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Morocco Week in Review
September 27, 2008
1st 'Youth Millennium village' slated for Sept. 24-28.
Rabat, Sept. 22
The First edition of the "Youth Millennium village" will be held September 24-28 in Rabat under the theme "youth for peace and sustainable development." Initiated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Morocco), the Forum of the Moroccan youth for the Third Millennium, and the Youth and Sports Ministry, this edition seeks to create a space for dialogue and debate on the Moroccan Youth concerns, said on Monday, a release by USAID.
Participants will tackle issues related to developing youth skills in job hunting, creating businesses, teaching opportunities, training, participation to decision making, participative democracy as well as tolerance and dialogue among civilizations, the same source added.
The five-day meeting is expected to bring together some 140 young people from different political and social NGOs, in addition to journalists, heads of businesses and young people from under-privileged neighborhoods. The event also features, among others, an exhibition space for young artists to display their work, an art workshop, and a sports contest.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/1st__youth_millenniu/view
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AMPA - Association of Moroccan Professionals in America - is organizing a milestone fundraiser during its members annual assembly in New York City on October 25 th, 2008.
Under the theme of « Droit de la jeune fille rurale au Baccalauréat» AMPA is organizing a fundraiser for CSSF - Comité de Soutien à la Scolarisation des Filles Rurales - a nonprofit association helping young underprivileged Moroccan rural women to overcome the high rate of dropping out from high school in the first three years. Through its network of local associations in remote areas in Morocco, CSSF provides 1100 young women with living facilities (27 foyers), meals and private courses for the first three years of high school. In order to assist CSSF in its efforts, AMPA is inviting you to a charity fundraiser gala to raise money for the CSSF campaign. The evening will consist of dinner, a fashion show, live music as well as a fundraiser and silent auction. AMPA encourages all Moroccan-Americans and the friends of our community to join us for this evening of charity and entertainement.
"The rural girls, just like the other Moroccan children of today, aspire to a quality education which opens the doors for them to become accomplished citizens. Unfortunately, our education system is in crisis and the chances for the rural children, girls and boys to complete a full education cycle are very slim. The rural girls more than the other categories, are victims of a massive abandonment which mortgages their right to the Baccalaureate as a first stage of a promising university degree, a gratifying career, and a significant participation in the public life" Aïcha Khidani, CSSF President.
"CSSF is one of the most respected associations in Morocco and it is doing an excellent work by encouraging these young women. As Moroccans who got the opportunity to flourish and pursuit our dreams in the United States we believe it is time to give back and help these young women in pursuing their own dreams" Hicham Kabbaj, AMPA President.
The Association of Moroccan Professionals in America (AMPA) is a non-profit organization established to promote networking between Moroccan professionals, transatlantic business opportunities, career development and community service.
For the latest brochure please visit,
http://www.amp-usa.org/pdf/AMPA_25_Oct_2008_New_York_Event_Brochure.pdf
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Moroccan to open higher institute for traditional crafts.
By Sarah Touahri 2008-09-25
Morocco’s government wants to boost the traditional crafts sector by opening the first higher institute to train professional craftsmen. Artisans are excited about the initiative but fear competition. Moroccan Secretary of State for Traditional Crafts Anis Birou said earlier this month that the government is planning to open the country's first higher institute for training in traditional crafts by 2010. The aim is to train and equip professionals in the industry.
The initiative comes in the wake of a survey of professional craftsmen conducted in the first half of this year, showing a dire need to boost the sector in order to meet the demands of the international market. "We don't have the people to call on when confronted with simple technical problems," the study concludes, such as "what size gas oven to choose, what production process to use to speed up this operation, and so on."
The government agreed. There is a fear that professional and experienced craftsmen will gradually disappear if their skills are not preserved. "The goal is to create craftsmen in all traditional crafts so they can carry on the torch of traditional crafts," Birou said. The new institute will train and graduate managers who will be able to improve the production process, particularly in the health and safety field, with respect to the environment, and to modernise equipment and put innovation at the heart of the sector. Graduates will be expected to adapt the design of handcrafted products to suit the taste of Moroccan and foreign consumers.
The institute, in addition to training professional craftsmen and women, will also train young people to structure the crafts industry to produce reliable supply from raw materials to export. They will be looking for entrepreneurs and team-builders capable of getting people to work together. According to Birou, a good example is Tunisia, where they have the Higher School of Design Technology and Science. The school's principle is to where transfer knowledge and develop artistic research to foster creative talent among the students.
Professional artisans have welcomed this initiative with a wary smile. Some have concerns about competition from the highly-trained young people. Bouâzza Batali, a leather craftsman, said that a few years ago craftsmen would train the apprentices themselves. But these days, few young people are going into the profession. "A higher education institute could restore young people’s confidence in this sector, which is in need of a renaissance," Batali said."But I hope established craftsmen won’t be marginalised."
According to the Federation of Craft Businesses (FEA), the courses and teaching content for the modules will need to be put together through a collective consensus-based approach. There also needs to be a cultural background developed through the mutual sharing of research, theory and land.
Meanwhile, the Culture-UNESCO programme manager, Mohamed Ould Khattar, stressed that UNESCO is fully open to the possibility of cooperating with the creation of the new training establishment. Ould Khattar believed that crafts represent the heart of Moroccan identity and that their hallmark of authenticity is recognised throughout the world. "It is essential for Morocco to have the human resources to contribute through crafts to the socio-economic development of the country."
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/09/25/feature-02
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Morocco to invest EUR 2.2 billion in renewable energies
According to Moroccan National Electricity Office, Morocco will invest AED 25 billion in renewable energies over the next five years.
The Electricity Office in a statement said that "Thanks to this ambitious program, ONE clearly shows its intention to be one of the global players operating in the development of renewable energy.”
Morocco plans to increase its production of renewable energy sources destined for European export, such as solar, wind or wave, to 10 percent from four percent today.
The statement added that "ONE wants to contribute towards the goal of reducing emissions by working together with regional partners to develop renewable energy projects dedicated to export to Europe.”
http://steelguru.com/news/index/2008/09/29/NjQ2ODk%3D/Morocco_to_invest_EUR_2.2_billion_in_renewable_energies.html
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Compulsory health insurance makes progress in Morocco.
