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Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review
September 22, 2008
Morocco the site of newest abroad program. Stephanie Ganias
9/17/08
Boston University students will have the opportunity to study abroad in Morocco's capital city and learn about the Arabic language beginning in spring 2009, officials said.
BU International Programs needed to find a place that would appeal to more students after a lack of interest in newly instated Egypt study abroad program, International Programs British Programs Management Assistant Director Leilani Olson said. She said she suggested Morocco after she visited the country in January of 2007.
"I set up contacts and met with language institutions there," Olson said. "I looked in Rabat and Fez and got a feel for each location. There was a consensus for Rabat since it had the best resources for what BU wanted to offer and the most experience with language teaching."
The program is intended to introduce students to Islamic and North African culture, but BU's primary focus is to expose students to the Arabic language, Olson said.
"This is the first-ever program that offers intensive Arabic courses with eight out of sixteen credits for Arabic language instruction," Olson said.
The Morocco program will be the only foreign language program at BU that does not require students to know the language prior to applying, Olson said. A working knowledge of the language is encouraged, however, so students can communicate with their host families.
In terms of student safety in Morocco, Olson said the country is not different from any other one offered through the International Programs.
"There is no need to be any more concerned about Morocco than with any other countries that we offer for study abroad," Olson said. "Students are given the basic safety and health information and just need to be conscious of their surroundings as is needed for every other program."
The program location runs through the Center for Cross Cultural Learning in Morocco, which works with several smaller American colleges like Wellesley and Williams colleges, CCCL founder Farah Cherif D'Ouezzan said. "Boston University is a much bigger school with a wider range of departments and academic disciplines and a larger Arabic department," he said. "We are hoping that these strengths of Boston University will provide us with the opportunity to create stronger ties between American students, faculty members and Arabic teachers from Morocco."
Aside from the educational aspects of the program, Rabat is culturally rich city famous for beautiful monuments and colonial architecture, D'Ouezzan said. It provides guests with the excitement of an Islamic-influenced city and the comfort of modern Morocco.
The program also includes guest lecture series, excursions, music performances, group discussions with Moroccan scholars, and numerous hands-on activities such as Moroccan cooking and dance lessons.
"The geographic location of Morocco is great because you are in close proximity to Europe while living in the midst of African culture," School of Hospitality Administration junior Rissa Freedman said. "It's just a really unique place, and I think it was a great place to add on the abroad list."
http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2008/09/17/News/Morocco.The.Site.Of.Newest.Abroad.Program-3435665.shtml
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Reaching Rural Women: Morocco MEPI Alumni Caravan for Women’s Economic Empowerment
In July 2008, the MEPI Alumni Network made it their quest to bring change to women from one of the poorest regions in Morocco through the “The Morocco MEPI Alumni Caravan for Women’s Economic Empowerment”. This initiative was the first ever tohelp women in the Rhamna region and the MEPI Alumni Network partnered with organizations such as “Association Femmes Artisannes”, AMAPPE, Tanmia and Tissu Associatif as well as sponsors OCP and Dar Taleb to make it a success.
These women are undiscovered leaders that posses unique skills but yet are locked in their homes and in poverty. Through this caravan, we wanted to give a chance to these women to learn how they can turn their skills into real income, to understand their needs and how they canattain them and to use their unexploited leadership to help their villages get out of poverty. Furthermore, this caravan created a great dynamic in the region to recognize Rhamna women as leaders in the regions and to incite regional actors to view Rhamna women as integral to the economic development process of the region through their engagement in income generating Projects’ and they talked about who they are, what they want and how this caravan opened doors for them to become women leaders ready to make a change in their community. In conclusion, the MEPI Alumni Caravan brought hope and a fresh wave of motivation to these women that are now determined to be economically independent and through the conference, the local actors discovered the potential of these women and how they can truly help with the development of the region. The follow up project, to be carried out by the MEPI Alumni NGO “Association Femmes Artisannes”, will further the goal of economic empowerment for Rhamna’s women.
MENA Businesswomen's Network
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Morocco to record 6.8% growth rate despite int’l financial crisis.
