Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
May 12 , 2007

USTDA grants USD 378k to fund water resources protection in Morocco.
Rabat, May 9

Morocco's water utility (ONEP) signed, here Wednesday, a donation agreement worth USD 378,000 with the United State Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to fund meat-processing liquid waste purification in Morocco. Signed by ONEP general manager, Ali Fassi Fihri and US ambassador to Morocco, Thomas Riley, the convention aims to develop a plan to treat 230,000 MT liquid waste produced by a meat-processing units. Most of these plants are not currently connected to a purification network and its liquid waste is directly dumped in the main basins or directly into rivers causing many pollution-related problems.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Fassi Firhi hailed the accord as well as the initiatives led by the American embassy in Morocco, notably in the field of energy and environment, stressing the importance to learn from the American experience in liquid waste processing. He also called on American companies working in water desalting to settle in Morocco, especially in the Souss-Massa-Draa region (south). For his part, the American ambassador, Thomas Riley commended ONEP's efforts in water management and underlined the ecologic importance of a wise management of liquid waste.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/general/ustda_grants_usd_378/view
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First festival of Sufi culture underway in Morocco.
30/04/2007

The first festival of Sufi culture is underway in Fez until Wednesday (May 2nd), under the theme "Sufism and human development." The organisers say it will give the public an opportunity to discover the cultural and artistic richness of Sufism, as well as its role in the social and human development of Muslim countries. The programme includes concerts, conferences, workshops, exhibition of manuscripts and film screenings.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/04/30/newsbrief-06
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Morocco's first quarter growth hit by poor farm output
Tue May 1, 10:33 AM ET RABAT (AFP)

Poor rains that hit agricultural output in Morocco may have slowed the country's growth rate in the first quarter of this year, the central planning body (HCP)said Tuesday. "Estimates for overall growth may be revised downwards given the poor agricultural performance," said the HCP, without giving a revised estimate. In February, the HCP forecast a three percent growth rate for the first quarter assuming if agricultural output reached 53 million quintals and inflation was contained at 1.5 percent. But insufficient rains had caused farm production to fall 13 percent compared to the average of the last five years, it said. Morocco's economy grew 7.3 percent in 2006 on the back of a bountiful harvest, against 2.4 percent the previous year. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070501/wl_africa_afp/moroccoeconomy_070501143325http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/03/properties/remoro.php --------------------------------------------------

Morocco's inflation slows to 2.5% in March.30/04/2007
Morocco's consumer price inflation slowed to 2.5% year-on-year in March, after stabilizing at 2.7% in January and February, local press reports. The deceleration has been attributed to declining international oil prices and subsequent savings in the transportation industry. Slowing inflation was also recorded in the manufacturing and equipment sector. The price changes in these groups managed to offset accelerating inflation of food products, whose prices rose by 3.8% in March due to weak harvests caused by drought.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/04/30/newsbrief-05
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Morocco eyes increasing to 10% contribution of renewable energies to energy output, official.
New York (United Nations), May 11

Developing renewable energies is a priority in Morocco's energy strategy, said the Kingdom's Deputy Permanent Representative in the United Nations, Hamid Chabar. The Northwest African country is eying to hoist the contribution of renewable energies in the national energy output to 10% by 2012, that is 20% of the demand for electricity, said the diplomat before the15th session of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development. To do so, Morocco has set up a center for the development of renewable energies, and is considering an energy-specific action plan, with the launch of three large windmill parks and the dissemination of solar energy among households and community institutions, as well as in certain industrial units.

"Thanks to the policy of the diversification of energy sources, he said, the share of oil products in our energy output fell from 74% in 1995 to 61% today, especially through developing the use of coal, introducing natural gas in the production of electricity and promoting renewable energies.” The diplomat stressed that with the aim of taking up the challenge of energy security, and to ward off an “almost total dependence” on external sources, Morocco has elaborated a five-fold energy policy based namely on liberalization, the diversification of energy sources, the generalization of access of the population to energy, including rural populations, the promotion of renewable energies and the efficiency of energy, Chabar enunciated.

“This policy also encourages partnerships, especially with the private sector,” he added, pointing out that the latter ensures 60% of the production of electricity, and actively participates in the country’s energy programs. The Moroccan diplomat told the commission Morocco is for the proposal to adopt, on a voluntary basis, scheduled objectives and goals, in order to increase the share of renewable energies in the energy output.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box1/morocco_eyes_increas/view
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Unemployment rate up to 10% in Q1 2007, HCP.
Rabat, May.9

The unemployment rate has slightly increased during the first quarter of 2007 to stand at 10% against 9.6% in 2006, High Commissioner for Planning revealed in its information sheet on the situation of the job market in Morocco. Up to March 2007, this rate reached 15.8% in cities while it attained in rural areas 3.8%, the HCP said. This increase touches the youth between 15 and 24, women living in urban areas and degree holders. On the unemployed active population, it stood during the first quarter of 2007 at 1.132 million, i.e. a 8.5% increase (8.8% in the cities and 7.6 in rural areas) while the active population over 15 reached 11.2 millions (plus 4.2%) and the activity rate increased to stand at 52%, according to the same source. A combined 369,000 remunerated job positions were created in both cities (57.9%) and countryside, the HCP revealed. The unemployment rate has appreciably fallen in 2006 to stand at 9.7% against 11.1% in 2005. This rate reached 15.5% in cities while in rural areas it attained 3.7% in 2006, 0.1 point more than 2005.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/unemployment_rate_up/view
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1.4Mn people to benefit from INDH projects implemented in 2006, Moroccan Premier.
Rabat, May 10

1.4 million people throughout Morocco are due to benefit from the projects implemented part of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) in 2006, revealed, here Thursday, Moroccan Prime Minister. Driss Jettou, who was chairing the fourth meeting of the INDH strategic commission, noted that 1,100 projects were implemented in 2005, over 1,600 projects in 2006, while 2,000 other projects are being under way this year.

The number of projects planned for 2007 would reach 7,000 following the approval of projects submitted to provincial commissions, Moroccan Premier went on to say. As for the program of fighting precariousness, Mr. Jettou said, some USD 5.5Mn were allocated for the year 2006, benefiting 92,000 people. The achievements concerned also several training and awareness-raising campaigns which benefited 10,000 people.

The National Initiative for Human Development is a large-scale initiative launched in mid 2005 to slash poverty and eradicate social exclusion.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/1.4mn_people_to_bene/view
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E-learning making progress in Morocco.
By Adam Mahdi. 10/05/2007

Many private and public institutions are beginning to see the benefit e-learning brings to students and employees. Despite numerous technical and publishing challenges, distance learning or e-learning is gaining momentum in Morocco in both the public and private sectors. Short-term forecasts show that 15% of private companies' training budgets will soon be dedicated to distance learning programmes. The increased availability and functionality of information technology (IT) has brought new teaching tools to the Moroccan market, including mobile phones, video-conferencing, e-mail, discussion forums, chat software and document sharing.

Open and/or remote learning (formation ouverte et/ou à distance, or FOAD), provides flexible training opportunities to individuals, businesses, and government bodies. Training packages can be tailored according to individual or collective needs and electronic resources can be accessed from anywhere. Because classrooms are virtual, students can study at their own pace and teachers can instruct and assess on a flexible schedule.

An increase in the number of government-sponsored FOAD projects suggests a general shift towards the greater use of IT in the training sector. Morocco's finance ministry recently decided to integrate a dedicated distance learning service into its organisational structure. The Ministry of National Education has begun work on an interactive television system (TVI) which aims to provide remote training for teachers across the Kingdom.

Since 2006, Abdelfadil Bennani, President of Ibn Zohr University, has led a particularly ambitious project to create a Virtual Moroccan Campus. The campus aims to pool the resources of e-learning programmes throughout the university system, with the ultimate goal of developing full remotely-provided courses of study at the vocational, undergraduate, and graduate degree levels.