By Sarah Touahri 2008-09-28
Morocco's bid to require public health insurance is proving successful, just three years into the project. Experts say there is still room for improvement, but many recipients are pleased with the service. Public health insurance has been compulsory in Morocco for three years now, and according to the National Fund of Social Providence Organisations (Caisse Nationale des Organismes de Prévoyance Sociale, or CNOPS), the new scheme has performed well despite some limitations.
CNOPS chief Abdelaziz Adnane recently allayed public fears that the fund would be affected by a shortage of funds in the medium term. With the introduction of compulsory health insurance, the fund's financial resources nearly doubled to more than 3.2 billion dirhams in 2007. Officials say the cash boost will improve the way the fund operates.
Problems such as rising drug prices and the low use of generic medicines persist, however. Adnane has called on the Ministry of Health to review its drug policy, in particular with regard to profit margins, which account for as much as 30% of the cost of drugs. Another difficulty is Morocco's aging population. Before health insurance was made compulsory, people over the age of retirement accounted for just 16% of all insured persons. That figure now stands at 22%.
Employment Minister Jamal Aghmani said great efforts have been made to guarantee the quality of services. Aghmani plans to continue these efforts by extending the scheme to new categories of people, in particular students in higher education and professionals such as doctors and engineers. Aghmani added that the CNOPS has greatly improved its management of the public-sector compulsory health insurance system, including speeding up the processing of applications and offering better care for patients. Since the plan's inception, the number of reimbursable drugs has increased from 1,000 to 2,497 and the implementation of an IT system cut reimbursement waiting times from several months to less than one month.
The CNOPS says it has also removed restrictions in 87% of operations and extended agreements to cover medical expenses from two to five years for patients suffering from cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. In three years, 700,000 new beneficiaries have received coverage, bringing the total number of insured persons to 3.2 million.
Fatima Ben Cherif, who is covered through the scheme, is satisfied."Before, I didn't have any coverage. I didn't go to see a doctor even when I was ill. But for the last three years things have been different. I received a reimbursement within two months," she said.
Siham Bouhafa said the new CNOPS website enables people to check the progress of their applications and find out how long it will take to get reimbursed. "This has shortened the endless queues of people seeking information at the CNOPS offices," she said. "It is hoped that payments will also be made online in the near future."
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/09/28/feature-01
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Moroccan banks not exposed to U.S. crisis: central bank.
Thu 25 Sep 2008,
RABAT(Reuters)
Morocco's banks are not exposed to the U.S. financial crisis but the economy could be affected by the global economic slowdown triggered by overseas financial turmoil, Morocco's central bank chief said on Thursday. "Our investigations showed that roughly Morocco's financial system has no assets with banks in difficulties abroad," Abdellatif Jouahri told a news conference. "Total assets of Moroccan banks abroad are around 31 billion dirhams ($4.02 billion), which account for around 4.0 percent of their whole assets. That is to say that is not big," he said. "A priori, there is no risk for Moroccan banks," he added.
Turning to the central bank, officially known as Bank al Maghrib, which manages the country's foreign currency reserves, Jouahri said: "Bank al Maghrib has no position that might cause difficulty to any asset of the currency reserves." Jouahri appeared to rule out any impact from the global financial crisis in Casablanca bourse losses on Sept 15-16, estimated by analysts at 50 billion dirhams. "No hedge funds or real estate funds own shares in Casablanca bourse and no sell-off of stocks in Casablanca by any foreigners to cover difficult positions abroad took place," he said.
Moroccan authorities were probing the possible causes of the bourse slump on Sept 15-16. Local newspapers blamed panic by small investors and manipulation by some brokerages. Jouahri said the global slowdown caused by the financial crisis could affect Morocco's economy. "Morocco has an economy that is exposed to foreign markets and foreign economies and the global slowdown may affect the economy by impacting sectors like tourism and exports," he said. The government expects the economy to grow 6.8 percent this year, versus 2.7 percent last year, mainly on the expansion of domestic demand and recovery of the key agriculture sector.
http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usn84F00F6A-8B0B-11DD-8949-F594A0527F83.html
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Morocco financial authorities, criticised by powerful Islamist opposition for the slow start of Islamic banking, are determined to develop Islamic financial services, Morocco's central bank chief on Thursday.
"We have begun the experience of Islamic finance. We are assessing the result and will build on that to expand further Islamic banking services," Abdellatif Jouahri told a news conference. Last year, Morocco authorised segments of Islamic finance partly to lure investment inflows from Gulf Arab states on which on their fast-growing tourism and real estate sectors depend.
But the North African kingdom has yet to allow fully-fledged Islamic banks to operate, with analysts arguing that Rabat government could be fearing that such banks might lend some backing to strong Islamist opposition. Morocco now allows only conventional banks to offer Ijara leasing products, Murabaha contracts to buy and re-sell an underlying goods and Musharaka – co-ownership financing structures.
The government also imposes higher tax on Islamic financial products than conventional banking products."There is a problem with the tax and we are about to completely resolve it," Jouahri said. He dismissed Islamist critics that he and other financial officials were deliberately hindering the development of Islamic banking out of bias against Islamist groups. "Banks had set up logistics structures to sell these financial services. They trained staff. All this was done because we want to develop Islamic banking," he added.
Jouahri said Morocco has yet to authorise foreign Islamic banks because the authorities were put in awkward position by the high number of foreign investors willing to open Islamic banks there. He said up to 10 investors from many Arab and Islamic states had expressed interests to open Islamic banks in Morocco. Islamist-leaning Justice and Development Party (PJD), the main opposition group in the parliament, has said its members in the legislastive body would press the government to ease tax on Islamic banking and authorise Islamic banks to open.
PJD experts argue that developing Islamic banks and other related financial services would help Morocco adding up to 2.0 per cent growth on the top of average 4.0 per cent growth rate in the past decade.
http://www.businessday.co.nz/world/rest_of_world/4706519
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Morocco’s central bank raises interest rate.
Bloomberg.
CASABLANCA.
Morocco’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by quarter of a point after inflation accelerated.
The overnight rate was raised to 3,5 percent from 3,25 percent, the highest since at least 2003, the Rabat-based bank said yesterday on its Web site.
"There are indications that risk factors seem to be materialising as imported inflation is seeping through the economy,'" it said in a statement.
Inflation in the north African country of 31 million inhabitants touched a 12-year high of 5,4 percent in May on elevated prices of cereal and energy products, almost all of which come from abroad. It fell to 4,8 percent in August from 5,1 percent a month earlier.