Morocco's Central Bank was more worried by inflation than by global financial markets turmoil originating in the United States, its governor was quoted as saying on Thursday. "For the time being, inflation remains a cause of concern because despite efforts to keep it in check, imported inflation has an impact," said Abdellatif Jouahri, quoted by Le Matin daily which is close to the royal palace. "Inflation through costs has an impact and creates, with wage rises, a vicious circle," he added.
Moroccan consumer price inflation rose to a year-on-year 5.1 percent in July from 4.7 percent in June, according to latest official figures released on August 18.
The annual inflation rate was 5.4 percent in May. In June, the government said it forecast annual inflation of 2.7-2.9 percent, up from an initial estimate of 2.0 percent.
Commenting on a sell-off on Casablanca bourse prompted early this week by fears of contagion from global financial turmoil, Jouahri, said: "We are not affected by the international crisis because we do not have subprime loans in our banks. We are not concerned by the mortgage crisis and our banks do not have such assets".
He said Morocco's banks and financial institutions were experiencing a "hot stage" of credits to business and consumers. "Our banks are more involved in retail banking. This shields them (from risks) while ensuring their profitablity," he added.
Moroccan stocks, mainly property shares, tumbled this week on concern that the global credit crisis could dry up foreign investment flow in the country's fast-growing real estate market, wiping out more than 50 billion dirhams in shareholder value. Governemnt officials played down investor fears of possible repercussions from the international credit crisis on the local property market, insisting that the domestic sector would continue growing in the next years. "Where is the crisis when credits to the property market had risen 33 percent in July?" asked Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar in the business daily L'Economiste.
Commenting in the same newspaper, Khalid Cheddadi, chairman of CIMR state fund which has an investment portfolio in the local bourse, said: "The panic which swept Casablanca bourse was unjustified because the fundamentals of most firms listed on the bourse are against such movement". Cheddadi cited strong growth of listed firms, with profit rises ranging from 37 percent to 197.8 percent in the first half of this year.
http://www.morocconewsline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=299&Itemid=26
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Moroccan women seek greater political representation.
2008-09-14
Morocco's female parliamentarians and party leaders met with Social Development, Family and Solidarity Minister Nouzha Skalli to address the "under representation" of women in local communities, APA reported on Saturday (September 13th). The event was part of political consultations in preparation for the 2009 local elections. According to data presented at the meeting, women represent only 0.56% of local elected officials. The global average is reportedly 20%.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/09/14/newsbrief-03
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Morocco launches emergency education plan.
2008-09-14
Morocco announced an emergency education plan to counter school dropout rates and delinquency, local press reported on Friday (September 12th). The 2009-2012 initiative includes compulsory education until the age of 15 and the upgrade of more than 2,500 educational establishments in rural areas.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/09/14/newsbrief-05
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High Atlas Foundation Notes from the Field #1.
Submitted by Kate on September 15, 2008
In an effort to keep you informed about our ongoing projects with communities, we will post "Notes from the Field" blog updates on a regular basis. We look forward to sharing our work with you, and reading your comments!
In partnership with the Global Diversity Foundation, HAF recently completed a three month participatory monitoring and evaluation program in the Imenane Valley. All nine of the villages in this valley, which includes approximately 3,000 people, participated in HAF's fruit tree agriculture program during the past three years (42,000 fruit trees were distributed 2006-2008). The evaluation brought associations and communities together to discuss the successes and challenges of fruit tree agriculture in the region, along with identifying other socio-economic and environmental projects the communities would like to pursue. In addition to using participatory methods, such as pairwise ranking and community mapping, the evaluation also included an empirical component in order to determine survival rates and health conditions of the fruit trees. Key findings include:
HAF is currently assessing these needs and making plans for more community meetings where beneficiaries will work with partnering agencies to create action plans. Please check HAF's website soon for a complete summary of the report, along with a PDF of the full report.
Tifnoute Valley
During the months of August and September, HAF is meeting with communities in the Tifnoute Valley to evaluate the Kate Jeans-Gail Tree Nursery Memorial project (a community nursery of 60,000 fruit trees) and create an action plan for the distribution of these trees this winter. We are also meeting with communities to review technical plans for clean drinking water projects, and meeting with women to create a cooperative that will serve up to twenty villages in the region. Please check our website (http://www.highatlasfoundation.org/) later this fall for updates on the Tifnoute Valley.
http://www.highatlasfoundation.org/content/notes-field-1
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World Bank, USDTA highlight Morocco's investment climate.
