By Anne Allmeling*

In November 2014, heavy storms caused major damage to the adobe fortress of Aït Benhaddou. Now, some of the buildings are being restored. But the work is tedious and worthwhile only for a few.

A pile of debris – coarse mud bricks, shattered timber planks, cracked bamboo – has piled up in front of one of the buildings in the mountain village of Aït Benhaddou in southern Morocco. The collapsed façade provides an open view of the inside of the house, which once must have been very grand as the many storeys and the nooks of the tower chamber – or what’s left of them – reveal.

Andreas Reinhartz drops by here on a regular basis, but he cannot get used to the sight of the house. The German-Austrian lives in Aït Benhaddou, is married to a local woman and knows every corner of the mud-brick fortress, or ksar, which consists of many centuries old buildings. In earlier times, caravans passed by here on their way from Timbuktu to Marrakech. Today, the town is off the main road that goes from Casablanca to M’Hamid and is one of the most popular destinations for travellers to Morocco due to its medieval flair. The caved-in house was long in need of repairs, Reinhartz tells me. It took only two consecutive storms in November to turn the old building into a ruin.

[caption id="attachment_152234" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco[/caption]

“Usually, the clay walls can stand up to it,” explains Reinhartz, who has long studied the traditional adobe construction methods in the region. He runs a hostel that was also built in the traditional manner in the new village on the other side of the river. During the storms, he and his wife used any rain-free hours to dry the drenched parts of their house as people have done here for centuries. Reinhartz makes sure to replaster the house regularly to keep the rain from soaking through the walls.

This was the fate of the collapsed buildings. It’s no wonder, for only a few of the houses in Aït Benhaddou are inhabited. Life in the old village, which is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site, is tedious in part because there is no electricity. In addition, maintaining the old adobe fortress requires a great deal of manual work. Clay, wood and rushes are required as construction materials – along with a great deal of physical strength.

Yet rebuilding is often not worthwhile for the locals, sometimes because the old houses are owned by large families that are slow to agree on decisions. All of the old established families have moved across the river to the new village where there are many hotels and restaurants.

[caption id="attachment_152235" align="alignnone" width="960"] Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco[/caption]

Tourism is the primary source of income for the inhabitants of Aït Benhaddou. Many of them rent out single rooms or buildings in the kasbah to merchants from all over Morocco who sell souvenirs and jewellery there. Some of them offer their former living quarters in the old village as museums. Recently, two hotels also opened in the old adobe fortress. Their owners make sure that the storm damages to their buildings are mended as quickly as possible. Yet for most of the residents of Aït Benhaddou restoring the old structures is not worthwhile. They cannot earn money with it and have far different worries since the storms: the heavy rainfall not only damaged the kasbah, but agriculture as well.

“We lost one third of our farmland,” says Andreas Reinhartz. “It simply washed away.” His concerns are shared by most families in Aït Benhaddou. The flooding destroyed the harvest and uprooted and swept away the olive trees. It was a major loss for the entire region. Nonetheless, Andreas Reinhartz worries most about the kasbah. It draws throngs of tourists around midday weaving their way for an hour through the ksar on their way from Marrakech to Merzouga. What’s lacking, according to Reinhartz, is long-term, lasting commitment to the kasbah.

*Morocco World News is participating in the journalistic exchange project “Close-Up” of Goethe-Institut, in which journalists from Germany and Arab countries swap their workplaces for two to four weeks. The editorial journalist Anne Allmeling from Deutsche Welle in Germany is our guest journalist for three weeks. In return, our editor Tarik Elbarakah will be the guest of Deutsche Welle in February 2015. You can find more information at www.goethe.de/close-up

The post Morocco: Fighting for a Bit of Cultural Heritage appeared first on Morocco World News.

By Salma Moumou

Rabat - After visiting “the Blue City” for the second time, I’m still speechless. I don’t think there is any appropriate word to describe the beauty and the magic of this place, but I will try.

In Chefchaouen, a quick and deep connection between the city and our five senses is immediately created.

Once you arrive, you breathe fresh and pure air, your lungs experiencing a rebirth after being used to pollution and humidity. The water arriving directly from the local “ain” source is one of the multiple blessings of this town. Wherever you look, the “Blue Chaouni” is the dominate color, scattered all over the place like the work of a self-taught mane.

The best thing to have in the early morning is traditional Chaouni tea, with aromatic herbs that will provide you energy for the whole day. Silence takes over the town. The favorite noise of the local community is listening to oneself, which is a change of pace from repetitive car horns and the clatter of the tramway.

The nature is breathtaking, and the local residents are the sweetest people ever. It’s impossible not to fall in love with this lovely city.

Everything is naturally artistic in this city, and bliss begins the moment you arrived in the sphere of Chefchaouen.

Photos by Jack Stana/MWN

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The post The Fascinating Beauty of Chefchaouen, Morocco’s Blue City appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Beatrice Poggio, an Italian photographer and artist, will be showing her work at the Marrakech Henna Art Café in an exhibition starting on March 1^st and running until the end of the month.

Poggio got her start working as a fashion photographer after completing her studies at the Liceo Artisico Statale Paul Klee and the Scuola Professionale di Fotografia F:64. Her work kept her in Florence, Milan, and Paris, and when she took up painting in 1997 she was able to travel further, working as a painter and art teacher throughout western continental Europe and the UK and Ireland.

