Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
June 5 2004

US designates Morocco as "major non-NATO ally"
Morocco-US FTA to be signed in June.
Meningitis epidemiological situation normal in Morocco, minister
90% of cancer cases in Morocco due to smoking
Morocco reports 1,389 of AIDS cases
Company gives Moroccan NGOs free Internet hosting.
Morocco aspires to reach 1 million beneficiaries of literacy campaign per year
Morocco's Gross Domestic Product Expected to Grow.
Rural Reforms.
Communal Councils for Children open in Marrakesh
Morocco to increase share of solar energy in rural electrification.
Solar energy brings delight but also frustrations for rural Morocco.
Morocco to build Marrakesh-Agadir road.
Production of new low-cost car to revive Moroccan auto industry.
Tourism Sector Recovery Underway in Morocco.
My Judaism is questioned, as long as Palestinians are deprived of basic rights (HM King advisor)
Neolithic Era skeleton discovered near Rabat.
Moroccan author wins Maghreban culture award 2004.
Moroccan Lawmakers Adopt New Social Security Regime
Sefrou city celebrates 85th cherry festival
Sacred World Music Festival kicks off in Fez

US designates Morocco as "major non-NATO ally"

Morocco has been designated a major non-Nato US ally by President Bush, in recognition of the country's support in the US-led war on terror.
The category also includes Israel, Egypt, Kuwait, and pro-western Asian nations. The designation is expected to make it easier for American companies to sell arms to Morocco. The US is also expected to sign a free-trade agreement with Morocco later this month.

'Rights eroded'  "The president took this step in recognition of the close US-Morocco relationship, our appreciation for Morocco's steadfast support in the global war on terror, and for King Mohamed's role as a visionary leader in the Arab world," a senior administration official said. The Moroccan authorities have arrested about 2,000 people in cases linked to terrorism since it was hit by a suicide attack in Casablanca last May. About 45 people, 12 of them bombers, were killed. Morocco has increased its co-operation in fighting terrorism with Spain following the Madrid bomb attacks that killed 191 people. Fourteen of the 18 people provisionally charged in connection with attacks on trains were Moroccans.  However, human rights groups have said that the anti-terror measures have eroded human rights and that suspected Islamists have been tortured by security agents. Correspondents say the elevated status does not imply the mutual security guarantees that Washington has with its European allies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3776413.stm
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Morocco-US FTA to be signed in June.
Economics, 5/29/2004

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Morocco and the United States will be signed on June 11 in Washington, a US source said Thursday.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040529/2004052915.html
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Meningitis epidemiological situation normal in Morocco, minister
RABAT, June 02

The epidemiological situation of meningitis in Morocco is normal, and the number of cases does not exceed the yearly average, said health minister, Mohammed Cheikh Biadillah. Speaking at the Chamber of Advisers' question time, Biadillah said the number of cases, as compared to the average of past years, show we don't have an epidemiological situation, but only isolated cases, recorded in regions far from one another, especially if compared to the situation in sub-Saharan Africa or in 1980, when the kingdom had around 2,000 cases.

The number of meningitis-related deaths did not exceed two- two children, one from Tetouan (north) and the other from Rabat (west), as they were receiving treatment abroad. The minister recalled that his department undertakes vaccination campaigns that benefit some 200,000 persons annually, mainly in military caserns, charity establishments and prisons, and for pilgrims. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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90% of cancer cases in Morocco due to smoking
RABAT, June 01

90 percent of cancer cases in Morocco are due to smoking, said Monday a doctor of the National Institute of Oncology Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah. Dr. Leila Laalou, who was speaking at a conference here on the effects of tobacco and drugs, on the World Day against Smoking, said 40% of smokers are women and that 50,000 new cancer cases are recorded annually in Morocco, including 12,000 only treated in oncology centers. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco reports 1,389 of AIDS cases
CASABLANCA, June 03

Since the first AIDS case was reported in Morocco in 1986, a total of 1,389 cases were declared until May 31, revealed on Thursday the Health Ministry. Nearly 97 percent of these cases are Moroccans, including 1 percent of Moroccan expatriates, said the ministry on the occasion of the launch of the first nationwide social communication campaign against AIDS. The prevailing way of AIDS transmission, according to the ministry, is through heterosexual intercourse with a rate of 74 percent, homosexual relations (6 percent), bisexual relations (4 percent) drugs (3 percent) and mother-to-child transmission. Meanwhile, causes of infection in 7 percent of cases are unknown. People in the 14-29 age bracket are the most affected by the virus, with 25 percent cases registered, says the ministry, pointing out that women are often infected by the disease at an early age.

