Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
May 17 , 2008

Morocco took measures to support farmers, face rainfall shortage, minister.
Rabat, May 14

Morocco has taken a series of measures to support farmers and lessen the impact of rainfall shortage in certain regions, Minister of agriculture, Aziz Akhannouch, said on Wednesday. Speaking at the House of Adviser's question time regarding the agricultural season 2007-2008, Mr. Akhannouch said these measures include marketing of cereals, agricultural insurance, and the preparation of seeds for the next season.

The minister underlined that this year's agricultural season was marked by a rainfall shortage of 27% compared to last year, as well as by the excessive heat witnessed late March and early April. However, the minister went on, rain was well spread out in terms of time, which allowed many regions to overcome the drought they went through.

Autumn cultivations reached some 5 million ha, the minister said, divided into 900,000 ha for hard wheat, 1.9 million ha for soft wheat and 2.2 million ha for barley. Cereal production reached 50 million quintals, that is a 113% rise compared to last season, Mr. Akhannouch pointed out. Production includes 10.3 million quintals of hard wheat, 27 million quintals of soft wheat, and 12.7 million quintals of barley. As to the production of early fruits and vegetables, it reached 1.8 million tons, while that of citrus fruits was about 1.1 million tons, he added. According to Mr. Akhannouch, dairy production witnessed a 6% increase compared to the same period of last year, as well as that of red meats (+11%), white meats (+28%) and eggs (+ 3%).
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/morocco_took_measure/view
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World's oldest Jewels discovered in Moroccan cave .
Rabat, May. 5

An international team of archeologists has recently discovered new beads in a limestone cave, eastern Morocco, which are thought to be 84,000 to 86,000 years old. The twenty handmade beads, discovered at the Grotte des Piegons in the region of Taforalt, are thought to be the world's oldest jewels, a communiqué of the Ministry of culture reported on Monday. The team which made the discovery was composed of searchers from the Moroccan "Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine" (INSAP) and from Oxford University. These beads are even older than a dozen of ornamental beads, which were discovered in the cave in 2003. The team has also discovered five children's graves, which date back to 12,000 years old.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/world_s_oldest_jewel/view
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Morocco actively fighting cancer
By Sarah Touahri for 2008-05-14

A large-scale awareness campaign in Morocco this month targets the early detection of breast cancer. As part of the national effort, the nation's first breast and cervical cancer screening centre was inaugurated in Rabat. The battle against cancer in Morocco has escalated in recent years. The number of those affected by the disease is still unclear, but specialists take on an estimated 30,000 new cases each year, 12,000 of which are treated in oncology centres.

Awareness-raising campaigns are increasingly widespread. The latest large-scale campaign on the importance of breast cancer screening is running throughout the month of May. This national campaign was launched by the Lalla Salma Cancer Research Association (ALSC) with a budget of 3.5 million dirhams. According to the programme organisers, some 7,000 breast cancer cases are reported each year – an average of twenty per day.

ALSC Executive Director Rachid Bekkaly told Magharebia that cancer remains little-known and screenings are approached with fear because the illness is associated with death. He stressed that cancer, if caught in its early stages, can be cured in 90% of cases, and that products for its treatment are available and provided free of charge for those on low incomes and those not already on treatment programmes.

"We want to encourage women to go for early diagnosis before the disease reaches its more serious stages," he said.
The current campaign is distributing information about the disease, to spur people into action on the early detection of breast cancer. In addition to posters and televised announcements, entertainers have become involved in the campaign, with a promotional song broadcast by TV channels and radio stations.

The chairman of the ALSC’s scientific committee, Moulay Tahar Alaoui, said the health ministry is working, in collaboration with the association, to develop oncology centres in several of Morocco's regions, with new clinics opening up in Fes, Marrakech, Oujda, Agadir and very soon in Al Hoceima, to add to those in Rabat and Casablanca.

In addition, a drug-purchasing fund for the needy will be introduced to improve the accessibility of treatment.
Also as part of the national effort, the nation's first breast and cervical cancer screening centre was inaugurated May 6th at the Souissi Maternity Hospital in Rabat. This flagship centre, set up by the ALSC, the health ministry and Rabat University Hospital (CHU), with support from the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaers regional council, can see up to 30,000 people per year. Patients are referred by the various health centres across the region for more specialised mammography, biopsy and colposcopy examinations, as well as for specialist gynaecological consultations.