Poggio’s work is strongly influenced by her travel, and “the physical journeys enable her to discover new cultures and inspiration, and the accompanying emotional journeys enable new discoveries of the human spirit,” she stated in a press release. She utilizes “universal symbols and themes: nature, Mother Earth, time, the feminine, and dreams.”

She also chooses not to confine herself to one medium and one surface, preferring to work with a variety of mediums, from printmaking to collage and paint to pen, on a variety of surfaces, such as wood and canvas, and even furniture.

According to the press release, another event will be held in the High Atlas mountains, 24 km south of Marrakech, on March 20^th in order to benefit Jarjeer Mules, a care center for Morocco’s many animals in need. The event will be sponsored by Poggio and the owners of the Marrakech Henna Art Café, Rachid Karkouche and Lori K. Gordon.

Poggio’s work can be found all over the world, in galleries and shops in Italy, the UK, Spain, and Morocco.

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Taroudant -  Some people have enough money and time to visit some of the wonderful places on earth, but some do not have the same privilege.

Yet, photos, videos and virtual tours, though they don’t offer the same experience, can give people and idea about these places. We offer our audience a set of photos displaying various pleasing places in Morocco, one of the world famous tourist destinations.

The photos were taken in various amazing landscapes in Morocco, ranging from the coldest snowy places, to flowery and green landscapes to one of the hottest places on earth.

[caption id="attachment_153234" align="alignnone" width="960"] women doing laundry in the river[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153238" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Tagines being cooked in public in the Jamaa El Fana, Marrakech[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153237" align="aligncenter" width="774"] Fez leather tannery, the oldest leather tannery in the world[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153236" align="aligncenter" width="826"] Marrakesh Koutchi (horse chariot) in motion[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153235" align="aligncenter" width="813"] A caravan of camels in the desert of Erg Chebbi, one of the largest ergs in the kingdom located in the south east, lining the Algerian border, covering an area of 50 kilometers.[/caption]

Merzouga is one of the best tourist destination for desert lovers and those travelers who love to observe the sun rising over the dunes in very majestic moments.

[caption id="attachment_153233" align="aligncenter" width="828"] The northern city of Chefchouan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153232" align="aligncenter" width="1022"] Kassbah of Ait Benhaddou in Ouarzazat[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153224" align="aligncenter" width="906"] Tisdrin or Tistrin, a Berber name that means stairs, is located on the mountain range of Anti-Atlas between the oasis of Boumalne Dades and Msemrir, a mountainous small village.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153231" align="aligncenter" width="818"] Azrou, near Fez[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153230" align="aligncenter" width="737"] Fishing boats in Essaouira,[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153229" align="aligncenter" width="875"] Street musician playing gnawa music[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153226" align="aligncenter" width="864"] Temara beach, near Rabat[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153225" align="aligncenter" width="737"] laurel fields in the Dades Valley, in the southeast of Morocco[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153223" align="aligncenter" width="740"] The blue stairs in Chefchaoun[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153222" align="aligncenter" width="806"] The Moussem of Tan-Tan, in the south of Morocco[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153221" align="aligncenter" width="845"] the sunset in the Sahara[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153218" align="aligncenter" width="795"] Goats on the Argan trees in the Souss region[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153217" align="aligncenter" width="818"] Young girls from the countryside[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_153216" align="aligncenter" width="775"] Azilal[/caption]

Source

The post Photos Displaying Diverse Amazing Landscapes in Morocco appeared first on Morocco World News.

By Fatima Boutaouja

Rabat - “Crafts make us feel rooted; give us a sense of belonging and connect us with our history.” This quote captures the baseline of Khadija Mouh’s journey of success, after emigrating to the United States in the mid 80s. She is skilled in crafts acquired from one of Morocco’s women’s clubs: designing and making traditional Moroccan garments. Making caftans, for Khadija, is a way to keep the special bond she has with her native country and show off the allure of her mother culture.

"Fashion is a big symbol. It's everywhere, and it's a way of spreading awareness about Morocco's beauty, and letting people know about Moroccan artisan skills,” Mouh told MWN. When talking to people, she recounts stories or describes the food, or the caftan with excitement that clearly shows how much she truly loves her culture. “Every stitch is artistic, creative and uniquely Moroccan. I love fashion and I brought that love with me. It wasn't something that I developed while in the states." she said.

Sky Is the Limit for Khadija Mouh

Over the years, college professors in New York, Virginia, D.C., New Jersey, and Connecticut have invited her to talk about Moroccan culture. One of the best ways to do that is to showcase the caftan, because for her “the caftan is an external representation of Morocco's beauty, versatility, and charm.”

Surrounded by an encouraging environment, Mouh enrolled in the Katherine Gibbs School in New York and graduated in Fashion Design. She capitalized on the years she spent in Morocco as a child, and her understanding of the American life style and business marketing, to create a company called “Moroccan Caftan NY.”

Through her designs, Mouh not only exposes Americans to the Moroccan caftan, quenching their thirst for exotic things, but also helps empower women in her hometown, Sale, Morocco. Moroccan Caftan NY provides an opportunity for Moroccan women, who sew and hand-embroider these gowns, to financially support their families and improve the quality of their lives.

Khadija uses embroidery and bold colors in her designs to create a ‘fun feel’. Her products are characterized by a modern and simple touch, and are high quality at an affordable price.

