Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
April 26 , 2014

Morocco welcomes first US university campus with dedication of University of New England-Tangier.
Inauguration ceremony attended by Maine Governor, US Ambassador
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ (MACC)

Maine's University of New England (UNE) officially inaugurated its new UNE facility in Tangier, becoming the first US institution of higher education to open a campus in Morocco. Located on the grounds of the American School of Tangier (AST), UNE's campus offers students a chance to spend a semester or year studying in Morocco, where they will learn Arabic, Moroccan history and culture, along with their regular college coursework, and travel across the country. Students will also have the option of living with a local host family to acquire a better appreciation for Morocco's unique heritage and culture.

The satellite campus, which opened in January to 23 UNE students, is yet another sign of the deepening partnership between the US and Morocco, which goes back more than two centuries. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the new US Ambassador to Morocco, Dwight L. Bush, Sr., as well as by Maine Governor Paul LePage, UNE President Danielle Ripich, and many other Moroccan and American dignitaries.

"The establishment of this campus here in Tangiers is another symbol of the deep and historical relationship between Morocco and the US and will serve as yet another way for increased understanding and partnership between our two countries," said US Ambassador Bush, who noted that Morocco was the first nation to recognize the US in 1777.  "Initiatives like this are important now more so than ever because they provide students with the opportunity to be global learners, innovators and compassionate cross-cultural partners."

Describing Morocco as "a gateway to North Africa and the European Union," Governor LePage urged the inaugural UNE Tangier class to bring their seasoned, well-rounded minds back home after concluding their studies abroad. "We need you at home!" he joked.

UNE President Ripich commended the students as "pioneers embracing their Morocco immersion," adding that "these experiences have collectively helped change and define them, and I have no doubt will also help them change the world."

While UNE is the first American university to establish its own campus in Morocco, the North African kingdom is host to several American schools, including the Rabat, Marrakech, and Casablanca American Schools and the American School of Tangier, which opened its doors in 1950.

"Morocco has its own fascinating history and culture, as a bridge between Europe and Africa, making it an ideal place for young Americans to broaden their horizons and enable them to succeed as citizens of the world," said Edward M. Gabriel, former US Ambassador to Morocco, who as co-chairman of the AST Board of Trustees was one of the signatories of the agreement with UNE enabling the new campus to be established.

For more on Morocco and the region, visit http://www.moroccoonthemove.com. Also follow us on Twitter - @MorocOnTheMove. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MoroccoOnTheMove

The Moroccan American Cultural Center (MACC) is a not-for-profit 501 c(3) organization which works to build stronger cultural and educational ties between Morocco and the U.S. through its support of programs that enhance bilateral relations and cooperation. Created in 2003 as an initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, MACC has undertaken a range of projects which include hosting events that celebrate and share the rich diversity of Moroccan culture, and supporting programs that enhance cultural and educational ties between the U.S. and Morocco as well as across the Maghreb.  For more information, go to www.MoroccoOnTheMove.com.  
SOURCE Moroccan American Cultural Center
http://world.einnews.com/article/201829993/ZLer3kApv1aRFoIr?n=1&code=F0A6UI8SDeLVJB2O
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Peace Corps Volunteers Put World’s Youth on a Brighter Path

Peace Corps volunteers Martha Fedorowicz of East Lansing, Mich., and Meg Fowler of Memphis, Tenn., recently collaborated with a local community member and a nonprofit organization called INJAZ Al-Maghrib to lead a workshop for high school students in Morocco on developing business and entrepreneurial skills. After discussing business goals and aspirations, Fedorowicz and Fowler divided the youth participants into five groups, each tasked with designing a small business plan. Once the business plans were complete and each participant assumed a role within the company, the five businesses were each instructed to produce a greeting card utilizing the information and skills learned through the workshop. A panel then judged the products and business plans and selected a winning company based on price, creativity and quality of the card.

“By doing things that real businesses do, like designing advertisements, creating product ideas and doing market surveys, these programs teach youth the basics of what it takes to become an entrepreneur: leadership, self-assessment, communication, creativity, determination, teamwork and problem-solving,” said Fedorowicz, a graduate of the University of Michigan who has been living in Morocco since 2012.