2008-09-17
A meeting jointly organised by the World Bank and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) on Monday (September 15th) in Washington highlighted investment opportunities in Morocco, MAP reported. Mourad Layachi, an economic advisor to the Moroccan Embassy in the US, outlined Morocco's economic reforms and the advantages the country provides to American companies under the free trade agreement. Layachi noted that in just the last five years, foreign investors have injected more than one billion dollars in the automotive sector in Morocco.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2008/09/17/newsbrief-06
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Moroccan government seeking ways to support middle class .
By Sarah Touahri 2008-09-17
The Moroccan government has announced plans to establish a committee dedicated to furthering the development of the middle class. Rising costs of living have steadily eroded this stabilising sector of society. Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi announced in early September that the government would establish a special committee to set policy aimed at developing the middle class.
Speaking earlier in the summer during Throne Day celebrations, King Mohammed VI indicated his "firm wish to ensure that all public policies are strategically devoted to developing the middle class, so that it can be the foundation of the social structure, the basis of stability and a powerful catalyst for production and creativity."
The new committee's first task will be to define the middle class. According to an official at the High Commission for Planning (HCP), this task can be difficult even in developed countries where more socio-economic information is available to governments. "Several parameters can figure into its definition," the official said. "Some give weight to income levels, some to socio-professional membership and yet others to lifestyles."
The committee will also identify measures aimed at improving the middle class' living conditions. Economist Moussa Belarbi told Magharebia that the first solutions involve increasing wages and lightening the tax burden on salaries. "These are two urgent measures, because living standards are falling year on year," Belarbi said. "The month of July saw a 5.1% rise in the cost of living in Morocco compared with July 2007, according to the [HCP]. The rise in the cost-of-living index was more pronounced in the food product group, where the index rose by 9.1%."
"Drastic measures need to be taken," he concluded. Sociologist Jamal Fahimi said Morocco had a large middle class in the 1970s, but that since the 1980s this layer of society has continuously shrunk due to the rising cost of living. "The middle class in Morocco is constantly dwindling, and its buying power is weakening as time goes by," he said. "This has negative repercussions for the way these people live their daily lives."
Public sector worker Mohamed El Jabri agreed."The progressive disappearance of this layer of society over many years has translated into the accelerated growth of vulnerability," El Jabri told Magharebia. "The plan to promote the middle class can only work if taxation of this sector of society is revised and there is an improvement in spending power."
Teacher Oumaïma Dabiri told Magharebia the time has come to look after this crucial layer of society. "The middle class has suffered terribly for years," she said. "In the past, a teacher could live comfortably and buy a new car. These days, it’s hard to get through to the end of the month." "We’re almost seeing the disappearance of the middle class. If nothing’s done, there’ll soon be a Morocco with just two layers in society: the poor and the rich."
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/09/17/feature-02
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Spain seeks more Moroccan women to contribute agricultural expertise.
By Sarah Touahri 2008-09-18
While seeking to send unemployed Moroccan immigrants home, Spain is continuing to recruit Moroccan women to contribute to the planting and harvest cycles in certain provinces. Spain continues to look for Moroccan women to work in agriculture, even though thousands of unemployed Moroccan immigrants are being encouraged to return to Morocco. The national agency for the promotion of work and skills (ANAPEC) launched an operation to recruit 2,500 workers on Monday (September 15th).
ANAPEC Director General Hafid Kamal told Magharebia that an agreement had been signed with the province of Huleva in Andalusia to allow Moroccans to work for a period of two months with Spanish agricultural associations. ANAPEC hopes to conclude additional agreements with the region of Catalonia, which has huge economic and agricultural potential. "The number of women working in agriculture for the 2008-2009 campaign will increase to 12,000 or even 20,000," Kamal said. "This figure will change according to the needs expressed by Spanish agricultural associations."
The Moroccans' gross earnings will be 32 to 34 euros per day's work, on the basis of six and a half hours per day. The first group of workers taken on will contribute to planting operations. Secretary-General for work and social affairs at the Spanish embassy in Rabat, Alfredo Ramos Moreno, has said that in addition to planting work, harvesting operations involving more than 12,000 workers, are planned for December. "The quality of the pre-selection process carried out by ANAPEC is impeccable. The people chosen are just what we are looking for," he said.