Higher interest rates may undermine growth. The government expects the economy to expand 6,8 percent this year, rebounding from last year’s 2,7 percent when drought cut crop yields to a seven-year low. Agriculture accounts for as much as 14 percent of the Moroccan economy.
Growth accelerated to an annual 7 percent in the first quarter this year after agricultural production picked up.
http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=1110&cat=8&livedate=9/25/2008
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Decision to raise key interest rate meant to preserve purchasing power, Central Bank chief.
Rabat, Sept. 25
The decision of Morocco's central bank (Bank Al Maghrib) to raise key interest rate by 25 points to 3.5% is meant to prevent any decline in the purchasing power that might result from higher inflation rate, said, on Thursday, the Bank's chief, Abdellatif Jouahri. Jouahri, who was speaking at a news conference following the meeting of the bank's council, held Tuesday, noted that the decision was made following a 4.8% inflation rate last August, which means a general increase in prices and, consequently, a decline in the purchasing power.
Recalling that the inflation rate, which reached 5.1% in July up from 4.7% in June, stood at 1.8% over the 1997-2007 period, Jouahri said that the key rate increase is also designed to ward off any drop in the currency's external value or any adverse impact on the competitiveness of the Moroccan economy.
The central bank's chief said the rise in the inflation rate is due to the soaring prices of commodities and oil on the international market, adding that the rate is expected to stand at roughly 3.6% next year. Jouahri said the global financial crisis has no impact on Moroccan banks, noting that the recent slowdown in Casablanca bourse does not give grounds for worry, given that foreign capitals represent only 2% of the market capitalization. Jouahri said, however, the global slowdown caused by the financial crisis could affect Morocco's economy, citing the example of tourism. The number of foreign tourists may fall due to the decline in their purchasing power, he said. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/decision_to_raise_ke/view
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U.K. market of paramount importance for Moroccan tourism, minister.
Rabat, Sept. 25
The U.K market is of a paramount importance for the Moroccan tourism policy, Minister of Tourism, Mohamed Boussaïd, said on Thursday. During a meeting with U.K. ambassador to Morocco, Timothy Morris, the minister raised the issue of the Air Passenger Duty whose impact has been "extremely negative" on Moroccan tourism, adding that the doubling of such a tax, imposed in 2007, has "clearly broken the dynamic of the growth in the number of British tourists." Boussaid also said destinations like Marrakech, Agadir and especially Fes have witnessed a significant drop in the number of British tourists. For his part, Morris expressed total understanding of the issue, expressing hope that more British businessmen will choose Morocco as an investment destination, mainly in the tourism sector.
The U.K. is the third tourist exporter to Morocco after France and Spain with some 338,304 British visitors. The number is due to rise, reaching 670,000 in 2010.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/u.k._market_of_param/view
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Morocco adopts global approach thanks to its experience in transitional justice, official.
Geneva, Sep. 23
Morocco's experience in the field of transitional justice has been characterized by the adoption of a global approach based on the evaluation of the process of forced disappearance issue, said, here Tuesday, Secretary-General of the Advisory Council for Human Rights (CCDH). Addressing a panel on missing people, organized by the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mahjoub El Haiba said this approach is mainly participatory as it was based on consultations with the victims, their families or their representatives, the public authorities and NGOs concerned.
In this connection, he went on, the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER), Mechanism of this experience, had endeavored to establish the truth on serious human rights abuses, identify investigation means, collect evidences, hold public and closed-door audiences with witnesses and former officials, examine official archives and collect data from every available source.
It is on the basis of this approach that the commission had established the nature, the scope, the complexity and the context of such abuses in the light of the principles and norms of international human rights law, he said, adding that it managed to shed light on forced disappearance cases and advocate procedures to settle them. The commission reached, through the examining of files and the results of probes, the conclusion that forced disappearance was exercised on persons and groups alike, during public events that took place over the period under review.
It also reinforced its methodology by resorting to the most advanced scientific and anthropological techniques used by forensic science to establish the identity of victims whose death was confirmed, he said, noting that the commission has dealt with up to 90% of cases submitted to it since its creation and during its mandate. Mr. Haiba recommended to the Council to involve national human rights institutions in conducting the study on good practices in the field of transitional justice. The recommendation was adopted by the panel organizers. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco_adopts_globa/view
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Morocco digitizes its archives.
Rabat, Sept. 26
Morocco has taken an initial step to digitize all its archives and manuscripts, and post them on the Internet for consultation by researchers and internauts. To this end, a memorandum of understanding was signed Friday in Rabat between the Association for the 1200th anniversary of the founding of the city of Fez, the National Library, the Mohammed Ben Abdellah University and Microsoft Maroc. The project will provide a platform for archiving manuscripts and old documents and offering national and foreign Internet users the possibility to consult them.
The achievement of this large-scale project boosts the actions taken by the Association for the 1200th anniversary of the founding of the city of Fez in terms of re-appropriating the historical and cultural heritage of Morocco, head of the Association, Saad Kettani, said at the signing ceremony. For his part, president of the Allal Benabdellah University, Driss Kherouz, affirmed that the agreement will enhance the value of this heritage and ease its access to researchers. He said the National Library, which encloses the largest part of the documents, shoulders the responsibility of protecting them against piracy. For the director of Microsoft Maroc, the company aims through the MoU mainly to develop technological cooperation with Morocco and participate in human development in the country, especially education. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/morocco_digitizes_it/view
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Recipes for Ramadan.
2008-09-25
During the holy month of Ramadan, families across the Maghreb are seeking both classic and new meals to break their fasts each evening. Magharebia has gathered several recipes from the region to contribute to the richness and variety of your ftour table.
Algerian Recipes
Bounarine Tagine
Dice the chicken breasts. Fry them and drain off the fat. Boil the chickpeas in salted water, with a bay leaf. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken pieces, the cooked chickpeas, the black pepper, the salt and the finely-chopped parsley. Turn the mixture into a buttered oven-safe dish. Over this, pour the eggs, beaten together with half the grated cheese. Finally, sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top and brown in the oven.