The centre will make it possible to see patients flagged during screening, perform a diagnosis and then refer them on to specialists for treatment as needed. Breast and cervical cancer were emphasised because, according to the ALSC, these two varieties affect 50% of cancer sufferers in Morocco.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/05/14/feature-02
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Poor harvest causes job loss in Morocco.
2008-05-14

The number of jobs in Morocco fell 1.7% to just under 11 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, due to a 3.5% decline in rural agricultural jobs, the High Commission for Planning reported in a study titled "Activity, Labour and Unemployment". Last year's poor harvest was largely to blame for the shrinking rural labour market.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/05/14/newsbrief-05
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Moroccan government tackles low rainfall.
2008-05-15

The Moroccan government has adopted a series of measures aimed at easing the impact of a rainfall shortage in certain regions, MAP quoted Agricultural Minister Aziz Akhannouch as saying on Wednesday (May 14th). The measures include marketing cereals, providing agricultural insurance, and preparing seeds for the next season. The 2008 agricultural season has been characterised by a 27% decrease in rainfall compared to last year, Akhannouch said.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/05/15/newsbrief-04
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How argan oil empowers
By : SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN

When Kiehl's sells its new range, it also sells the dream of a better future for a group of women in Morocco. SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN writes about this fruitful collaboration.

GOOD things are brewing at Kiehl’s. First, its newly-launched Superbly Restorative Preparations line, the main ingredient being argan oil, is helping women in Morocco lead a better life through fair trade.

Second, the range uses post-consumer recycled packaging. The plastic used for its bottles is derived from food-grade containers retrieved in curbside recycling programmes, which helps reduce waste.

Third, the line is well-made and effective. The Superbly Restorative Skin Salve, for instance, can be used in at least 10 ways, including on cracked heels, hair, cuticles and eyebrows. It can even be used for a massage. Why, it may just reach the cult status of Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1.

But let’s not divert from the real story which is how Kiehl’s new venture is empowering women on the other side of the globe.
First, a little background.

Argan oil, for the uninitiated, is an oil produced from the fruits of the argan (Argania spinosa) tree. In Morocco, where the trees are grown, the oil is used for dipping bread, on couscous and salads. The unroasted oil is traditionally used as a treatment for skin diseases. Argan oil is mainly produced in the traditional way, which means the people behind it are not paid very well.

Enter Dr Zoubida Charouff, a chemistry professor at the Faculty of Science in Mohamed V. University in Rabat, Morocco, who spent years studying the value of this oil. “I wrote my PhD thesis on argan oil. I have spent 23 years doing research about this oil and its use in our lives. When I started working on this, argan oil was produced in a manner which was very ancestral and sold only by the roadside.

“Through my research, I found out that this is an oil which can be used in cosmetics, nutraceuticals and food. I have formed cooperatives to pool the resources to better benefit from the sales of argan oil,” she says via e-mail. So she founded the Targanine Cooperative, from which Kiehl’s buys its argan oil supply.

Through fair-trade, introduced for the first time with this range, the American beauty brand buys argan oil from this network of Berber women who work to preserve the argan forest by planting new trees and harvesting argan nuts for its edible oil. This way, the women have a source of dependable income, a means of improving their financial independence, better access to healthcare and education. In addition, the cooperative promotes literacy and training to women.

Charouff says there are currently 120 cooperatives for argan oil production in Morocco. She founded 20, and each cooperative is made up of between 30 and 70 women. “The project has trained women on extraction methods, packaging and workflow, creating more than 1,500 jobs among illiterate women and women over 40 years old. It has improved the of socio-economic conditions of these women and created an awareness of their rights. “They thrive and they are proud to participate in the cooperatives. They are now better respected. Their income allows them to educate their children, improve their housing, buy better food, dress properly and treat themselves. “Thanks to the literacy course, women have also become aware of the value of reading and writing,” Zoubaida says.