Some Moroccans have expressed concern for the well-being of these women while they are away from their homes."Some think that these agricultural workers are being exploited by the Spanish landowners who take them on temporarily," said sociologist Hamid Badani. Kamal gave reassurances, however, that the working conditions would be reasonable, saying that Spain has an entire structure of mediators and unions who will closely monitor working conditions.
Through ANAPEC, Morocco has been exporting its agricultural expertise to Spain for more than five years. While the first operation involved only 300 women, Spanish confidence in the Moroccan women's work has increased and the number of workers invited each year has risen accordingly. In 2005 1,700 women worked in Spain, in 2007 that number rose to 4,600 and in 2008 more than 11,127 Moroccan women have already taken their skills to the northern neighbour.
Kamal told Magharebia that ANAPEC aims to continue its programmes and to allow women to benefit from a number of contracts, thus guaranteeing a number of work visits over the course of a single year. A number of those who have already worked in Spain have expressed satisfaction, despite the work's temporary nature. For these women, two month's earnings in Spain are equivalent to a whole year's pay in Morocco. Fatima Meliani told Magharebia that thanks to her work in Spain last year, she was able to earn enough money to repair her house and send her son to school. She hopes to return in order to help finance her family's needs.
Sociologist Badani told Magharebia that these economic opportunities are causing a sort of revolution within rural families. Married women are now leaving their homes to work abroad – something husbands have done historically. "This is a palpable change which researchers must follow with interest," Badani said. "But it has to be said that the rising cost of living has pushed Moroccan families into changing their way of life." Aged between 18 and 40, applicants for the temporary work must have experience in the agricultural sector, be in good physical condition and have their children cared for. A compulsory medical examination is also planned.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/09/18/feature-01
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Cost-of-living index up 4.8% in August.
Rabat, Sept. 18
The cost-of-living index for August has edged 4.8% from the same period of last year, the High Commission for Planning (HCP) said on Thursday. The rise is pinned on a 8.3% hike of the food product prices and a 1.8% progress of non-food product prices, the Rabat-based HCP said in its monthly bulletin. Compared to July, the index edged 0.4%, inflated by a 0.8% rise of the food product prices and a 0.1% progress of non-food products, it said.
The year-on-year index for July had jumped 5.1% on the food price hike, which had rocketed 9.1%.
The highest rise was registered in the western city of Kenitra, with 1.3%, followed by Tangier, where the index rose 1.2% and Fez and Tetouan (1%), the commission said.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/cost-of-living_index1218/view
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IMF highlights Morocco's 'positive economic' performance in 2008.
Rabat, Sept.17
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Morocco made a positive economic performance in 2008 despite the current global economic and financial climate. In a report published on Tuesday, the IMF stressed that with a more diversified economy, stronger public finances, and a sound financial sector, the North African country is well poised to continue its progress.
Noting that Morocco has made major progress in recent years to increase economic growth and strengthen the economy's resilience to shocks, the report underlined that the gains reflect sound macro-economic policies, sustained structural reforms, and good opportunities provided by globalization.
The report pointed out that the Moroccan authorities, which intend to raise the capital adequacy ratio to 12% by end-2009, should continue their close surveillance of rapid credit growth, notably concerning the real estate sector. The exchange rate peg, according to the IMF, has served as an anchor of macro-economic stability, and its level appears broadly in line with fundamentals.
Morocco's external position is sound and "exports have performed well, although imports have been rising even faster," said the report. "Robust tourism receipts and remittance flows have mostly offset the negative trade balance, and with strong capital flows, external reserves rose from $22 billion at end-2006 to $26.5 billion at end-May 2008, equivalent to 6.4 months of 2009 imports of goods," it added.
The report also noted that robust revenues are largely accountable for stronger public finances in 2007 as the overall fiscal deficit improved from 2% of GDP in 2006 to close to balance in 2007. Total government debt was 54 % of GDP at the end of 2007, down from 58% in 2006. Tax revenue has continued to surge during the first quarter of 2008 but the cost of subsidies is expected to rise significantly in 2008, the report explained.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/imf_highlights_moroc_1/view
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New technologies, major source of employment for people with special needs, minister.