Baraniya
Clean out, sear and wash the chicken, then cut it into pieces. Put the chicken pieces in a cooking pot. Chop the onion and add to the pot. Add the s’men (or butter) and the oil. Brown for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the caraway, ground together with the garlic and salt. Add water until it is just covered. Once it has come up to the boil, add the chickpeas or almonds and leave to simmer until the chicken is perfectly cooked. While this is happening, mix together the bread, eggs, grated gruyere, black pepper, baking powder and salt. Take the chicken pieces out and place them in a buttered oven-proof dish. Add a few spoonfuls of the sauce, put the bread mixture on top and place in the oven. Bake for as long as necessary. Remove the dish and drizzle with the hot sauce and vinegar.
Casbah Tagine
In a casserole, brown the pieces of meat, the chopped onion, oil, butter, cinnamon, black pepper and salt over a gentle heat. Cover with half a litre of water. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the chickpeas and simmer gently, covered, until the meat is cooked. Remove the meat from the bones. Place the meat in a buttered oven-safe dish. Drizzle with several spoonfuls of the sauce in which it was cooked and coat with the eggs, which have been beaten together with the parsley, lemon juice, cinnamon, black pepper and salt. Put in a hot oven and brown for 10 minutes. Take the dish out and drizzle with the remaining sauce. Garnish with the chick peas and serve in the cooking dish.
Djeldjlania
In a terrine, mix the peanuts, sugar, vanilla and butter. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the yeast and then 4 egg whites, one at a time. You will now have a dough. Gather it up and form it into sausage shapes, which you will then flatten slightly by hand, then cut into triangles. Dip them in the 2 remaining egg whites, which have been lightly beaten, then coat them in the sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Once the cakes are cooked, dip them in warmed honey. Put in small cake cases to serve.
Harira soup
Ingredients:
Fry the diced onion and meat in butter or oil. Add the chickpeas, lentils, crushed tomatoes, parsley, coriander and celery. Add the spices, as well as half the amount of water until all ingredients are covered. Let the mixture simmer until the meat is cooked, approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Add rice, since it cooks relatively quickly, along with a teaspoon of canned tomatoes. Finally, dissolve the flour in a bit of water. Stir well to avoid any lumps, then add to the soup and stir for a few minutes. The soup is now ready and should be served hot.
Tips: Rice can be replaced with vermicelli. Instead of meat, you can break a raw egg into the Harira pot. The amounts of lentil, chickpeas and rice may vary depending on whether you prefer your Harira light or with a more creamy texture. Many people prepare enough Harira ingredients to last several days.
Balboula or barley soup
Add the cresson, fenugreek and nigella seeds to boiling water and continue boiling for five minutes. Add the balboula. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add one liter of milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Garnish with olive oil or crushed thyme.
Moroccan Tartlets (Msemen)
Blend both types of flour in a pot. Add warm water, yeast and salt. Knead well until mixture is a moist paste. Let stand for 15 minutes or slightly longer until it starts to bubble. Form as many small balls as desired. Flatten each ball on an oiled surface. Use the butter and oil mixture to form the msemen into circles. Sprinkle with flour and fold into four corners to form small squares and then flatten once more. When all balls have been flattened, fry on both sides in a deep fryer.
Tips: msemen can be stuffed with ground or dried meat, olives, or any other favourite ingredient. Cooked msemen may be frozen and saved for later use.
Tunisian Recipes
Chocolate Balls
Blend melted chocolate and butter. Stir in cream and egg yolks. Whip the mixture to the consistency of cream. Add almonds and cocoa powder. Form the batter into small balls. Cool the balls in the fridge for at least half an hour. Chocolate balls can be served cold in the evening.
Zalabia
Mix the sifted flour and salt in a bowl and create a hole in the middle. Dissolve the turmeric in some cold water for coloring. Dissolve the yeast in 1/5 liter of warm water. Whip up eggs and pour the mixture into the hole. Blend in softened butter, the turmeric and the yeast mixture. Knead the batter well. While continuing to mix, gradually add tepid water until the batter has a liquid consistency. Set aside in a warm place until the yeast activates the mixture and it froths. Heat the oil. Use a cornet with a small hole or a can with a hole at the bottom to drop small balls between 3-6cm in diameter into the oil. Turn the balls. Lift the balls out of the hot oil with a strainer and place immediately in cold sugar syrup. Continue to fry the rest of the zalabia mixture the same way.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/09/25/feature-04
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THE BERBERS
PRESENTATION BY IDRISS JAZAIRY
AMBASSADOR OF ALGERIA TO THE U.S. (AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SERVICE)
November 19, 2002
I am pleased to have the opportunity of addressing you on the theme of the Berbers whose history and culture are basic components of Algerian identity. These groups of people also referred to as Amazighs or “free men” use different dialects with identical roots and indeed different alphabets. At one time, they spread from the Atlantic Ocean to the Nile river and from the Mediterranean Sea to areas South of the Sahara. Their dialects are still prevalent in 10 countries of Africa today including 45% of Morocco’s population and about 25% of Algeria’s.
The Greek historian Herodotus said 5 centuries B.C. that Berbers descended from the inhabitants of Troy who had sought refuge in North Africa after their city was conquered by the Greeks. A few centuries later the Roman historian Sallustus claimed they originated in Persia.
Later still the Byzantine historian Procopus saw the Berbers as being Cananeans who were expelled from Palestine by the tribes of Israel after the defeat of Goliath by David.
Similar was the interpretation of Ibn Khaldun the famous XIVth century Arab historian who surmised however that the Berber Sanhadja and the Kutama tribes might have originated in Yemen.
The French occupants of Algeria tried to put emphasis rather disingenuously on the Celtic or possibly Basque origin of the Berbers.
Perhaps one should ask oneself why the Berbers should have to come from some other land rather than have originated in this region of Northern Africa where traces of their civilization are found in the form of Capsian art (from contemporary Gafsa) from the 8 th to the 5 th millennium B.C. This population blended, as it seems, with Cananeans who first arrived to North African shores in 3200 B.C.
So none of the ancestors of the Berbers are newcomers to this land! The area of North Africa has been at a strategic crossroad between Europe, the Arab East and Africa. It was therefore coveted for its location and abundant agricultural resources by the main forces which successively gained the upper hand in the Mediterranean Basin.
The Berbers did not have independent access to the instruments of might, wielded in effect by forces lying to the East or North of the Mediterranean. Making the most of a tricky situation, they tried to manage to their advantage the East-West and North-South tensions generated by the expansionist policies of their partners.
