Moroccan jewellery

Visual artist, Jess Stephens, has launched a new blog about Moroccan jewellery.


There are several articles including the facts about Moroccan silver, Tuareg jewellery, Berber adornment including facial tattoos and hairdressing, and the Hand of Fatima.

MOROCCAN BLING


A resident of Sefrou, Jess is also making her own Moroccan contemporary jewellery. She likes to use materials from her immediate surroundings and the current collection is an accumulation of jellaba buttons (common in her home town of Sefrou), metal beads from the south of Morocco, glass beads, wooden pieces, and other random findings from around Morocco. Bringing into play crafts, techniques and materials in her new collection, Jess is fired and inspired to work alongside traditional craft-makers and local women are employed to create some of the pieces. You can see more of the range at www.jessiculture.etsy.com.

Morocco: the King acts

On Monday 21 February, following the popular protests across the country, "Morocco's King Mohammed VI inaugurated a long-awaited advisory body to the government. The creation of the Social and Economic Council (CES) is enshrined in the constitution but was delayed for years", writes Sarah Touahri for Magharebia.

"We intend it to be a new, open space, capable of enhancing what the state can offer institutions in terms of structures and bodies which will foster constructive dialogue, responsible expression and a positive reaction to the aspirations of various social categories across different generations," the king said at the opening ceremony in Casablanca.

The sovereign rejected calls for replacing the Chamber of Councillors with the CES or merging the two bodies.

"We are not inclined to allow this council to become some kind of third chamber," he said.

The new body comprises 99 members, including representatives of charities and union groups, as well as scientific experts and intellectuals. It aims to draw up a new social charter, based on major contractual partnerships.

The CES holds consultative powers and is tasked with proposing solutions to major socio-economic problems, such as the needs of the labour market.

"It is intended to serve as a permanent space for social dialogue and the best place for thinking across different fields of economic, social and environmental activity," Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi said in a press statement. "Before bringing draft bills before parliament, the government will seek the views of the council and take them into account."

Former Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa was appointed as the council chairman. The CES activities will make it possible to respond to the aspirations of the people, particularly young people, in terms of competitiveness, work, equal opportunities, governance and civil society, he said.

Through its judgments and proposals, the council will support the reforms upon which Morocco has embarked, Benmoussa pledged.

"The representation of business leaders, employees and civil society within the council is a guarantee of the effectiveness of its actions in the interest of everyone and the promotion of balanced economic development," said Moroccan Business Confederation chief and council member Mohamed Horani.

Another CES member, Abdelmaksoud Rachdi, commented that the body will open up new areas for consideration of the major economic and social directions taken by the country.


People have been looking forward to the creation of the council, but that it should not become just one more institution with no real powers, according to sociologist Choubali Jamal.

Despite its purely consultative powers, the CES can play an important role if its conclusions are taken into account by the legislative and executive powers, he added.

Moroccans, however, remain sceptical and wait for tangible action."

The View from Fez came across several comments about the new council:

"We'd have liked this council to have decision-making powers so that it could do something," a student told Magharebia. The Huffington Post also carried a reader's comment calling the new council "a toothless talk-shop mimicked on its French name-sake. A total waste of time and money".

The setting up of this council was enshrined in the constitution in 1996. In October 1998, the King announced that he wanted to "press ahead with comprehensive institutional reform", but the Council has only been set up this week.

CABINET RE-SHUFFLE RUMOURED

Mustapha Tarab, left

Several Moroccan websites are reporting an imminent cabinet shuffle in Morocco. According to a reliable online newspaper, King Mohammed VI will announce the selection of Mustapha Tarab as a new Prime Minister to replace Mr. Abbas El-Fassi. The same source indicated that the Moroccan monarch will replace several key ministers with some new faces while some former cabinet members will be brought back.

This would also be in line with demands made by protesters last weekend; Abbas El-Fassi has not been a popular figure.

Mr. Tarrab, who is currently the CEO of the important Phosphates Office (OCP), is a well respected economist who worked at the World Bank.

Support for Women's Centre in Fez

The IPDF (Initiative for the Protection of Women's Rights) in Batha, in the Fez Medina, provides shelter and legal support to female victims of violence and their children. It also gives vocational training, creates co-operatives and fights discrimination against women.



In recognition of the upcoming 100th year of International Women's Day, a charity fundraiser has been launched to gather funds for the Women's Centre in Batha, Fes (IPDF). The centre provides support and shelter for women who have been victims of violence and their children. Through legal advice, housing, retraining and job assistance they help women who have nowhere to turn to find new lives. The IPDF Centre exists on limited funding and needs help to provide the daily basics for the women and children they house, such as nappies, food, toys, books and so on. By purchasing a tombola ticket, or for those not in Fes simply donating, you will be helping the empowerment of local women who need all the help they can get.

Tombola tickets are only Dh50 and are available from Fez Cafe, Fes et Gestes, Cafe Clock and the American Language Centre bookshop (opening hours 10-12 & 2-6.45pm). The list of prizes grows longer by the minute and there are some sumptuous goodies to be won. Here's a list of what you can win:

· Accommodation at Riad Maison Bleue

· Dinner at Dar Roumana

· Café Clock cooking class

· Spa and Hammam at Riad Laaroussa

· Photographic portrait with Omar Chennafi

· Annual pass for the French Institute – free use of library and DVD’s

· Belly dancing class with Saida (Evelyn)

· Dinner for two at Fez Café – ‘Menu de Chef’

· Two nights accommodation at Riad Tizwa

· Dessange voucher

· Lunch at Fes et Gestes

· Mystery prize with Tours Around Fes

· Fez Deli gift box

· Dinner at Riad Bartal

· Guided trek to the cedar forests of Sefrou

· 500dh voucher for the ALC/ALIF bookshop

· free yoga session with Nora
As the list gets longer, the chances of people winning a prize get better!