According to the same source, the national AIDS control program, which is using techniques defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), estimated that between 13,000 and 16,000 the number of persons carrying the AIDS virus until the end of 2003. Moroccan Health Minister, Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah, told a press conference Wednesday that the anti-AIDS campaign, to be conducted from June to December, aims at raising awareness and informing people, particularly the youth on HIV infection risks and on means of transmission and prevention.

He added that the campaign, financed by the Anti-Aids World Fund assistance program, is also destined to fight discrimination against people suffering from AIDS. According to the minister, this operation, which will require a budget of 3.5 million Dhs (US $388), will be carried out with the help of health professionals, UN cadres, NGOs representatives and communication professionals. At the world level, five million people were infected by the HIV in 2003. Each day, 14,000 people contract the virus, that is 10 new cases per minute. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Company gives Moroccan NGOs free Internet hosting.
RABAT, June 01

A Moroccan company, specialized in the registration of domain names, has decided to give Moroccan non-governmental organizations, for free, 5 mega octets of free space and host their website on the Internet. "Arcanes Technologies", a Casablanca-based company, says the offer encompasses the whole set of programming languages used worldwide for the development of web-sites and an unlimited number of e-mails for the associations' members.

The initiative seeks to "contribute to consolidating the organization and communication capacities of the Moroccan associations by easing their access to the Internet," and "reflects the company's direct and active involvement in the promotion of various development projects carried out by the associations", explains the company's general manager, Amine Riad.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco aspires to reach 1 million beneficiaries of literacy campaign per year
CAIRO, June 03

Morocco ambitions to reach an annual one million beneficiaries of the literacy campaign, and school 200,000 children per year, said, here Wednesday, Moroccan Secretary of State in charge of literacy and informal education. Addressing a meeting of Arab education ministers held part of the regional congress on "education for all: Arab prospective vision," Najima Rhozali noted that the literacy campaign organized in Morocco, dubbed "Massirat Ennour" (march toward light), means to fight adult illiteracy and non-schooling of children. She added that several governmental sectors and institutions representing the civil society have taken part in this operation.

According to Rhozali, a national strategy for informal education and the fight of illiteracy was drawn up to achieve the objectives set by the national education and training charter. This strategy, she underlined, consists in reinforcing partnerships, mobilizing schools and raising the funds needed for its implementation. The Arab regional congress, which started Tuesday in Cairo, is organized by the Egyptian Education Ministry in collaboration with the UNESCO and UNICEF.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco's Gross Domestic Product Expected to Grow.
May 31, 2004 (LiquidAfrica via COMTEX)

Morocco's Gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by an estimated 4.4% by end of 2004. It expected that internal demand for goods and services will increase by 7%, the same source said, noting that the rise in households demand is due to creation of new jobs and the rethinking of the minimum wage, decided in mid-2003. The center said despite the restrictive aspect of the current finance law, which reflects public authorities' determination to preserve macroeconomic balance, these trends will cause the global budget deficit to reach 3.8% of the GDP.
(C) 2004 Prime Securities, Redistributed by LiquidAfrica.com, All Rights Reserved http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=152i6135&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
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Rural Reforms.
Morocco, June-1 Volume 34. 01.06.2004

With tourism such a staple of Morocco's economy in recent years, developing a strategy to maximise returns from this notoriously fickle trade has been given considerable priority by the government in Rabat. In this regard, late May saw a gathering to promote tourism in rural areas that coincided with another state initiative to try and resolve some of the pressing land issues facing many of Morocco's farmers.