She began by organizing fashion shows in New York and New Jersey. Success there was followed by shows in Boston, Philadelphia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. Over the past few years, Mouh has showcased in Africa Fashion Week New York (AFWNY) for both women and men’s wear. AFWNY gathers top designers from across Africa for exhibitions, industry networking events, and catwalk shows.

"Every one of my designs breathes history, tradition, and modernity,” she said. “My inspiration for my fashion collections comes from my childhood, from the sea and the souks and the high archways to the vibrant tiles from Fez; from the copper desert of the Tefilate region and the sweetness of the dates. I brought all that with me, just like the millions of other Moroccans living abroad.”

Khadija Mouh established her name as a fashion designer in one of the fashion capitals: New York. In addition to being a designer and bride stylist, she studied event planning and has started to organize social gatherings à la Marocaine. "It's important that all of my designs are sewn in Morocco because people feel that connection as soon as they wear one of my dresses."

Deriving her inspiration and ideas from her roots and her childhood in Morocco, and playing by the rules of her host country, she has become an ambassador for Moroccan culture in the United States. Khadija is also very active within the Moroccan community, organizing Moroccan cultural classes, to helping young Moroccan immigrants. All this goes along with her dream to serve and disseminate Moroccan culture.

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Rabat - What does the word “bread” mean? According to www.merriam-webster.com, it is defined as a baked food made from a mixture of flour and water. And, while this definition is accurate, any true Moroccan would only shake his head at this greatly over-simplified and culturally empty definition. In fact, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sahara Desert, and the Algerian border to the Atlantic Ocean, no other food has more importance at the Moroccan table than bread.

In America, the past few decades have been rough going for bread. From the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the southern border of Canada to the northern border of Mexico, bread has gotten a somewhat tarnished reputation. However, despite the harsh criticism by many in America, the massive variety of bread products available in the U.S. would seem to suggest otherwise. As America is a melting pot of people and their cultures, so too is the bread.

However, unlike the U.S., bread plays a substantial, traditional role in Moroccan daily life, starting with who makes it. Until the 1980’s, almost all Moroccan women made their own bread, sometimes twice daily. It begins with the making of the dough, combining and mixing the ingredients to form the traditional sticky mess. The next step takes the raw dough and transforms it into a ready to bake product. After carefully kneading the raw dough, shaping the loaves and placing them onto a baking sheet, the women would transport the dough to a communal oven for baking. However, it was and still is common for her child to take it, often carried on his or her head.

Today, although tradition has given way to home ovens, most communities still have an operational communal oven. In addition, the faster-paced lifestyle in big cities has resulted in a wide availability of store-bought bread. But regardless of its source, you can be sure that bread is a staple in every Moroccan home and restaurant.

In the U.S., bread has rarely been baked at home since the 1950’s. Today, homemade bread is generally made by dumping the contents of a “bread mix” into a “bread machine,” adding a cup or two of water and pressing “start.” But most people don’t even go to that trouble because basic loaves of bread are sold everywhere. If you take the bit of extra time to go to a specialty store that sells bread, of which there are many, you will find a massive variety available. And although variety suggests popularity, for decades there has been a war of sorts on bread – many health enthusiasts frown upon its high carbohydrate levels and call it unhealthy.

While Morocco does not have a great variety of breads, it has a few monumentally fantastic signature breads. Although bread in Morocco is principally made from durum wheat semolina, there was a time when the Berbers of the Rif Mountains once sustained themselves almost solely with barley flour products. Bread is often flavored with herbs and spices, with anise (“licorice” flavor) and cumin seeds being the two most popular additions. The most popular bread in Morocco is Khobz and it is consumed with almost every meal. Although there are many variations of Khobz, there are some features that remain constant, such as it has a round shape and is about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 cm to 5 cm) thick in size.

The U.S. is not known for any unique style of bread and in fact has adopted and prides itself on its wide selection of international offerings, irregularly shaped artisan loafs, unique flour bases such as spelt, rice and buckwheat, and many different kinds of yeasts based breads, such as “sour dough.” It would also not be surprising in the U.S. to see green bread on St. Patrick’s Day, orange bread for Halloween or red bread for Valentine’s Day.

Moroccans eat bread with the three traditional meals every day and a snack before dinner (called Cass-Croot). However, in Morocco, bread is much more than a side item to be consumed with the meal, it is also used (almost solely) as the utensil with which you eat. Most meals do not include forks, spoons and knives at the table, but these are seldom missed. Bread is used as a “spoon” to sop up soups and stews, as a scoop for dips, beans or sauces and as a substitute for the tines (prongs) on a fork for fried eggs, meat and other fork-worthy dishes. Using bread to eat seems to be a very efficient, albeit it adds substantially to the meal. Also it is certainly more fun and there is less cleanup as you get to eat the “fork” and “spoon” instead of washing them!

Bread is very often the center of a traditional Moroccan breakfast. Typically, breakfast consists of “comer” (a baguette), khobz, or harcha (corn meal bread) as the centerpiece. You merely add olive oil, Jebli (akin to cream cheese), honey and/or jam and with a side of coffee, you have a meal!

Between noon and 2 p.m., people tend to eat the biggest meal of the day. In most places, family members come home from school and work to eat together (share bread). And of course, bread often takes the place of fork and spoon to consume whatever might be served.