Despite the growing popularity of e-learning in Morocco, it is still in its infancy. For Radouane Mrabet, a teacher and researcher at the National School of Information Technology and Systems Analysis (ENSIAS), FOAD’s slow progress in the country can be explained by the exorbitant costs of developing training platforms and modules. "Even when these two major stumbling blocks are overcome, organisers must be prepared to bear the cost of tutors to provide support and remote supervision to trainees," he added.

So far, the private sector is best equipped to handle those costs. "Businesses are starting to fund distance learning for their employees," remarked Said Tahrir, Managing Director of the Moroccan subsidiary of business-training firm Formademos. Many large international corporations have already begun to provide their employees with virtual training modules that complement conventional training already in place.

Training centres have not been blind to these developments, and many have made a marketing push to capture the e-learning market. Formademos has launched two Masters programmes aimed at university graduates with at least one year of work experience. One programme offers a degree in "education and employment systems technology", and the other program offers a degree in business administration.

Morocco's FOAD market potential has whetted the appetite not only of local firms, but also of international companies specialising in the online training market. Several publishers from Europe and the United Arab Emirates are working to form close partnerships with local investors in order to market their e-learning products to major private companies in Morocco. The investors’ interest is not unfounded. According to professional estimates of short-term trends, investment by Moroccan businesses in distance learning programmes will soon represent more than 15% of total training budgets.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/05/10/feature-02
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Moroccan farmers receive debt relief to compensate drought losses.
10/05/2007

Some 99,000 farmers had more than $360m in debt written off, Moroccan Agriculture Minister Mohand Laenser revealed Wednesday (May 9th). The debt relief has targeted small farmers who face problems paying off their loans, notably due to a drought that has seriously affected crops this year. In an effort to promote investment in the agricultural sector, the government, in co-operation with Credit Agricole, has reduced interest rates on farming loans to 5% for rural loans and 5.5% for investment loans. Laenser recalled that some 45% of Moroccans live in the countryside and work mainly in the farming sector, which represents 12% to 20% of GDP and is the principal source of employment in the country.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/05/10/newsbrief-06
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Moroccan human rights NGO elects its first woman president.
09/05/2007

The Moroccan Association of Human Rights has elected Khadija Ryadi as its first woman president, AFP quoted the NGO as saying on Tuesday (May 8th). Established in 1979, the organisation is considered one of Morocco's leading rights groups. Ryadi is a former trade unionist. Outlining her priorities for her presidency, she said "We will focus on economic and social rights, educate people about human rights as well as the role of youth in promoting these rights." In April 2006, another leading Moroccan rights watchdog, the Moroccan Organisation of Human Rights also selected a woman president, Amina Bouayach. Her election showed Moroccan society's recognition that "a woman can play a leading role in spheres which were traditionally male bastions," said Bouayach. http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/05/09/newsbrief-03
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88% of rural areas connected to electricity by end 2006, ONE General Manager.
Rabat, May 5

The General Manager of the Moroccan electricity utility, ONE, Younes Maamar revealed on Friday that 88 per cent of the rural areas were connected to electricity by the end of 2006. The official added, in a meeting of the ONE Board of Directors chaired by Premier Driss Jettou, that the rural electrification program (PERG) allowed for wiring 4,095 villages through interconnected networks, and 646 through photovoltaic kits, which represents over 198,000 houses. The PERG is due to be terminated by end 2007, when 98% of the rural areas would have been linked to electricity, he ensured.

ONE has also launched an emergency program covering the period 2007-2011, and elaborated a long-term equipment program for 2012-2025 with the aim to make up for the delay registered in the achievement of the equipment program. Morocco has recently turned towards renewable energies for the production of electricity. The north-west African country is planning to install 40,000 sq meters of solar collectors per annum, to reach 400,000 sqm by 2012 against 160,000 currently. It has also set up a plan to diversify energy sources and develop renewable energies. The plan would provide services of sustainable energy in the rural world, equip 150,000 houses, build 1,000 energy houses, and efficiently manage energy consumption by the industrial sector.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/88_of_rural_areas_c/view
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398 papers and magazines in Morocco in 2006.
Rabat, May 1st

There were 398 papers and magazines in Morocco in 2006, reveals a survey on written press and audiovisual communication. Carried out by the Communication ministry, the survey notes that general newspapers hold the lion share with 123 titles, compared to 74 regional titles and 21 partisan papers. The document notes that these papers cover various fields, such as economy (24), culture (24), sports (15), publicity (11), arts (8) and tourism (6).

The report underlines a partial increase of Arab-speaking papers and magazines (70.86%) and Amazigh-speaking language (2.26%), while French-speaking papers recorded a significant decrease (26.88%), noting, in this respect, the absence of Spanish-speaking papers. Touching on electronic press, the document notes that there are just 6 electronic papers despite the increasing number of Internet subscribers in Morocco.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/culture/398_papers_and_magaz/view
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Morocco fights social problems. 
By Andrew England in Cairo.  May 10 2007

Just off a highway leading into Marrakech, diggers, bulldozers and trucks are lined up as if about to race. Closer to the historic Moroccan city their purpose becomes clear. Roads dotted with building sites, for sale signs, multi-storey apartment blocks and red-brick villas stand in the shadow of cranes. A sign on one building promises a KIA Motors showroom will open soon, another heralds the arrival of a furniture store.

Morocco’s economy has long been dependent on agriculture, which employs nearly half the workforce and contributes 12-17 per cent of gross domestic product. Its success or failure is tied to the seasonal rains. During the 1990s, Morocco had the lowest growth rate in the Middle East and North Africa, with daunting social problems, including poverty, large slum populations and high youth and urban unemployment that still blight the nation. But officials and businessmen say the economy is at last expanding and becoming more diversified with real estate and tourism at the forefront of robust non-agriculture growth.

Last year, real GDP growth was 8.1 per cent and unemployment, which was above 20 per cent in the 1990s, fell below 10 per cent for the first time, says Fathallah Oualalou, the finance minister. Agriculture remains a mainstay, a fact highlighted by the government’s estimate that GDP growth would be 3.5 per cent this year because of poor rains, in contrast to last year’s favourable weather. But Mr Oualalou says non-agricultural growth this year is forecast to be 5.2 per cent – the result of years of reforms that have begun liberalising the economy, paving the way for privatisations and higher foreign investment. “Morocco is currently a big building site,” he says. “It is becoming less and less dependent on agriculture. Of course it concerns more than 40 per cent of the population, but its weight with respect to growth is diminishing due to the birth of new engines of growth.”

Reforms driving the real estate boom include tax incentives for companies to build low-cost housing to address an acute shortage and enable people to leave the slums. More than 100,000 such houses are being built annually, Mr Oualalou says, with the government providing interest subsidies and loan guarantees for buyers. There is also growing demand from the middle- and high-income brackets, officials say. The “Plan Azur” tourism promotion, which aims to attract 10m visitors by 2010 and raise hotel capacity by 160,000 beds, has also boosted investment. French, Belgian, Spanish and Gulf groups are putting money into resorts and hotels, with total foreign direct investment reaching $3bn.

Samir Benmakhlouf, who returned 15 months ago to set up a subsidiary of Century 21, the US real estate firm, says: “The government has understood that it needs to get out of the way and let the private sector do what it is supposed to do.” Businessmen say the influx of investment has given Moroccans confidence to buy into their own market – an estimated 80 per cent of remittances, which totalled $6bn (€4.5bn, £3bn) last year, is going into property.

Jalal Houti, director of Upline Securities, says: “People are more confident in the economy. They are optimistic that things are going to improve as far as regulation is concerned and that the country is politically stable.” Even when suicide bombers blew themselves up in March and April, the Casablanca Stock Exchange, which rose 71 per cent in 2006 and is up 32.6 per cent in the year to date, maintained its momentum.