At present, Morocco plays host to around 0.1% of the world's "rural" tourists, according to official figures. This includes those who spend their holidays in regions away from the established coastal resorts, or city destinations. Worldwide, the numbers who opt for such vacations are thought to number around 150m, with 50m of those in Europe. Attracting more of these type of travellers to Morocco is seen by the government as a useful way of boosting rural economies, which, while responsible for a major share of the country's GDP through agriculture, are also the least developed financially. With the government's Vision 2010 tourism plan envisaging some 10m tourists visiting the country in six years' time, boosting the rural tourism infrastructure - and rural tourism's profile - represent major issues for the sector.

Currently, some 53% of all tourists stay in the country's Atlas Mountains region, 33% in the desert areas, 7% in the Rif - principally in and around Chefchaouen - and the remaining 7% are spread across all the other regions. To try and focus these visitors on particular areas, the government established special tourism development zones known as pays d'accueil touristique (PATs). The first of these, established in Chefchaouen in December 2003, has a budget of around Dh5m, contributed by a range of different ministries and authorities, including the Ministry of Tourism, the Administration of Waters and Forests, the Social Development Agency and the Northern Development Agency.

Five months after the launch of this pilot project, another PAT is being established for the Ifrane region, known as the Middle Atlas PAT. This includes the ancient imperial capital of Fes, has a budget also of around Dh5m and is being presented as a special mountain tourism project.
Presenting this to an assembly of a dozen tour operators 19-23 May, a Ministry of Tourism spokesman said the aim was to "reinforce the attractiveness of this region", L'Economiste reported. The PAT will establish a series of walking tours around the mountainous region, with the idea that this will bring in tourism dollars to the Middle Atlas' more deprived rural communities, as well as cornering a niche market.

The Chefchaouen PAT has the target of bringing in around 5000 tourists a year to visit its region - and the Middle Atlas PAT has similar goals. Yet, as L'Economiste also pointed out, such projects require a great deal of groundwork before they can bring any dependable income into areas where tourism may provide one of the only non-agricultural sources of employment and income. The construction of hotels, camping areas, paths and a myriad of other support services is also required, with some at the May gathering questioning whether the budget was really adequate to the task. In addition, publicising the availability of this vacation option also requires major work, particularly in the European market, which is likely to be the main source of tourists for such holidays.

The initiative also drew attention once again to the plight of Morocco's rural areas. In May, many of the inhabitants of these territories received news of a new draft law from the Governing Council on land usage. The law concerns land given to some farmers before 1966, when a new agrarian reform law was declared. The ambiguous status of these lands had left their owners with great difficulties in securing funds to develop them, and many had ended up abandoned or otherwise vacant. What to do with this land - estimated at around 20,000 ha nationwide - was the subject of the new regulation.

What the government decided was to distribute this land to people coming forward who have been resident in the areas concerned for at least five years and have qualifications in agricultural development. The new law also permits the owners, if their land is within urban areas, to use the land for purposes other than agriculture - such as construction. The aim of the new regulation is therefore clearly to try and bring more investment into land, with other provisions encouraging agricultural co-operatives to band together and relaxing government involvement in both them and the sector as a whole. It represents, therefore, another step towards a freeing up of Morocco's agricultural market.

Both the PATs and new land usage regulations are therefore being welcomed by many investors and tourism and agriculture sector insiders. Whether they will do enough to really bring capital into the country's depressed rural areas remains to be seen, but there are plenty with their fingers' crossed.
http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=889
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Communal Councils for Children open in Marrakesh
MARRAKESH (South of Rabat), June 04

HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, sister of HM King Mohammed VI of Morocco, chaired, here Thursday, the opening of the first session of the Communal Councils for Children, held under the theme "for cities worthy of their children." This operation, launched by the Secretariat of State in charge of Family, Solidarity and Social Action in collaboration with the National Observatory for Children's Rights (ONDE), is meant to raise the awareness of children concerning local issues, in conformity with the instructions issued by HM King Mohammed VI.

In a recent message, the monarch called for "encouraging children to be firmly committed to good morals, to human ideals, and to the rights and obligations entailed by responsible citizenship." Children, he went on, "should also be encouraged to take keen interest in the sound management of public affairs, based on tolerance, respect of other people's views and total rejection of all forms of extremism, violence and abuse."