Under Kiehl’s standards for fairly-traded sourcing, the company “pays a fair price for the raw materials sourced in the community and assuring that their suppliers do the same and make certain the materials and processes used in the production of products do not damage the environment.” Fair trade is an organised social movement which promotes standards for international labour and social policy, focusing on exports from developing countries to developed countries.“These women are proud that their oil, often used only traditionally, is valued by a major beauty company. This collaboration between the women and Kiehl’s is a win-win situation. The more Kiehl’s sells its products, the more these women benefit,” she adds. It’s hard to dispute that Kiehl’s new Superbly Restorative Preparations line, made up of only three products, is about being beautiful inside out.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/Features/20080511150252/Article/indexpull_html
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Nearly half million students attend private schools in Morocco.
Oujda (east), May 12

The number of students attending private schools in Morocco amounts to nearly 500,000 in a total of 2,064 educational institutions, according to figures of the League of Private Education in Morocco. The chairman of the league, Mohamed Taleb said, Sunday, during the third national forum of the league, that the sector of private education generates 51,000 jobs in Morocco, noting that 612 graduates were trained and appointed to private education institutions in different parts of the kingdom. The private education institutions affiliated to the league can employ 10,000 young graduates by 2015, he added, stressing that the education sector constitutes an essential engine for sustainable human development in all areas, notably in the socio-economic one.

During a TV program broadcast recently by Moroccan national TV (Al Oula), a number of the sectors' professionals said the investment in the sector can absorb up to a million dollars, but could yield handsome money, as a 15-month training in a flight attendants school, for example, can cost the student no less than MAD 30,000 (almost USD 4,000). The success of these schools might be attributed to the fields these schools chose. Many professionals stressed the link between professional training, the job market and the value of the degrees. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/nearly_half_million/view
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Unemployment rate drops to 9,6% as of February.
Rabat, May 8

The rate of unemployment in Morocco posted a decrease from 10,1 to 9,6% over the past three months, despite the difficult economic juncture, Moroccan Communication Minister, government spokesman, revealed on Thursday. In a press briefing at the end of the weekly cabinet meeting, Mr. Khalid Naciri said, quoting Moroccan Prime Minister, Abbas El Fassi, that the national economy created 84,000 jobs in the sector of services, 81,000 in public buildings and works sector and 52,000 in the industry sector. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/unemployment_rate_dr_1/view
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TomTom to launch in Morocco in June.

According to Morrocan business newspaper La Vie Economique , TomTom will launch its first range of personal navigation devices (PNDs) in Morocco next month. These PNDs will use maps developed through the recent agreement signed between Tele Atlas and Cadtech, a Moroccan company specializing in geographical information systems and geo-localization applications.

The first version of the maps will represent coverage of approximately 70,000 kilometers, with five Moroccan towns included: Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech Rabat, and Tangiers, and will include 1,600 Points of Interest (POIs). Additional towns and POIs will be included in subsequent versions said Tele Atlas.

According to Jack Reinelt, COO at Tele Atlas EMEA, who spoke last February when the joint-venture with Cadtech was announced:, “It is clear to Tele Atlas that Morocco and the North African region have excellent growth potential and represent a strong business opportunity in the coming years. Also, given the proximity to the European continent we wanted to extend our high quality map coverage into this region quickly so that our partners can build this capability into their products.” TomTom products available in Morocco will be priced between $135 (DAM 1,000) and $600 (DAM 4,500).
http://www.gpsbusinessnews.com/index.php?action=article&numero=835
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11th Gnawa World Music Festival to kick off on June 26.
Essaouira, May.13

The 11th edition of Gnawa/world Music Festival will kick off on June 26 in Essaouira (500km south of Rabat). The festival, which will turn out till June 29, features several concerts and real surprises, according to organizers, who noted that 10 different stages will be the ground of this four-day celebration.

This year edition themed "A new decade of musical sharing and vibrations" will feature, inter alia, Mustapha Bakbou, Hamid El Kasri, Allal Soudani, Abdelkébir Merchane, Mahmoud Guinea and Omar Hayat. alestinian Trio Joubrane, British guitarist Justin Adams and Korean group of percussionists Salmunori will perform on stage. Essaouira neighborhoods will also be the grounds for Jazz stars, such as the great 60s American saxophone virtuoso Wayne Shorter, the Trio Legnini and new jazz idol and Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf.