Is it safe to travel to Morocco?

Despite the odd comment that The View from Fez must be a government mouthpiece, we have to say that the protests in Morocco on Sunday were generally calm and orderly. The police acted with restraint, there was no bombardment of people by airforce jets, no defections by ministers and the King has not fled to Venezuela or anywhere else.

The protesters, which numbered somewhere between 40 000 (government figure) and 300 000 (protest organisers' figure) across the country, have some legitimate grievances, such as asking for an end to corruption, a more equitable society, better housing, more jobs and an independent judiciary. They also asked for the King to dissolve Parliament and give up some of his powers to a newly-elected government.

What has really angered many moderate Moroccans is the fact that some people were whipped up into the emotion of the moment, and carried out acts of vandalism and looting. Some government buildings and foreign-owned establishments such as banks had their windows broken. The five deaths reported in the northern city of Al-Hoceima were, we understand, those of looters who had broken into a bank that was subsequently set on fire by other vandals. Youths, some as young as 14, also threw stones at the police, who did not react.

Interior minister Taeib Cherqaoui said 128 people had been injured on Sunday, mostly police officers. A further 120 people were detained. He said "troublemakers" had vandalised dozens of public buildings, shops and banks.

Tangier, Larache, Marrakech, Sefrou, Tetouan and Guelmim suffered the worst violence, with a total of 33 public buildings being attacked or set on fire, reports the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Cherqaoui said the demonstrations themselves had been peaceful, calling them an example of "the healthy practice of the freedom of expression".

Since the protests on Sunday, there have been sporadic outbursts of action in Marrakech and in Fez where people were intimidated into striking yesterday, Monday. Shops in the Fez medina closed briefly when rumour had it that protesters were going to descend on the old city, but nothing transpired. Today, Tuesday, all seems back to normal and there's an air of relief on the medina streets.

HRH KING MOHAMMED VI MAKES A STATEMENT
In a statement released after the inauguration of the new Economic and Social Council, the King said, "By setting up this Council, we give strong support to the dynamic reform that we have put in place. In so doing, we make sure that building an effective democracy goes hand-in-hand with sustainable human development".

"We have always refused to bow to improvised public pressure", he continued, "but by our actions seek to consolidate our Moroccan democracy and development".

Morocco is officially a constitutional monarchy with an elected Parliament but the King, who is also Defender of the Faithful, holds the constitutional power to dissolve parliament and declare a state of emergency. He also has strong influence over the appointment of executive members of the government, including the prime minister.

In his statement, the King said, "We are adamant that we will go forward within our own Moroccan model; this is irreversible. We will not be content just to preserve what we have already achieved, but intend to consolidate with new reforms. This is in deep symbiosis and in total synergy with the will of the people".

"With this same commitment", he went on, "we mean to continue with structural reform, following a road map dedicated to clear objectives, founded on the close relationship between the throne and the people. Our ultimate aim is to assure all Moroccans of favourable conditions so that they might achieve dignified citizenship of a united Morocco that is advancing, and enjoy the benefits of unity and full sovereignty".

SAFETY FOR TOURISTS
Some travellers have been asking for advice about coming to Morocco. "I am certainly not prepared to cancel a long planned and much anticipated trip to Morocco", said Cathy in California, "but I now have concerns".

On Monday, the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office issued the following 'factual amendment' to their travel advice for Morocco:

There were demonstrations in a number of major cities across the country on 20 February, as well as looting and vandalism in Tangier, Marrakech and other locations. You should follow news reports and be alert to developments that might trigger public disturbances. You should take precautions for your personal safety and avoid public gatherings and demonstrations. Any increase in tension might affect Travel Advice.

We'd second that. Of course it's impossible to say whether the protest movement will call for further action in the future. But for the moment, travel to Morocco is still safe.

The New Zealand earthquake

Information for Australians and New Zealanders.

The death toll from the Christchurch earthquake stands at 65 with more than 200 people known to be missing.

With thousands of Australians in the earthquake struck region of Canterbury in New Zealand it is possible you may want information about your friends or family. So here is DFAT hotline for Australians concerned about family or friends: 1300 555 135

If you are a New Zealander wanting information about family and friends, the number for enquiring from outside New Zealand is +64 7 850 2199.

Moroccan Protests - Update

Apart from some reports of vandalism, it appears that the protests in Morocco went off without any violence. The police and security forces did not intervene. In Marrakech the numbers appear to have been quite low with only 5000 people attending. According to some reports, however, vandals besieged a Marrakech McDonald's restaurant and a clothing store in spillover unrest. This was reported in the Huffington Post who said that a security official gave the information on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

And in the northern city of Larache, roaming bands set upon the regional governor's house and set fire to a gasoline station, prompting firefighters to intervene to put out the blaze, the official said.

Rabat was also reasonably quiet and several thousand marched in Casablanca , as Tom Gjelten reported for America's NPR. There was no violence because "the government was well-prepared for these demonstrations. And what they did is, they tried to contain them rather than press them. I mean, they've been saying all along, look, we're accustomed to demonstrations in Morocco. We believe in the right to peaceful dissent. They went out of their way to maintain a very low police presence.

"The other thing is that they waged this very effective information war, kind of a propaganda war. They let it be known that in their view, the separatist group Polisario, in the Western Sahara, was trying to stir up trouble. They created doubt in the minds of some Moroccans. So all in all, they just had, I think, an effective strategy for dealing with these demonstrations. They were large demonstrations, though. We shouldn't be in any doubt about that."

So how was Morocco reported around the world?

Protests have reached another countries in the Arab world as thousands of people took to the streets of Rabat to demand a new constitution while waving Egyptian and Tunisian flags. Organizers said there were more than 5,000 people demonstrating but police said fewer than 3,000 took part in the protests. Although protesters demanded reform there were no direct attacks against the country's king, reports Al Jazeera.

