Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
February 24, 2007

Morocco to promote internal tourism.
11/02/2007     By Sarah Touahri

To promote internal tourism, the government is joining forces with travel agencies to develop packages that cater to the different needs and budgets of Moroccan tourists.

In a bid to eventually double the number of holidays spent in recognised commercial accommodation from the current level of 1.1 million per year to 2 million by 2010, Morocco plans to promote internal tourism, according to Abbas Azzouzi, chief executive officer of the Moroccan National Tourism Office.

Sociologist Jamal Choufani explains that even though Moroccans have always travelled, the majority stay with relatives or friends to avoid paying for a hotel. He believes Morocco has not yet managed to develop a full range of hotel services or tourist facilities which adequately meet people’s needs in terms of affordability and flexibility.

For that, the tourism office plans to develop products that all Moroccans can afford. Azzouzi says that his department based its plans on a survey by an international agency on the behaviour and expectations of Moroccan holiday-makers. The survey, in which 6,000 people took part, showed that 73% of domestic tourists favoured family accommodation.

Plans are under way to create packages catering to the needs of every segment --campsites, tourist residences, family holiday villages -- as well as integrated tourist zones in various regions of the country.

A theme-based promotion timetable has been drawn up taking school and national holidays into account. At the beginning of this year, the focus will be on the south, in particular Ouarzazate, Zagora, Merzouga and Errachidia. In April, destinations with significant natural potential such as Tetouan, Chefchaouen, Ifrane, Fes and Meknes will be promoted to Moroccans.

The strategy is based primarily on "Kounouz Biladi" (The Treasures of my Country) -- a plan involving the creation of eight different tourist zones in major national tourist destinations and offering competitive prices. Partnership contracts have been signed with three travel agencies to implement the plans and promotional campaigns are planned to take place before the launch of each of the three initiatives.

The offers run from as little as 1,250 dirhams for a two-night stay in a 3-star hotel in Essaouira to a week in a 4-star hotel in Agadir for 2,925 dirhams. Weekend deals are also offered for Ouarzazate and Zagora with packages catering to different budgets.

Jamal Meftah, a teacher, welcomes the initiative. He says he will now be able to take his family of five on holiday. "I can’t afford to stay in hotels. With the offers now available in tourist accommodation, I’ll be able to have some nice holidays with my wife and children."

This view is shared by a large number of Moroccan families who believe they will now have the opportunity to explore their country. Hicham Chamali, a banker, says that the special offers will enable him to explore a variety of regions of the country.

http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/02/11/feature-01
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One in 100 children is born with congenital heart defect in Morocco, surgeon.
Casablanca, Feb. 16 -

One child out of 100 is born with a cardiac malformation, known as congenital cardiopathy, causing 50 pc of infant mortality in Morocco, revealed the chairman of the NGO "Bonnes oeuvres du Coeur," Said Ejjennane.

"Out of 500,000 newborns, 5000 suffer from congenital heart defects, and only 10 pc undergo surgery," underlined Ejjennane, a pediatric cardiac surgeon on the 1sth national cardiopathy awareness day.

Morocco has made progress in pediatric cardiology and pediatric cardiac surgery, the surgeon noted. In Morocco, cardiac surgery costs 5 to 6 times less than in Europe where the price may amount to USD 30.000, he added.

In the same development, a Canadian team of Ste. Justine Hospital heart specialists are expected in Casablanca on a two-week humanitarian mission in April to treat young children with severe congenital heart defects.

The team, led by cardiologist Joaquim Miro, last year, performed 11 open-heart surgeries plus catheterizations on 41 infants and children in Morocco.

This year, the team will attempt to do open-heart surgery and other procedures to correct severe malformations on at least 50 children, according to Canadian media.

These young patients have already been diagnosed by local doctors at the the Institut Humanitaire Cardio-Pediatrique de Casablanca.An estimated 3,000 new cases of severe congenital heart defects are diagnosed annually in Moroccan children, Miro said.

"The most important part of these missions is a transfer of expertise. We're going to teach these medical interventions so the cardiologists at the Institut can become self-sufficient and autonomous for the more complicated cases," he said.

That includes doing open-heart surgery to fix a common but complex heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. Babies born with the defect often appear blue because their oxygen-rich blood bypasses the lungs and goes straight to the body.

http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_social/one_in_100_children/view
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Growth rate stood at 8% in 2006.
Rabat, Feb. 7

Growth rate in Morocco stood at 8.1% in 2006, according to figures released Tuesday by prime minister Driss Jettou.