The Communal Councils for Children also aim at encouraging elected councils to integrate children related-questions in their development programs.
Secretary of State in charge of Family, Solidarity and Social Action, Yasmina Badou, said this session is a historical turning point in the process of children's rights in Morocco. The success of this experience, she said, is an added value to the efforts made for the consecration of children's rights at the local level. The election of representatives of the Communal Councils was organized in various cities. Seats were divided equally between children of the two sexes while 10 percent of seats were dedicated to handicapped and orphan children.
MAP 2004  http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco to increase share of solar energy in rural electrification.
BONN, June 02

Moroccan Energy and Mining Minister, Mohamed Boutaleb, said, here Tuesday, the share of solar energy in the rural electrification program currently accounts for over 3 percent and will be increased to reach 8 or 10 percent by 2007-08. Boutaleb, who was addressing an international conference on renewable energy held in Bonn, said this strategy will be consolidated through an agreement with Germany on the support of the thermosolar energy.

The Moroccan official told MAP a declaration of support will be signed between the two countries during the conference. He said the document concerns the promotion of adequate market conditions for the construction of a thermosolar power plant of 6000 MW by 2015. Morocco, Boutaleb said, is determined to carry on efforts to increase the use of renewable energy, as part of what he described as a "strategic option" to promote social and economic sustainable development.

Means to promote the use of renewable energy topped the debates of the four-day conference that is bringing together 3,000 participants, including over 130 ministers and 350 parliamentarians in addition to international organizations, researchers and NGOs. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Solar energy brings delight but also frustrations for rural Morocco.
(AFP) 31 May 2004 SIDI SEBAA, Morocco

Sun power has brought a glimmer of urban convenience into this remote mountain village, whose poor inhabitants scratch out a living alongside chickens, sheep and goats. Until last December, the only nighttime light in Sidi Sebaa, 120 kilometers (75 miles) by pot-holed road from Casablanca, came from candles or paraffin lamps. Televisions were powered by small petrol generators or from cables hooked up to truck batteries. Today, the clatter, pollution and cost of those energy sources have disappeared. Set up on home balconies to harvest sunlight, 12-volt solar panels provide households with 50 watts: enough to power between four and eight lightbulbs as well as the TV, invariably enthroned in pride of place in the main room. "As far as I am concerned, solar power is a step forward," says Wafa Ouardi, a young woman who is the village's primary-school teacher.

Life in Sidi Sebaa "is very difficult," she says. With the magic of electricity, she can correct the pupils' schoolwork at night, watch television or even a film on her DVD player. Others, though, complain that the panels are too puny to provide more than just an elusive taste of an easier life. "People here are asking why they were not connected to the national electricity grid," says an elder. "Solar power is only enough for a few lightbulbs and the TV, but not the fridge."

The panel initiative is the result of a tie-up between France's state-run electricity producer, EDF, the French oil and gas giant Total and a solar power specialist they jointly own, Temasol. "The electricity grid provides an economic structure," says Mohammed Berdai, director of a Moroccan agency, the Centre for the Development of Renewable Energies (CDER). "It not only brings electricity but also roads, shops, other activities."
"Solar power is clearly considered here to be the poor man's energy source," admits Henri Boye, EDF's chief representative in Morocco. "But when it comes to remote villages, you can't cable up everywhere, it would cost too much.

The choice is not whether you get hooked up to the grid or solar power, it is between solar power and nothing."

Forty-four percent of Morocco's 30 million people live in rural areas. Since 1994, the number of countryside dwellers with electricity has risen from 17 percent to just over than 50 percent, virtually all of them connected to the grid. The goal is 100 percent by 2007, and solar power is a major part of the mix, along with wind turbines, mini-networks powered by petrol generators or, of course, mains electricity. Whenever it costs more than 27,000 dirhams (2,700 euros, 3,200 dollars) to connect a household up to the grid, engineers turn to solar.

The panels are not a gift. The household must rent them. The price is heavily subsidised thanks to international support but at 65 dirhams (6.5 euros, 7.8 dollars) a month is still high enough to ensure that the household looks after the equipment. Consumers who are already connected to the grid pay a small tax-two percent of their monthly bill-to help fellow Moroccans get access to solar. To win over doubters, Temasol undertakes to maintain the panels for 10 years after purchase.