Morocco Board News, Washington: What started as peaceful protests across Morocco turned violent in some cities, especially in the North of the Kingdom. In the cities of Al Hoceima, Larache, Nador, Tetouan and Tangier small groups of protesters attacked banks, police stations and small businesses as rallies were wrapping up. The cities of Fez and Sefrou have witnessed cases of destruction of private properties and looting. Several local Websites have published videos of the damage and the destruction in the aftermath of the pillaging. Some local community organizers are complaining of the lack of a strong security presence to fend off vandals. According to eyewitnesses some of the looters are not locals but rather outsiders who took advantage of the February 20 rallies to commit acts of violence. Early analysis of these acts of pillage lead to believe that the elements behind the damages are not associated with the February 20 movement organizers.

Protests in Fez

There has been a huge gap between the demonstrators estimation of numbers and those quoted by the MAP reporters.

According to MAP, "the February 20 demonstrations in various Moroccan cities to express social and economic demands was marked by low participation, MAP correspondents in different Moroccan regions said.

About 200 people gathered shortly after 10:00 am in the Bab El Had Square in Rabat and almost 150 people in the Mohammed V Square in Casablanca. The number of protesters in Rabat and Casablanca was subsequently increased to 2,000 and 1,000 people respectively at around 11:00 am, according to the organizers.

In Marrakech, 600 people gathered in Bab Doukkala Square, shortly before the start of the march, before the number reacheed 900 individuals, who went to the El Harti Square, while in Oujda the number of people who took to the eastern city’s main street reached 1,300 people.

In Tangier, 450 people gathered before Tareq Beni Makada to move off to Place des Nations.

In Tetouan, only 500 people staged a demonstration in the Moulay Mehdi Saquare, while 150 people gathered around 10am in El Amal Square in Agadir.

About forty people demonstrated in Laayoune (Morocco’s south).

Photo by Omar El Hyani of protest in Rabat

However an Associated Press reporter in Rabat estimated the turnout there at 3,000 to 5,000. Organizers put the turnout outside the parliament building at 20,000. Overall nationwide figures are quoted by organisers as around 300,000 while the government puts the number at 37,000. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

The official government stance is reflected in the press release I received from MAP:

"Sunday protests in Morocco are normal and part of the practice of democracy", Communication Minister and Government Spokesperson Khalid Naciri said on Sunday. Protests in Morocco are “familiar” and the demands are “ordinary”, Naciri said in an interview with Russia Today TV channel. He explained that the rallies took place in conformity with the law and public order preservation in an environment of “stability”. This, he said, is a source of pride for all Moroccans.

“Unlike most Arab countries, rallies and protests are common in Morocco,” Naciri said.

“The government deems that protesters' demands remain at large understandable and legitimate at the social, economic, political and cultural levels,” he said, adding that these demands are on the agenda of the majority of political parties.

He made it clear that Morocco is committed and forging ahead on path of reinforcing democracy."

Part of the crowd in Tangier

At the end of the day, the Moroccan people made a point and the government will certainly have taken notice. Analysts around the globe maintain that because of the advances made here, that "revolution" is not the agenda, but evolution. Many Moroccans would agree.

Moroccan News Briefs

HM Mohammed VI pardons 413 prisoners

Last week saw the celebration on Wednesday of the Eid Al Mawlid (birthday of Prophet Mahomet)and saw the King Mohammed VI pardon 413 prisoners. According to a statement from the Moroccan Ministry of Justice on the occasion of Eid Al Mawlid last year, the Moroccan king pardoned 448 people.

The king of Morocco regularly grants pardon to prisoners on the occasion of religious and national holidays.


Moroccan Protests - update

There are conflicting reports of the possible size of protests in Morocco. Some news media are suggesting that it will be countrywide. Others paint a picture of a very small group that is suffering internal splits.

Moroccans are going to take to the streets on Sunday in protest against “corrupted, elitist government too far from the people,” - The Associated Press.

Novosti reports - Montasser Drissi, one of the organizers of the February 20 exercise,says that the movement is not against the monarchy. "We want a government that represents the people, not the elite."

According to the official government newsagency (MAP) - Moroccan facebook activist group "movement of freedom and democracy now in Morocco" said, on Saturday in a statement, that it had canceled the demonstration due on Sunday, February 20.

Founders of the movement, Antit Rachid, Hicham Ahalla and Ahmed Qatib, announced the cancellation of the demonstration in several social networks and online newspapers.

The decision was made due to “attempts of religious and radical left groups to exploit international events in order to slant this demonstration towards religious and ideological struggles instead of uniting around the needs of Moroccan society to serene reform in the context of stability and coexistence.”

The possibility of major demonstrations is attracting attention around the world. A Canadian news source says - Moroccan websites are abuzz about planned protests Sunday against a government they consider corrupt, elitist and out of touch. And a banned Islamist movement is using the moment to call for democratic change.

Moroccan authorities, though, are giving it all an official shrug, despite a wave of popular uprisings that have swept other Arab nations and unseated dictators in Egypt and Tunisia.

Morocco — like Tunisia and Egypt, a magnet for tourists and a strong Western ally — is considered one of the least likely Arab nations to see street protests bring down the regime. For all the frustration at rising prices and corruption, the country enjoys relative economic openness and political choice. And importantly, the population remains as a whole deeply loyal to the man in charge of it all, King Mohammed VI.

The protest movement's posters, which have been handed out around the country, say they want the government and parliament disbanded and an interim government put in place, and trials for those accused of corruption and "pillaging of the riches of the fatherland." They also want the release of all political prisoners, the Berber language Amazigh to be formally recognized as an official language, the end of "direct and indirect censorship," guaranteed public jobs for anyone with a diploma, a rise in the minimum wage and better social services.