Yet for all the positives, Morocco still has far to go before it gets to grips with unemployment and poverty and ensures the wealth created does not simply benefit the small elite and rich foreigners. Most agree that not enough jobs are being created, and that reforms to the education and judicial systems are essential. In Marrakech, traders, some selling cheap Chinese imports, others trinkets for tourists who pass by in horse-drawn carriages, give mixed messages about the development they are seeing.

Abdelghani, who was born in the city, says: “The old medina is the same; what has changed is everything beyond the wall. It’s good for those who have work but it’s hard for those who do not.” As he speaks, Khaled, 21, interrupts to complain about the lack of jobs: “There’s only part-time work.” If unemployment is to be addressed, the economy must sustain growth of at least 5-6 per cent annually, the World Bank says, and further reforms are needed.

Moulay Hafid Elalamy, president of the employers’ federation and head of Saham Group, says: “We have to further develop our economy and ... develop industry so we are working to do that. We have to create more companies and we need more international companies. It’s our challenge to transfer this success.”
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/7b24e390-ff19-11db-aff2-000b5df10621,dwp_uuid=fc3334c0-2f7a-11da-8b51-00000e2511c8,_i_rssPage=fc3334c0-2f7a-11da-8b51-00000e2511c8.html
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Everywhere in Morocco, tagines are family fare.
By Sheryl Julian, Globe Staff | May 9, 2007

MARRAKESH, Morocco -- In the old part of the city known as the Medina, some streets are so narrow that if you hold your arms open wide, you'd wonder if you could touch the shops on both sides. If that happened, you would surely be knocking over stacks of cone-shaped earthenware dishes piled from the pavement to shoulder height, and more pottery dishes filled with aromatic mixtures simmering on makeshift charcoal burners.

This is the land of tagines, a word that applies to both the conical-topped pots, which go directly on the flame, and the food cooked in them, a dish of meat, lamb, or fish that is as important to Moroccan cuisine as couscous. But where couscous is for special occasions, tagines are family fare offered everywhere -- on the street, in cafes, and in fine restaurants -- and they're generally well-made wherever you go. But locals will tell you that they're best in the hands of an old-fashioned cook at home, and it goes without saying that the exceptional tagines are made by the mothers and sisters of the person relaying this information.

Like other North Africans, Moroccans mostly cook on gas or charcoal burners, since many homes don't have ovens. To bake bread, families send trays of ready-made dough to the local baker's as they might have centuries ago. Just before lunch, children often dash through the streets carrying home warm loaves on baking sheets covered with clean, tattered cloths. It's likely that the other food on the table is some sort of tagine.

Tagines look like casseroles. They're stewy, with lots of chopped onion and often tomato and pieces of fish or chicken, both on the bone, or morsels of lamb too tough for kebabs, simmered in the dish. What makes tagines unusual is the complexity of flavors from spices, including the ever-present turmeric, so the finished dish turns golden. Another essential ingredient, indispensable in the Moroccan pantry, is preserved lemon, which all cooks here keep on hand or buy at the markets. The abundant citrus fruits, which grow on trees inside the courtyards of many homes, are plucked from the branches and packed in salt, then left for a month, which removes the harsh acidic quality, mellows the flesh, and makes the taste hard to identify.

In 1973, when Paula Wolfert's "Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco" was published -- she wrote it after living there for several years -- no one outside the region had heard of the lemons, much less made them at home. They're now sold in Boston (see recipe) because preserved lemons have become a favorite newly discovered ingredient.

While in Marrakesh recently, I ate many tagines, including a very good, moist chicken dish prepared by the housekeeper in the guesthouse where I was staying in the Medina. She shrugged when I asked her how to make it, but showed me her well-worn tagine pots. A driver I hired a few days later told me that some pots have been used for so many decades and now have so many layers of spices, that the women think the pots make the food taste better.

I heard about cooking classes at the luxury hotel, La Maison Arabe, so walked over to see if I could go for a day. The hotel, which sanitizes Moroccan culture, is one of the few places in the largely Muslim old city where you can order alcohol. Classes are held across town in a recently built structure at the end of a walkway lined with rosemary bushes and olive and fig trees hiding a grand swimming pool. We ended up there after following a motorbike with 25 egg crates stacked on the back, carts pulled by donkeys carrying mounds of thistles, and all kinds of bicycles delivering fruits and other goods. Then we turned down a rutted dirt road into this Eden, built to look centuries old.

An English-speaking translator, Mohammed Nahir, gave a short lecture by the pool before we met the Old World cook, Aziza Lgrizmi (called a "dada"). "Average Moroccans eat tagine," said Nahir, explaining that they can be savory (the ones I've tried) or sweet (made with quince, pear, tomato jam, and cinnamon). "Unlike the French or Spanish," he said, "there is no saute." The entire dish goes into the pot. "The tradition is to overcook," he says, so the sauce is thick and reduced.

As for the cooking pot, Nahir prefers the unglazed Berber tagine, which has a rounded top with a hole in a little chimney for a vent. Apparently, the cone-shaped pots, which are mostly glazed, don't have holes for steam to escape. When it was time to go into the kitchen, Nahir kept up his banter, and though Lgrizmi was cooking, she offered little advice. Instead of merely translating simultaneously while she cooked, he was doing the teaching.

This tagine was made with turmeric, ground ginger, the chopped flesh of preserved lemon, tomatoes, ghee, and saffron. One interesting thing that Lgrizmi did is crush the saffron threads in a warm bowl with salt to get maximum aroma from this costly spice. La Maison does not use cumin, which is commonly called "lazy wife's spice" or "single man's spice," Nahir informed us, because it's often used instead of a mixture of more complex seasonings.

First the chicken and its seasonings were marinated briefly, then cooked over high heat; at that point the chicken was turned on both sides. Then it was boiled briefly, and finally simmered, skin side down, on low heat. The dish couldn't be simpler. It's essentially a golden chicken stew with lots of seasonings. Before serving, Nahir instructed us to sprinkle the dish with green olives, parsley, and fresh coriander, then he showed us how to take the rind of the lemon and cut it into the shape of a hand. "Fatima's hand," said Nahir, "to ward off evil spirits."

There was only one other student in the class, a businessman from Spain, and he and his wife joined me and my husband poolside to eat our tagines. It was sunny, breezy, and comfortable under an umbrella, and wine was served with lunch. The dish was outstanding.

Back in Boston, I try chicken tagine and several other Moroccan specialties at Tangierino Restaurant & Casbah Lounge in Charlestown. The tagine is served in a tagine pot The food is cooked in the traditional pot. It's nicely seasoned but without that long-simmered quality. It comes with french fries.

Later, on the phone, Casablanca-born chef and owner Samad Naamad tells me he makes the tagine with ground ginger, sweet paprika, cumin, saffron, and turmeric. He also browns the chicken first, making more of a saute.

Tracy Karachi of Hudson, who has been married to a Moroccan man for 18 years, has been perfecting her chicken tagine all that time. Her husband, Sami, is from Mohammedia, near Casablanca. In their home in Hudson, Karachi has worked out a recipe from watching her sisters-in-law. "I use a 7-quart Le Creuset oval pot," she tells me, "and brown the chicken first, but my sisters-in-law don't bother. They just dump everything into the pot at once. They use a lot of ginger and turmeric, and if they have it, they'll use saffron."

The secret ingredient in this family is a powder Karachi calls "yellow colorant," which she uses when someone brings it from Morocco. "The amount of yellow coloring they use is like a pencil eraser," she says, and the dish turns especially golden. Karachi, who works at Boston College, has tried making preserved lemon at home with "varying succcess," she says. For years, she put potatoes into her pot, but the family is staying away from carbohydrates, so now she adds green olives and peas, and sometimes frozen artichokes.