Unemployment rate stood at 9.1%, while budgetary deficit was estimated between 1.6 and 1.8% and inflation was contained under 3%, said Jettou during a meeting with national press about the economic and social situation and governmental action.

The prime minister said foreign currency reserves stood at USD 21Mn, while tourism and migrants' remittances generated receipts of USD 12Bn.

Telecommunication sector also witnessed a "spectacular" growth of 20%, i.e. USD 16Mn, he noted, adding that there were 400,000 high width Internet subscribers and 5 million Internet users.

http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/growth_rate_stood_at/view
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Government urges parliament to pass new road traffic bill.
Rabat, Feb. 14

The government urged the parliament to pass the new road traffic bill that is currently examined by the Interior, Decentralization and Infrastructures commission at the House of Representatives.

The adoption of the bill "depends on the willingness of the parliament to fight road insecurity," Transport and Equipment Minister, Karim Ghellab told Moroccan TV channel "2M", pointing out that it is not crafted against the citizen but to protect him.

The new bill is a comprehensive project that "is not only limited to sanctions," but also to fight corruption, said the minister.

Besides setting up a system of point-record driving license, the bill also provides for introducing breath analyzing tests and fines up to USD 350, in addition to the incrimination of some infractions especially in serious injuries and death cases.

The new code was described as a "qualitative jump" by the commission members, who voiced, however, their concern over the practices that can be generated by the implementation of this bill, notably corruption.

They also highlighted the importance of the code measures to reduce the human and material losses of road accidents, and the role of the human factor, notably professional drivers and road users.

Morocco has lately launched an all-out road prevention campaign to raise population's awareness about road accidents that claimed last year the lives of 3,622 people in 2006, i.e. a 4.17% increase compared to 2005. Some 56,426 accidents were recorded during the same period, i.e. a 5.22% increase compared to 2005. The number of people seriously injured reached 12,060, i.e. a 2.14% increase, according to the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment and Transport.

During the past decade, road accidents increased at a yearly basis of 3%, costing the State about USD 1.2 billion a year, i.e. 2.5% of the GDP.

Authorities generally blame road accidents on pedestrians' inadvertence, speed excess and non-respect of road regulations.

http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/government_urges_par/view
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Moroccan government allocates $350m to support craft industry.
21/02/2007

The Moroccan government on Tuesday (February 20th) allocated $350m to support and promote the craft industry, part of a 10-year programme dubbed "Vision 2015 for the Moroccan craft industry's development". The programme, which includes special mechanisms to create new Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), is projected to generate 115,000 jobs in the sector and increase exports from $83m to $800m. In 2006, the government launched its Moukawalati national programme to stimulate economic growth through the creation of 30,000 SMEs. The businesses established under Moukawalati are expected to generate 90,000 jobs by 2008. According to official figures, Morocco’s unemployment rate has fallen to 9.7% in 2006, down from 11.1% in 2005.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/02/21/newsbrief-02
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Morocco's Investment Commission approves $925m investment projects. 21/02/2007
Morocco’s Investment Commission, chaired by Prime Minister Driss Jettou, approved 12 projects totalling $925m on Tuesday (February 20th). The projects will concentrate on tourism, aeronautics and industry, and are expected to generate 2,240 jobs. The tourism and aeronautics projects are to be implemented mainly in the region of Marrakech, while the industrial projects include the construction of an iron and steel factory in Casablanca
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/02/21/newsbrief-05
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The story-tellers of Marrakesh.
By Richard Hamilton  BBC, Morocco

In the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, you can still find men who tell ancient stories that have been handed down from generation to generation.

But with modern technology offering new forms of diversion and entertainment, young people are ignoring the story-tellers and for the first time in perhaps 1,000 years the tradition is dying out.

Legend has it that the muezzin - the man who called the faithful to prayer - at the top of the main mosque in Marrakesh had to be blind.

It was thought that a sighted man might gaze down from the Koutoubia, as it is called, into the sultan's palace below and see his harem.

But a sighted man would also see the wild teaming maelstrom of Marrakesh's main square or Jemaa al-Fna.
He would see fire-eaters and fortune-tellers, acrobats and snake-charmers. For all human life is here: if you walk into the square you will be besieged by men with monkeys and women trying to squeeze henna onto your hands.

And then there is the noise: the square is a cacophony of drums, reed pipes and songs performed by musicians from sub-Saharan Africa.