Julia Boutros to perform in Morocco

For the first time in ten years, the Lebanese singer Julia Boutros will perform in Morocco The concert will be on June 5 as part of the Fez Sacred Music Festival.

There is some excitement about the concert with Moroccans describing Julia's voice, as the "Voice of Freedom" and "The Great Voice of Conscience". Julia has devoted her voice since her beginnings to the defense of the just, and this makes her contribution important in light of the political turmoil in Lebanon and the Arab world.


Morocco holds 20th edition of European film weeks

Eight European films will be shown during the 20th edition of the European film weeks in Morocco, to take place from 21 February to 2 March in the two cities Rabat and Casablanca.

A press release said the European film weeks in Morocco, to be held in Rabat from 21 to 28 February and in Casablanca from 23 February to 2 March, will open with the French comedy "Potiche" of the director Francois Ozon, preceded by the Moroccan short film “Apnée”, of Mahassine El Hachadi, winner of “Cinécole Award” at the last Marrakech International Film Festival.

Revenues of the European film weeks will be donated to a Moroccan charity. For two decades, the European film weeks were able to create with the Moroccan film audiences a rich dialogue of exchange of film-related experiences between Europe and the southern Mediterranean region.

Held annually in Morocco since 1991 by the Delegation of the European Union, the European Film Weeks represent one of the most tangible cultural symbols of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership in Morocco. They are the result of the initiative of the EU Delegation as well as EU Member States embassies and cultural institutes, under the patronage of the Ministry of Communications and in partnership with the Moroccan Cinema Centre (Centre Cinématographique Marocain).

The View from Fez recommends "Potiche" where Catherine Deneuve leads a blue-chip cast in the François Ozon screwball comedy which is arch, knowing and self-aware

La Librairie des Colonnes
The role call of famous European writers connected with the modest Tangier bookshop, La Librairie des Colonnes, is impressive: Jean Genet, Joe Orton, Samuel Beckett, Marguerite Yourcenar, Patricia Highsmith and Paul Bowles, to name a few.

However, the shop is not content to only supply the northern Moroccan city with the best of books from France, Spain and the UK, but also hopes to revitalize a literary review, plan new translations into Arabic, and create links between the main centers of Arabic publishing around the Mediterranean.

According to La Librairie's manager, Simon-Pierre Hamelin, the bookshop's European connections will continue, but there is a sense of urgency to its new mission: encouraging Arabic publishing.

"The bookshop has been refurbished thanks to the bibliophile Pierre Berge," he recently told Deutsche Welle. "We have a wonderful shop and an unparalleled opportunity to push Arab publishing into the modern era."


Moroccan architect Khalil Benani, an avid reader and customer at La Librairie des Colonnes, says that Tangier is the ideal location for the bookshop.

"Tangier has always had a nucleus of intellectuals and writers," he said. "This is where they have always met. Now we can come to readings, debates and find newly published books on sale. The boost to Arab publishing is a bold and positive move."

The old Librairie des Colonnes, long in need of refurbishment, was a bit of an institution and set the tone for intellectuals in Tangier. It is located on the main thoroughfare that has cut through the city for over 60 years. Opened in 1949 as an outpost of the French publisher Editions Gallimard, the shop on Boulevard Pasteur came to be associated with the long list of writers who made the city of the Straits of Gibraltar their home either permanently or for a short time.

The connection with France worked both ways, also adding luster to Maghreb novelists associated with the well-stocked shelves. Mohamed Mrabet, for example, was the first Moroccan writer to be published by Gallimard and was translated into 14 languages.

Today, the books on the shelves are largely in French, as they were when the shop was opened. Its management was taken over in 1974 by Tangier local Rachel Muyal, who spent the next 25 years ensuring that no customer left without a good book tucked under their arm.

Fez Festival comes of age

Now that the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music is in its 17th year, it has reached maturity, says Director General Faouzi Skali. The Festival is now moving beyond being simply a place to come to soak up culture, towards one of creativity and experimentation.

At the press conference last night, Skali explained that he views the Fez Forum, the conference that takes place during the Festival, as a 'spiritual Davos'. Here we are privileged to observe the accelerated pace of the world that surrounds us, and by examining new ideas from ancient cultures and wisdoms, achieve greater understanding.

Skali called for students, who might not be able to afford to attend the Forum, to apply for free places. He placed great emphasis on the need to appeal to the youth; the music programme also reflects this attitude with artists such as Ben Harper and Abdel Malik who will particularly appeal to this section of the community.

FES FORUM - The Conference of the Birds

The subtitle of the Forum this year refers to a book of poems written in 1177 by Persian Farid ud-Din Attar. In the story, the birds set off to find their leader, which is an analogy for the Sufi search for the true nature of God.

In our search for truth and understanding, our thinking has to be expanded to avoid the old prejudgements and ignorance.

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them Albert Einstein

With this in mind, the Forum will explore and debate the following topics:

- Islam and Civilisation

- New horizons for the Maghreb

- What future for the Near East?

- The roots of the financial crisis

Giving soul to globalisation is the aim of the Forum, and philosophers, writers, thinkers and artists from all over the world will be present to debate the way forward. Among them will be Rajmohan Gandhi, Katherine Marshall, Edgard Morin, Wim Wenders, Andre Azoulay, Siddhartha, Tahar Ben Jelloun, and Setso Klossovska de la Rola.

The Fes Forum takes place from 09h00 to noon, Saturday 4 - Wednesday 8 June at the Batha Museum.

International Women's Day: the first woman taxi-driver in Fez

In anticipation of the upcoming International Women's Day on 8 March, we bring you the fascinating story of the first-ever woman taxi-driver in Fez.