“I truly believe that this experience has been an excellent opportunity for our high school students to grow in their abilities to work in teams, demonstrate initiative and leadership, and apply their creativity in productive ways,” said Fowler, a graduate of American University who has been living in Morocco since 2013. “My hope is that the workshop will inspire them to consider the benefits and possibilities of entrepreneurship as a viable option for their future careers.”
http://www.peacecorps.gov/media/forpress/press/2363/?from=hpsl_gysd
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Neuro-Rehabilitation Comes to Morocco Through Web-Based Video Conferencing.
Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) April 23, 2014

TruClinic announced today a partnership with the Zahra Charity to enable providers in Morocco and the US to collaborate in the delivery of remote neuro-rehabilitative care to patients through care teams on the ground in Morocco. The Zahra Charity ("ZC") is an American non-profit organization founded by Dr. Jonathan Fellus, director of rehabilitation at the Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in New Jersey and chief medical officer for the International Brain Research Foundation, and Dr. Mohammed Sbia, CEO of MS-Biotech, LLC. ZC is dedicated to building, managing and growing the infrastructure for specialized neuro-rehabilitative care through a new facility in Marrakech City, Morocco – The Moulay Ali Institute for Rehabilitation (MAIR).

Morocco lacks the trained personnel and facilities needed to provide access to neuro-rehabilitative services. As a result, children and adults with neurological disabilities, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), stroke-related disabilities, and spinal cord injuries have a low probability of receiving the necessary care to recover from their conditions. The vast majority of them end up severely handicapped, adding tremendous financial and emotional burden on their families and society.

ZC is addressing this severe deficit in neuro-rehabilitative care by using TruClinic to connect Moroccan care teams on the ground with providers in the US to ensure the delivery of comprehensive care to patients with neurological conditions. Additionally, the care teams will have access with the click of a button to experts in the US and the most up to date treatment protocol, training and research.

TruClinic provides a web-based technology through which providers, patients and care teams can connect face-to-face through high definition video conferencing and securely share care instructions and patient information. Dr. Mohammed Sbia is excited about the possibilities of using the TruClinic portal, saying, "This is an easy technology to use; joining with TruClinic allows us to scale more rapidly and provide the very best in patient care."

Justin Kahn, founder and CEO of TruClinic views the project as an example of the social impact that is possible with TruClinic's technology, saying, "This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a good cause that is bringing necessary healthcare services to an area of the world that would otherwise go without. It's a fantastic demonstration of how TruClinic can benefit patients and providers regardless of location".

ZC has garnered support from organizations such as Rotary International, The Sorenson Legacy Foundation and The Association Grand Atlas in Morocco. ZC also works closely with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Morocco to expand its reach and impact. Her Highness Princess Lalla Zineb of Morocco heads one such organization, The Moroccan League for the Protection of Children, which provides care to children who were abandoned – many due to mental handicaps and neurological disabilities. By working with ZC, children in the program are able to receive the care they need.

About TruClinic

TruClinic™ provides web-based telemedicine solutions for providers and organizations in the healthcare industry. The company offers a secure, high definition video communication system, as well as a suite of practice management products that extend the reach of healthcare practices. TruClinic's mission is to make telemedicine available to everyone by providing simple, secure and convenient solutions. Follow us on Twitter (@TruClinic) or visit us online at TruClinic.com.

For more information, please contact Preston Robinson @ 877.340.0410 or probinson(at)truclinic(dot)com.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/04/prweb11787309.htm
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1867285#ixzz2zi04s9ub
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Morocco offers huge investment opportunities for US companies: OBG.
Wednesday 23 April 2014 Washington

Morocco offers huge investment opportunities for American companies in several key sectors, said, Tuesday in Washington, Oxford Business Group Regional Editor for Africa Robert Tashima. Morocco undertook considerable reforms to simplify investment procedures by adopting a modern, simplified tax system, said Tashima who was speaking at a conference held at the headquarters of the US trade chamber under the theme “Morocco, gateway to three continents.” 

He highlighted the impressive development of transportation infrastructure and the growing number of free zones all over the Kingdom, noting that these assets make Morocco a hot destination for foreign investments.  Tashima called on American enterprises and businessmen to benefit from the Moroccan economic boom and its closeness to Europe to broaden their activities.