Gnawa are the descendents of slaves originating from Black Africa, who established brotherhoods throughout Morocco. They are made up of master musicians (maâlem), metal castanet players, clairvoyants, mediums and their followers.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/11th_gnawa_world_mus/view
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13th Jazz Festival to be organised in Chellah historic site in June.
Rabat, May 9

The 13th edition of the Chella Jazz Festival will be organised in the historic and cultural site of Chellah in Rabat on June 12-16 under the theme: "Morocco-Europe, Jazz in fusion with different styles of music." According to organizers, the festival proposes a real jazz journey, starting from the oriental to the electric, passing through the revisited world music and the classical jazz, before ending with the most beautiful jazz fusion in the world. In addition to Moroccan artists, this edition will witness the participation of artists from many countries such as Holland, Austria and Belgium.

Organised every year since 1996, the festival is initiated by the Delegation of the European Commission in Rabat, the ambassadors of cultural centres of the EU member countries and Wallonie-Brussels Delegation, in partnership with the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and Rabat local authorities.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/13th_jazz_festival_t/view
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Moroccan desert music festival highlights African cultural traditions.
By Hassan Benmehdi  2008-05-15

The latest Desert Music Festival in Morocco celebrated the Sahraoui landscape and inter-cultural dialogue. The fifth annual Desert Music Festival held May 9-11th in the Errachidia region of south-eastern Morocco attracted an international audience and notable performers. Organisers say the annual event works to preserve authentic values, showcase and safeguard African cultural heritage and highlight the magnificent scenery of the Moroccan desert.

"[The festival] brings together tradition and modernity and promotes the tourist potential" of the Sahara, said organising committee member Hassan Bahtati, adding that his year’s desert concert series "drew a sizeable audience from Morocco, Africa, Europe". After five years’ experience, he said, the festival of desert music is beginning to take on an international dimension. Performers included well-known Moroccan and foreign artists such as Jolf Art (Senegal), Arion (Greece) and others from Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Mali.

At the festival’s opening celebrations, the great Chilean guitarist Marcelo de la Puebla said, "It’s an honour for me to take part in a festival which preaches peace and dialogue between cultures." A good-natured spirit prevailed during the three days of performances. The young audience who turned out in great numbers to attend the various concerts appreciated the quality of the artists and musicians.

"Festivals such as this enable us to be entertained and promote our cultural and artistic heritage to peoples from all around the world," said Lahcen, a young man in his twenties who had come from Arfoud to attend the festival. His friend Abdellah remarked that young people suffering from unemployment and isolation in the region were excited about the event because it gave them work opportunities, "even if only for a few days".

The festival came at just the right time and provided a welcome respite, agreed Mohamed, a family man from Rissani."This is an opportunity for families from the region, who have nowhere else to take their children for a good time, to have a break from their routine," he told Magharebia. In previous years, the shows were staged as open-air spectacles on the oases of Merzouga, Ksar El Fida, Rissani and Erfoud. For the fifth edition, however, concerts were also held in the cities of Errachidia, Rissani and Meknès to allow a greater number of attendees to see the outstanding performances.

The highlight of the closing night on Sunday (May 11th) was without question when great Moroccan lutenist Haj Younès accompanied the radiant singer Said Charaf. "I think festivals like this are to be encouraged because they can be a bridging point between different cultures," Younes said.

There was also a captivating performance by traditional ballet troupe Kilandukilu, showcasing how Angolan choreography combines tradition and modernity. Another crowd-pleaser came from "Jazz Moments in a Classic Mood", an Italian group led by composer Mino Laciringola. Hassan Aourid, Wali of the Meknès-Tafilalet region, told Magharebia that the festival of desert music gains in maturity each year and is becoming an event not to be missed. "It combines both the magic of the spectacle and the promotion of tourism in Tafilalet, which has inestimable assets," he said.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/05/15/feature-01
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Moroccan writer unanimously elected member of Goncourt Academy.
Paris, May. 6

Moroccan writer, Tahar Ben Jelloun, was unanimously elected, on Tuesday, as a member of the "Goncourt" Academy. Born in 1944, Mr. Ben Jelloun is a prominent figure of French literature. He has written several books, which made him world-famous. His works include The Sacred Night" (1987), "Racism Explained to My Daughter" (1998) and "Sand Child" (1985). In 2007, the French-speaking writer and poet was awarded the insignia of Officer of the French "Legion of Honor" (Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur) by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He had also received the Knight insignia of the National order by late French President, François Mitterrand. Founded in 1903, the Paris-based Academy awards, each December, "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year."
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/moroccan_writer_unan/view
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Moroccan women pin hopes on 2009 communal elections.
By Sarah Touahri  2008-05-13

Nearly 1,000 associations across Morocco have banded together for a large-scale campaign to get more women on the ballot for next year's local elections. Moroccan women hold only a half-percent of the country's local political positions, run just 127 of 1,497 communes and serve as mayor of only one town. In the run-up to Morocco's 2009 communal elections, civil society is now rallying to change this situation.