Fez resident Vanessa Bonnin tracked down the intrepid taxi-driver, Lamiae El Oubeidi. This is Vanessa's report:

Lamiae is a formidable woman. In the face of opposition from her family, her husband, the government and society, she held firm to her ideals and in doing so broke new ground for women in Morocco. How did she do this? By becoming the first female taxi driver in Fez and the second woman to drive a cab in Morocco.

“I wanted to be the first woman in the history of Fez to take this job, so that people would be aware of how important it is for women to take such challenges,” she said.

“I want to be an example to other women, so we can [eventually] see women driving taxis, buses or even working in construction.”

A 36-year-old mother of two, Lamiae has diplomas in science, IT and accounting, but when she lost her teaching job she needed to find work to help support her children. She chose driving a taxi because she wanted to be in control of her working hours.

“This job allows me to manage my time around all my different commitments and helps me make sure I spend enough time with my kids,” she said. Her husband was already a taxi driver and she firstly had to convince him that she should contribute to the family income in the same way.

“It took me time to change his way of thinking, I’ve been pretty diplomatic explaining to him that his income isn’t enough, we have kids and expenses…so I eventually managed to convince him,” she explained.

“But other men tell my husband “You’re not a man! You let your wife go out and do such a job?” This is difficult for him.”

The second difficulty was her parents. Born to a well-bred, conservative, Fassi family Lamiae had a hard time persuading them that she would not be in danger as a female taxi driver.

“My family worried a lot…but I trust in God, I don’t think that any harm can happen to me because…I always read the Quran and pray before I go out for work…and this is the greatest protection for me,” she said.

“I’ve never faced any problems, also because I make sure to choose the right passengers, I pick up women or couples and I make sure not to go to dangerous areas…so I feel safe.


“My family was not supportive in the beginning but they are proud of me now.”

Her biggest hurdle however, was the local authorities. They refused to give her a permit to drive a taxi in Fez and only after she doggedly fought for eight years did they finally relent. Her first attempt was in 2000, but the government refused to give her the permit simply because she was a woman. She made significant efforts to “claim her right” to be a female taxi driver and eventually, with persistence she managed to get behind the wheel in 2008.

“My case was difficult because I was on my own, if there were at least ten of us we could have made a change more quickly,” she explained.

“It was impossible [for the government] to imagine that a woman could drive a taxi, so the men didn’t take me seriously, which is why it took eight years for me to be a taxi driver.”

In the meantime, another woman - Zakia Mezzourm, the subject of the documentary Taxi Casablanca – had begun driving a grand taxi in 2004. Lamaie did not know of her existence until recently but is proud that she is not alone in her efforts to change attitudes towards women in Morocco.

“Women should fight for their rights otherwise nothing changes,” she said.

“Women have achieved a lot…yet we have to stand up for our rights and take example from each other so things will be better. I want my daughter to be better than I am, and I wish the same for all Moroccan women.”

Surprisingly, the most negative reactions she gets when driving the taxi are from other women.

“Women do not encourage me as men do, many women don’t like to take the taxi when they see me driving, but I guess this takes time,” she said.

“As I assert myself in this job, people will get used to it and respect it. It was worse when I started, it was so difficult, everyone looked at me in a hostile way, but I managed to win over the appreciation and respect of other taxi drivers, and now they all see me a sister, because I’m always there for them when they need help. However, women still don’t encourage me but I can’t let those comments bring me down.”

The initial reactions she had to fight from men were stereotypical, those that thought she should be at home and baking, not driving a taxi, those that said she was a bad driver and men who tried to compete with her on the road. Yet with patience and perseverance, she has been slowly winning their respect. However, her reaction is less sympathetic to men who complain that with current unemployment levels she should not be taking jobs from them.

“My wage is very basic because it’s not my taxi, but women choose to work for basic salaries while men don’t…this is why unemployment seems to reflect more negatively on men,” she said.
“So, instead of complaining, men should take all sorts of [low-paying] jobs like women do – I would sell tissues by the side of the road to support my family. If I had the same attitude as men I would have never found a job, but I couldn’t just do nothing and wait for a job with a good salary.”

As well as educating society by setting an example, Lamaie has also managed to educate her husband – who now shares domestic responsibilities at home while she works – and educate herself in mechanical matters.

“I can fix all sorts of problems, I learned this through experience, I had to learn these things,” she said.

“Every woman who drives a car should have a basic knowledge of how to deal with mechanical problems. Now I always make sure that everything is alright with the car before I go out to work, so I avoid any breakdowns.”

When she was younger, Lamaie dreamed of becoming a pilot. It didn’t happen for her but now she hopes that by setting an example she can help other women shoot for the sky.

“I’ve always wanted to do something that would make me feel unique and I just thought ‘why not?’” she said.

“I have the ability to face the way people look at me…they don’t like what I’m doing, yet I wanted to challenge the way people see women. Doing this job I can control my time, spend time with my kids and be my own boss. Life is hard and once you have children you need to offer them a comfortable life and support them to make their dreams come true. I want to see women taking all possible jobs and encourage women to challenge themselves. That’s what I’m aiming to achieve, and that’s why I took this job, to set an example to young women and show them that anything is possible.”

With thanks to Robert Spencer Harrison for the photographs, and Maryam el Haytami for the translation.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

The one hundredth International Women's Day falls on 8 March this year.

In honour of the occasion, a special Diva's Dinner will be held on 6 March (more details to follow). There will also be a tombola - tickets are only Dh50 and the prizes are pretty spectacular. Tickets will be available from next week at Fez Cafe, Cafe Clock, Fes et Gestes and the ALIF bookshop.