Julianne Furman, head of Polydesign, components manufacturer in the Tangier free zone, noted that Morocco is committed to reinforcing its exports infrastructure, mainly through the setting up of adapted free zones such as those of Casablanca and Nador.
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MasterChef comes to Marrakesh
As the company behind the BBC cookery show branches out into the travel trade, Xanthe Clay gets a taste for Morocco and falls in love with the country all over again
By Xanthe Clay BST 25 Apr 2014

Marrakesh and I have history. I spent a few days there, half a decade ago, and returned home half enchanted, half bruised. I loved the verve and bustle, the brightly coloured pottery, the vividly flavoured food and the exquisite architecture, but I was frustrated by the sense that I was missing too much, in part owing to my inability to read or speak Arabic (French works, but not always), in part because the culture is hard to decode. I was exhausted too, by trying to buy the covetable pottery in the souk, and needing an hour of haggling to bring it down from Knightsbridge prices to something tourist-appropriate. Add to that the aggressive self-appointed “guides” on every corner trying to extract payment for unwanted advice, turning from charming to abusive at the drop of a fez, and I was, let’s say, ambivalent about the Red City.

So when I heard that this year the MasterChef brand has branched into travel, with trips to the foodie hotspots of the world including Mexico, Thailand and, yes, Morocco, I was intrigued. And before you ask, there’s no Gregg or John on the tours, but I can’t be the only one who’d be quite relieved by that – “holidays don’t get tougher than this” would grate after a bit.

Instead, each tour is accompanied by a bona fide MasterChef contestant, so there’s a good chance of behind-the-scenes gossip along with the culinary know-how. At the same time the tour directors have been careful to include enough sightseeing and free time to keep less foodie partners happy. But could they make me fall in love with Marrakesh anew?

From the moment we arrived at our small, traditional hotel, a riad in the old city, just across the street from a royal palace, it seemed we were on to a winner. We were greeted with exquisite little Moroccan pastries and sweet mint tea – Morocco is not the place to go sugar-free – which we sipped sitting in the cool, dimly lit courtyard. The riad Dar les Cigognes – Place of the Storks – is a haven of calm, despite the thrum of motorbikes and the rattle of horse-drawn carts outside, and a reassuring blend of traditional and luxurious. It’s the sort of place where roses float in courtyard fountains and every night there is a poem on your pillow and milk and cookies on the bedside table. I’m not the only one to enjoy it – Yotam Ottolenghi stayed here when he filmed the Moroccan section of his Mediterranean Feasts series. The hotel’s owner, Eben Lenderking, a rangy, red-haired Anglo-American, acted as food adviser

That evening we sat on the roof terrace tasting high-class Moroccan wines while watching the sun set over the palace walls. Each of the riad’s turrets is topped with a stork’s nest, hence its name. Pierre, the soigné hotel manager, whose career has included five-star establishments, said: “You know, the storks have just one partner for their entire life,” before adding with a toss of his head, “I am not a stork.”

Keri Moss, joint winner of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2012, joined us for dinner under the stars, a feast of tagine, quail and couscous. She chatted happily about her MasterChef experiences – the terror of waiting for the swing doors to open and the judges to walk through, what it’s like to be at the mercy of Michel Roux, how her final creation went wrong – but she’s far too discreet to dish any real dirt.

On the subject of the local ingredients or cooking with the hotel’s traditional cook, Fouzia, however, she lit up. Some of the ingredients, it has to be said, are not for the fainthearted: we gasped over stories of years-old fermented butter, part of the traditional Berber woman’s trousseau, and gossiped about whether we were game enough to try camel.

The next two days brought more revelations. Lenderking, who has lived part-time in Marrakesh since he bought Dar les Cigognes on a whim in 2000, acted as our guide. A self-confessed food obsessive, he turned out to be the tour’s secret weapon, a one-man Larousse Gastronomique of Morocco, someone who has been known to follow locals bearing food back to their homes and knock on the door to ask with characteristic charm if he can try their dishes.

Lenderking led us through the streets of the old city, showing us a neat shortcut through the public baths, where to eat the best local slow-cooked stew “tangia” (up a set of steps behind a stall stacked with sheep’s heads), and how to make it through the souk unhassled. The secret, apparently, is to answer the hawkers with a briskly polite “pas aujourd’hui,” “not today,” which is code for “I might look European but I’m a local; don’t bother me.”