Cass-croot is a late afternoon snack, generally served to tide you over until dinner, which can be very late compared to American standards. It generally consists of a crepe/pancake-like round called beghrir and milowi, a flatbread without crust and is served with honey or cheese. Sometimes milowi is fortified with beef fat and onions, like a pizza (yummy!!). Of course there are many other offerings for this snack time that vary greatly and deserve their own article. But, honorable mention must be made of the Moroccan freshly fried beignet that beats a pre-made Krispy Kreme donut any day. All of these items are served alongside the always present sweet, mint tea.

[caption id="attachment_140508" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Sfenz Classic fried donuts dipped in white sugar that are crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. They are eaten hot and freshly made at breakfast time for just 1 dirham[/caption]

In America, bread is also generally part of breakfast. Toasted 5/8” thick, 4” x 4” slices from a rectangular loaf are topped with butter, peanut butter, almond butter, apple butter or jam. Also popular are English muffins, kosher bagels, Middle Eastern pita loaves and muffins (carrot, zucchini, walnut, strawberry, etc.). The diversity available makes it sometimes hard to choose.

Whether the inside is a hamburger, fish or just vegetables, bread is the base for sandwiches, which is perhaps the number one meal at lunch-time. At dinner time, in the U.S., bread may or may not be part of the main meal. More likely than not, if bread is served with dinner, it is in the form of a biscuit, roll or croissant.

Bread is never wasted in Morocco. It is treated with respect, and to throw it in the trash would be a sin. At home, if dropped on the floor or left on the table after a meal, it is either used again for another dish or given to someone else. If it is found outside on the ground, it is picked up and placed in a safe spot off of the ground. This placing of the bread is a sign of respect for it and more often than not, the birds are very happy about it. At the market, you can sell your old and stale bread to a vendor for about 2 Dirham (20 cents) per kilo (2.2 pounds). The vendor will recycle the bread to make feed for animals.

The importance of bread in Morocco is obvious just by the fact that the government makes sure it is affordable. In May 2014, www.aljazeera.com reported that 20% of Morocco’s budget was spent subsidizing the cost of bread.

Having lived among and dined with Moroccans, we can attest to the fact that the scrumptious taste of the bread, just baked by “mama,” dipped into some fresh olive oil cannot be beat. When we leave this country, one thing we will miss greatly is the family sitting around a giant lamb tagine dinner, “mama” lovingly tearing the warm khobz into uneven wedges, plopping them down in front of us all and saying “akul! akul! akul! (eat! eat! eat!)

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission

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Washington - Tamara Haddad and Hicham Jennane, teachers of Arabic at schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, led a group of six American middle and high school students of Arabic on an ambitious eleven-day cultural and linguistic tour around the major cities of Morocco. 

In the first of a planned program of cultural tours and student exchanges, Arabic teachers Tamara Haddad and Hicham Jennane chaperoned the first group of six American school students on a cultural and linguistic tour of Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, and Marrakech from March 5-16th.

The teachers are part of an innovative language program in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford School District in Dallas-Fort Worth. Students from Viridian Elementary School, the school where Mr. Jennane teaches which offers Arabic as well as Mandarin Chinese and Hindi in grades 1 through 6, feed into Central Junior High, where Ms. Haddad teaches. The language program includes students from outside the district as well.

At its inception, the language program started at the 7th grade level and expanded to the high school and elementary levels with the goal of establishing sister schools in an Arabic speaking country. The focus initially was on Tunisia, but then the revolution kicked in. Other possible countries were Jordan and the UAE, and then they alighted on Morocco. Although the program was originally supported by a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the funding for the program was cut and the grant was discontinued in 2013. That did not discourage Ms. Haddad. She went on a study tour and began to make contacts and connections with two schools: Al Medina School in Casablanca and Al Abadila Najah in Agadir, which were looking to switch their French curriculum to English.

During this first tour, the students started in Rabat and visited the Moroccan Parliament. Député Mouloud Bargayou of the Asilah district guided them on a tour of the Parliament and described the different branches of the Moroccan government. Mr. Mouloud also arranged a visit to the Faculty of Law at Mohammed V University, and then invited the students to his beautiful home for a traditional Moroccan dinner with his family.

Going next to Casablanca, the students visited sister school Al Madina School, met their host families, and attended classes with their host students, and participated in the school’s morning assembly. The host families planned various activities for their students, including visits to the beautiful Hassan II Mosque, the largest mosque in Africa, and the 7th largest mosque in the world.

Moving south to Agadir, the students visited the other sister school, Al Abadila Najah School where they were greeted by children garbed in beautiful Moroccan dress representing the different regions of Morocco, as well as their host students, teachers and administrators. They had a full program including a chance to explore Agadir, and take excursions to the beach and the mountains outside of the city.

Travelling further south to Marrakech, the students attended a traditional Moroccan wedding, visited the 12th century Menara Gardens, experienced Marrakech’s bustling main square Jemaa El Fna, took a 4x4 on a mountain adventure, and enjoyed the spectacle of dinner and the Moroccan Fantasia show featuring synchronized horse riders.

“Sharing experience in a foreign country, learning about the culture, practicing the language, and staying with the families is a way to address misunderstanding and combat stereotypes,” said Ms. Haddad. “It allows the students to make their own judgments about the people and the country.”