Two months ago, I ordered a Berber tagine from a website I won't bother to tell you about; the pan never arrived. Like Karachi, I used a Le Creuset pot instead. Chickens here are more watery than the gamey birds I ate in Morocco, so I made the dish I learned at Maison Arabe many times, each time with less and less water, until it was down to one cup. Onions, of course, add their liquid, as do tomatoes. Sturdier chicken legs, rather than breasts, worked best, though if you prefer breasts, use all white meat instead of a mix, so your timing is even.

Since it's not a staple in my cupboard, I left out the ghee, but preserved lemon is crucial to the flavor. The dish is now in my weekly repertoire. As all cooks know, after you make something enough times, you can do it without a recipe.

I toyed with the idea of asking a bakery to bake my bread dough, then imagined myself going over to pick it up while it was still warm. Eating the tagine would then become a truly authentic experience.

Alas, some things are lost in translation.
La Maison Arabe, 1 Derb Assehbe Bab Doukkala, Marrakesh Medina, Morocco, 212-24-38-70- 10, or www. lamaisonarabe.com. Cooking classes for two cost about $200, which includes lunch; the cost goes down if more students join the class.
http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2007/05/09/everywhere_in_morocco_tagines_are_family_fare/
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Use skillet for a tasty tagine.
Monday, April 30, 2007 By LINDA GASSENHEIMER MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

When a friend told me about a trip she was taking to Morocco, it brought back memories of sitting in a tiny Moroccan restaurant tasting their exotic and delicious cuisine. Tagines are usually served at home and are cooked in a glazed earthenware dish with a conical lid. Steam gathers in the top of the lid and falls on the food, keeping it moist without basting.

I've shortened the cooking time by using tender lamb and a skillet. Lentils do not need soaking overnight and take only 20 minutes to cook, making this a 30-minute meal inspired by the flavors of North Africa. This dish tastes great the second day. If you have time, make double the recipe and save half for another quick meal.

This meal contains 562 calories per serving with 29 percent of calories from fat.
Wine suggestion: A soft red wine such as an Aussie shiraz would go well with this.
Helpful hints
Rice can be substituted for the lentils. Use 1/2 cup white long-grain rice; add 1-1/2 cups water and cook as directed.
A quick way to chop cilantro is to snip the leaves from the stems with a scissors.
If the skillet becomes dry before the lentils are cooked, add a little more water.
Countdown
Start lentils.
While lentils cook, prepare remaining ingredients.
Complete dish.
Shopping list
To buy: 3/4 pound lamb cubes; 1 medium tomato; 1 small bunch cilantro; 1 small package washed, ready-to-eat spinach; 1 small jar ground cumin; 1 small package dried lentils.

Staples: Olive oil, frozen chopped onion, garlic, ground cinnamon, salt, black peppercorns.
LAMB AND LENTIL TAGINE
Makes 2 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound lamb cut for kebabs (about 1-inch cubes)
2 cups frozen chopped onion
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium tomato, cut into eight wedges
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
10 fresh cilantro sprigs plus 2 tablespoons chopped leaves
1/2 cup dried lentils
4 cups washed, ready-to-eat spinach
Heat oil in a medium-size nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the lamb cubes and brown for 2 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Remove to a plate. Add the onion, garlic, tomato, cinnamon, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add 2-1/2 cups water, 10 sprigs cilantro and lentils. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium, cover with a lid and gently simmer 20 minutes. The water should be absorbed. Remove cilantro sprigs, stir in lamb and spinach and cook 2 minutes. Divide between 2 dinner plates and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Each serving contains approximately 562 calories (29 percent of calories from fat), 17.8 grams total fat (4.5 grams saturated fat, 9.2 grams monounsaturated fat), 108 milligrams cholesterol, 50.8 grams protein, 52.1 grams carbohydrates, 10.7 grams fiber, 318 milligrams sodium.

Visit Linda Gassenheimer on her Web page at www.DinnerInMinutes.com or e-mail her at Linda@DinnerInMinutes.com.
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNSZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NzEyNDA4NA==
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Visually impaired graduates seek civil service careers.
Sarah Touahri 29/04/2007

A group of university educated people with visual handicaps have been demanding public sector jobs. Although the Moroccan government has offered them employment in call centres, many have refused to work in private enterprise. For seven years, hundreds of unemployed visually impaired graduates have been petitioning for jobs in the civil service. Armed with university degrees, they demand to be allowed to work in the public sector where they will be guaranteed a stable income.

Samira Ouardani, one of the visually impaired graduates, believes that the state has a duty to find handicapped people employment where their full rights can be guaranteed. "How can we trust private enterprise when even normal people don’t feel secure in their private sector jobs?" she wonders.

Abdelmalek Moutaki also has little confidence in the private sector. He feels that for the handicapped, the private sector constitutes too much of a risk because employers could sack them at any moment. For him and other visually impaired graduates, only the public sector could guarantee him any ongoing stability, he believes.

For these reasons, the visually impaired have held multiple sit-ins in front of Parliament and the State Secretariat for the Family, Children and Handicapped Persons. In a recent move, the government has attempted to defuse the situation by offering the demonstrators employment in private call centres in Rabat and Casablanca.

This solution was reportedly proposed following a meeting of public and private leaders including call centre representatives, the Employment Minister, and the Secretary of State responsible for professional training. At the meeting's conclusion, it was decided that the State will bear the cost of purchasing the equipment necessary to allow blind people to work in call centres, and that the Office of Professional Training and Workforce Development will provide training in Braille and job-specific skills in order to prepare the new employees for the job.

However, many of the visually impaired job-seekers object to this proposal. They argue that because the jobs offered are in the private sector, the proposal does not address the issues they raise. Of the 450 people who presented a petition for employment at the State Secretariat, only 40 people have agreed to work at call centres.

Youssfi Adil, Chair of the Moroccan Association for Handicapped Rights, told Magharebia that the visually impaired will hold to their demands. "Our members will not accept this proposal, knowing as they do that numerous sufferers of the same handicap have already found employment in public service," he said, explaining that 45 visually impaired people have been recruited into the civil service.

Yasmina Baddou, Secretary of State for the Family, Children and Handicapped Persons, however, believes that the government's approach is a good solution. No other action is currently being planned, Baddou explained, because it would be impossible to give public sector jobs to every visually impaired person. The private sector is the future for the young, whether handicapped or not, and the state's current emphasis is on job-related training for the young and establishing partnerships with private enterprise, she said.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/04/29/feature-02
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Moroccan government allocates 80m euros for regional healthcare.
06/05/2007

The Moroccan Government will allocate 80 million euros for several development programmes to improve the performance of regional healthcare structures, local press reported on Saturday (May 5th). Health Minister Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah signed six programme contracts with regional governments which are to be implemented as of the second half of 2007. Funds have been allocated to Casablanca (31m euros), Doukkala-Abda (8m euros), Tadla-Azilal (6m euros), Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate (16m euros), Oriental (8.4m euros) and Marrakech-Tansift Al Haouz (9.6m euros). Biadillah said the government plans to further invest 120m euros in these types of programmes in 2008 and an additional 100m euros in 2009. According to Finance and Economy Minister Fathallah Oualalou, the move officially opened the administrative decentralisation of the healthcare sector and "will contribute to improve the availability and quality of medical care in the national health system".
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/05/06/newsbrief-05
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Morocco's first quarter growth hit by poor farm output. 
Tue May 1, RABAT (AFP)

Poor rains that hit agricultural output in Morocco may have slowed the country's growth rate in the first quarter of this year, the central planning body (HCP)said Tuesday. "Estimates for overall growth may be revised downwards given the poor agricultural performance," said the HCP, without giving a revised estimate. In February, the HCP forecast a three percent growth rate for the first quarter assuming if agricultural output reached 53 million quintals and inflation was contained at 1.5 percent. But insufficient rains had caused farm production to fall 13 percent compared to the average of the last five years, it said. Morocco's economy grew 7.3 percent in 2006 on the back of a bountiful harvest, against 2.4 percent the previous year.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070501/wl_africa_afp/moroccoeconomy_070501143325
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Commentary: Morocco's crucial role. 
Marc S. Ellenbogen, April 17, 2007 TANGIER, Morocco

The two explosions by Islamist cells in Casablanca in the past week should not eclipse Morocco's crucial role for Europe and the United States. Morocco is a strong economic partner and an indispensable strategic ally. It should be made a full member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and have complete access to European markets.