But if you can find a quiet corner in the square you might come across the city's hidden gems.
A Thousand and One Nights
They may not be the most obvious entertainers and they are certainly not the loudest, but if you can seek out a story-teller or a halaka, you are in for a treat and an old one at that.

Because story-telling in Morocco is as old as the hills, and as ancient as the Atlas mountains.
I found Moulay Mohammed, a bearded man with a few missing teeth, sitting in the square in his grey jellabah surrounded by a circle of onlookers.

He is 71 and has been a story-teller for 45 years.
He used to come as a boy and listen to the old men in the square tell their stories and he was so entranced by them that he became one himself.

He says he knows most of the Old Testament and all of A Thousand and One Nights.
According to legend, to prevent her murderous husband King Shahryar from killing her, the Persian Queen Scheherazade told a different story every night for 1001 nights.

Moulay Mohammed is like a modern day Scheherazade: he tells tales of sultans, thieves, wise men and fools, he speaks of mystics, genies, viziers and belly dancers.

Under threat
Moulay Mohammed told me it is not just what he says that counts but how he says it.
Even if you do not understand a word of what he says, it is still fascinating to listen to a halaka.
You can sense the drama of the story and feel its suspense. His words are precious and they seem to hang in the air.
Today more than 40% of all Moroccans are illiterate, so the oral tradition is vital.
Of course story-telling is a form of entertainment, but it is much more than that.
Like the parables of the New Testament, the stories are ways of conveying ideas, values and philosophies.
But all this is under threat. While there used to be 20 or so halakis in Marrakesh, there are now only about half a dozen and they are all old men.

After more than a millennium, the art of the halaka is on the wane. Young Moroccans would rather watch television soap operas than listen to a story-teller much less become one themselves.

Disappearing yarns
However the United Nations cultural organisation, Unesco, has intervened to try to save the stories as part of the world's oral heritage.

It is even recording some of them on the internet, so modern technology may yet come to the rescue of these wondrous tales.

I asked Moulay Mohammed if he would pass his skills on:
"If someone wants to come and learn from me they can, but it is not easy," he said. "It takes years to remember the stories."

And was he worried that his craft might one day die out? "Ah, only God knows the answer to that. Today there are story-tellers. That is all I know."

Another old man was sitting in the crowd hanging on Moulay Mohammed's every word.
Did he think the story-tellers would still be here tomorrow? "Moulay Mohammed is one of the best in Marrakesh, and we like him very much" he said. "But if he disappeared, a lot of his yarns would disappear too."

Google Earth
And what, I wondered, did Moulay Mohammed make of television?
"Television?" he laughed, "why it is something out of this world. This is real life here in the square. It is much better to sit in the square in the sun, as you are doing now, than in some dark room with a television!"

And sitting in the square under an azure sky, I thought Moulay Mohammed was probably right.
Looking up at the pink rooftops of Marrakesh, the Atlas mountains and the fabulous Koutoubia mosque, it was hard to imagine a place I would rather be.

There may not be a blind muezzin any more in the minaret of the Koutoubia but the story of the men who could not look down on the sultan's harem strikes a familiar cord now.

The Moroccan government has blocked the internet device Google Earth so that people cannot look from above into the grounds of the king's sumptuous royal palaces.

Perhaps in 1,000 years people will be telling a story about that.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6368057.stm
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US Administration claims USD 29Mn for Morocco in FY 2008.
Washington, Feb. 19

The US administration claimed USD 29.05Mn for Morocco in the fiscal 2008, according to a document of the US State Department.

This assistance will, inter alia, be allocated to economic growth in a bid to improve investment environment in Morocco and help the North African country implement the Free Trade Agreement in force since January 2006. It is also meant to improve the productivity and create business opportunities in the agriculture and agri-business sector.

It will also support Morocco’s efforts to improve education, create job opportunities and consolidate the government’s capacities at the central and local levels.

The document recalls that Morocco has submitted to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)- the corporation that manages the Millennium Challenge Account- projects of a value of USD 700 million.

The US State Department claimed USD 5.4Bn for the Middle East region, compared to USD 5.2Bn in 2006. The lion share, i.e. USD 2.4Bn is allocated to Israel, while Egypt comes second with USD 1.72Bn.

The assistance allotted to Jordan is estimated at USD 513.21Mn, USD 391.8Mn for Iraq, USD 59.77 for Lebanon, while the assistance destined to the Palestinian Territories is estimated at USD 77Mn, including USD 24.5Mn to humanitarian assistance.