Mr. Jennane added, “Trips like this create lasting impressions; there is no match for actually being there and experiencing the life.”

The two teachers hope it will be the first of many such tours. They say that School Superintendent Steve Chapman and the School Board are very supportive of the effort. They hope to expand the program to permit more international collaboration by teachers, including shared professional development, and possibly an exchange program for teachers in the future.

The concept of the tour initially started out as one of the first projects of the American Moroccan Alliance (AMA), a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Ahmed Yanouri, a Moroccan who has sought to create a bridge between the U.S. and Morocco through cultural connections. The World Affairs Council of Dallas provided the support for the tour through a grant secured from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates. Event planning and logistics were provided by Chaib Salih, President of Event Travel International, which helps design unique travel experiences for high-end clientele and educational programs.

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Rabat - This year’s edition of the Billboard Festival Casablanca will take place on April 1-15.

This year’s project will take place in Casablanca, where 63 full-size billboards will display the photographic works of 63 Moroccan and Scandinavian women, including the work of students from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and the École supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Casablanca.

Billboard Festival Casablanca will landscape the streets of Casablanca for two weeks. It will not only enable thousands of passersby to enjoy and contemplate art, but it will also raise their awareness about gender issues and offer them an opportunity to discover a woman’s angle of vision.

On April 1-7, a full festival event will take place at the Villa des Arts de Casablanca. It will include artist talks, video displays, performances and debates.

The whole project is the first in the African continent, and it will artfully stimulate people’s ideas about urban space, gender issues and identity.

In 2003, the Danish visual artist Hanne Lise Thomsen came up with the concept of using billboards not for advertizing purposes, but for art’s sake.

This Is the List of ArtistS Who Will Participate. From Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland:

Anette Abrahamsson (SE), Jeanne Betak (DK), Katja Bjørn (DK) Yvette Brackman (DK) Christina Capetillo (DK), Sidse Carstens (DK), Charlotte Haslund- Christensen (DK), The Icelandic Love Corporation (IS), Hilda Ekeroth (SE), Maria Finn (SE), Fryd Frydendahl (DK); Gudrun Hasle (DK), Ane Henriksen (DK), Ditte Haarløv Johnsen (DK), Kirsten Justesen (DK), Lene Adler Petersen (DK), Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen (DK), Jytte Rex (DK), Aurora Reinhard (FI), Beathe C.Rønning (NO), Christel Sverre (NO), Jeanette Sætre (NO) Hanne Lise Thomsen (DK), Charlotte Troldahl (DK).

From Morocco:

Rita Alaoui, Leila Alaoui, Zineb Andress Arraki, Myriem Baadi, Aïcha El Beloui, Carolle Benitah, Yasmina Benabderrahmane, Hind Bensari, Deborah Benzaquen, Siham Achari Berrada, Celine Croze, Safaa Erruas, Soukeina Hachem, Yasmine Hajji, Soukaïna Aziz El Idrissi, Maria Kabbaj, Zahrin Kahlo, Wafae Ahalouch el Keriasti, Jamila Lamrani, Randa Maroufi, Safaa Mazirh, Fatima Mazmouz, Zara Samiry, Bouanani Touda, Fatiha Zemmouri

The post Billboard Festival Casablanca: Bringing Contemporary Art to Public Space appeared first on Morocco World News.

Kenitra - Chefchaouen or Chaouen is one of the prettiest cities in the northwest of Morocco, portraying the authenticity of Moroccan culture with the Andalucian influence.

Attractively perched beneath the raw peaks of the Rif, the beautiful city of Chefchaouen was built first in 1471 by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rachid El Alami as a small fortress to protect Northern Morocco from the Portuguese invaders.

With its Arabic, Berber, Jewish and Morrish heritage, Chefchaouen reflects the ethnic diversity and cultural richness of the kingdom.

Long known to backpackers for the easy availability of kif (cannabis smoked in long pipes), the town is a well-known tourist destination, offering a range of varied delicious food particularly goat cheese which is native to the area.

Every year, thousands of people visit the city to enjoy its luxurious native handicrafts, blue rinsed houses and its fabulous scenery.

Chefchaouen is home to the famous waterfall of Akchour, which is considered by tourists as a little paradise on earth. Located in the valley of Talembote, the waterfall is a pristine natural beauty, attracting more and more tourists since the opening of the natural park of Talassemtane.

Here are some photos taken of the city by the Moroccan photographer Miloud Zbir

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission

The post In Pictures: Chefchaouen, the Pearl of the Rif Region appeared first on Morocco World News.

Rabat - Following are some unique photos, displaying the fabulous charm of the Moroccan life style in the 1960's and 1980's.

[caption id="attachment_155939" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Casablanca airport in 1963[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_155949" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Amazigh family[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_155941" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Miss Tahiti 1982 in Casablanca[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_155942" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Moroccan Goumiers in 1943. They were soldiers who served in auxiliary units attached to the French Army of Africa, between 1908 and 1956.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_155943" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Moroccan women from Tetouan with typical Moroccan dress[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_155944" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Moroccan female students in class learning embroidery[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_155945" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Moroccan students memorizing Quran, Muslims holy book[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_155946" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Swimming pool in Casablanca[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_155947" align="aligncenter" width="626"] Tangier beach[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_155948" align="aligncenter" width="626"] The rolling stones in Morocco in the 60s[/caption]

Credit: Happy Knowledge

The post In Pictures: Morocco in 1960’s-1980’s appeared first on Morocco World News.