For a full six centuries, domination of North Africa came from the East with the Phoenicians, starting with their conquest of Carthage in 814 B.C. During this time, the policy of the Carthaginians was to make the Berber elites become the backbone of their own military forces. This is why the Berbers supported the Carthaginians in an East-West alliance as they expanded northward towards Sicily in 264 B.C.
But then the Berber rank-and-file whose social organization was traditionally egalitarian came to resent these Berber elites cut off from their roots. So after six centuries of Carthaginian domination came to an end, Massinissa, the Founder of the Numidian State built on this resentment. He opposed to the East-West alliance of his rival Syphax with the Phoenicians, a North-South alliance with the Romans in the second century B.C. Helping to defeat Carthage, Massinissa was able to unify the country and constitute the first Numidian State. In making a nation out of a diversity of contending tribes this great leader was indeed the precursor of the Emir Abd El-Kader who founded contemporary Algeria. Massinissa heralded thereby an era of national independence over the next two centuries.
Under the pressure of the Romans, after the death of Massinissa, his successors progressively became vassals to Rome except for his nephew Jugurtha (118-105 B.C.) who fought courageously to preserve Numidia’s independence. In spite of the revolt of Tacfarinas against Juba II who was himself completely romanized, this inexorable trend led to the final takeover of Numidia by Rome in 43 A.D., the country being recast as Roman provinces for the best part of the following 6 centuries.
Managing domination from the North, the Berbers were quick to adopt the Christian faith when it was the religion of the oppressed against Pagan Rome. But when under the Emperor Constantine, Christianity was mainstreamed, the rural Berbers undermined Roman control by supporting the dissenting views of the Donatists as a way of challenging the Christian Establishment in Rome.
This was also a way for them to express their resentment to their romanized elitist compatriots who, not unlike their forbears in Carthage, became the adjuncts of the Roman Imperium. Amongst the latter were nevertheless such brilliant natives of contemporary Algeria as St Augustin who, in the 4 th century A.D. had such a deep influence on Christiandom that it is still felt to this day.
Again, as under the Carthaginian domination and for the same reasons, the Donatists claiming a fundamentalist interpretation of their Christian faith and calling for the veiling of all girls of more than 13 years of age, carried out a scorched-earth policy. They are reminiscent of contemporary fundamentalists invoking this time a distorted interpretation of Islam to undermine the prevailing social systems. The uprising of Berber leaders like Firmus and his brother Gildon and the ruthless repression which befell them, accelerated the end of the Roman grip on North Africa.
During these six centuries of North-South linkage, the Romans gave citizenship rights to people from North Africa, and indeed the city of Caesarea, today called Cherchell, in Algeria was the birthplace of a Berber Emperor of Rome, Macrinus in the 3 rd century A.D. Latin was spoken together with Berber or Tamazight and Punic languages. But Berber was rarely the official language under any regime with the possible exception of the Numidian State. It was thus the Berbers who provided the first translations of the New Testament from Greek into Latin and an incontrovertible interpretation of Christian dogmas.
The Roman occupation was followed by two other shorter spans of Northern domination which the Berbers were successful in destabilizing without however disposing of the critical force necessary to reimpose their own sovereignty.
First came the Vandals from the Iberian Peninsula. Their ruthlessness and the confiscation of all arable land they resorted to to bleed the country white, triggered popular uprisings throughout the territory. But again just as was the case after the disintegration of the Roman domination, this popular resistance did not lead to the restoration of the sovereignty of Berbers over their land. It only paved the way for the deployment of Byzantine domination for another century. Resolute opposition from fierce Berber fighters such as Byzacene and Iabdas likewise brought this domination to an end.
During the nine centuries which followed, Islam was introduced and consolidated by the Arabs in a new and longer lasting East-West linkage. The Berbers played their hand successfully by transforming what could have been a devastating Machrek-Maghreb conflict into constructive tension enabling them to make their own agenda prevail.
It took three successive expeditions in 642, 644 and 669 and the famous Okba Ibn Nafa’ for the Arabs to gain a firm foothold in North Africa. As Sidi Okba behaved arrogantly towards the local population, he was temporarily replaced by a more conciliatory leader Abu Al Muhadjir. This expresses Arab concern with Berber acceptance and endorsement.
However, being reassigned to the region Okba Ibn Nafa’ did not draw a lesson from his former experience. He further mistreated local leaders including Kussayla who sought revenge and killed him. This happened before the key city of Carthage was taken by the Arabs. At that time, a successor of Sidi Okba, Hassan Ibn Nu’man was confronted by the heroic resistance of a woman leader, Dihiya, that the Arab historians refer to with awe as El Kahina/The Amazigh Soothsayer.
The Arabs under General Al Hasan then took a leaf out of the Carthagians’ book by giving the leadership of their armies to the sons of El Kahina. This was an empowering move for the Berbers and a very effective confidence-building measure. Thus it was that another famous Berber Tarek Ibnou Ziyad took up with enthusiasm a few years later, in 711, the assignment given to him by Al Hasan’s replacement Musa Ibn Nusayr, to introduce Islam to what was to become Andalusia.
The Berbers massively adopted Islam whose rejection of theocracy, advocacy of shura/concertation, egalitarianism and opposition to ethnic discrimination corresponded to their own traditions. In a strange repetition of history under Roman domination however, they expressed opposition to the Islam of the Establishment by joining the Kharidjite schism and first refusing to recognize the Abbaside Caliph in Baghdad.
When Kharidjism was mainstreamed under the Rostomides, they espoused the cause of another minority sect, Chiism until then unknown to our region. The Kutama tribe in particular spearheaded the expansion of the Chiite Fatimid dynasty which chased out the Kharidjites and spread to Cairo making it their capital. But when Chiism was thus mainstreamed, the Ziris, who were the founders of Algiers and the North African heirs to the Fatimide Caliph of Cairo, switched allegiance from the Fatimid Caliph of Cairo to the Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad, going back to Sunnism.
This fanned the ire of the Caliph of Cairo who sent to North Africa the unruly Beni Hillel invaders in 1051 to punish the Sunni population. The hordes visited total and utter devastation on the Berbers of which a poignant description is given by Ibn Khaldoun.