The effort to increase women's political representation at the municipal level is finding support from an alliance of nearly 1,000 associations across Morocco. Under the banner, "The One-Third Movement", the new federation has launched a large-scale campaign aimed at convincing politicians to amend the electoral code. Activists want the law to require that women comprise at least a third of listed candidates in the upcoming municipal elections.

"The most important thing for us is that women participate more. We’re not even talking about equality, just a third," says Khadija Rebbah, president of the Casablanca branch of the Moroccan Women’s Democratic Association. Nouzha Skelli, the Minister for Social Development, the Family and Solidarity, says it is time to give women the place they deserve at the local level. If women are left on the sidelines, she asserts, half of society will find itself marginalised. "Women have a lot of potential and they must be given the opportunity to show what they’re capable of," she tells Magharebia, adding, "It’s absolutely essential that we get above the level of 0.56%".

According to the president of the Moroccan Human Rights Organisation, however, the communal elections pose a major problem for improving women’s representation. "This is due to the absence of all-women lists, as happened during the legislative elections," Amina Bouayache explained. The new federation's plan to raise awareness within parliament, political parties and the government is already beginning to see results. Some political parties now promise to give women greater participation during next year's elections.

Said Ameskane, a spokesman for the Mouvement Populaire, told Magharebia: "My party will give women a big opportunity. However, priority will be given to those who work at the grassroots level and are popular with voters." The National Rally of Independents will also attach great importance to fielding women candidates, said party official Anis Birou. "You feel that there is the political will at the national level to give women the place they deserve within decision-making authorities," political science professor Ahmed Badri explained, noting that "the appointment of seven women to the government proves this". Still, he added, "efforts need to be pursued at the local level so that the country can rise up the international rankings".

"Morocco is ranked 92nd in the world in terms of women’s representation," he said. Voters disagree as to women’s ability to run public affairs. While many young people say they will make their choice based on clearly-defined criteria, irrespective of the candidate’s gender, older people make no secret of their preference for male candidates.

"I think it doesn’t really matter whether the candidate is a man or a woman. The main thing is that they should be honest, hold at least the baccalaureate, and be committed to serving their region," medical student Amine Belghiti told Magharebia. "I’d be happy to vote for a woman." 50-year-old nurse Mohamed Farkhati has a totally different opinion: "Politics isn’t for women. They will never be able to run things better than men. I will not allow a woman to run the affairs of my commune," he told us. His view is shared by a large number of other voters, both male and female.

To change this well-entrenched perspective, awareness-raising activity will continue at the regional level by associations and at the local level by political parties. The "One-Third Movement" plans to step up its efforts over the next few months, as the municipal elections in Morocco draw near.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/05/13/feature-01
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Whatever Lola Wants: Ayouch film stresses East-West cultural dialogue .
By Hassan Benmehdi 2008-05-05

Following the success of Maktoub and Ali Zaoua, director Nabil Ayouch is back with a new feature film. "Whatever Lola Wants", which uses the story of an American girl in Cairo to discuss "culture clashes" and tolerance, is garnering raves in Morocco and abroad. Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch's long-awaited feature film "Whatever Lola Wants" opened internationally in late April, drawing both critical acclaim and brisk ticket sales for its message of potential East-West accord. The view of the East in western societies convinced Ayouch of the need to extol the virtues of tolerance, respect for others and humanist universalism.

Eight years after his hit "Ali Zaoua" and more than a decade since "Maktoub", the celebrated director chose to return to the big screen with a movie highlighting cultural co-existence. In Whatever Lola Wants, a young woman who is passionate about belly dancing discovers the importance of learning about others and having respect for different identities.