By Jamal Belehcen

Rabat - The magical region of Imilchil is located in the eastern Atlas Mountains; a small region bounded by mountains. In the horizon, you will find a mighty mountain telling an ancient tale. The region's inhabitants have given each mountain a name bearing historical Amazigh connotations. In the middle of region flows a river with green banks surrounded by agriculture. Besides breeding, agriculture constitutes the population’s main source of revenue.

Economically speaking, the region is relatively poor, but rich in terms of culture and tourism. Its abundance in touristic qualifications makes Imishil a destination for many foreigners

who flock there each summer, but also Moroccans obsessed with mountain tourism; constituting a significant but seasonal source of revenue as the number of tourists dramatically decreases during winters.

[caption id="attachment_156115" align="aligncenter" width="837"] The lakes ‘Isli’. Photo: semprini.stefano/Flickr[/caption]

One of the main attractions marking Imilshil a touristic destination par excellence is the myth its mountains tell: a love story ending with the formation of the two lakes ‘Isli’ and ‘Tislit’. The region is also famous for the engagement season organized each year after harvesting. 

The origin of the word ‘Imilchil’

In the northern entrance of the region exists a place called ‘lchil’. According to its inhabitants, it was a place wheat and cereal were weighed and it is from here that the name was coined. The word ‘Imilshil’, in the Amazigh language, it is composed of two words: ‘Imi’ and ‘Shil’; literally, ‘the mouth of the weighing wheat place’. ‘Imi’ or ‘mouth’ in Amazigh is used to refer to a place in front of something, for example, the mouth of a cave. The second part of the word, ‘lshil’ means wheat.

Between mountains, a myth emerged

Less known than the romances of Romeo and Juliet, Qais and Laila, and Antar and Abla, ‘Imilchil’ is the source of an Amazigh love story. Once upon a time, there was a serious conflict between two of Ait Heddou's most important tribes: Ait Azza and Ait Ibrahim. Their problem revolved around irrigation and pastures, leading to a radical break between the two tribes. At the height of this conflict, a young man from Ait Ibrahim fell in love with one of the girls of Ait Azza. This was considered an outright defiance against the tribes though all that the two young people aspired was that their love result in a marriage sealing their pure love. But the growing enmity between the two tribes prevented their love, forcing the lovers to flee to neighbouring mountains. They burst into tears lamenting the impossibility of their union; the floods of their tears drowning them into two lakes: Isli and Tislit, forming the great tableau between the mountains. Since that time, the two tribes vigorously celebrate the marriage season, in an attempt to make up for their mistake. This tradition continues and has become known as the engagement season.

Imilchil’s Winter

After summer time in Imilshil, the rhythm of life starts to slow and the winter brings sub-zero temperatures that cover the region with a white gown. An eerie calmness prevails and transforms what was once a crowded village into an abandoned void. The streets are empty and the only movement seems to be chimney smoke coming out from the white houses. The happy tunes of Ahydous songs are replaced by the bleating of sheep and goats struggling to survive.

In this period begins the real suffering of the inhabitants of Imilshil and neighboring regions. Roads are closed, power is cut and villages are completely isolated from the world for days. Those who did not prepare well for the cold are likely to suffer as it becomes impossible to reach the weekly market to get the most basic necessities. The sick people either live with their sickness or die and bodies are transported in a coffin on the back of an animal; an animal which plays the role of an ambulance. The sick endure their ailments if they are lucky, but some, won't make it to the spring. Despite the challenges inherent to Imilchil, life goes on.

This article was originally published in Arabic on Morocco World News Arabic and translated by Najah Elyahyaoui. Photo: semprini.stefano/Flickr 

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In a report recently aired on NBC, journalist Cat Greenleaf discovered with amazement Marrakesh souks, riads, its squares, grills, fresh orange juice and other mysteries of the ocher city.

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Taroudante- During the Moroccan-American food week, which ended Saturday on the shores of Bouregerg in Rabat, US ambassador to Morocco Dwight L. Bush expressed his love for Moroccan cuisine.

Bush named a number of famous Moroccan dishes that he enjoys most. His favorite Moroccan foods are the “Meshwi,” (meat in skewers cooked over charcoal fire), fish tagine, and Bastilla (an authentic Moroccan dish made of fine layers of an almost transparent pastry called “warqa” and is stuffed with pigeon and almonds).

The US ambassador also expressed his love for Moroccan cakes and cookies.  He said that he sometimes prepares American dishes by himself, especially pasta with cheese and seafood dishes, but he has never tried to personally prepare Moroccan dishes. Reda, my personal chef, “does not leave me learn anything".

During the Moroccan-American food week, held from April 10 to 18 at the initiative of the Embassy of the United States in Morocco, US chef Eric Hustad traveled to Morocco's major cities, including Tangier, Fez, and Marrakesh, in a cultural exchange of the secrets of cooking of both countries.

On the last day of the event, there was an outdoor dinner and a competition between the American chef Eric Hustad and the Moroccan chef Halima Mourid before a distinguished jury, including the US ambassador to Morocco, Dwight L. Bush, and Chef Moha.

This culinary showdown at the end of the Moroccan-American culinary week offered the public an exceptional gastronomic scene in which the two chefs did their best to prepare various dishes from the same ingredients, celebrating the culinary traditions of their countries.