Soon after the Berbers nevertheless regained control of the situation and expanded their influence to Andalusia under two dynasties which lasted a full century. First were the Almoravide Berber Empire of Ibn Tachfine introducing a more rigorous interpretation of Sunni Islam. The Almoravides were later unseated by the rebellious Almohades who established a truly revolutionary State calling for an even stricter application of the Islamic code. The Almohade’s attitude is strikingly evocative of contemporary rigorist Islamist sects.
Under the leadership of Ibn Toumert and of his disciple Abd El Mou’men, the Almohades succeeded in repelling the Beni Hillal, not a mean achievement by any standard as well as in repelling Christian attacks on Andalusia. They were succeeded by three other Berber dynasties: First, the Merinides in the West of our region who restored the Sunnite malekite rite after it had been bruised by the Almohades. Second, the Banou Abd Wadids who governed the Centre and to the East. Third, the Hafside in the East right up to the XVth or XVIth century.
So one can venture to assert that out of nine centuries of nominal Arab rule, the Berbers were able to manoeuver to ensure damage limitation of the Arab conquest for the first three centuries. They indeed came soon to realize that this conquest was more about sharing faith and extending trade than about imposing long-term domination contrary to conquerors coming from the North of the Mediterranean.
Then during the six remaining centuries they were as it were “in the driver’s seat”, running their own affairs and advancing knowledge. The city of Bejaia for instance became a center of excellence where the great scientist Fibonacci from Pisa came to learn the principles of arithmetics which he then propagated to Europe in his Liber Abaci thus helping to provide the material base for the Renaissance.
Unfortunately, in North Africa as earlier in Andalusia, it was internal fighting between Moslem leaders which weakened them and brought about the Spanish/Portuguese attacks and occupations of territory. Against this Northern threat, Berber leaders already weakened. Not disposing of muskets or cannons they resorted to a new East-West alliance of which the lynchpin was Kheireddine Barbarossa. His intervention opened the floodgates for the Turks who spread their hegemony to the whole of North Africa except for Morocco.
The rest of historical developments in contemporary Algeria whose present map was more or less determined by the Turks is well known, as much has been said about the harsher North South conflict resulting from the attack and occupation of Algeria by France which lasted 132 years. The French colonizer was known for practicing a divide-and-rule policy between Arabic-speaking and Berber-speaking Algerians. This policy ultimately failed as both these linguistic groups were equally involved in the liberation wars that ensued until Independence was achieved in 1962.
This presentation shows that, despite all odds, Berbers have been adept at devising policies to capture all opportunities to turning their material weakness into strategic strength or resilience.
But what then of the Arabs one could ask? Well, there has been no large-scale transmigration of Arabs from the Middle East to North Africa. Okba Ibn Nafa’ arrived with 7000 troops, another Arab General later with 40 000. But when the caliphs in the Middle East had another emergency such as dealing with local uprisings e.g. of the kharidjites, they would quickly call back their troops. As for the Hilalian hordes, I indicated how they were booted out by the Almohades.
The numbers of these troops in any event pale in comparison with the size of Berber population which spread as I already said from the Atlantic to the Nile and southward. The Romans also entered our region with more than a hundred thousand troops, the Vandals with 80 000 men, let alone the Turkish janissaries.
So statistically, Algerians, while they have a rich genetic heritage, are still predominantly Berbers in their genes while sharing the same Islamic faith and much of the Arab culture. Some of them express themselves in colloquial Arabic when they have long lived on the coast or on the trading routes and in the Arabic language used by the media if they are literate in this language. They are referred to as Arabs and probably constitute 75% of the population.
The remaining 25% speak one of the Berber dialects. They tend to live in more remote regions in the South like the inhabitants of Ouargla or the Tuareg nomads, or the inhabitants of Mzab or those on the Southern borders with Morocco. And they are found in rugged mountainous areas such as the Djurdjura populated by Kabyles since the XVIth century . Others still like the Berber-speaking Chaouias to the East who where long isolated by poverty, have increasingly picked up Arabic as their condition improved and they integrated the national economy. Recent rural-urban migrations prevent an accurate mapping of what are in any event linguistic groups and not ethnic groups of Berber and non-Berber speaking Algerians.
In an effort to promote post-independence nation-building, governments of Algeria have, in a first phase, put heavy emphasis on restoring the Arabic language. As there was a risk of losing sight of a Berber heritage shared by most Algerians. President Bouteflika in this second phase helped restore Tamazight as a national language by advocating its recognition in a new Constitution. This may call for some standardization and agreement on a workable alphabet, whether the Tifinagh used by the Tuaregs or not.
The President’s initiative is an important step towards the recovery of our composite identity after the recognition by the Constitution of 1986 of Amazigh-ness as one of the three components of Algerian identity together with our Islamic and Arab heritage. The setting up of a Higher Council on Amazigh-ness at the Presidency of the Republic was another step in the right direction. We are committed to sparing no effort to recover fully the Amazigh cultural heritage which like all other local cultures is in danger of being swept away by modernization and globalization. At the same time we view the Internet as an excellent opportunity to promote these cultures.
It is somewhat a pity that the issue of Amazigh-ness has been restricted to its political connotations which, in a way, downgrades it. It is in need of a broader epistemological approach that has to do with communication, the art of being oneself, the promotion of awareness. It has to do with the awareness diversity within oneself and with acceptance and tolerance of diversity in others. It has to do with this unique flexibility of languages and concepts that enable us as Algerians to skip so easily from one system of signs and parameters to another. This diversity is our strength not our weakness.
Commitment to diversity is part of commitment to democracy. In the same way that we can’t advocate long-overdue democratization of international relations between States without upholding democratization in internal social relations, so also support of diversity is indivisible. Fostered by tolerance, it is another name for freedom.
http://www.algeria-us.org/news_reports/Berberism%20lecture%20Amb%20at%20AU%20nov%2019.htm
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Morocco takes a tumble in world corruption rankings.
By Sarah Touahri 2008-09-26
Transparency International's 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index lists Morocco in 80th place, signifying a fall of eight places since last year. Moroccans remain optimistic about the fight against corruption, but say the problem's root causes still need to be addressed. Morocco has taken a step backward in its fight against corruption, according to recent data from Transparency International. The group's 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index shows Morocco in 80th place out of 180 countries, a drop of eight places over 2007. The scores are the result of six inquiries on the ground, led by independent international agencies.