For the Maghreb countries, the State Department claimed USD 4.76Mn for Tunisia, USD 2.88Mn for Algeria, USD 6.95Mn for Mauritania and USD 1.15Mn for Libya.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/us_administration_cl5548/view
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Marriage rate increases 11.64% in 2006, minister.
Rabat, Feb.21

Marriage rate and marriage validation requests rose 11.64% in 2006 compared with 2005, revealed, here Tuesday, Justice Minister, Mohamed Bouzoubaa.

In 2006, the number of marriage contracts and marriage validation requests reached 289,821 thanks to the provisions of the new Family Code, noted Bouzoubaa, speaking at a workshop on "the Family Code, three years later."

In January 2004, Morocco introduced important amendments on the family code that enhance women and children's rights, and reinforce family ties.

According to the minister, polygamy has declined 3.57% compared to 2005. Divorce has witnessed a slight decline (–4.82%) in 2006, he said, while divorce by mutual consent increased 36.21%.

Bouzoubaa stated that "Khol’e" (Divorce in exchange for compensation by the wife) plummeted 18.28% in 2006 compared to the previous year. The number of repudiation cases, on the other hand, jumped from 9.983 in 2005 to 14.771 in 2006.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_social/marriage_rate_increa/view
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Balancing act - The push for tourism
(November 2006 No.88)

Rabat hopes to mix tradition with convenience and boost its visitors
In late September, Morocco, along with New Zealand, Fiji, Prague and Australia, was rated as one of the five coolest places on earth in a survey carried out by the British consultancy firm Superbrands. While it might be stretching things somewhat to describe a country as a brand, as was done in the survey, the accolade would be welcomed by the Moroccan tourism industry and government, both of which are working hard to lift the sector’s profile.

The Moroccan government has launched Vision 2010, a broad-
based policy to almost double the number of visitors to the country from the 5.8 million last year to 10 million by the end of the decade. There are encouraging signs that Vision 2010 could become a reality, with a 29% rise in hard currency income from tourism in the first seven months of the year, with receipts totalling just over $3 billion.

In a recent press interview, Tourism Minister Adil Douiri said the government was looking to encourage $7 billion in investment by 2010 to attract both weekend holiday makers and long-term visitors. More directly, the government has embarked on a $58 million international promotion campaign, evenly balanced between the modern and traditional attractions of Morocco.

Cheap flights now available
Morocco has long drawn a steady stream of overseas visitors, mainly from Europe, attracted by the country’s exotic image, good weather and comparative low costs. However, one thing that prevented this flow from becoming a flood was the relatively high price of flights into the country. This is now a thing of the past, with Morocco becoming the first African country to join Europe’s flight zone earlier this year and opening up routes to a series of budget airlines.

Within the past few months, a number of Europe’s low-cost carriers have either begun flying direct to Morocco or have announced plans to do so. In September, Irish airline Ryanair announced it would begin operating on the Barcelona-Marrakesh route early next year, while Britain’s Easyjet revealed plans to fly from Madrid to Casablanca. Already these and other air lines are responsible for 100 flights a week to Marrakesh from London alone, up from 36 at the beginning of the year, boosting British tourist numbers to 40% of this year’s total.

With the increasing number of carriers operating on Moroccan routes, there has been a slashing of fares, with some seats costing as little as $60 one way, a further incentive for cost-conscious travellers.

It is not just the budget traveller that Morocco is seeking to attract though. There is an increasing move towards capturing a slice of the upper end of the regional tourism market.

The growing numbers of wealthy tourists have also served to kickstart a flurry of development projects to cater to their every need. Among the big ticket schemes is Colony Capital’s $2 billion resort on the Atlantic coast near Agadir that will cover more than 8 million sq m, include up to five deluxe hotels and offer varied outdoor activities for the well-heeled. Another is a project by Kerzner International to develop a resort, complete with 500-room hotel, golf course, spa and casino, 80 km outside of Casablanca.

In mid-September, the multi-national developer Domaine Palm Marrakesh signed an agreement with the Moroccan government to establish an international-standard golf resort Marrakesh. Projected to cost $215 million, the resort will add 5,300 beds to the country’s accommodation capacity and will create more than 1,500 new jobs.

Tourism the answer to unemployment?
According to the National Tour-ism Office, there are presently some 50 hotels and 30 golf courses either in the planning or development stage, with more to come in the future.