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By Ismail Bentamou

Ksar el Kebir - Pulka Physical Theater (PPT) troupe performed at the first-ever Festival National Theater in Ksar el Kebir, Morocco, March 23 through April 1, 2015.

This event was held at the House of Culture, sponsored by Association Nawaris. The purpose of the event was to provide entertainment and to bring awareness about the positives of theater. Groups from Morocco, Algeria and Lithuania participated in the event.

As evidenced by the number of awards it received, the best performances of the festival were by PPT. The Lithuanian group has performed in countries around the world for more than ten years. Consisting of two males, six females and one director, the group performs interpretive dance, which is acting through body movements and music. Through an avant-garde style, they have a unique way to present theater.

PPT’s interesting way of presenting a story puts together music and rhythmic movements of the body, often adding pictures or images on a screen in the background. For example, to portray an internal personal struggle, an actor was trapped in a suitcase, trying to escape, while two other actors were silently fighting with each other in the background. In another performance, a man was playing with his shadow and came to realize that his expectations about his “other side” were not what he had thought.

PPT’s performance at the event specifically addressed a social issue prominent in today’s societies, as performer Kestutis Grauslys says, that the dance is about a divided society, where Internet users, hiding behind their false identities, lose more and more personal communication and connection. These facades attempt to portray the ideal expression of self without any liability and seek to find pleasure by making others feel badly about themselves.

Several of the performances have a recurring theme: breaking free of something or someone. This theme might be attributed to something emanating from the history of Lithuania’s struggle with Russia or more simply, the struggles of youth. At times it was difficult to determine what the group was trying to portray, but that may be explained by something as simple as a difference in cultures; sharing cultures was a major point of this event.

Theater director and choreographer Andrius Pulka is a teacher of theater in a university in Lithius, Lithuania. He said about the festival, that the group was very happy to share Lithuanian culture with Morocco and was honored to be able to better know the people of Morocco. It was both a pleasure and a learning experience for the group to see Moroccan and Algerian styles of theater. Pulka said that he could feel emotions in their performances even though he didn’t understand the language being spoken. And, since art is about expression and communication of ideas and feelings, the exchange was very successful!

One of the cornerstones of this event was a symposium wherein ideas about theater were discussed and questions were taken from the audience and answered. There were some musical performances as well. On the last day, awards were given in many categories and PPT received the awards for best director, female and male actor and best theater group.

See full performance here

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy

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Rabat - The Moroccan Jewish community in Toronto, Canada, celebrated the Mimouna religious festival in the grand Moroccan Sephardic center. 

The festival marks the end of the Jewish Passover holiday, which began in the evening of Friday, April 3 and ended in the evening of Saturday, April 11th.

Among the attendees at the Mimouna festivities are Morocco's ambassador in Canada Nezha Chekrouni and the kingdom's general consul Wassane Zailachi. They were joined by numerous personalities from the Canadian government in extending their best wishes for happiness and prosperity to the Moroccan Jewish community in Toronto.

During the event, Morocco's ambassador to Canada Nezha Chekrouni stressed the high solicitude of King Mohammed VI to the Moroccan Jewish communities around the world, adding that the monarch considers them as Moroccans residing abroad with all the rights as stated in the new constitution.

[caption id="attachment_156688" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Morocco's ambassador in Canada Nezha Chekrouni[/caption]

Ambassador Chekrouni added that Morocco's embassy in Canada is maintaining a close relationship with the Moroccan Jewish community of Toronto. She recalled that Moroccan Jews and Muslims are all the sons of Abraham and have the obligation and the duty to respect each other.

Attending the Mimouna festivities on behalf of the Canadian Prime Minister, Peter Kent, a conservative member of parliament, conveyed to the audience the greetings of Stephen Harper, the Canadian Premiere, and his congratulations on the happy occasion.

[caption id="attachment_156686" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Peter Kent, a conservative member of parliament[/caption]

Kent hailed the strong contribution of Moroccan Jews to the city of Toronto and also the rest of Canada since their arrival to the country and in all fields such as economics, finance, social, cultural, sports and other.

He also expressed to the audience the admiration and respect of the Canadian government to the king of Morocco Mohammed VI and his people, citing the close and friendly relations that Canada maintains with Morocco.

To wrap up, Simon Keslassy, the president of the Moroccan Jewish community in Toronto thanked the Moroccan and Canadian authorities for their presence in the festivities of the Mimouna.

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Rabat- Belgian fast food company Quick Restaurants will open two restaurants in Morocco by the end of the year, reports say.

The chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium is planning to open the two outlets in the cities of Casablanca and Rabat.

The plans are in collaboration with Ténor Group, a holding company that operates in the field of services such as insurance and distribution, African Economic Information Agency Ecofin reported.

The announcement was made by Quick CEO, Cedric Dugardin, at the opening of the chain's first outlet in the Tunisian capital on April 20.

Quick was already present in Morocco in 2003. However, the Belgian company had to terminate its franchise agreements with local partners after it had complained of brand counterfeiting.

Founded in 1971, Quick is one of Europe's largest fast food restaurant chains. By December 31, 2010, the group operated over 400 restaurants in France, Belgium Luxembourg, Algeria and Russia.