The prizes include:

· One night at Riad Maison Bleue

· Dinner at Dar Roumana, including wine

· Café Clock cooking class

· Spa and Hammam at Riad Laaroussa

· Photographic portrait with Omar Chennafi

· Annual pass for the French Institute – free use of library and DVD’s

· Belly dancing class with Saida

· Dinner for two at Fez Café – ‘Menu de Chef’

· Accommodation at Riad Tizwa

· Lunch at Fes et Gestes

· Mystery prize with Tours around Fes

· Fez Deli hamper

With prizes like these, you'll need several tombola tickets!

Rural school library in Morocco

ADERJ WOMEN'S LIBRARY PROJECT
The US Peace Corps does sterling work in Morocco. In a current project in the village of Aderj some 80km southeast of Sefrou, there's a dormitory for girls attending the local secondary school. The girls come from several rural communes that do not have their own schools. Many of the girls are the first in their family to achieve a secondary education and may be the only one of their siblings attending school.

Peace Corps volunteers in the Sefrou region are currently working to acquire materials and funds for a new library in the school's dormitory, and are looking for sponsors and in-kind donations.

The students are fluent in Arabic and read English and French at beginner levels. Arabic language books are needed in subjects such as geography and travel, nature and the environment, health and hygiene, fiction, art and culture, and how-to books on activities like knitting, cooking, building, art and photography. Language reference books in Arabic, French and English and resources for beginners would also be useful.

Donated books and materials can be new or (gently) used, appropriate for a teenage audience, and sensitive to Moroccan culture and Muslim beliefs. If you can help, please contact PC Volunteer Marian Weidner at mpweidner@gmail.com.

Chamber music concert in Fez

The Spirit of Fes Foundation, in partnership with the Ducci Foundation, present a concert of chamber music at 19h15 on Monday 14 February at the Prefecture Hall, Batha.

WARHOL PIANO QUARTET

Filippo Fattorini – Violin

Alessio Toro – Viola

Giulio Ferretti – Cello

Andrea Feroci – Piano

Fondation Esprit de Fès
Tel: 00212(0)535 74 05 35
contact@espritdefes.com

Morocco plans gas pipeline

Photo Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Oil and gas explorer Circle Oil Plc said on Tuesday it found more gas at its key Sebou Permit, marking its third successive discovery in Morocco in a little over a month.

The company, which has assets in Egypt, Morocco, Namibia, Oman and Tunisia, said its DRJ-6 exploration well in Rharb Basin tested gas at a sustained rate of 5.36 million standard cubic feet (mmscf) per day.

"The successful testing of DRJ-6 is particularly pleasing as it means that a 100 percent success rate has now been achieved from the six wells drilled during the first campaign," Chief Executive Chris Green said in a statement.

The company started drilling in the Sebou Permit in September .

On January 26, MAP news agency had said Circle Oil and Morocco's state-run mining and hydrocarbon board ONHYM will start building a gas pipeline this year to supply the domestic market.

Circle Oil shares, which have gained 18 percent of their value since the company started drilling the Sebou Permit in September, closed at 39 pence on Monday on the London Stock Exchange.

Beirut39 Artists' Residencies in Fez

A LITERARY FEBRUARY IN FES:
Three Writers and Ten Poets in Fes

"From early in its history, Fes has been both a refuge and a convener of some of the greatest minds in the Arab world", explains Lori Wood of Fes Medina. "We are delighted to extend this ancient tradition of welcome in Fes to a new generation of Arab writers, and beyond".

This month there are three Arab writers in residence in the Fez medina. They are all winners of the Beirut39 literary prize, and are in the city to complete their latest work. Lori is a long-term but part-time resident of Fez. Here she tells us about the programme:

BEIRUT39 IN FES:
During the month of February 2011, the Fes medina welcomes three Arab writers, winners of the Beirut39 literary prize, for the first in what we hope will be a tradition of literary and artistic residencies in the medina of Fes. Palestinian writer Adania Shibli, Saudi novelist Yahya Amqassim, and Lebanese novelist and poet Hyam Yared are now being hosted in restored traditional houses throughout the medina of Fes. Each house has been donated by its owner as a gift of time to these writers, who are now working in these quiet environments toward the completion of their current literary work.

Yahya Amqassim

Hyam Yared

ABOUT BEIRUT39
The Beirut39 literary prize was awarded to 39 Arab writers under the age of 39, from 13 Arab countries, who were chosen from over 480 nominations worldwide by an independent panel of judges. Beirut39 is a project of the Hay Festival in Wales, with the goal of identifying and exposing a new generation of Arab writers to a worldwide audience. The Beirut39 authors were featured in a literary festival in Beirut in April 2010, and the Hay Festival will present these authors in their international literary festivals from Wales to Bogota to Nairobi in the coming years. Bloomsbury has published Beirut39, an anthology of these writers’ work, in Arabic and English. Copies of the anthology are available at the new ALIF Bookstore in Fes’ Ville Nouvelle. Copies are also available for browsing at Café Clock in the Fes medina.

THE BEIRUT39 RESIDENCY SERIES
This residency in the Fes medina is part of a worldwide series of residencies offered to the Beirut39 authors by 24 members of the Alliance of Artists Communities, a US-based organization dedicated to supporting creative residencies for artists of any discipline in the development of new work. Beirut39 authors will be hosted in unique sites around the world, from California and New Mexico to New York to Istanbul, the Italian Riviera, the south of France, and in Fes. The authors’ travel and public engagement activities are supported by grants from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and the National Endowment for the Arts. Alliance of Artists Communities member and Fes Medina director Lori Wood serves as the volunteer coordinator for the worldwide residency series. If you are interested in participating in this or future residencies in Fes, please contact Lori at woodlori@sbcglobal.net.


POETRY IN TRANSLATION WORKSHOP
Five Maghrebi and Five European Poets Work Together in Fes
Public Reading in Fes on February 17th

In an extension of Fes’ literary month this February, the Fes medina also hosts five Arab and five European poets for an intensive, week-long workshop animated by Literature Across Frontiers. From February 11-17, the ten poets will work intensively together in the Fes Medina to exchange their views on poetry and to translate each other’s work, often using a bridge language. The workshop will conclude with a public reading at 6 pm February 17th at the new ALIF Bookstore at 2 Rue Ahmed Hiba in the Ville Nouvelle.