Even though an earlier March 11 explosion marked three years to the day of the ghastly Madrid bombings, vigilance by Morocco's security services prevented greater damage. Since the five suicide bombings that killed 45 people in Morocco in May 2003, police have pursued an unprecedented crackdown on suspected militants. Thousands of potential terrorists and their allies - including some accused of working with Al Qaeda affiliates to plot attacks in Morocco and abroad - have been arrested. While strengthening security, Morocco has continued with economic and social reforms.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco is a modernizing, forward-thinking, and energetic leader. Over the past five years he has implemented remarkable reforms in this North African country. The monarch has focused on literacy, healthcare, poverty, and economic equality.

In January 2006, a ratified Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Morocco made it the first country in Africa to have an FTA with the United States. Hassan Abouyoub, the former trade minister and chief foreign policy adviser to the king, has described it as "the best market access package of any emerging economy in the world." Trade between Morocco and the United States is about $1 billion per year.

At the first briefing of its kind to the king's Cabinet, Global Panel and the Prague Society brought ranking members of the Cabinet together with leaders from the Czech Republic, Germany, Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Morocco Strategic Initiative represented business, the legislature, military, security, ministers, and the NGO sector. Over four days, ideas were brainstormed and later presented to the king's counsel, interior minister, national security adviser, deputy interior and foreign ministers, and the head of the local government council.

Morocco is roughly the size of France (including Western Sahara) and California (or Sweden) excluding Western Sahara. It lies just 72 kilometers (45 miles) from Spain, immediately across the Strait of Gibraltar, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. The northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of plateaus. The rest of the country consists of valleys and rich coastal planes. Its highest point is Jbel Toubkal in the High Atlas Mountains at around 4,189 meters (13,745 feet) - some 200 meters shorter than California's Mount Whitney - making it the highest peak in North Africa.

Morocco has a population of 32 million. Its life expectancy is around 70 years - comparable to the West. The Moroccan population is young, with the average age being 24 whereas the equivalent in the US is 36. Ninety-eight percent of Moroccans are Muslim - Judaism, Islam, and Christianity have peacefully coexisted in the country for thousands of years. Berber, Arabic, and French are the principal spoken languages. Berber culture dates back some 4,000 years - predating Arabic culture in Morocco.

A crucial date for the North African country will be the September 7 national elections. In the past, Islamists and their allies could count on getting up to 30 percent of the vote, but not 30 percent of the seats. If they fall to 20 percent, it will be a sure sign that the reforms in Morocco are working. Regardless, Global Panel and the Prague Society are committed to joining international election-monitoring teams, the same ones that have previously monitored US elections.

Morocco is particularly interested in issues surrounding the Mediterranean basin. It has FTAs with Spain, France, and Italy but would like to expand these agreements. The revitalization of the Barcelona Process is a key goal.

The Barcelona Process (Euro-Mediterranean Partnership) began in 1995. An ambitious initiative, it calls for a framework of political, social, and economic relations between the European Union and Partners of the Southern Mediterranean: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. Cyprus and Malta are now also members of the EU. The Barcelona Declaration laid the foundations for a common security area, a common economic zone (free trade area), and rapprochement between the various cultures of the zone.

A key issue that has long dogged Morocco is the Western Sahara. Moroccan Western Sahara has been on the list of UN non-self-governing territories since 1960, even though the restoration to Morocco by Spain in 1975 was legal. Since 1991, there has been a ceasefire in place between the Moroccan government, the Polisario Front, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Most of the territory - among the most sparsely populated worldwide - is controlled by Morocco. International powers have generally taken an ambiguous and neutral position and have pushed for a peaceful resolution.

As with most territorial issues, the United Nations' involvement has been mostly ineffective - even counterproductive. It would be best to remove the issue from the UN agenda and allow the principal parties to negotiate among themselves - with external help from foreign experts, should the need arise.

Morocco is an inspiring and key emerging democracy; it just needs to do a better job of promoting its marvelous story.

Marc S. Ellenbogen is a United Press International Columnist, Chairman of the Global Panel Foundation, and President of the Prague Society. A Venture Capitalist with seats in Berlin and Prague, he is also a member of the National Advisory Board of the US Democratic Party. Contact him at: ellenbogen@globalpanel.org.
http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070417-051609-2951r
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The Magic of Mimouna
By David Suissa 2007-04-06

Go back a few centuries and picture yourself on a small street in a Jewish neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco, as the sun is starting to set.
You've just finished the late afternoon prayers on the last day of Passover, and as you head home, you see Arab grocers setting up shop and laying out butter, milk, honey and, most importantly, flour and yeast. They are doing what their ancestors did for generations: helping the Jews of Morocco prepare for the ancient tradition of Mimouna, a night when the Jews celebrated the end of Passover by opening the doors of their homes to their neighborhood.

After sundown, Jewish men would rush to gather all the supplies -- either by purchasing them or receiving them as gestures of good will from local Arabs -- and bring them home, where the women would prepare elaborate sweet tables.

These tables were laden with delicacies, but the star of the show was a thin, mouth-watering Moroccan crepe called the moufleta, which you would roll up with soft butter and honey. Please trust me when I tell you that to this day, few things in life are as perfect as a couple of hot, sweet, tender moufletas -- right after you've come off a strict eight-day diet of dry matzahs.

Moufletas were not the only sweet things floating in the Arabian moonlight on the night of Mimouna. According to folklore, Mimouna was known as the ideal night to meet your sweetheart. It was a night when doors and hearts were open, and young men and women, dressed in their finest, would move and mingle like butterflies from one party and sweet table to another. (I know, it sounds a lot more romantic than speed dating.)

The free-flowing and joyful atmosphere that made you feel the promise of finding love was not a coincidence. The night of Mimouna was all about bringing good fortune into your life. After eight days of prohibitions, Mimouna was the night you broke free, the night anything was possible.

For the Jews of Morocco, Mimouna was the Jewish holiday that celebrated optimism.

All night long, people would give the same greeting over and over again: "Terbach," an Arab word that roughly means, "May you win and be fortunate."

The word "mimouna" itself combines the Hebrew/Aramaic root "mammon," which means riches, with the Hebrew word "emunah," which means faith. Have faith in your good fortune: If Mimouna ever becomes a big deal in California, I bet the California Lottery would salivate to sponsor Mimouna parties.

As many of you know, the mainstreaming of Mimouna has already happened in Israel. The tradition has morphed from magical nights among neighbors to loud daytime barbecues in public parks, where politicians of all stripes come to sell their wares. I'm guessing the politicians want in on the good Mimouna vibes, which might explain why they've made it a national holiday.

From what I hear, the rabbis in Israel also got involved. They were afraid that people would rush out to buy their moufleta ingredients before the holiday was officially over, so they nudged Mimouna into the bright sun of the next day.

These rabbis obviously have no feel for romance -- Mimouna is for the moon, not the sun. My memories of Mimouna nights in Casablanca can never mesh with the notion of an afternoon barbecue in a public park. Even though I was only a child, I recall feeling this mysterious, nighttime magic in the air. Even the nervous rush after sundown to gather the goods and prepare the sweet tables were part of the excitement.

But the magic of Mimouna was not just the sweet tables and the Arabian nights. There was something else.

When I talk to Sephardic Jews today who spent a big part of their lives in Morocco, they go on and on about Mimouna. It's like they're talking about an ex-girlfriend they were madly in love with and wish they had married. There's a sense of nostalgia, yes, but also of loss -- a loss of what that one night represented.