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Washington DC - The Mayor’s office of the City of Alexandria is hosting a spectacular four-day festival beginning this weekend featuring Moroccan culture, music, and cuisine as well as a handicrafts exposition, showcasing artisans from Morocco.   

The Moroccan Artisans’ Festival is the culmination of months of organizational effort on the part of City of Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille and his staff working with Moroccan local businessman, Mohamed Elhajjam, whose brainchild the event is, and the Moroccan government.

Mayor Euille latched onto the project as the City was looking for opportunities to diversify the City’s revenue base in this very competitive region of the country, recognizing that “success for any city is to be part of the global economy,” according to the Mayor.

As part of his global vision, since he became mayor in 2003, Mayor Euille has travelled on mayoral delegations to numerous countries in Europe, as well as to Turkey and Taiwan, to learn about best practices, and to establish dialogue and exchanges.

At a program hosted by the Turkish American Council, he met Elhajjam a resident of Alexandria who hails originally from Casablanca, who invited the Mayor to “come to my city,” see the country, and especially the artisans, according to the Mayor.

Mayor Euille then took a small delegation to Morocco hosted by the Moroccan government and the Minister of Arts and Culture, where they were welcomed with open arms and given the red carpet treatment. The Mayor also met with U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Dwight Bush. Impressed not only with the hospitality, cuisine and “especially the people,” but also with “the Moroccan government’s commitment to the people and the artisans to promote talent and products, Mayor Euille felt it would be worthwhile to establish a relationship, and grew to like the idea of hosting a Moroccan festival. Of course, he had to convince City Hall.

Fortunately, the project was received with great enthusiasm and excitement within the City government, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Morocco, the crossroads of many cultures — Amazigh (Berber), Sephardic, European, Arab-Islamic, and African — has over thousands of years become a melting pot of diverse artistic influences.  Artisanal products are a major contributor to the economy of the country, with more than 2.3 million artisans generating 8 percent of the country’s total gross domestic product. The sector creates sustainable jobs that benefit many families in urban centers, as well as in rural areas where work opportunities are in short supply.

The festival will showcase the rich cultural and artistic traditions of Morocco through music, dance, cuisine, and handicrafts. Moroccan oud player Mohamed Zyat will perform traditional Andalusian music at the Festival as well as a new song, written especially for the festival.

“I like to think of Alexandria as an arts destination,” said the Mayor. “You cannot have too much art.” Although the expo this time features only 10-12 artisans “ just to get a flavor” of Morocco, the Mayor hopes to host a larger event in the fall and to bring 30-40 artisans from Morocco.

There will also be opportunities for B2B (business to business) meetings, and an exchange of tourism back and forth.  The Mayor noted the great potential for establishing a sister-city relationship with a city in Morocco. Alexandria already has four sister-cities in Scotland, Armenia, Sweden, and France.

The opening ceremony takes place on Monday, April 27, at noon, and will feature remarks by Mayor William D. Euille, and by Minister Fatima Marouan, Morocco’s Minister of Handicrafts & Social and Solidarity-based Economy.

The Moroccan Artisans’ festival runs Sunday through Wednesday at Market Square, 301 King Street, in Old Town Alexandria, and admission is free.

For more information, call the City’s Special Events Hotline at 703.746.5592 or visit alexandriava.gov/Recreation.

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Rabat - A study by online travel agency "eDreams Spain" has ranked five Moroccan cities among the most favorite non-European destinations for Spanish tourists.

The study included Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangier, Rabat and Ourzazate in a list comprised of ten international destinations most preferred by Spanish tourists.

In addition to Morocco, Spaniards prefer to spend their vacations in Miami, New York, New Delhi and Istanbul. In Europe, the most sought-after destinations by Spanish tourists are Paris, Brussels, Rome, Lisbon and Amsterdam.

The Moroccan Tourism Ministry is planning to attract three million Spanish tourists as part of its 2020 tourism development goal.

Morocco is weighing on the geographic proximity between the two countries and the diversity of the Moroccan offer to appeal to a larger number of Spaniards.

According to the Moroccan National Tourist Office, the number of Spanish tourists visiting Morocco has increased every year since 2000, moving from 232,245 to 682,834 in 2013.

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Rabat- The number of French bookings for vacations in Morocco has decreased by 36 per cent, according to figures from the French National Union of Travel Agencies (SNAV).

The number of bookings and departures registered a 36 and 46 per cent decrease, respectively.

The downward trend in French bookings and departures to Morocco had already begun during the previous months. In December, for example, the number of bookings and departures registered a 46 and 38 percent decrease, respectively.

Despite the decrease in numbers of French tourists, Morocco is still ranked among the top 5 medium-haul destinations most preferred by the French.

Morocco is on a par with Tunisia, which also recorded a respective decrease of 28 and 37 per cent, SNAV said.

If the tendency continues, the Moroccan tourism will be affected since the French tourists are the biggest foreign group that visits the kingdom.

The terrorist threats from the so-called Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIS or ISIL, and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have also contributed in the decline of the numbers of French tourists travelling to Morocco.

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Cairo- The city of Rabat was named on Wednesday as capital of Arab youth for the year 2016.

The choice was made during the meetings of the 38th session of the council of Arab youth and sports ministers which opened earlier in the day at the headquarters of the Arab League Secretariat General.

 Rabat follows Bahrain's capital Manama which was chosen as capital of Arab youth for the year 2015.

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