On February 18th, the poets will give a reading at the Casablanca Book Fair. This project is sponsored locally by the American Language Center and Arabic Language Institute in Fez (ALIF), with local coordination donated by Fes Medina. More information on this program can be found here. With special thanks to Dar Fes Medina, Dar Ben Safi, Mostafa Bakkali, Mounia Chebl, Malika Chebl, David Amster, Siham Benchekroun and Fatima Bouhraka.


This non-profit project in Fes is being supported by many hands, and hosted by Fes Medina, which is donating the services of its team for coordination and artist services. Special thanks to the following individuals for the generous donation of their houses during this month: To Siham Benchekroun and Nicolas Guillou for the donation of Dar Jad, to Hafid el Amrani for the donation of Dar Jnane, and to David Amster for the donation of Dar Bennis. Thanks to Tom Jenkins for the donation of Dar Ben Safi for occasional artist dinners.

We welcome interest from anyone who might be interested in becoming part of the informal consortium of organizations and individuals making this possible, this month and in the future. We in particular welcome interest from those willing to host an artist dinner for these writers and 2-3 invited guests this February, and those willing to donate the use of their house for future residencies during the quiet season in Fes.

Expats in Fez party party party!

It's strange that the Anglophone and Francophone expats in Fez rarely seem to socialise. But that's all due to change, thanks to the efforts of the redoutable Marie Roland-Gosselin. Marie produces the monthly bilingual e-zine What's On in Fez and has now come up with the idea of a party that will become a regular event on the calendar:

19h30 Saturday 12 February at Dar Batha
Come eat, drink, chat and dance as Cafe Clock and What's On In Fez bring their Moroccan, French and Anglophone friends together in their continuing efforts to link our cross-cultural community.

Your Dh100 ticket includes a fabulous buffet and live music from Alash'la, the irresistible Latin/Moroccan fusion band.

Reserve your place in advance and pay at the door:
Marie: 06 65 94 34 37/rg.marie@laposte.net
Cafe Clock: 05 35 63 78 55/info@cafeclock.com

Fes Festival of Sufi Culture: the programme

The fifth annual Fes Festival of Sufi Culture will take place from 16-23 April. The festival, directed by Faouzi Skalli and under the auspices of the Spirit of Fes Foundation, becomes more and more popular every year. This time, the theme of the festival is Women in Sufism. We're pleased to bring you the provisional programme of music that will accompany the festival.

All concerts start at 20h30, and those given by the Sufi brotherhoods are free of charge

SATURDAY 16 APRIL at Batha Museum Dh200

Farida Parveen (Pakistan) The quest of the thirsty soul

Qawwali: the mystic song of Pakistan

SUNDAY 17 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Qadiriyya Bouchichiyya (Morocco)

MONDAY 18 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Charqawiyya (Morocco)

TUESDAY 19 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Khalwatiyya (Turkey)

WEDNESDAY 20 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Wazzaniyya (Morocco)

THURSDAY 21 APRIL at Batha Museum

Tariqa Siqilliyya (Morocco)

FRIDAY 22 APRIL at Batha Museum (Dh200)

Karima Skali with the Al Kawthar Ensemble of Granada (Morocco/Spain)

A Tribute to the Sufi Poets of Andalucia

SATURDAY 23 APRIL at Hotel Jnan Palace (Dh200)

The great samaa voices of Morocco

From Melhoun to Spiritual Noubas

(in association with the Association des Amateurs de la Musique Andalouse du Maroc Andalussyat)

A camera for Omar

Fez photographer Omar Chennafi received the 'Highly Commended Award' for his photo Fez Doorway in The View from Fez Photographic Competition last year.

Sadly, though, on a recent trip to Senegal, Omar's camera was stolen. Now he has no way of earning a living. Friends in Fez have decided to club together to help Omar buy a new camera. If you'd like to help, please contact us at theviewfromfez@gmail.com

Omar Chennafi

The Moroccan Exception

The following article was published on 4 February by Ahmed Charai (pictured left). It gives an interesting view on whether Morocco will go the way of Tunisia and Egypt, and probably Jordan and Yemen.

M Charai is chairman of Med Radio, a national broadcast network in Morocco, and publisher of the weekly Moroccan newspaper L'observateur as well as the French edition of Foreign Policy magazine. He sits on the board of trustees of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and serves on the board of directors of the Search for Common Ground.

THE MOROCCAN EXCEPTION

Amid the radical transformations in Tunisia and Egypt and rumblings of change in numerous other Arab countries, one populous Arab country stands out as relatively stable: Morocco. As America struggles to articulate a strategy for engaging Arab peoples in their legitimate aspirations while at the same time maintaining stability in the Arab region, Morocco presents a model worth considering.

Why has Morocco largely been spared the popular angst and mass demonstrations that are becoming the norm across the Arab world? The government is flawed and much work is yet to be done in order to properly bring Morocco into the 21st century. Yet the government is also fundamentally stable. There are several reasons.

The first is a unique aspect of Moroccan political culture that most populous Arab countries cannot easily emulate. In a region in which political legitimacy is hard to come by, Morocco is governed by a monarchy with three centuries of continuous history in the country. The institution of the Makhzin, Moroccan Arabic for the kingdom’s administrative authority, enjoys historic popularity within the country. It is part of the fabric of Moroccan culture, woven into its music and art as well as its political and civil society institutions. King Muhammad VI himself enjoys immense popularity, particularly among the urban as well as rural poor, who largely perceive him as their champion.