It's true that they have tried to take Mimouna with them. In Montreal, where I grew up and where there is a large Moroccan Jewish community, people drive to fancy Mimouna parties all over town until the early morning hours. Even here in Los Angeles, there are Mimouna parties sprinkled all over the area, especially in Moroccan Jewish homes.

But everyone knows there's something missing. You could serve the world's greatest moufletas (my mother's), wear a gold-laced caftan and have a live Middle Eastern band, and there would still be something missing.

It's the neighborhood.

Mimouna represented the love and intimacy of a neighborhood. There's nothing like popping in to see 10, 20, 30 different neighbors on the same night, most of whom you see all the time -- especially when you know your great-great-great-grandparents probably did the same thing in the same place.

According to tradition, Mimouna itself came out of a neighborhood need. Because many Jewish families in Morocco each had their own Passover customs, Passover week was the one time of the year when families would usually not eat in each other's homes.

Mimouna was a way for the neighborhood to dramatically make up for this week of limited hospitality -- a night when things got back to normal, and everyone invited everyone.

If Passover was the holiday that drew you in -- toward yourself, your home, your family -- Mimouna was the holiday that blew you away, back to the neighbors, your friends, your freedom, your dreams, maybe even your future love.

Many years later, I find myself living again in a Jewish neighborhood, and I can't help wondering if my moving here had something to do with my memories of another neighborhood.

Especially on that one magical night of the year, when the moufletas were hot, the doors were open and everything was possible.

David Suissa, an advertising executive, is founder of OLAM magazine and Meals4Israel.com. He can be reached at dsuissa@olam.org http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=17474
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U.S. troops show peaceful side with medical clinic in Morocco Two-week mission part of annual military exercise in North Africa
By Charlie Coon , Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Wednesday, April 25, 2007 BEN KHALIL, Morocco

An old man has eyeglasses placed on his nose, the frame bent into place behind his ears. He looks through the lenses and sees the world more clearly, and breaks out into a gap-toothed grin, eyes wide with wonder. The old man shakes hands all around, taps his hand to his heart, and shakes more hands. Still grinning, he marches outside and into the sunshine, just a man and his eyeglasses.

A woman is found to have lumps in her breast. She is 47 — breast cancer age — and urged to go to a hospital for diagnosis. “Some of these women haven’t had a routine examination in many years,” a doctor says.

Small touches of modern health care, delivered by people wearing U.S. military uniforms, is received by people who seemed to appreciate it. “Primarily, it’s good will,” said Master Sgt. Chuck Rackham of the Utah Army National Guard. “We come in and take care of people, and show them that Americans are caring and peaceful.”

Rackham is one of the soldiers in charge of the medical missions near Tan Tan in southern Morocco that are part of African Lion 07. The annual, two-week U.S.-Moroccan military exercise is organized by the Stuttgart, Germany-based U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe. While Marines and Moroccan soldiers trained together a few miles away on the art of high-caliber killing, their colleagues practiced the art of healing, trying to spread peace through medicine to the folks of their host communities. “Many people only think of us as having the big stick,” Rackham said. “We’re told a lot of these guys listen to Al-Jazeera (a Qatar-based news network) and only know about us from what they hear off of that. We come down here to show them the other side.”

The kingdom of Morocco, located on the northwest corner of Africa, has been a friend of the U.S. for decades. But there’s still a mean streak that courses through its mostly Muslim population of more than 33,240,000 people. Two suicide-bomb events earlier this month in the northern city of Casablanca — haphazardly carried out, with only one fatality in addition to the bombers themselves — put the nation on notice that peace isn’t a given here.

The 10 medical events in 10 southern villages are similar to those performed regularly in recent years in other parts of Africa by the U.S. military, which in February formed a command to focus its efforts on the continent.

The clinic in Ben Khalil, located about five miles outside Tan Tan, was staged in a grouping of one-story buildings. Security in the form of Moroccan soldiers who ringed the site was obvious but not overbearing. Rooms were set up for villagers to be treated for dental issues, skin problems and general medical problems. Children were seen by a military pediatrician. Medicine was dispensed by a pharmacy. About 500 villagers were served on this day. In addition to Utah’s Army Guardsmen, the Utah Air National Guard provided staff, along with its host colleagues, who seemed satisfied.

“We’re very pleased with what is going on here,” Dr. (Maj.) Nustapha Dahan of the Moroccan army said through an interpreter. “It’s beautiful; it’s a good operation. And it’s a good opportunity to work with the Americans side by side.”
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52911&archive=true
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For Morocco’s Jews, a mixture of integration, vibrancy and decline.
By Michael S. Arnold

As the last significant Jewish outpost in the Arab world, Moroccan Jews enjoy a community life that is vibrant but shrinking rapidly as its younger members continue to leave home………………….
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/article/ForMoroccosJews.html
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The View From Here . . .
By Bob Morgan, Jr.

As this is written, young Robert and I are in an internet cafe in Marrakesh, Morocco. The cafe itself is a fairly colorful scene, located upstairs in a market building near the main Djemma el Fna square with Arabic music blaring. The keyboard, which also has Arabic letters, is in the French mode and not every letter is placed the same as it is in our standard design. For example, I keep typing the letter q when I mean a.

As it long has been, Morocco is a crossroads country. Its soul is certainly Arab and Islamic. Even in Marrakesh, a relatively westernized part of the country, most local women wear the traditional djellaba garb including headscarves, and the sound of the call to prayer fills the medina, or central area, five times a day. Somewhat disappointingly, mosques are basically off limits to non-Muslims, although medersas, seminaries for religious instruction, can be seen.

But there is also a tolerance for foreign ways in Morocco which is easy to take for an outsider. For example, although the consumption of alcohol is forbidden by Islam, it is available to foreigners at restaurants, bars and stores and Morocco even has its own vineyards. Partly as a result of its status as a French colony from 1912 to 1956, French, and to a lesser extent, English, is widely spoken in Morocco, although attempts to use even rudimentary Arabic are welcomed. Most fundamentally, the parts of the country that I have seen so far basically feel safe for visitors.

The economy of Morocco is in transition as well. Although Morocco can fairly be called a Third World country, the extremes of poverty that appear in other parts of Africa do not appear as prevalent here. While bicycles, horse-drawn, and even donkey-drawn, carts and trucks are still very common, the motor vehicle age, at least after a fashion, has come here. There are huge numbers of motorcycles, motor scooters and even motorized bicycles on the road, and even in the alleys, along with larger vehicles, all driven in a very, er, spirited style.

One traditional aspect of the economy that has not been abandoned, however, is the love of bargaining. While taxis in theory have meters, in practice the rates must be negotiated down from the initial high first offer. Even orange juice on offer from the stands in the Djemmq el Fna required haggling. And the getting the right price for a rug sold in the souks can take hours of bargaining, some of it over the traditional mint tea.

In any event, the lad and I still have much to see and learn about Morocco on this trip: In what very much figures to be the highlight of the journey for the lad, tomorrow we will be taking an overnight minibus excursion to the desert and mountain areas surrounding Marrakesh, including a two-hour camel ride and sleeping outdoors in a tent. Robert explained that he will get great enjoyment from this side trip itself, but he is especially eager to watch his father attempt to cope with this adventure; I think I last camped out in 1965. But I imagine that I will be able to get through this excursion and that it will prove to be one more great memory from an eye-opening trip. http://www.gcnews.com/news/2007/0330/View_From_Here/009.html
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Morocco: the Hitchhiker’s Guide by Amy Milka | May 10th, 2007
This Easter, Amy Milka joined the annual student migration to Africa. She remembers the OAPs, squaddies and French fascist who helped her to blag her way across the continent. Things I have gained from the hitch to Morocco: a newfound appreciation for toilet roll, confidence in my ability to botch communications in a mixture of pidgin Spanish and frantic hand gestures and an inexplicable urge to quit university and become a truck driver.

