to the American Cultural Association, the show dreamed up by American theater director and Fulbright scholar to Tangier, George Bajalia and translated by Zakaria Alilech is a one of a kind experience for everyone involved. The entire show is performed in Darija, the everyday language of Morocco, as opposed to classical Arabic or French, as most other theater is here.

“I think for people to appreciate a story, to identify with it or learn from it, they have to be comfortable,” Bajalia said with the port of Tangier at his back. “When the audience sits before the stage, they see laundry hanging. They see a café that could well be the one in their street, and they feel comfortable in a familiar space. It is only natural that they identify more with a story told in their everyday language and the language of the street.”

For most of the actors, some professionals and some first-timers, F7ali F7alek is the first show they’ve done in Darija. However, despite the novelty of acting in Darija, the show is interpreted naturally and with the force of realism characteristic of Bajalia’s previous work. The lightness of the bridal shop scene and dance scene, and the tragedy of Mustapha’s death are rendered gorgeously by Rabat native actress Mouna Rmiki.

“I took the essence of what I thought was Maria and made it my own,” she said, “and tried to adapt it to a Moroccan context. There’s no process, really. It’s something within me.”

Sufjan Mazin

The soundtrack is a mix of classics from the West Side Story accompanied by classical Andalusian music performed by Abnae wa Binat Zaryab of Fez Festival fame. Sufjan Mazin plays the hopeless romantic Tony and delivers superbly. His vocal range is incredible, and his performance of “Maria” is nothing short of breathtaking.

“I find it comfortable to sing in English because we all know the songs from the film,” he said. “It was challenging to sing though, because the composer is so well known and you really can’t touch the original. The arrangement is perfect, so it’s beautiful to sing these classic songs even if the rest of the play is brand new.”

A real international exchange, a mix of Broadway and the Petit Soco, F7ali F7alek’s opening night drew an interested crowd of locals and foreigners alike. The show’s producer, Tony award nominated Tom Casserly, admits the challenges of working across cultures and language barriers, but emphasizes the learning experience had by everyone involved in the show. With little to no time left before opening night, Bajalia and Casserly taught musicians to play Bernstein, taught lighting technicians used to marriages and concerts to light a play, and learned from their cast of talented young Moroccans as well as their locally-hired crew who came through to help them open the show.

A few technical wrinkles in the show remain to be ironed out, but for Bajalia, the show must go on.

“It is important to share these stories,” he said. “We may come from different cultures or speak different languages, but in the theatre we are all equal in front of the story, the actors and the music. This has been a learning experience for everyone, and in the end, that’s why I do theatre.”

F7ali F7alek is running every night at 19h through Saturday the 10th at the Kasbah Museum in Tangier. Admission is free, and a one of a kind experience in Morocco is guaranteed.

Story: Joe Lukawski
Photos: Omar Chennafi

For more information, visit: http://www.f7alif7alek.com

Visit Joe Lukawski: http://joelukawski.wordpress.com


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Jmaa el Fna ~ The restaurant at the end of the world

Camel’s head, sheep’s testicle, calf’s feet and plenty of less exotic treats – all to be had at Marrakech’s famous open-air restaurant. Derek Workman reports.

In 2008, Paula Wolfert’s book, Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, won the Cookbook Hall Of Fame award, twenty-five years after its publication. At the time, Moroccan cuisine would probably have seemed pretty exotic. These days fancy food trucks and posh catering carts may be blocking the highways in Europe and the US, but Morocco’s biggest street food heaven hasn’t moved in a thousand years.

Jmaa el Fna, The Place of the Dead, The Mosque at the End of the World, North Africa’s most vibrant and exotic square, the ancient heart of Marrakech, where snake charmers, storytellers and acrobats entertain the passing crowds. By day the bustle of henna artists, potion sellers, fresh orange juice vendors and red-robed water sellers; by night the curling smoke of a hundred barbeques spirals over the largest open-air restaurant in the world.

When dusk falls, handcarts are wheeled into Jmaa el Fna and unfolded to reveal portable grills, tables, benches, pots and pans. While the mounds of food are prepared young men in long white coats work the crowds trying to convince you that the succulent dishes served at their stall are the absolutely top-notch best; “Deliah Smith created our menu”, “All our fish comes fresh from Sainsbury’s”. And Sainsbury’s would probably be proud of the fish the stalls served, dipped in flour seasoned with salt and saffron before being deep-fried in bubbling oil until crisp and golden.