But in his 11-year reign, the young king has not been content to rest on the laurels of his family tradition. To the contrary, he has made strenuous efforts to resist and overturn the dictatorial tendencies of his late father, Hasan II, whose years of rule were popularly known as the “years of lead.” Muhammad VI began his rule by relieving the late king’s long-serving and unpopular security chief, and replacing him, for the first time, with a civilian. He did so, on the backdrop of the growing strength of the country’s Islamist opposition, a menagerie of parties and extra-political movements which unsurprisingly include a local franchise of the international Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Within four years of taking the helm, the king established the first-ever truth and reconciliation commission in the Arab world, aiming to redress humanitarian grievances stemming from the excesses of the previous regime. Many victims were compensated for their prior suffering. For the first time in the country’s modern history, he invited the political left to join his government in parliament. He held successive parliamentary elections in which Islamists registered unprecedented gains and became an influential component of the legislature. In the most recent parliamentary elections, voting was hailed by the French Daily Le Monde as the “Moroccan Exception” to the Arab region’s tradition of gerrymandered ballots. Though there are problems with the outcome of the election—26 parties ran candidates, and the outcome is a fractious coalition led by a technocrat prime minister—few dispute its fairness.

These achievements notwithstanding, the kingdom faces formidable challenges and will continue to rely on American and European support for the foreseeable future. The principal challenge, from which other problems flow, is widespread poverty, the virtual absence of a middle class. The king inherited an economic situation in which poverty, often stark, is the lot of millions of Moroccans. The country's social deficit in terms of housing, hospital beds, and basic infrastructure is significant.

Today in Morocco, the streets are relatively free of mass demonstrations for the simple reason that young people have numerous other outlets to register their disapproval of government policies and even the system of government itself. Public debate is widely aired in the country’s robust, privately owned media – in which even debates over the power of the king are no longer taboo.

Widespread bureaucratic corruption stokes popular concerns that the government is ill-equipped to address the public’s economic needs. This environment has also contributed to the flourishing of illicit industries, such as illegal immigration to Europe and massive drug trafficking; together with the problem of terrorism.

The system that has been put in place by Mohammed VI to address the problem of poverty is based on a partnership approach with civil society institutions. The resources mobilized are considerable, if insufficient to bridge the poverty gap: the Moroccan economy’s growth rate has averaged four percent over five years—not unreasonable for a developing country, though inadequate to accommodate the needs of the country’s fast-growing population. Urban areas have registered the highest gains. They are even manifest to the naked eye: the king has begun to act on plans to raze the shantytowns and relocate their inhabitants to new public housing. Meanwhile, though rural areas lag behind, new infrastructure projects promise to put a sizable portion of the rural poor to work, through the massive building of roads and highways, ports, rural electrification, and potable water projects for the countryside. The socio-economic impact of these projects will be felt in the intermediate and long term. Meanwhile, however, poverty breeds extremism.

The kingdom’s other principal challenge is the rise of political Islam. Since the 1980s and ‘90s, the discourse of political Islam has tremendously evolved, together with its strategic approach, which has become more pragmatic. Instead of promising the immediate restoration of the Shari’a, the Qur’anic canon, the majority of Islamist parties now claim to adhere to three core concepts: freedom, justice, and development. While not renouncing their religiously retrograde tenets, they have aptly integrated into their discourse the themes of democracy and reforms. Their vision is however unchanged when it comes to the status of women. For this reason in particular,Moroccan government efforts to increase the credibility of elected bodies is further complicated by the Islamist phenomenon.

Though Islamists have won only ten percent of voters in the most recent parliamentary elections, the Islamist Justice and Development Party, for example, has exploited splits within other political camps to build a coalition that advances its goals considerably. Islamists still use the conservative backdrop of Moroccan society to press for Shari’ah-oriented social change. For example, Islamists massively mobilized to block the king’s “Women’s Integration Plan,” a series of measures put forth by the government to improve the lot of the country’s female population.

Mindful of the stakes, the king created an extra-parliamentary commission tasked to advance the plan’s agenda. Non-Islamist Moroccan elites feared the project would be buried. The surprise that followed was that the king pressed for the implementation of the plan and won, despite Islamist efforts to defeat it.

Meanwhile, working within the cultural fabric of the country, the King has undertaken to reform religious life more broadly, promoting an open and tolerant form of Islam and fighting intellectual and cultural extremism. This endeavour has included the deployment of female religious “advisors” to many mosques and the reengineering of Islamic education in the kingdom, with the goal of stemming the more virulent forms of Wahhabism—a militant trend that had begun to take root in Morocco in the early eighties when Saudi Arabia and Morocco joined forces against Soviet communism in Afghanistan.

Drawing on Morocco’s rich heterodox tradition of Islam, the king has also enlisted the country’s Sufi leadership – the mystical strand of Islam, so strong in Morocco – to help counter militants. In this largely stable and benign political environment, a small coalition of fringe players are nonetheless working to rock the system, predominantly from outside the country. Prince Hisham, a relative of the king based in Princeton, New Jersey, appears to espouse an alternative to the monarchy, more along the lines of the Tunisian regime under Bin Ali or the present regime in Syria. Thinking outside the box, he has forged in the past an alliance with Nadia Yassine, scion of the extremist Islamist “Justice and Charity Movement,” and declared that Moroccans should “not fear the arrival of the Islamists in power,” as if Islamism does not enjoy political power already.

Prince Hisham has enlisted a small number of sympathetic journalists to help make his case. It is unfortunate that the prince does not return to Morocco and enter the political fray himself. When he eventually does, he will discover the opportunity to make his case to the population directly, rather than through proxies, and ultimately to further strengthen progress toward free and representative government in Morocco.

Daily life in the Fez souks

Ace photographer Gerard Chemit has been out and about in the Fez medina markets and sent us these great photos.
What's for dinner, Gerard?