Rachid Filali Meknassi, Secretary-General of Transparency Maroc, said in a press briefing on Tuesday (September 23rd) that corruption has become systemic. "Morocco's fall in the rankings is due to the failure to effectively apply the reforms announced by the government to fight this phenomenon," he said. Transparency has expressed its disappointment with the decree to set up the central anti-corruption court, creating a body which is deprived both of institutional autonomy and of any power to investigate or take legal action.
The legal system and the administration are the sectors most affected. The association has called on authorities for "more effort to combat corruption in the country". Transparency says the measures needed to fight corruption should include a legal component. Protections also need to be included for citizens who report facts concerning offences to the relevant authorities in good faith and on the grounds of reasonable suspicion, under the terms of the United Nations convention on corruption.
According to the Moroccan government, this ranking is not based on an objective analysis of corruption, but on a simple study of perceptions of corruption. The government has said there is a great desire to eradicate this phenomenon, citing the creation of the central anti-corruption court, along with legal measures already put in place such as the passing of laws relating to money-laundering, delegated management and public officials' declaration of assets.
Nevertheless, concrete results are needed for the set objectives to be achieved. A government action plan under discussion since 2006 is intended to improve Morocco’s rating in the index. Objectives include simplified administrative procedures, establishing ethical and moral values and standards, strengthening transparency in the management of public sector tenders, improved monitoring, control and audits, and education on related issues.
MP Lahcen Daoudi told Magharebia that corruption affects all areas, beginning with elections."Corruption is a catastrophe and the government is doing nothing to eradicate it. They must set up barriers against it in legislation," he said. Meanwhile, fellow MP Fatima Mustaghfir said the fight against corruption is a matter for which the public, the administration and the authorities must all assume responsibility. "It is important to realise that corruption is due to low wages and also a feeling of injustice. We have to work on those areas," she told Magharebia.
There are many who feel that the state must act on major incidences of corruption, rather than focusing on the smaller cases. IT worker Hamid Zahrani said that to set an example for Moroccans, the government has a duty to clean up the administration and bring the major cases before the courts, so that the public's confidence in the authorities can be restored.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/09/26/feature-02
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Postcards from Morocco.
Wednesday Sep 24, 2008 Helen Cook
"Mum's suffering culture shock but she's getting over it with the help of her credit card." Cheeky devil! "Remind Mum to downsize her bottom before she takes 'un grand taxi' again." Okay, it was a bit of a squeeze with four large adults in the back of a clapped-out Merc but what a great way to meet the locals.
"If Mum gets us picked up one more time, I'm going home!" Who's talking! Morocco seemed the ideal place for a mother-daughter adventure. Sufficiently different culturally to feel like an adventure but safe enough if you respect the Muslim dress and behaviour codes.
Like Humphrey Bogart and co in the movie of the same name, we rendezvoused in Casablanca - Sarah from London and me from Auckland. The movie, which I had watched again before setting out, made it sound so romantic. It was only later that I found out the movie was made in Hollywood and the French "town" which inspired it was now a seething city of five million people.
Casablanca gets little mention in the books that expound the delights of Moroccan food, architecture and design. There's a reason. It's a crowded and dusty metropolis with little charm apart from a handful of art deco public buildings built when Morocco was a French protectorate in the 1920s and 30s. It is also very Muslim, which meant 4am wake-up calls from nearby mosques, unwelcome attention from men and no alcohol except in hotels and restaurants that cater for European travellers.
Our disappointment that we would not hear Bogart say "play it again" to Sam - though there is a replica of the fictional Rick's Bar - and drink martinis every balmy evening disappeared as we were absorbed by the chaos and colour that is modern Morocco.
We were there for two weeks, the first on our own and the second to join a walking expedition into the Atlas mountains. The organised expedition apart, our preparations were minimal - a hotel booked for our arrival in Casablanca and a Lonely Planet guide in our luggage. We were also on a budget, so the luxury riads and exotic restaurants enthused about by well-heeled tourists were off the agenda. Not that we were deprived - for around $100 a day we ate our fill of tagines, slept in clean and comfortable beds and had more adventures than misadventures.
We were looking forward to trying Morocco's famous cuisine and determined to eat what and where the locals ate. On our first night in Casablanca we spotted a cafe we thought would fit the bill. The problem was my French. What I assured Sarah would be a tasty lamb tagine turned out to be goat's brain. "Yuk", said Sarah. I should have known better. In a Madrid cafe a few years earlier I was stumped by the Spanish menu. Trying to be helpful, the waiter put his hands on his hips, flapped his arms and made noises like a chicken. "Ah, chicken wings! Yes please," I exclaimed. And out came a plate piled high with chicken livers.
"I'll buy a French dictionary," said I sheepishly. Casablanca proved a valuable training ground for the trip ahead. With the help of my French phrase book, we discovered the best way to get around within the cities was by les petit taxis, fleets of red second-hand imports from France. For slightly longer trips there were les grand taxis, mostly old white Mercedes which don't leave until full - four passengers in the back seat and two alongside the driver in the front. Cosy! For inter-city travel, there's an efficient and modern train service.
It was on the train from Casablanca to Fez, the oldest of Morocco's imperial cities, that we experienced our first "pick-up". Call me naive if you like, but I am still trying to decide if it was a positive or negative experience.
We started out with our first-class carriage to ourselves. Within a couple of stops, it was full. We suspected our companions were travelling on second-class tickets, which was confirmed when the conductor stopped by and discussions in Arabic became quite heated. Watching over the conductor's shoulder was a young man who was clearly interested in occupying one of the seats being vacated. Which he did, with great enthusiasm.
"Hi! You must be Australians," he greeted us in perfect English. No, we were New Zealanders."That's wonderful! I have some good friends from New Zealand. We worked together on the Lonely Planet guide to Morocco." I pulled my Lonely Planet guide out of my bag without thinking. "No, no. Not that one. The 2005 edition, with the Mosque Hassan II on the front." That was interesting, we had visited the mosque in Casablanca. It was the most incredibly beautiful building we had ever seen. "Well, I didn't work on that section exactly. I was in charge of checking the section on Fez. I'm mentioned on page 296."
The conversation flowed. Where were we going? Fez. That was his home town. Did we have accommodation organised? He had friends with a riad in the old city - he could arrange for us to stay there. Beyond our budget, we said. No problem. A friend worked at a lower cost hotel not far from the railway station. He would phone him right away to book us in. In just a few clickety-clacks of the rail track, our accommodation was organised, he had arranged for us to eat lunch at a local restaurant around the corner, and his brother - an official guide - would meet us that evening to arrange our tour of the historic old city.