And employment is one of the prime forces driving the government’s support for the sector, with urban jobless rate running at an estimated 20% and the rural population heavily dependent on at-times fickle agriculture for survival. The government hopes that along with a doubling of foreign visitors, an additional 600,000 new jobs will be created in the tourism and related services industries.

However, there are concerns that the very things that attract visitors to Morocco—fine beaches, traditional lifestyles, raw nature and hospitality—will be swamped under the influx of cut-
price tours, cheap flights and the drive by locals to cash in on the overseas stampede. It is a risk the government is aware of but says it is determined to avoid.

The government plans to plough part of the money generated from tourism back into restoring the old cities, preserving the country’s heritage and culture. Police will even be tasked with controlling street sellers to stop tourists being harassed by touts and unwanted tour guides.

http://executive-magazine.com/88/article.php?id=828
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Energizing Morocco with a new energy plan:
Desert kingdom turns to wind, partial privatization for needs.   December 2006
At the end of 2006, Morocco signed five new agreements designed to mitigate the kingdom's reliance on foreign sources of energy and to lessen the fiscal burden of rising costs.

A conference in late October on the outskirts of Rabat, entitled "Stakes, Challenges and Strategy of Morocco's Energy Policy," brought together government officials and private sector professionals, as well as international experts. Initiating the first national debate of its kind, the conference focused on security of supply, sources, renewable energy and efficiency.

At the conference, Prime Minister Driss Jettou highlighted the main planks of the government's liberalization strategy, saying that the government's objective was to diversify the sources of energy, pursue the liberalization of the sector and find mechanisms to cope with the impact of high hydrocarbon prices on the domestic economy, and thus on the state budget.

In the context of high prices for hydrocarbons, these issues have become all the more pressing. Consuming over 12.3 million tons of oil equivalent (TOE) a year, the economy relies on imported oil for 61.6% of its energy needs, which cost $3.85 billion in 2005. Morocco relies on foreign markets to supply 95% of its energy needs.

Rising demand for electricity, which grew by 8.8% in 2005, is contributing to the steep energy bill footed by the public sector. Figures from the National Office of Energy (ONE) indicate that demand for electricity is expected to grow by 8% a year through 2012, spurred by the rural electrification program (PERG) which should be finalized in 2007.

Wind farm development
This rising demand for electricity will require a total investment by the public and private sectors of some $1.15 billion a year in production, transport and distribution of electricity.

One of the agreements concluded this week focused on energy efficiency in rural areas, with a contract awarded to Philips Lighting due to their low-consumption lights.

Meanwhile, discussions in Rabat centered around renewable energy. The construction of a new 40MW capacity wind farm in Laâyoune, Western Sahara, was granted to Ciments du Maroc, one of the leading cement and construction contractors in the country. The construction should be concluded during 2007.

This new project will complement the existing electric plant in Tetouan, as well as two wind farms in Tanger and Essaouira that came online in 2006. And, as a sign of things to come, the launch of a thermo-solar plant in Ain Beni Mathar--the biggest in Africa--is set for 2007-8.

The wind farm in Tanger and the hydro-electric complexes of Khenifra and Ain Bani Mathar are pilot projects, announced Mohammed Boutaleb, the minister of energy and mining, to the conference.

The framework for cooperation between the Ministry of Energy and Mining, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Labor and Training is included in the new National Program for the Development of Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency.

Renewable energy investment
In a rapidly-evolving global market for renewable energy with a turnover of $51 billion in 2005, some commentators see Morocco as a relative late-comer to the sector. This has spurred the kingdom to announce an ambitious plan to increase the contribution of renewable energies to 10% of total energy consumption, up from the present 1%.

Alternative energy sources are set to account for over 7GWh (GW per hour) by 2012, including a 2.25GWh contribution from hydro-electric power. This will reduce the reliance on imported oil to 46% by 2012.

The 2007 budget includes a provision for the reduction of VAT for companies relying on renewable sources of energy.
The reduction in VAT from 20% to 7% will help to encourage investment in this sector, said Boutaleb. This will stimulate Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Industries (SMIs) to increase consumption of these types of energy.

Liberalization of the electricity sector does not, however, entail privatization of ONE, at least not in the foreseeable future. The minister of energy and mining emphasized a two-tiered structure for the supply of electricity in the coming years. Only medium and larger consumers will be able to choose their suppliers, while smaller customers will continue to rely on ONE provisions.

