Dateline Morocco
News Reports from Morocco via the Moroccan and International Press
FOM Newsletter Spring 1997
L' reviewed a new novel, Danger Tanger. The story takes place in the summer of 1960, after the French had left the city. Clara is day-dreaming in the shade of an orchard overlooking the sea, high above Tangiers. She's dreaming of having a rich American take her away. The story revolves around life of a modern woman who does not at all envy the women of the kasbah, who are still wrapped in their djelabas and veils. As Clara becomes more and more depressed, her love, Ali, steps in to save her from her slow self-destruction. L' calls this first novel from Sylvia Fol, "grabbing, exotic, strong, and sensual" Published by Laffont, the 280 page book is only available in French.
National Geographic printed a story about Gibraltar, Morocco' British/Spanish neighbor to the north, in its November 1996 issue. In usual NG fashion, the article is lavishly photographed. The article presents the many faces of Gibraltar, asking throughout, "Who are we (Gibraltarians), really?" The history of Britain' 300-year reign over Gibraltar is outlined, and current problems facing this nearly last British outpost are discussed.
Architectural Digest in its November 1996 issue, ran a story on Dar Tamsna in Marrakech: Morocco' Most Fashionable Retreat owned by Merryanne Loum-Martin, and built in an area of the Palmerie, outside the city. It is the story of an abandoned house that has been restored and expanded for use as a family reunion site. Loum-Martin' father lives in Senegal, her brothers and sisters live in Paris and the West Indies, and she lives in Paris, so they needed a central meeting place for semi-annual family reunions. The house was restored using Moroccan artisans, arts, and materials. For more information contact Loum-Martin at 33.1.47.55.06.25, or fax 33.1.45.04.36.55. The building is available for lease or special functions when the family is not using it.
The International Herald-Tribune writes about the new financial framework that is emerging in Morocco. Because, as H.M. King Hassan II said it, "red tape is scaring off even the most dedicated foreign investor" -legislation and regulations concerning investment in Morocco were streamlined. Now, after a ten-year adjustment period, the system is showing progress. One example is the Casablanca Stock Exchange, which had a turnover increase of 53% in 1995. Within the framework is the selling of 114 state-owned businesses by 1998, of which 47 have been sold, including steel-rolling mills, cement plants, hotels, and filling stations. The European Union has set up a $58 million risk capital fund, and Morocco' first two mutual funds have been established.
The International Herald-Tribune reported on the 1996 opening of the Euro-Maghreb pipeline. A major event for the Moroccan economy, the pipeline takes Algerian natural gas across Morocco to Europe. Because Morocco must import 30% of its total consumption of electric power from Spain, it hopes to tap in to this energy source as it passes through Morocco on its way to Spain and beyond. The 1,385 km pipeline (540 km pass through Morocco) took five years to build, and involved 85 companies, costing $1.2 billion. Extensions to Portugal, France, and Germany will be completed in 1997. In Morocco, the gas will be used to generate electricity and to fuel cement and sugar plants, since all fuel oil must now be imported. The Office National d' is currently asking foreign power companies to build electric generating plants in Morocco. It is hoped that the pipeline will help to stabilize ties between Morocco and Algeria, since the success of the pipeline requires cooperation. Most diplomats see the pipeline as a major stabilizer for the entire region. The pipeline dovetails nicely with Morocco' policy of strengthening ties with Europe, including plans to build a tunnel under the Straits of Gibraltar, providing direct road and rail connections between Europe and Africa.
Associated Press & National Public Radio reported from Paris, saying the December subway bombing that killed four people, included one Moroccan. Eighty-seven others were injured. France blamed her European neighbors for harboring terrorists. It is not known who is responsible for the blast.
Travel & Leisure, in its October 1996 issue, gave its annual "best of" lists. In the category of the World' Best Hotels, La Mamounia in Marrakech ranks with the best. In the "Best 25 Hotels in Africa and the Middle East" category, La Mamounia ranks fifth, the Palais Jamai Hotel, in Fez, ranks thirteenth, and Royal Mansour, in Casablanca, ranks twenty-fourth.
National Geographic, in its October 1996 issue, published a rather lengthy article called Morocco: North Africa' Timeless Mosaic. It states "in this oasis of order in a region of conflict," the storied kingdom faces harsh realities of poverty, unemployment, and overpopulation. The article delves into the political, economic, and social conflicts and problems, and goes on to say that the economic strides so applauded by the international banking community, have done little to lift the marginal life of many Moroccans. It notes that Morocco is the only North African country that has no oil, having to rely on its other advantages: one of the richest fishing fields in the world and the world' largest phosphate deposits.