Temasol has already provided solar power for 6,000 rural homes, and is bidding for more work under a programme tranche to supply 110,000 households. "We want to prove that solar is cost effective," Temasol's director, Stephane Maureau. The company is planning to offer a "fridge"
option for households-if they pay more, they will get a bigger panel to generate more power which will enable them to run a refrigerator.
But, says Maureau, around 20 percent of customers are too poor ever to envisage this. A four-day international conference on alternative energies to fossil fuels opens in Bonn on Tuesday. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2004/May/theworld_May536.xml&section=theworld
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Morocco to build Marrakesh-Agadir road.
Wednesday, June 2, 2004 RABAT, Morocco (Reuters)

King Mohammed has ordered the construction of a long-awaited highway to link two main cities in the North African country at a cost of 6.2 billion dirhams ($690 million), state news agency MAP said. Work on the 240-km (150-mile) highway between the southern tourist resorts of Marrakesh, at the foothills of the Atlas mountains, and Agadir, on the Atlantic Coast, will start in September 2005 and end in 2009.

Once completed, the road will give Morocco a complete highway network between its largest cities, from Tangiers in the north to Agadir and Marrakesh in the south, Fes to the east and through the capital Rabat and the economic hub Casablanca. Agadir and Marrakesh are ranked as top resorts for some 2.5 million foreign tourists who visit Morocco each year. They are also key agricultural areas feeding the country's exports.
Businessmen have been calling for years for the highway to be built. It will cut by half the average time of travel estimated at a minimum four hours. http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/06/02/bt.marrakesh.road.reut/
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Production of new low-cost car to revive Moroccan auto industry.
Jun 3, 2004 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX)

The project to make a new low-cost car in Morocco by the local car-assembling company (SOMACA) would help reviving the kingdom's car industry, said CEO of SOMACA, Larbi Belarbi. The executive said during an interview with the Moroccan news website menara.ma that following the privatisation of SOMACA last June, French Renault bought over 36% of state shares. Fiat, which made and marketed three brands of cheap cars in Morocco, halted its production in December 2003 and SOMACA is presently in a stage of transition and preparation to launch the cheap L-90 in July 2005, he conveyed.

SOMACA, which will produce an initial 15,000 units of the cheap car, before reaching 90,000 cars, plans to export half of its production. The L-90 was officially showcased on Wednesday in Paris. The Logan is being built by Dacia, the loss-making Romanian unit being revamped by the French firm, and will be sold under the Renault and Dacia brands, depending on the region. Despite the 35% decline in the production volume entailed by the halt in Fiat's industrial activities, SOMACA did not conduct any layoff and maintained the salary advantages, Belarbi disclosed. (menareport.com) By Mena Report Reporters (C) 2004 Albawaba.com, All rights reserved. http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=155w8061&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
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Tourism Sector Recovery Underway in Morocco.
02 June 2004

The latest official data indicates that the tourism sector in Morocco is showing signs of recovery. The first four months of this year saw the entry of 1.27 million tourists in Morocco, representing a strong 21% year-on-year growth. In April alone, some 369,000 foreign visitors went to Morocco for leisure purposes.

As a result, other travel-related indicators were up, such as the number of hotel nights sold increasing by 11%. The hotel nights figure also includes some 19% of domestic travelers. Most tourism sites benefited from this recovery, including Agadir, Fez, Tangiers, Casablanca, Marrakech and Ouarzazate. French tourists still accounted for the bulk of foreign entry, representing 40% of total visitors. © The North Africa Journal 2004
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=ZAWYA20040602081502&Section=Countries&page=Morocco&l=081500040602
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My Judaism is questioned, as long as Palestinians are deprived of basic rights (HM King advisor)
FEZ, June 03

André Azoulay, advisor of HM King Mohammed VI of Morocco, asserted, here Tuesday, "it is the Judaism I learnt in Morocco that I identify with (...) and as long as the Palestinians are denied their most basic rights, an essential part of my Judaism is questioned." Speaking during a debate held part of the days on the "Culture of peace in the Middle east," Azoulay evoked his personal battle for the "triumph of justice and dignity", underlining that freedom and dignity to which he aspires would only have a meaning and legitimacy "should the other, the neighbor, (...) enjoy them without restriction." "It is this Judaism I've learned in Morocco that I identify with, and today (...) my neighbor is, before all Palestinian, and as long as this Palestinian is denied his most basic rights, an essential part of my Judaism is questioned."