We realised that our travelling companion probably took a commission from the hotel, the restaurant and his brother. In fact, that was probably how he earned his living, working the train to Fez. Were we conned? Probably, but not in a bad way. The hotel was reasonably priced and quite adequate, our lunch of fresh lamb cutlets delicious, and the brother turned up in his official guide uniform as arranged and, when we experienced the mayhem of the old city, we were very pleased to have him as our guide.
While Casablanca is a modern, albeit slightly scruffy, French-influenced metropolis, Fez is north African and Muslim through and through. The oldest city in Morocco, it is actually not one, but three cities. The oldest, called Fes el-Bali, was founded in the 9th century by the first powerful Muslim dynasty to rule Morocco. Then there's Fes el-Jedid, an imperial city built in the 14th century, just to the west of it. Finally, there's the Ville Nouvelle (new town) built by the French early in the 20th century.
It's Fes el-Bali that pulls in the tourists, although they are hardly noticeable in the chaos. While the city is a Unesco World Heritage Site, it's far from a "look but don't touch" museum. It's about 500 narrow, tangled streets of sheer mayhem, contained by high, fortified walls.
Here, life goes on almost as it might have in medieval times, except that the donkeys are likely to carry crates of Coke and credit card signs festoon shop doors. On the day we were to visit the old city our guide called to say he had been asked to look after a bus tour. Would we delay our visit until the next day? A little peeved, we decided to go on our own.
Le petit taxi dropped us off at one of the gates to the medina. In a moment we were surrounded by would-be guides. No, we didn't want their services, and we set out into the mayhem with at least a dozen hassling men in tow. Our discomfort mounted as we came to the first intersection. Should we go right, up the hill, or left? Panic set in when sellers of nougat, fruit, sandals and jewellery joined the chorus behind and around us. We were out of there!
We spent a very pleasant day at the smaller but equally old town of Sefrou, about 40 uncomfortable minutes south of Fez by un grand taxi. It was market day and the medina was packed with growers selling everything from strawberries and new potatoes to live snails.
Our guide to old Fez was as good as his word. He appeared next morning, full of apologies for letting us down, and led us on a grand tour that included traditional potteries and the famous but very smelly Fes tanneries.
The third and final city on our itinerary was Marrakesh, where we were to join our group trip into the Atlas mountains. The famous and beautiful "pink city" is a holiday destination of the rich and famous along with millions annually from every corner of the world. Tourism is central to its economy and it is not coy about making itself attractive. The wide boulevards are lined with orange, olive and jacaranda trees, bougainvillea and robinia spill over pink walls and rose gardens seem to go on for miles.
Centre of attention is the old medina and the Place Jemaa el-Fna - a market for medicinal plants, freshly squeezed orange juice, nuts and sweets during the day and a seething open-air food and entertainment show at night. It was here, following our expedition into the mountains, that Sarah got a proposal of marriage. But that's another story.
Helen Cook paid her own way to Morocco.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10533721
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Robert Assaraf presents new book 'Jews of Morocco Around the World'.
Paris, Sept. 19
Moroccan Jewish writer, Robert Assaraf presented on Thursday in Paris his new book, "Juifs du Maroc à travers le monde" which tells the story of the immigration of Jews from Morocco to Israel, Europe and America. The book also talks about the extraordinary revival of Judaism in Morocco, and its will to preserve its religious, cultural, musical, culinary and social traditions around the world.
It also offers a useful tool to understand the openness of a new and shining page of the thousand-year history of Judaism in Morocco. "Moroccan Jews, Assaraf told MAP, have maintained emotional ties with their country of origin (...) they have never given up their country of origin." "It's really an unquestionable attachment to the Moroccan people. Only Moroccans have this kind of attachment to their country of origin," he said.
The 72-year old native of Rabat is author of a number of books on Jews, especially "Mohammed V et les juifs du Maroc" (Mohammed V and Morocco's Jews - 1997), "Une certaine histoire des juifs du Maroc" (A certain history of Morocco’s Jews – 2005). Robert Assaraf is the founding president of the international research Center on Moroccan Jews (CRJM), and one of the founders of the world union of Moroccan Jews. He was also vice-president of the French magazine, Marianne.
"Juifs du Maroc à travers le monde" appears in the "Suger Press" edition of the Université Paris VIII
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/robert_assaraf_prese/view
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Morocco's 'Adieu mère' film chosen for 2009 Oscars competition.
Rabat, Sept. 24
Moroccan film "Adieu mère" (goodbye mother) by Mohammed Ismail was chosen to compete for the 2009 Oscars in the category of the best foreign language film, said on Tuesday a press release of the centre cinématographique marocain (Morocco's film centre- CCM). The film was chosen by a commission made up of movie professionals and critics in accordance with the criteria set up by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the press release added.
"Adieu mère", which was out in theatres in February 2008, tells the story of two old friends, one is Muslim (Brahim) and the other is Jewish (Henry). Fatima and Ruth, their respective wives, are close friends as well. Fatima, who cannot bear children, shows sincere affection for Ruth’s two children whom she considers as hers.
The movie seeks to show how selfless and generous actions of solidarity towards others should be the principal mission that everyone should be aware of, says the film director, Mohammed Ismail.
The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers.
The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is among the oldest, most prominent, most prestigious, and most watched film award ceremonies in the world.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/morocco_s__adieu_mer/view
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Moroccan movie 'Transes' to be screened in Ghent Film Festival.
Brussels, Sept.25
Moroccan movie "Transes" (1981) by director Ahmed El Maanouni will be shown in the 35th edition of Ghent Film Festival, slated for October 7- 18. "Transes" is a 92-minute documentary that talks about the immensely popular Moroccan Music group "Nass el-Ghiwane". It reveals and emphasizes the musical characteristics of this group inspired by Moroccan and African heritage.
The Belgian festival that will pay special tribute to African, Iranian, Afghan and Turkish cinema will also feature exhibitions dedicated to cinema. Ghent Film Festival, themed "the impact of music on film", is the biggest annual international movie festival in Belgium, attracting many famous film producers from around the world. Over 200 films will be screened at this year's festival.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/last_culture/moroccan_movie__tran/view
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