Casablanca, Sept. 18
The field of new technologies and offshoring is increasingly a major source of employment, especially among people with special needs, said, here Wednesday, Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity, Nouzha Skalli. During a signing ceremony of an agreement between her ministry and the Association of call centres and offshore IT services in Morocco (Acasiom), Mrs. Skalli pointed out that people with special needs represent for the country and investors a breeding ground for skills and promising qualifications.
She said that the integration of this category in the working life is one of strategic missions of her department that has included in its 2008-2012 strategic plan the development of a bill aimed at promoting the rights of the disabled. This strategy, she explained, focused on educational and vocational integration, strengthening the legal situation, according to an inclusive approach, and employment of people with special needs. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/new_technologies_ma/view
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EU donates Morocco € 17 mln to support national literacy strategy.
Rabat, Sept. 8
The European Union (EU) will grant Morocco a € 17 mln donation to support the implementation of the Moroccan literacy strategy, under a funding agreement signed Monday in Rabat. The EU's 4-year program of support to the strategy is meant to promote the living conditions and the economic participation of the target population, namely the illiterate people aged between 16 and 35, especially women, in 11 regional education and training academies. The financial support aims also at developing follow-up and management of the strategy, supporting response capacities, mainly on the part of NGOs involved, and improving learning, education and training quality.
Speaking on this occasion, The head of the European Commission delegation in Morocco, Mr. Bruno Dethomas, who signed the agreement with Moroccan ministers of education and finance, insisted that illiteracy hampers the fight against poverty, diseases, exclusion and lack of civic spirit. He stressed that the European Union strongly supports efforts made by civil society, particularly associations working along with governments, on a daily basis to combat this social plague. The program, which is intended to trim illiteracy rate by 3% per annum, will improve the global government policy seeking to promote efficiency of literacy programs, he said. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/eu_donates_morocco/view
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Moroccan Jews celebrate Hillula in western Morocco.
Essaouira (442km south of Rabat), Sept.19
Jews of Moroccan origin from all over the world have gathered in Essaouira to celebrate the Hillula of rabbi Haim Pinto. A reception ceremony was held on Thursday, first day of this celebration, and was attended by Moroccan officials in the city. During this ceremony, the pilgrims, coming from as far as the USA, Europe, Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil, underlined the strong bonds uniting them to Morocco, and their attachment to the Alaouite throne (dynasty of king Mohammed VI).
The Hillula is a religious and charitable custom, based on the Sephardic tradition of making auction bids for ornate candles believed to help strengthen the soul. Morocco counts a minority of Jews amounting to about 5,000 individuals living in the four corners of the North African country.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/moroccan_jews_celebr_2/view
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Fez to host 4th Culinary Arts Festival on October 23-26.
Fez, Sep. 18
The medieval city of Fez will host the 4th Culinary Arts Festival on October 23-26 under the theme "1200 years of gourmet history in Fez." The festival, which coincides with the commemoration of the 1200th anniversary of the founding of Fez, will highlight the arts, savoir-faire and rituals of Moroccan gastronomy, one of the world's finest.
This annual event is also meant to build bridges with other cultures and civilizations of the Mediterranean and other countries in the world. The festival features a rich and varied menu, including a lecture on the history of Moroccan cuisine, tasting ceremonies of dishes from France, Spain, India and Japan, presentations of local products, and screening of the "Sweet-Salty" movie by director Ang Lee, in addition to music concerts. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/fez_to_host_4th_culi/view
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Collection of Moroccan popular proverbs released.
Marrakech, Sept 18
Moroccan journalist and narrator, Hicham Lamghari, has just released a collection of 8,000 Moroccan popular proverbs entitled "Zine El Klam" (Chosen words). The 300-page literary work, edited by "Top press", encompasses a dozen of traditional poems as well as 120 riddles. It is subdivided into three chapters dedicated to proverbs.
"Zine el klam", which is a window into Morocco's history and traditions, is the fruit of long years of research that is meant to highlight Morocco’s rich legacy, and display the creativity and clairvoyance of ancestors.