Although an eventual transformation of the public ONE into a private company, with the spinning off of its different activities, has been discussed, Boutaleb emphasized that it will not take place in the medium term.

© Executive. Article originally published by Executive 23-Feb-07
http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20061218082324/SecCountries/pagMorocco
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Despair and clairvoyance in Morocco.
by Sarah Touahri – 23/02/07

In Morocco, many people put aside their doubts and seek out fortune tellers for help and encouragement in difficult times.

In the working-class district of Hay Nahda in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, a woman named Touda claims to provide counselling to people in need. Though she is not a licensed therapist, she sees about ten clients a day, and has for many years. Touda is a psychic, and tells all newcomers that she "inherited the job" from her aunt some 20 years ago. Wearing her usual green dress and red scarf, she starts each new consultation with the same phrase: "I shall try to dispel the evil spirits torturing you so that you can find happiness once more." A cloud of incense hangs heavy in the air, spreading its penetrating aroma. The lighting is subdued.

Like many in her line of work, Touda has achieved some measure of success. On the day Magharebia visited her "practice", there were eight women patiently awaiting their turn in the lobby. One could easily think they were waiting for a renowned medical doctor. Some seemed uneasy and tormented. Others chatted away calmly.

"Fate plays some clever games. I’m at the edge of a chasm, and no one realises," one disoriented-looking woman who refused to give her name said. "All I hear is words that hurt and leave gaping wounds." At 42 years of age, she is not yet married. The pitying looks of her friends and neighbours cause her daily suffering, she said. Success in her career as a bank official has failed to bring the serenity she has sought so fervently. "At the moment, it is despair that guides me. The most ridiculous thing is that I know full well that clairvoyants cannot do anything. But all the same, they manage to give me some new hope. I need, at least, to be heard."

Next to her, El Hajja Zahra came to Touda for her son. "My son is 30 and has not yet worked, even though he has a French literature degree. I’m in anguish. Perhaps Touda will comfort me and give me something to thwart the bad luck," she said, her eyes filled with tears.

Despair in the face of an intractable situation and the vital need to regain a glimmer of hope lead people to believe in the impossible and in mysterious forces, according to psychologist Jamal Eddine Saoudi. He explains that clairvoyants exploit this condition, to dramatise reality and to ascribe excessive importance to trivial incidents. "There’s also a pressing desire to re-take control of one’s life. Because of this fact, clairvoyant consultations seem to be attractive … in the eyes of the general public."

Sociologist Hatim Maaroufi points out that social unrest is at the heart of this expanding phenomenon. "It goes without saying that unemployment, crisis, emotional solitude ... are the breeding ground for a social unease which pushes … desperate people to seek help and comfort from clairvoyants, who make the most of this opportunity to swindle people."

He explains that clairvoyance has always had an important part to play in society because it helps to maintain "hope and stability". He adds that when it comes to earning easy money, nothing is simpler than setting oneself up as a clairvoyant. All that it requires is to learn the art of speaking.

Touda the clairvoyant has learned all the tricks. Indeed, sometimes she does not conceal the fact that she tries to play the role of psychologist, helping her clients to make strategic choices or telling them what they want to hear. "At the start, I found it very difficult because I didn’t have any experience. But after 20 years in the job, I know how to respond in each case," she said.

Like her, Souad, a young woman who is barely 18, is trying to follow the same path, although with a different aim and methods. Still in high school, she thought about "earning an honest living", as she puts it. Most of the girls at her school believe her to be a confirmed fortune teller. Her techniques are simple. She infers certain details from what her clients say, and then she feeds them back without them realising. In other words, she says what the person wants to hear. "I predict events which have a great probability of occurring, and I push girls into acting in such a way that the prediction will come true," she says.

Souad has another ambition, however. She wants to create her own website, and is already thinking about her slogan: "I’ll be there for you to help you move towards your destiny, and so you will be able to learn your future with confidence." She says all you need to know is how to manipulate the dreams people have. And so she plans to study psychology at university: "You have to plan your future way ahead, as even with a degree I can’t dream of finding work easily."

It is easy for psychics to practice their trade, as there is no law against clairvoyance. Ahmed Sami, a professor of Islamic studies, says that Islam calls on Muslims not to believe in clairvoyants, even if they sometimes appear to be right.

But some girls are ready to believe anything, said Souad. "It’s not as if the few pathetic Dirhams they pay me will ruin them," she added.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/reportage/2007/02/23/reportage-01
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