Lola is a 25-year-old American living in New York. Her best friend is a gay Egyptian named Youssef who moved to the same city so that he could live the life he wanted. In the restaurant where Youssef works, Lola meets Zack, another Egyptian. They begin a relationship, but Zack leaves Lola and returns to Cairo after recognising the cultural differences which separate them.

Having fallen head over heels in love with Zack, Lola impulsively decides to follow him. When she arrives in Cairo, however, she is disappointed by Zack’s attitude and the cold reception she receives from his family. The young American then decides to find the famous Egyptian dancer, Ismahane. Their meeting, which turns the women's lives upside down and shatters their prejudices, is the moment of reconciliation and dialogue between cultures which defines the movie.

"I don’t believe for one second in the concept of the clash of civilisations," Nabil Ayouch said at the film's Casablanca premiere on April 22nd. "In my opinion there’s a clash of prejudices, misunderstandings and incomprehension between eastern and western societies," he added. "It’s because we’re different that we have a lot to talk about." To this end, Ayouch believes that people need to "focus on the human aspect".

"Whatever Lola Wants" is drawing accolades from all over the world. The feature film, in French cinemas since April 16th, sold an estimated 30,000 tickets in less than a week. The film made its United States premiere last week at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. According to Ayouch, people who have watched the film in the United States said that it made them want to travel to the Arab world and learn more about it.

Moroccan viewers are praising the film’s quality and the professionalism of the technical and artistic direction. "Whatever Lola Wants" does Moroccan cinema a great service, 33-year-old Khalid enthusiastically told Magharebia. "I congratulate Nabil Ayouch on this film, which portrays a human and peaceful theme," he said. His friend Zhour agreed: "It’s a must-see film because it offers a peaceful and humane solution to the problem of co-existence between the cultures of the East and West." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/05/05/feature-02
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How to haggle in Marrakesh: How do you survive the souks of Marrakesh? Matt Rudd enlisted a local expert
Matt Rudd From The Sunday Times May 11, 2008

In the souks of North Africa, the average pasty-legged, slightly sweaty, affable Englishman doesn’t stand a chance. It’s the affability in particular that’s the problem. A carpet-seller says good morning, we say good morning back; he says, would you like to have a look at my carpets? And half an hour later, we’re wondering how much excess EasyJet will charge for a probably fake antique rug we never wanted in the first place, bought at a price four times the going rate.

Backpackers have got the whole unseemly process of bartering down to a fine art. They delight in arguing over pennies for hours, reckoning themselves to be travelling geniuses. I hate backpackers. For the rest of us, the predisposition to be unfailingly polite is a real hazard.

But I have found a solution.

Fleewinter, a tour operator arranging trips to Marrakesh, can now provide the ultimate accessory: a personal shopper. I once had a personal shopper at a posh Manhattan department store. In no time at all, he had picked out a $5,000 coat, some very camp $300 shirts and a scarf made of alpaca eyelids. I concluded quite quickly that you don’t need a personal shopper in a posh Manhattan department store. You do in Marrakesh. They don’t have May I Be of Service to You? desks or signs saying Men’s Overpriced Shoes: Level 4. They just have lots and lots of alleyways full of the world’s most persistently expert salesmen.

Ten minutes in and Kati the personal shopper was proving her worth. Harriet and I had given her our list (various important birthday presents, something for a wedding, shoes, jewellery, saffron and, crucially, a leather weekend bag). Now we were using her in much the same way a policeman uses his riot shield.

My wife, Harriet, saw some shoes she liked. Instantly, the shoe guy pounced. Harriet asked how much and he replied nine hundred million thousand pounds. Harriet looked a bit concerned. A bit concerned is just the sort of genteel expression that gets you nowhere in Marrakesh. Wheel in Kati, our surprise weapon.

She opened with a snort of derision. This was the same snort you give the BT Broadband customer-services department nine months into trying to sort out why your broadband is still rubbish, except it’s on the phone and nine months in, not in person in the first 20 seconds. “You give me your price, then,” replied the shoe guy, looking a little wary. Kati offered one dirham. It was the shoe guy’s turn to snort.