Associated Press reported from Paris in December 1996, that French courts ordered prison sentences for dozens of Islamic militants who allegedly plotted to destabilize Morocco' government with a series of bloody attacks. The thirty-four people sentenced included Moroccan, Abdelilah Ziyad, who admitted orchestrating the August 1994 attack in Marrakech that killed two Spanish tourists. In testimony, Ziyad said he decided to use violence to lay the groundwork for "an Islamic state to counter the dictatorial power of King Hassan II." Testimony revealed that other attacks were planned, but never carried out, including machine-gunning bathers on a Tangiers beach, and killing Jews and police in Casablanca. Most of the young people recruited by the group were North Africans, including some Moroccans.
The Washington Post, in a report by Nora Boustany, described the official dinner reception given in Washington on the occasion of Sidi Mohammed, Crown Prince of Morocco' visit. There were all-female musicians in traditional garb serenading Washingtonians supping on a five-course Moroccan meal. The Crown Prince was dressed in his fez and white burnoose and babouches, speaking in flawless English and French, "holding back his views" on what course future Moroccan generations should take. The maitre d' from the Moroccan ambassador' residence was serving only the Crown Prince (though palace cooks traveled with the Crown Prince, it is not known if his food was cooked and tasted separately), as is custom with royal caution and habit. Morocco' ambassador, Mohammed Benaissa, gave a speech which led to raised eyebrows, by paying special tribute to his wife. Laila Benaissa "hastened to add that her husband picked up the gesture ' in the United States'." In a previous interview, he said of his wife, "She is a partner."
Architectural Record printed an article in its January 1997 issue, titled Road to Morocco: Juan Montoya' Favorite Sources in Marrakech. It is a photographic tour of the best rug, metal, and ceramic shops. It includes descriptions of museums where the "best of North Africa and the Arab World" is on display. Also mentioned are shops that specialize in architectural reproductions and antiques. A simple map of the major museums and souks is included, along with some shop names, addresses, and telephone numbers. The specialty of each shop is noted.
Aramco World included an article entitled Nights With Fires and Drums: Paul Bowles and Morocco, written by Louis Werner. It is a brief interview and essay about Bowles photography and music. FOM member Bowles, now 85, has been seriously documenting Morocco, particularly Tangier, in photo and recordings, since 1947, when he moved permanently to Tangier to live. Bowles wrote of his first year in Morocco that "Radio had not yet arrived. You could sit in a cafe in the center of the madinah and hear only the sound of many hundreds of voices." He covered nearly 40,000 kilometers in his quest for traditional Moroccan music. Bowles is one of the first ethnomusicologists to note what effect his own presence - and that of his tape recorder - had on the performance, a practice that has since become a research standard.
Aramco World in the May/ June 1996 issue, has an article entitled Arabs, Almonds, Sugar and Toledo, by Tor Eigeland. The article explains and documents the Moorish influence that has remained in Southern Spain' cooking, with particular emphasis on pastries and marzipan. Toledo' past reads like a resume of the history of Spain itself. First settled by the Celtiberians, it was conquered by the Romans, then the Visigoths. The Arabs landed in Spain in 711, arriving in Toledo the following year, beginning their long and tolerant rule of the city, then named Tulaytilah. Their tolerance was repaid, for when King Alfonso VI of Castile reconquered Toledo in 1085, he offered generous conditions to its citizens, thus continuing a highly civilized period of convivencia, when Arabs, Christians, and Jews lived prosperously and harmoniously in the city. The article goes on to tell the story of marzipan, of which there are two ingredients: almonds and sugar, introduced to Toledo by the Moors. It was likely "developed" in Baghdad, because almonds originated in Central Asia. (The conquering Arabs were from Morocco, establishing Spain and southern France as the northern-most provinces of the empire that was centered variously on Marrakech and Fez.)
Travel & Leisure, in the January 1997 issue, includes Marrakech as one of three "surprising getaways" that can be had for $1,000.00 or less. The one-week getaway allows $699.00 for New York/Casablanca air travel and hotels, $140.00 for meals, $30.00 for taxis, $35.00 for souvenirs, $25.00 for a guide, and $15.00 for a massage. That brings the total to $944.00. For a list of agencies offering such tours, contact the Moroccan Tourist Office, 212.557. 2520.