Moroccan spices are one of the best souvenirs for a cook, but it is easy to go wrong with unscrupulous traders, or simply become befuddled by the vast choice. Lenderking showed us the best spice shop, the wholesaler where the souk stalls go to buy supplies, and talked us through the stock, some familiar, some baffling – such as “nutmeg of the Sahara”, dried pomegranate skins and smelling-salts-strong eucalyptus resin – and all unlabelled. We drank cups of tea scented with star anise and watched while the owner climbed nimbly over boxes to reach the shelves that stretched to the ceiling, packed with aphrodisiacs, beauty scrubs and herbal medicines.

Making purchases was easy: as Lenderking’s a regular there was no need to bargain. We bought argan oil, a sublime and expensive Moroccan nut oil, for an astoundingly good value £8 a bottle, as well as bags of the spice mix ras el hanout, and real saffron at knock-down prices.

We were taught how to be sure it was real saffron, by taking a single strand, dampening it and rubbing it on our palms. “If it goes orange, it is fake. True saffron turns your skin yellow,” our guide explained.

As we strolled out with our bags, women walked purposefully past us carrying trays covered with clean cloths. Lenderking eyed them expertly and said: “This is bread, those are pies and these ones are cookies.” He dived off down a narrow alley, and up a set of semolina-strewn steps to lead us through an unmarked doorway to the mosque-run bakery, where for one dirham – about 8p – locals can come and have their home-made goods baked. A man expertly used a 12ft-long paddle to whisk the flat, circular loaves, marked with dimples to identify them, in and out of the wood-burning oven. I would never have found this on my own.

We headed back to the bustle of the Djemaa el-Fna, where in the evening a mini-Soho of stalls springs up selling food to foreigners, while snake charmers and water sellers pose for photographs. But we didn’t stop – this is tourist territory. Our goal was the stall in the corner, where a surly man sold us tubs of fermented butter, fragrant as blue cheese and laced with fragments of dried beef. “It’s amazing,” Lenderking promised.

Back at the hotel it was time to cook. With Fouzia and Keri we cooked ouarka (pronounced warka), a tissue-paper-thin pastry that is a key ingredient in dishes such as bstilla, a delectable spiced pigeon or chicken pie. Then Saida, Fouzia’s colleague, showed us how to roll couscous, rubbing the palms of our hands over a huge dish of semolina and flour until the characteristic fine clumps form.

Taking it in turns to help, we watched her make a seven-vegetable couscous dish, steaming the couscous three times to make it super light.

“When Yotam Ottolenghi came, he baked the couscous. They were scandalised, but it worked beautifully,” Lenderking confided.

Keri was no less revolutionary, taking the intense, butter-soaked dried beef and mixing it with cucumber and a fragrant orange zest and harissa dressing. It was delicious, like a spicy beef jerky salad. We ate the dishes at the long table on the terrace, and gossiped over our new discoveries. Holidays, I reflected, don’t get better than this.

Xanthe Clay travelled with MasterChef Travel (020 7873 5005; mastercheftravel.co.uk), which has a four-night trip to Marrakesh, joined by Keri Moss, the joint winner of MasterChef: The Professionals 2012, from £1,395 per person including flights, transfers, excursions and accommodation with breakfast each day and some lunches and dinners.

MasterChef Travel also offers culinary tours, accompanied by various MasterChef finalists, to China, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
Video: a walking tour of Marrakesh
Watch Xanthe Clay’s complete video diary of her culinary journey through the Red City. Google Glass videos are produced in co-operation with Vistabee (www.vistabee.com)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/africaandindianocean/morocco/10785326/Morocco-MasterChef-comes-to-Marrakesh.html
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Living with an Amazigh Family in Morocco: They Have the Time, We Have the Clock.
Friday 25 April 2014 By Marisa Fernandez - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Rabat - Sometimes it is true that you can foretell the end of a story at first glimpse. That is what happened to me when I live with an Amazigh (Berber) family in the Kingdom of Morocco in 2013. 

Although I didn’t speak a word of Tamazigh at that time, there was a surprisingly good connection between the mom of the house (lwalida) and me from the very first moment.

I remember that it was after  midnight  when I arrived at her home on a hot September night; I was received by a short woman with bright black eyes smiling warmly who led me up her three-story house to the terrace. After introducing herself to me, she gently showed me my bed among others, pointing to a place on a big carpet shared with her girls. After my initial surprise, I stayed a while, thinking about my madness of living with strangers in a country with such a different culture—but I soon fell asleep with a broad smile, knowing that I had made the right decision.