“Well, you’re being silly so I am too,” she countered. Then things got heated – so heated, I assumed they were going to start fighting. Much snarling, much wagging of fingers, a quick circling with knives drawn and even the accusation that we were stealing the food from the shoe guy’s starving children’s mouths. Then, in the same second, a fair price was reached. Handshakes. Back-patting.

All sunshine... like the end of a Nurofen ad. “Come again soon, you old Berber,” said the shoe guy to Kati with an affectionate prod as we made to leave. It was the ultimate compliment.

KATI HAS been an Englishwoman in Marrakesh for almost seven years. At first, she took friends out shopping when they came to stay. Then friends of friends. Then it became more official. Today, she is the movie-star’s choice of guide for the souks. Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett have used her services (she refused to tell me if they were any good at bartering). So has a guy who spent £12,000 on four carpets in one morning, which I was fairly determined not to do.

Harriet, on the other hand, was getting a bit overexcited in the jewellery souk. As was Kati. Our riot shield had a hole in it. We came away from one Aladdin’s cave £200 poorer after some unhelpful girly giggling over some Tuareg necklaces.

Shoes and jewellery? Tick. Annoying Moroccan drum kit for abandoned toddler? Tick. Saffron? Tick, but only after Kati sent a guy off from his shop to another shop to bring the best. I bought five grams for £10, which is half the price it is in Waitrose, and I bet our stuff is better. The fact that we won’t use it, that it will grow old and weary in the back of a cupboard, next to the Rajasthani chilli oil, the Chilean high-altitude tea and the whole bottle of rum I once needed a teaspoon of for some homemade ice cream that never set is irrelevant.

AT THE leather-weekend-bag shop (they really do have very specific shops in Marrakesh), the leather-weekend-bag guy produced 19 inappropriate bags in eight seconds when I pointed at one I thought I might like. I smiled weakly, which is as bad as looking a bit concerned. In Moroccan culture, people are blunter, more direct, down the line, honest. When, for example, Kati went to the hairdresser last week, the hairdresser said, “You’ve put on weight.” Imagine that at Toni & Guy. Unfazed by the 19 bags, Kati removed a tissue calmly from her handbag, spat on it, rubbed it on the handle of bag one and showed us a big brown mark.

“It’s oil. The finest oil,” said the guy. “Yes, and will it look good all over a white shirt?” replied Kati as she stormed out. I stormed out with her, then stormed back to get Harriet – who’d found a handbag.

Three shops later, we found a bag I liked for approximately a tenth of what it would cost in London. Even though it passed her tissue test, Kati thought it a little heavy, so we transferred by taxi (she even makes sure you don’t get conned autovehicularly) to a fancier leather-goods place in the new town. Much more Italian but much more expensive, so I said I would go back, on my own, later.

“Just make sure you pay half what they ask for it,” advised Kati.
Fellow English shoppers, I bought that bag: £130 they wanted, £75 I paid. I behaved like a spendthrift backpacker in the interim. Handshakes at the end, all friends again. Lovely job. And then, feeling confident, I decided to wander deeper into the souks, got horribly, bum-clenchingly lost and had to pay a boy £5, no £1, no £3, okay £2.50, to lead me out. Still, with a kick-start from Kati and two full days more to explore, we came away agreeing Marrakesh is gorgeous and not the least bit difficult, not if you know how.

Back in Kent, the only problem is that my wonderful bag smells so much like old cow udders that we’re having to keep it in the shed. If it doesn’t stop smelling soon, I’m going to have to go back and ask for a refund. I’m sure that won’t be a problem.

Matt Rudd travelled as a guest of Fleewinter (020 7112 0019, www.fleewinter.com), which has three nights at the Riad Dar Charkia (www.darcharkia.com) from £380pp, based on two sharing, including EasyJet flights and transfers. Half a day with Kati costs £45. A more relaxed full day is £90

PS. Help. Any reader with a degree in leather stink solutions, please e-mail your tips to travel@sunday-times.co.uk
http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/destinations/morocco/article3898629.ece
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Bargain hunting in Casablanca: The junk shops of Casablanca are full of antiques from its Art Deco glory days, says writer Tahir Shah
Tahir Shah / From Sunday Times February 23, 2008

SAÏD BEN SAÏD sits in a pool of sunlight at the front of his shop and waits for the rush of customers, a rush that never comes. In the darkness behind him is a treasure hoard worthy of Ali Baba. Stacked up on shelves and piled high in orderly heaps, lies an assortment of antique wares - brown Bakelite radios the size of suitcases, gramophone players and gilt clocks, graceful bronze statuettes, espresso machines, vintage posters and chamber pots. What makes the collection unusual is that it comes, almost in entirety, from the Art Deco glory days of Casablanca.