There are stalls to fit every taste and pocket; a bowl of harira, a traditional rich tomato and lentil soup with beef or chicken, seasoned with ginger, pepper, and cinnamon, or b’sarra, white bean soup with olive oil and garlic; add a sandwich served in a khobz, a small, round flat loaf with the top nipped off to form a pocket, filled with freshly deep-fried slices of liver dribbled with a green chilli sauce, or a hand-full of merguez, thin spicy sausages, and you will be set up for a stroll around the souks. (Keep an eye open for the really esoteric mixture of merguez, hard-boiled egg and tuna fish.)

Kebabs shops appear on almost every street corner around the globe these days, but in Marrakech vendors snub the effete pressed meat served elsewhere in favour of slices of real lamb, glistening with dribbling fat, sprinkled with cumin and salt as the cook hands it over to you wrapped in a paper cone. Chicken with preserved lemons, delicately spiced with kasbour (fresh green coriander) and served with piquant olives; brochettes of lamb and liver, seasoned with red pepper and cumin, carefully grilled over charcoal, which spits and smokes as the luscious fats fall on to it; beef or lamb tajines, cooked with raisins, prunes and almonds, have their conical tops whisked off by the waiters, just as the lids of elegant silver salvers would be at the Savoy. (Although you may want to leave the tajine of sheep’s or calf’s feet and the sliced camel’s head to the locals to enjoy, and it would take a certain amount of culinary courage to sample a cooked sheep’s head or bowl of sheep’s testicles – cooked, of course.)

On the west side of the square, a row of chefs steam mounds of snails in battered enamel bowls. The menu is simple, snails or snails, but as the little gastropods served in a tantalising broth are a gastronomic institution in Morocco, it isn’t always easy to get a seat at these stalls. Apparently wonderful for the digestion, locals drain the broth after having their fill of the snails. (They also often carry a safety pin to wheedle the little devils out, but a toothpick is usually provided.)

Vegetarians might not savour their best gastronomic experience, but it can delicious. Hard-boiled eggs are chopped and mashed with potatoes, with the inevitable sprinkle of cumin, (served alongside salt and pepper on every stall). Bright vegetable salads, glistening piles of savoury chick peas spiked with fresh-ground black pepper or bowls of lentil stew cooked with finely chopped onion and garlic; fried aubergine with a hot green pepper served alongside a pile of fresh cut and fried potatoes, all washed down with a glaringly orange Fanta.

Young boys man-handle small handcarts or struggle with large wooden trays laden with glistening sweetmeats through the densely packed crowds. Delectable as the pastries may look, aren’t always that sweet. If your taste is for fruit for desert, try, carmose, prickly pear, and the vendor will carefully remove the skin for you.

For a simple wandering snack, strings of sfenj donuts are held together by a strip of leaf to make carrying easier. They are delicious with a coffee, and come either sweet (with egg beaten into the batter) or savoury. Also useful for a back-up snack on long journeys.

If you haven’t washed your meal down with a drink at the stall, a glass of fresh orange juice will be squeezed before your eyes at one of the many carts around the edge of the square. You might also find raisin, pistachio and pomegranate juice, which have a mysterious flavour of their own. The Technicolor yogurts sold in big glasses look more off-putting than delectable, but raib, a home-made yoghurt with a milkshake consistency, slides down the throat deliciously.

The beautiful chaos of the food stalls is entertainment in its own right, but when you have eaten your fill there is still the raucous street entertainment of Jmaa el Fna to keep you from your bed.

Photos and story: Derek Workman

Derek Workman is an English journalist and regular contributor to The View from Fez. At present he is living in Valencia City, Spain – although he admits to a love of Morocco and would love to up sticks and move here. To read more about life in Spain visit Spain Uncovered. Articles and books can also be found at Digital Paparazzi.

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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

From 6th to 9th December 2012, at the Expo Park Agadir, various members of the fruit and vegetables industry will get together for the 10th edition of this annual event. The meeting is supported by APEFEL and by the Council of the Moroccan region of Souss Massa Draa and supervised by the Minister of Moroccan Agriculture. This 10th edition will extend over a covered exhibition area of 30.000 square metres.

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.

The Agadir fair in 2011

The fair in Agadir will also support the initiative made by the government to develop the sector Maroc Vert - Green Morocco.


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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