For the writer, the writing experience was rewarding because it allowed him to derive maximum benefit from his professional experience to collect the large number of proverbs and, thus, standardize them in a scientific way, while taking into account the dialects used
in different regions of the Kingdom.
Proverbs "are of crucial importance in people's lives" and aim to resume the history of a society, its way of thought, its people's behavior and their relations with religion and society, said Lamghari, who voiced hope that his book will serve as a reference for researchers, students and future generations.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/collection_of_morocc/view
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Morocco, year's guest in Montpellier International Fair.
Paris, Sept. 17
Morocco will be this year's guest at the International Fair of Montpellier (south of France), which celebrates its 60th anniversary, organizers said. Over eleven days (October 10-20), visitors will have the possibility to discover or rediscover the country's culture, civilization, gastronomy and artwork. They can also discover the nation's secrets, enjoy exhibitions, concerts and much more at Le Parc des Expositions. The Fair showcases a different country each year. It is the most important economic regional event which attracts more than 230,000 visitors and 1,000 exhibitors annually.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/morocco_year_s_gues8671/view
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Main aspects of Anna Lindh Foundation three-year program presented in Brussels.
Brussels, Sept. 17
Chairman of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Andre Azoulay, presented, here Tuesday, the main aspects of the strategy he intends to develop over the next three years as part of his mandate as head of the Foundation. "The Euro-Mediterranean Foundation Anna Lindh has, from now on, a coherent, ambitious and committed roadmap," said Mr. Azoulay, who was speaking before representatives of the European Commission and of member countries of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, at the end of the Board of Directors, which convened at the headquarters of the European Council of Ministers.
The strategy focuses on education, debate and reviving dialogue among cultures and religions.
In this regard, Mr. Azoulay proposed the establishment of a permanent observatory devoted to analyzing and assessing social cultural behaviors in the Mediterranean. He called on member countries to strengthen their political and material support to the Foundation.
The three-year plan of the Anna Lindh Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures, was, earlier, showcased in the Finnish capital, Helsinki.
Before leaving Brussels, Mr. Andre Azoulay was received by European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero Waldner and European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana.
Set up in 2005, the Alexandria-based foundation is the first common institution jointly established and financed by all 35 members of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/main_aspects_of_anna/view
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Morocco wins 'Gold Medal of the most prestigious and best pavilion' of Expo-Zaragoza 2008.
Zaragoza (northern Spain), Sept. 15
The Moroccan pavilion in Zaragoza international exhibition of water won the Gold Medal of the most prestigious and best pavilion. The Moroccan pavilion, one of the four largest pavilions of the exhibition, was built on two floors spanning over a total area of 1,400 square meters. It was designed as a museum with a typically Andalusian architecture and modern technological means. The prize was presented to Executive Commissioner of the Moroccan pavilion, Ahmed Ammor, at the closing ceremony of this event, held from June 14th through September 14th. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/morocco_wins__gold_m/view
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Moroccan movie to compete at Vancouver International Film Festival.
Paris, Sep. 15
Moroccan feature film "Les Coeurs brûlés" (burnt hearts) of Ahmed Al-Maanouni will participate in the official competition of the 27th Vancouver International Film Festival, slated for September 25 through October 10, according to the movie director. The 84-minute film recounts the story of Amin, a young Moroccan architect living in Paris, who returns to Fez faced with the imminent death of his uncle, the man who raised him. Returning to his city of birth forces him to confront the pain of a past which has lain forgotten, but which now returns in all its harshness.
The Vancouver International Film Festival will show 332 films from 60 countries at 575 screenings over 16 days. With nearly 150,000 admissions, VIFF is among the biggest film festivals in North America. The international line-up includes, in addition to many undiscovered gems, the pick of the world’s top film fests.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/moroccan_movie_to_co_1/view
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Franchising in Morocco: report of the situation (part 1)
In Morocco, Franchising started in the 60’s. At the beginning, the growth rate was very low with franchising networks opening every 5 years. The first franchising networks entering the Moroccan market were car rental brands (Avis, Hertz, Europcar). Nothing surprising when we know that Morocco is a tourism place! Since the 90’s, many franchises entered Morocco in different sectors. In 2008, 342 franchising networks were set up in Morocco, while there were only 94 in 2000; it means a growth of 263% in 8 years.