The city, created as a showcase of French Imperial style and might, boomed from the Twenties until the Forties, when it began its gradual and ignominious decline. The little junk shop owned by Saïd Ben Saïd sits at the far end of a labyrinthine flea-market in the working- class quarter of Hay Hassani, on the western edge of Casablanca.

With almost no tourists attracted to the city these days, and few Moroccans interested in anything second-hand, Ben Saïd is glum. His passion for Art Deco tends to be met with scorn from his peers, and has not made him rich. “Everyone here has the same dream,” he says. “They dream of living in a new house, filled with brand new things. They look at the treasures I have collected, and they laugh!”

Soon after moving to a ramshackle mansion in Casablanca four years ago, I discovered the junk yards in Hay Hassani, and was drawn into a dream world of bargains. A shameless hoarder, I snapped up what others considered junk - aspidistra stands, tea caddies and porcelain urns, all decorated with zigzag lines, silver sets of cutlery, posters, cocktail shakers, ice buckets, and tin-plate toys.

But the objets d'art are only the start. One morning I was bemoaning the low quality of new washbasins to Ben Saïd. “The stuff you find downtown in the fancy shops is all rubbish,” he said. “You'd better go out back behind the flea market.” I came across a place with a striking resemblance to the end of the world.

There were heaps of twisted scrap metal 50 feet high, mountains of third-hand bricks, mahogany doors and battered window frames, and an ocean of what we might call “architectural salvage”. In the middle of it all I found a lovely roll-top bath, cast iron with ball and claw feet. Inside it was a huddle of newborn puppies. Near by there were more than a dozen enormous Art Deco washbasins, ripped out from a villa before the building was torn.

As the months passed, I sniffed out Casablanca's other affordable antique shops. There must be a dozen or so, scattered across the city, most of them hidden down back streets. It's true that the arrival of a fresh-faced foreigner tends to nudge the prices up. But, in time-honoured Moroccan tradition, a little hard bargaining or feigned disinterest can have a magical effect.

Corrosion from the Atlantic breeze, and cowboy repair jobs have taken a toll on some of the more fragile pieces. But I am constantly surprised at what has survived, and the general good condition of it all. There's plenty of less than perfect bric-a-brac, as well as toe-cringing reproductions of Louis XIV but, for all of that, there are museum-quality gems.

Tucked away in the textile market of Derb Omar is a new and rather well-heeled gallery named Memo-Arts. The showroom has a few exquisite pieces, including a rosewood writing desk with ormolu legs, a davenport, and a pair of Art Nouveau bronze nymphs. In the middle of the room sits a magnificent grand piano from about 1925, crafted by the celebrated Parisian house of Erard.

In the past two or three years a few high-end antique “galleries” have sprung up. Like Memo-Arts, or the impressive Galerie Moulay Youssef, they cater to the richest Moroccan clientele. You get the feeling that people buy from them in a perverse show of wealth, rather than for their fondness of antiques. The same can be said for the two or three new auction houses, established for the local market, where the rich delight in publicly flashing their cash.

Back in the labyrinth at Hay Hassani, Saïd Ben Saïd is asleep with a newspaper over his face. He stirs at the sound of footsteps, the prospect of a customer. When asked if he can acquire a grand piano at flea-market prices, shrugs. “I have a friend with a warehouse full of grand pianos,” he says dreamily. “You can find them in any size. When the French ran away from Morocco, they left them behind in their hundreds. But who would ever want one?” “I would,” I said. The shopkeeper scratched a thumbnail to his neck, and glanced back into his Aladdin's den. “Well you are wise,” he said. “If there were others like you, I would be a far richer man with a far happier wife.”

Tahir Shah is the author of The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca (Doubleday, £8.99) and In Arabian Nights, which will be published May 5 (Doubleday, £11.99). Both are available at a discount from Books First 0870 160 8080.
http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/destinations/morocco/article3410817.ece
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