In a world where doubt and the logic of exclusion and confrontation often prevail, he went on, "the deepness of Moroccan Judaism and the strength of its conservative instinct is a reference in which I invite you to meditate," said Azoulay. HM the king's advisor highlighted the urgent need to "preserve, by educating and informing, the coming generations, the essence of the social, human, and spiritual heritage that Moslems and Jews have inseminated together in Morocco for centuries."

"This heritage will remain, if we decide collectively to mobilize for the education of our children in the knowledge and respect of what the generations before them have built," he noted at the opening of the cultural days, held on the fringes of the festival of World Sacred Music in Fez.
Experts from the Middle East, the United States, and Europe attended the cultural days debates. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_depmay212.htm
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Neolithic Era skeleton discovered near Rabat.
RABAT, May 31

A skeleton dating back to the Neolithic era (6,000 years BC), has been recently discovered in the Skhirat-Temara region, outskirts of Rabat. The presence of this skeleton in a cavern reveals the existence of other relics of the past that have not yet been discovered, Moroccan geologist and searcher, Abdeljalil Hajraoui, told here Monday the national TV "TVM". Concerning the skeleton whose characteristics provide some indications about the history of ancient Morocco and its environment, Aich Boujaâ, professor at the Rabat-based National Institute of Archeology and heritage (INAP), said it measures 1.80 meters, just like the three other skeletons of men discovered in the same cavern.

Culture Minister, Mohamed Achâari, noted that "technological progress in excavation will enable to make even more important historical discoveries." The first excavations carried out in Temara, one of the richest archeological caves at the national level, have so far enabled to discover 12 skeletons, remnants of elephants and gazelles belonging to disappeared species. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Moroccan author wins Maghreban culture award 2004.
TUNISIA, May 28

Tunisian president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, on Thursday handed to the Moroccan writer and journalist, Abdelkrim Ghallab, the Maghreban Culture Award 2004 for "his eminent contribution in the service of history and civilization in the Arab Maghreb." In a statement to MAP Tunis, Ghallab said this award is "an honor to all Moroccan thinkers and intellectuals." He also hailed the important measures announced by the Tunisian president to promote culture and encourage creativity in Tunisia.  The Tunisian president also extended awards to other figures in human sciences, culture, media and architecture. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Moroccan Lawmakers Adopt New Social Security Regime

The Moroccan chamber of representatives adopted last week a new social security regime. The new regime earmarks additional financial resources to pay for the establishment of an early retirement fund for workers who are 55 years old or older. Workers insured in the social security system are allowed to apply for early retirement as long as they comply with the age requirement. The new regime also introduces new prerogatives, duties and powers to the board of directors of the social security administration and other new additions.
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Sefrou city celebrates 85th cherry festival
SEFROU, June 05

The city of Sefrou (near Fez) is celebrating this June 4-6 the 85th cherry festival, titled this year "sound environment, pillar of development". The event, opened, as usual, by the beauty pageant "Miss Cherry", features Arab and Berber traditional weddings and the cherry handout ceremony, all of it at Andalusi music and tunes of folkloric Aissaoua. The festival, which has also prized Sefrou's best cherry producers since 1920, also includes paintings, books and handicraft exhibitions, as well as sports contests. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Sacred World Music Festival kicks off in Fez.
FEZ, May 29

HRH Princess Lalla Salma, spouse of HM King Mohammed VI, chaired here Friday night the opening ceremony of the 10th edition of Fez festival of the world sacred music, organized under the theme "traces of lights". The princess, accompanied by Viviane Wade, spouse of the Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade, attended the inaugural concert, entitled "hymn of life," performed by the chorus of Children of Fez.This internationally renowned festival, held from May 28 to June 5, is a symbol of hope, peace and coexistence between peoples. It is also a call for harmonization, spirituality and diversity of cultures. In 2001, the United Nations has honoured the festival by classifying it among the seven world events that contribute to dialogue among civilizations. MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_dep6666.htm

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