There are important geographical disparities in terms of franchises implantation in Morocco. From now, that is in cities like Casablanca and Rabat, two booming cities, that we can find most franchises. In 2007, we could find 12% of Moroccan franchises in Rabat, and 27% in Casablanca. However, since a few years, franchising also develops in others big cities of the kingdom: Marrakech, Agadir, Tanger. A new trend due to the building of malls helping franchises’ installation in these cities.
Among the 324 brands implanted in Morocco in 2007, most of them were European. A situation that can be easily explained by the fact that franchising is still a foreign concept. The modern economy of the country has a tendency to import everything (concepts, models, technologies, know-how, etc.) Only 14% of franchisors are Moroccan. France is number one with 47% of franchises implanted in Morocco being French. It seems that Moroccan people like French concepts, a major trend that can be explained by the geographical, linguistic and historical link that exists between both countries.
To follow next saturday...
http://www.franchisekey.com/franchise-franchising/Article/ID/52/Session/1-pSpF5i47-0-IP/guidObject/031681-20080703-122314-01/Franchising_in_Morocco_report_of_the_situation_(part_1).htm
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Morocco taps African roots with Gnawa music revival.
Sat Sep 13, 2008 By Tom Pfeiffer
RABAT, Morocco (Reuters)
Morocco's Gnawa, heirs to a musical and spiritual tradition brought north across the Sahara centuries ago by black slaves, are enjoying new fame as their hypnotic rhythms hook listeners across the world. The Gnawa brotherhoods have long scraped a living on the margins of Moroccan society by offering to restore health or good fortune through seances of trance and incantation.
They symbolize the rich cultural mix of a country at the crossroads of Africa, Europe and the Arab world and many Moroccans say they are part of their national identity. But Islamists, whose influence has grown among working-class Moroccans, have undermined their status by condemning their hedonistic lifestyle and belief in supernatural beings of African origin.
Now, the Gnawi have found an inadvertent champion in the north African kingdom's government as it seeks to bolster Morocco's moderate Maliki strain of Islam -- with its Sufi mysticism and cult of saints -- to counter Islamic extremists. The government's aim is to entrench Maliki Islam to help discredit the more hard-line Salafist and Wahhabi doctrines that originated in the Middle East.
Authorities have promoted regional Moussems, or festivals, that involve the veneration of local saints and held international events to showcase and discuss Sufi identity. The Gnawa have indirectly benefited because they derive their spiritual authority from the same beliefs.
The government also knows the exotic and free-spirited Gnawi are a powerful draw for tourists, and it has backed an annual Gnawa and World Music festival in the windy Atlantic city of Essaouira that this year drew almost half a million visitors.
The festival has propelled mainly poor musicians into the world music major league, introducing them to large audiences from Boston to Berlin. "The children of Gnawi were once turning to other professions as they could not survive," said Essaouira festival organizer Neila Tazi. "Now more of them are choosing to become Gnawis and inherit the repertoire of their fathers."
TALISMANIC SHELLS
Only some Gnawi are of black African descent but their culture arrived in Morocco in the late 16th century when emissaries of the Saadian king Ahmed el-Mansour Dehbi returned from a mission in modern-day Mali with gold and slaves. The slaves were put to work near Essaouira, processing sugar for export to Europe. When the factories shut a few years later, they mixed with local Berber and Saharan tribes.
Their belief in sub-Saharan divinities, such as Mimouna, and rites of possession fused with local Islamic beliefs in demons, or djnoun, and saints like Abdel Kader Jilali and Moulay Brahim.
Today, the Gnawi are a common sight when Moroccans come together to celebrate."The Gnawi play the most powerful music because they are outsiders," said Tony Langlois, an ethno-musicologist at Cork University in Ireland. "You can't have a wedding or a circumcision without them being there, but you wouldn't want your daughter to marry one."
The first step to seeking help from the Gnawi is to call on a Tala'a, a woman with magic and religious powers who seeks advice from spirits using talismanic shells, scents and colors. Often, she will recommend that clients hold a lila, an all-night ritual of possession. An animal is paraded through the streets and then eaten. At midnight the possessed dresses in the color of the demon afflicting him. The Gnawa call upon the saints or spirits to take possession of those present using dancing, chant, krakeb iron castanets, galga goatskin tambourines and the gelbri, a type of bass lute made of fig-tree wood.