This Easter, whilst many nestled in the nourishing cocoon of suburbia, a motley crew from York joined students from across the country in the hitch to Morocco. A journey of around 1600 miles, crossing time zones and borders and smashing language barriers with a mixture of big smiles and non-threatening movements, the goal was to raise £300,000 for the charity Link Community Development. With every participant raising at least £300, it is one of the biggest fundraising events in the country. And, although the glow of charity work adds a sense of legitimacy, any excuse for a holiday, right?

Our journey began at the beginning of the M1, where my hitch partner Matthew and I tumbled from the safety of his Dad’s estate car, along with an assortment of backpacks and luminous outdoor clothing. There is much to be said for fresh-faced enthusiasm and at first we were relatively lucky, securing a lift to Nottingham within a few minutes. From there, we began to discover that hitchhiking is not as easy as just sticking out your thumb.

Any hitcher will tell you that it is a journey of amazing highs and incredible lows, all of which are forgotten as soon as your next ride pulls up. Several hours spent cluttering up a grass verge in a service station becomes a pleasant lunch stop once you’re on the move again. Similarly, the last hitch, which you pounced upon when it arrived, becomes the worst lift ever if the driver drops you off in the wrong place.

We left Nottingham in a 60-foot lorry headed for Poole, a five-hour journey away. Upon arriving at an industrial estate in the aptly named Blandford our fortunes suddenly changed. Hiking through deepest suburbia to the main road, we discovered that the area was solely populated by OAPs. One of these, however, took pity on us, and took us two miles in a cab filled with bouncing toddlers and Labradors, nearly causing a pile-up by dropping us off directly on a roundabout. We reached Portsmouth by nightfall, after being rescued by two squaddies, who squashed us into the back of an Audi TT, and taking a sneaky rail journey. At the ferry port, exhausted, we met a bunch of fresh-faced York students who had enjoyed a leisurely train ride from their southerly homes, and were so excited to see how this hitching lark would go.

Perhaps our first day’s experience had given us an edge, as we overtook them coming off the ferry and blagged a friendly lorry driver and a nine-hour hitch to Lyon. By early evening, Yves and I were best friends, and whilst Matthew snoozed contentedly on the bunk, I learnt about his family members, his taste in dubious French folk music and why he was voting Le Pen.
The next morning, the toll road and a couple of lucky hitches took us south, and by 11am we were in Valence, fishing for that perfect lift to Spain. We caught a white van man completely off guard as he hacked apart a baguette and a hunk of ham. The young Spaniard, affectionately nicknamed ‘Sandy’, as we were unable to pronounce his name, took us all the way to Barcelona, combining breathtaking speed with texting, eating and singing at the wheel. He dropped us off in a prime location, a service station teeming with HGVs. Unfortunately, our extremely limited Spanish didn’t stretch to reading the ‘under construction’ sign next to the symbol for a hotel.

A frustrating issue which haunts the hitcher from an early stage is how to get back onto the motorway. If you end up, as we did, in a dodgy suburb with no main slip road, the sight of the motorway speeding past a hundred yards away is enough to induce tears of hysteria. Coupled with the disappearance of service stations in southern Spain, and the fact that lorries don’t move on a Sunday, this is notoriously the most difficult part of the hitch. As the week wore on and the distance covered in a day dwindled, we grew desperate. A hitch from a Moroccan couple with a shattered windscreen and a collection of incessant Arabic music left us in a provincial maze of roadworks and a second hitch, hours later, got us into slightly hot water. The driver took us back to his house and gave us his keys whilst he parked, resulting in his keys dangling in the door and us shuffling off as fast as people carrying three stone on their backs could go. Round the corner in a cafe, we gave up on hitching to Algeciras and a sympathetic local drove us to the station. As we boarded the bus in Malaga, a sheepish group from Warwick appeared, escaping the hitching hellhole of Spain. As the bus filled up with hitchers, we began to realise that we hadn’t done too badly after all.

Everyone comes back with a few stories to tell, and I managed to get mild ammonia poisoning from one service station’s overzealous toilet cleaners, resulting in a lot of stress, mainly induced by Matthew’s insistence that he couldn’t smell burning. And, when the adventure was over and the holiday began, our first night in Morocco was interrupted by a drunken man getting into our hotel room at 1am. He left when we started screaming like little girls and we departed too early to ask the owner how it had happened.

Other hitchers had similarly colourful experiences. One group from Leeds counted the police amongst their hitches; another had walked 10km cross-country in the dark. Our friends from Warwick had hitched a lift with a possibly-illegal coach load of Romanian immigrants, whose driver listened to non-stop accordion music and honked the horn if any passengers fell asleep.
So, after 15 hitches, too much junk food and not nearly enough showers, our holiday began. Our first night in Fes, a local took us out to a shisha bar where we spent the night in style for £1 each. The next morning our guide took us to a carpet cooperative where the trio from Warwick were hassled into spending £400 on a small rug.

Marrakech, too, was a great experience. Although it is the main tourist centre (the shop keepers will assure you their goods are “Primark prices”), it is a unique city, centring on the large Place Djema el Fnaa which comes alive at night with open air food joints and street performers. The best way to enjoy the sights without finding a snake round your neck and a monkey on your shoulder is to retire to a rooftop cafe and watch the world go by, sipping an addictive thé a la menthe and ordering the local specialty, tagine, a kind of casserole served in a conical pot.

Unfortunately, Matthew and I only left 12 days for the whole trip, which left us short of time when we actually arrived in Morocco. However, despite the ups and downs of an inevitably difficult journey, we have both come away with some great memories and, though lacking a tan, I think it is one of the most worthwhile experiences university has to offer.
http://www.nouse.co.uk/2007/05/10/morocco-the-hitchhiker%E2%80%99s-guide/
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The Road to Morocco Begins at Westwood Blvd
May 7, 2007

I think we can all agree that food does much more for the body than fill it with nutrients; food can nourish the soul, thrill the senses, and sometimes transport us to faraway lands faster than a Concord jet. Koutoubia, a little Moroccan restaurant in West L.A., serves food that does just that. You could drive by this place for years, as I have, and never take much notice to the small, slightly embellished, structure. But once you walk through the restaurant’s front doors, you will be instantly beamed to Morocco where exotic sights, sounds, smells and tastes await!

The restaurant is decorated with lush Moroccan fabrics from wall to wall, and a combination of crystal and Moroccan chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The lighting is dim, moody and romantic and the restaurant smells of delicate spices and incense. You will be seated on low banquettes piled with pillows. The round, brassy, inlaid tables are also low to the ground. In the background, the lovely sounds of Moroccan folk music play.

After you’ve been seated, a waiter —of which there are few —will come over and discuss the menu with you. You can choose between ordering dishes a la carte or getting the prix fix seven course traditional Moroccan meal (about $40 per person). Personally, I don’t eat everything on the prix fix menu, so I usually order a la carte. If you’re dining with one or two other people it might be better to go the a la carte route, and split a few dishes so you can sample the many flavors and dishes. But if you’re with a large group, it’s probably easiest, tastiest and cheapest to go with the set menu.

While the whole menu is tantalizing, there are several dishes that should not be missed. I love to start with their lentil soup, which is thick and chock full of rice, lentils and chickpeas. It has a delicate flavor with subtle notes of cumin and turmeric.

I also always get the salad platter ($11) —which is definitely big enough for two or even three people to share —and features several seasonal cold vegetable dishes. Last time I ordered it, the platter featured sliced beets (the best I’ve ever had, I usually don’t dig on beets but these were so yummy), a celeriac remoulade, spiced carrots, cucumber and tomato chopped salad, and an eggplant dip. The platter was further garnished with big, plump olives. These vegetables were so fresh and delicious, and they looked like a bright rainbow on my plate. I swear if your mother made vegetables like this when you were a kid, you would not have had a problem eating them! But back to the platter… The best way to eat the various veggies is to pile them onto the fresh warm bead they serve you. Also, make sure you use that bread to soak up the juices the veggies leave on the plate! You won’t want to waste a drop of flavor!

For my main course, I usually get the shrimp kebabs ($21.50) served with couscous. The spiced and grilled shrimp are smoky and cooked to perfection. Personally, I can’t think of anything better. However, my mom loves the honey lamb ($21.95), which is served up with dates, prunes and couscous. Also my mom loves the B’stia ($11 appetizer portion, $18.95 as entrée), one of the more famous and traditional dishes. The B’stia is kind of like a meat pie: the crust is made of phyllo dough, the filling is ground chicken spiced with cinnamon. The whole thing is topped more cinnamon and powdered sugar. It’s very sweet, almost like a dessert, but it’s a chicken dish often served as an appetizer or prelude to the main course. It may sound weird, but people love it and it’s definitely worth a try if you want a truly exotic flavor experience.

For dessert they serve you Moroccan mint tea ($3), which is so sweet and soothing —I wish I could make it this good at home. You can also get coffee if the tea isn’t your thing. Their coffee is kind of thick —more like Turkish coffee. I also love their baklava, which is sticky, sweet and flakey. And if baklava isn’t your thing, they also have assorted ice creams, sorbets, and cookies. Delish!

Now as much as I love Koutoubia, it is not a place to go if you need to be home —or anywhere else —by a certain time. Now, obviously a seven course meal isn’t a thing to be rushed, but once I set aside two and a half hours for dinner there and that wasn’t near enough. There are only usually two or three waiters for the entire restaurant and everything is being made to order, which is why you should expect to enjoy a more than three-hour-long leisurely meal.

Besides being a tad slow, the waiters are friendly. The host/owner/chef is perhaps a little too friendly. The minute we came in, he struck up conversation with me and proceeded to find out everything I’ve been up too for the last five years —mind you I’d never met him before. Then, he kept grabbing my wrist and yelling at me for being too skinny. And finally, when I said I didn’t eat chicken —which is why I wouldn’t be sharing the B’stia we ordered —he sorta rolled his eyes and huffed at me. Even if it might be a joke, I don’t really like being judged by some guy I’m paying to feed me! That being said, even though the chef/host is meddlesome he sure makes damn tasty food, so I’ll put up with his meshugaas —as you should too! Really, it’s so worth it once that salad hits your tongue!

I highly suggest that next time you and your friends want to go try something new, or next time you want a quiet and luxurious romantic meal with your sweetie, that you go try Koutoubia. You’ll be amazed by how far away from LA you feel, and you’ll be thrilled by the wonderful food. And hey, while a sixty to eighty dollar dinner for two isn’t cheap, it is way cheaper than flying all the way to Morocco!

2116 Westwood Blvd (between Olympic and La Grange) Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310) 475-0729 Reservations recommended.:
http://www.koutoubiarestaurant.com  photo by jpvargas via FlickR
http://www.laist.com/archives/2007/05/07/the_road_to_morocco_begins_at_westwood_blvd.php
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Mirleft, Morocco – where the living is easy on the eye and Easier on the ...
Chester,UK

As Morocco’s Vision 2010 strategy continues to attract ever-increasing numbers of visitors and Mirleft itself grows in stature, a conservative occupancy of …
http://www.easier.com/view/International_Property_News/Morocco/article-113857.html
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Impressions From A Journey To Morocco.
May 6, 2007. John Reger  Reporting (WCCO)

In Arabic, it's called "the farthest land of the setting sun," the far west of the Muslim world, but it's better known as Morocco. Resting on a shoulder of North Africa, Morocco is three times larger than Minnesota. A railway connects the Atlantic coast to fairytale places like Casablanca, Marrakesh, and the old Imperial capitol of Fez.

All the action's down in the Medina, a tangle of twisting alleyways and covered bazaars. Life here is a flashback to the Middle Ages, where you can still get fresh head of camel to go. But I'm here for adventure, so I get a taxi to climb into the High Atlas Mountains, where roadside vendors peddle dates, plates and strange-looking animals.

On foot, I come across the tent-homes of nomads, free to homestead on public lands. Somehow I end up at a midnight wedding reception in true Muslim tradition: no women allowed. I catch a lift east, off-roading into the hottest place on earth: the Sahara Desert. Stretching over a third of Africa, it's mostly hard-packed gravel, with vast expanses of soft, shifting sands.

Camel is still king here, the ways of the camel drivers locked in the past with the present catching up.

What was once the gateway of ancient east-west trade routes is now pocked with crumbling reminders of faded grandeur. Even the great Kasbahs, or royal palaces, stand empty, abandoned long ago as desert fortresses against invaders.

Long lost majesty means nothing to today's nomads. Toiling in poverty and distrustful of society, they're constantly on the move for water and forage.

Travelers are welcome. At the most desolate baked-mud huts, I am invited in for mint tea and cool shade. One hostess seemed a little unsure of her Western guest.

I find a group of musicians at rehearsal playing giant castanets called qaraqibs. It turns into kind of a jam session, a musical sendoff for the next leg of the journey: a camel trek into the dunes of the Sahara.

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To begin the second portion of my journey through Morocco, I hitch a 4 a.m. ride to a staging point for camel treks, setting out in preheat darkness on a camel I can hardly see.

At daybreak, I shoot video of my guide. We speak French, a second language in Morocco since colonial days.

We hoof it into the dunes before the morning sun turns them into a furnace. Our camels will rest and wait, no matter how long we're gone.

My guide is Yidir, a Berber nomad born in the desert and the son of a camel driver. He points out distant watering holes and hidden shortcuts, secrets of survival handed down for generations. He hopes to one day pass them on when he becomes a father.

"Insha'Allah," he says in Arabic, meaning "God willing."

As the miles pass on the trail, I imagine Yidir's Berber ancestors, the original desert people, leading caravans of riches over these same camel paths.

We camp at a remote outpost where trail guides rendezvous and relax.

In the morning I pick out a new camel from a corral and a new guide who knows the way deep into the dunes. I go with the veteran, a nomad named Adi.

Adi comes from the tuareg tribe, fierce warriors who never submitted to foreign conquerors -- Roman, Arab or French. He keeps us in the saddle for long days, sitting out only the roasting hours when it hits 120 degrees.

Adi insists I put a turban on, as it keeps your head cool in the sun and, if the sand starts blowing, you can pull the lower straps up to keep the wind out.

Our Dromedary, or one-humped camels, can cover 25 miles a day, their wide, padded feet spreading out to keep from sinking. Long eyelashes, fur-lined ears, and sealable nostrils block out blowing sand.

Riding a camel is easy, if a little hard on the rear end, but in getting on the camel, you've got to be sure to hang on.

Adi finally spots our destination: the black tents of an oasis nestled at the base of some 500-foot high dunes.

Caravans of people from every direction use it as pit stop to rest and recover. Some are dug in for extended visits, setting up heavy tents for the near-freezing nights.

Adi and I are roughing outside with the snakes and scorpions.

Camels can go weeks without water, but can drink 20 gallons in 10 minutes when they fill up. So if you have an oasis, you have to have water, and they found it in a well right in the middle of the desert.

The drivers tend the animals and cook the night meal: lots of potato stew with frothy camel milk.

Caravaners fan out across the dunes whipped 50 stories high by the winds. The vistas are endless and hypnotic.

With a compass I'm free to wander as long and far as I want, except near the disputed border with Algeria, where I might get shot at.

Not much survives here, but I run into that strange animal again: the rare fennec fox.

It's almost like hiking in snow-covered mountains, except these have a blanket of gold. The air is clean and dry, the silence and solitude almost spiritual. I make a promise to myself to come back here someday.

Insha'Allah, God willing.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_119132548.html
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