The offended spirit is placated through a complex, frenetic ritual involving specially chosen colors, perfumes and musical patterns symbolizing the cosmic elements. At dawn, the elements are reunited and the human body's powers re-balanced. Lilas can be used to cure scorpion stings, welcome home migrants, and bring success in studies or job-hunting. Gnawi say they are kept busy with lilas, despite the disapproval of Islamists, but now foreign music sales and concerts are making a small number much wealthier than before.
LOST ROOTS?
Gnawa music fuses well with other styles, such as blues and jazz whose roots also lie in sub-Saharan Africa.
Moroccan groups like Nass el Ghiwane and Darga have brought Gnawa elements to concert stages at home and helped ensure the country's musical heritage is not subsumed by Lebanese pop.
But some Moroccans say the Gnawi's new fame has severed the music from its spiritual roots, turning it into disposable folklore. They say the split began when hippies visiting Essaouira in the late 1960s asked a famous Gnawi, Abderrahman Paca, to organize a lila at their seaside villa. It widened when the Essaouira festival appeared in 1997, mixing Gnawa with music that had no obvious spiritual function. "The Gnawi no longer serve their traditional purpose -- they're just playing world music like all the rest," said Moroccan ethno-musicologist Abdelkader Mana.
Tazi says the festival has restored the Gnawi's standing.
"You saw them playing for coins in the street or in tourist hotels ... They were perceived as just beggars," the festival organizer said. Successful Gnawa musicians deny they have abandoned their social function for material gain.
Hamid El Kasri from the northern city of Ksar el Kebir, a regular at the Essaouira festival, says he has sold 300,000 CDs in the past 15 years and recently played to 12,000 in Germany. But he still is obliged to perform lilas when requested.
"Lilas are spiritual occasions. We cannot refuse to perform a lila just because our host is poor," he says. "Lilas are the only thing I cannot do without."
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: africa.reuters.com/ )
http://www.reuters.com/article/artsNews/idUSLR13523420080914
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One Perfect Day: College students trek to Morocco.
By Jackie Burrell
Contra Costa Times 09/14/2008
Another finalist in this summer's One Perfect Day contest.
The travelers: Jessica Mullins, Mill Valley resident and recent University of Idaho graduate.
The trek: "I traveled to the gem Chefchaouen, Morocco, with six peers from my study abroad program in Spain. Half the excitement of Chefchaouen is getting there. We took a ferry from southern Spain across the strait of Gibraltar to Africa. From the ferry landing point at Ceuta, a Spanish colony, we had to walk across the border to Morocco. Once in Morocco, we found a grand taxi, which goes from town to town for fares comparable to a bus, to take us on the hour drive."
Best beds: "Our group of backpackers stayed in the Aline Hostel. Don't be driven away by the $9 cost of a bed. The hostel, in a great location, has a rooftop terrace with an ideal daytime or nighttime view of the town and mountains, comfortable huge beds, well-decorated rooms and includes breakfast."
Best eats: "In Morocco, it is easy to eat like a king for a peasant's price. Try the restaurant Tissemal in Hotel Casa Hassan (another nice place to stay). Couscous and mint tea is a must in Morocco — one of my friends spent more on mint tea than he did on everything else combined."
Out and about: "Chefchaouen, a small town in the mountains of northeastern Morocco, is an entirely different world. It's an easygoing town with never-ending sights. The town's blue-washed buildings — blue accents highlight everywhere from outer walls to curved arches and steps — add to the town's magic and charm. Spend the day wandering the town and getting lost in the small medina, or mazelike area with all the main shops. The mountains surrounding the town offer fantastic vistas and hiking options."
And another thing: "Make plenty of time to relax and take several breaks to enjoy Morocco's hot mint tea. Also, the unbeatable prices of everything in Morocco — shop for anything, including traditional rugs, handmade leather items, bright-colored blankets or spices. I bought probably $50 worth of saffron for $2."
http://www.insidebayarea.com/travel/ci_10460233
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