Amazigh are the original inhabitants of North Africa and have lived there since 8000 BC. Even today, they comprise an important percentage of the population in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia. The name “Berber” comes from the Latin word “barbarian,” and the Romans called them this because they were difficult to conquer and dominate. 

However, Berbers prefer to be called Amazigh, which means, “free man” in Tamazigh, their language. Although Romans, Phoenicians, and Arabs influenced their culture, they still keep their traditions and some ancients habits. And although Islam has influenced their religion and have had to cope with many obstacles, they preserve their mother tongue to this day.

As nomads and skillful traders, the Berbers created new trade routes from the Sahara to the Mediterranean coasts. They were brave men that helped conquer modern Spain for more than seven centuries, calling it Al-Andalus. Nowadays, they have mingled with different ethnicities and live in the mountains, the desert, or even in big cities. They can be peasants or students at important universities. They are the best guides for showing the grandeur of the Sahara, sleeping under a starry sky, or deftly using the latest technology.

Before my trip to Morocco, I tried to learn about the country, and when I arrived, I came across the Berbers. With them, I learned the value in building personal relationships, being respected, and integrating my diversity. For the Amazigh, family is the cornerstone of society, and if you are trustworthy enough you will become their extended family, whom they include in all of their activities.

Imazighen (plural for Amazigh) are very kind and independent. From their earliest age, they learn generosity and a love for Nature. They enjoy talking quietly while sitting on the sand at sunrise or sunset. They take time to tell stories or sing while playing drums before an open fire at night. Imazighen are also devoutly religious.

As the writer Mousso Ag Assrid said, “we have the clocks, they have the time.” When I first met the Berber family with whom I lived for two months, I personally experienced a strong impact between the two different worlds in my heart. The frantic life of the West had no place in the peaceful lifestyle of the desert. My Amazigh hosts made me understand that the things that seemed most complicated were the simplest to work out. I passed from surprise to pleasure. My hosts taught me not only to acquire new habits, but also to learn a new way of seeing life. Through simple acts like an invitation to sleep on the terrace with the family or the sharing of daily activities, they turned each day of my visit into a new adventure.

It is impossible for me to describe the fundamental differences I experienced on this unforgettable trip. Three years later, it is not easy to recount every moment, but I remember my feelings during the trip perfectly. And today I miss the joyful and tolerant atmosphere of my “home” — kind hands to ease the tensions, profound harmony, patient smiles that gave me courage to try new things, deep silences, pleasure for my little domestic achievements, time to play naïve jokes… They taught me to pause in hard times and listen to my heart, so that I can find what I am seeking.

What I most admire about the Imazighen is that although the pace of the world is constantly accelerating, they will never lose their traditions or roots. They will take all the world has to offer without losing their essence. Imazighen, those wise people from the distant sands of Erg Chebbi, made my stay unforgettable by giving me the most precious thing a person has: their time.
Edited by Katrina Bushko
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/04/129236/living-with-an-amazigh-family-in-morocco-they-have-the-time-we-have-the-clock/
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Morocco details youth employment strategy
By Hassan Benmehdi in Casablanca for Magharebia – 22/04/2014

Morocco will launch a new job scheme by September. Changes to the labour market and demographics made a new strategy imperative, Employment Minister Abdeslam Seddiki said told business leaders and students in Casablanca on Thursday (April 18th). The plan will give priority to traditional job-creating sectors, namely agriculture and handicrafts, he told attendees at the forum, organised by the French Chamber of Commerce in Casablanca. Seddiki highlighted the importance of upgrading the national production system to bring it into line with the requirements of competition.

The state already brought unemployment down from 13.4% to 9.2%, he noted. Redundancy pay in Morocco will soon be implemented in order to insure 27,000 beneficiaries a year. The government's immediate agenda also involves amending the Employment Code.

Communication Minister Mustapha El Khalfi said a few days earlier that the government was working to promote growth and create jobs through investment and training. In this regard, he noted that the government had made available the necessary funds to support employment and was accelerating the implementation of the Idmaj and Taahil schemes. El Khalfi also noted that 10,000 teachers and 25,000 young people would receive training through a partnership with the Office for Professional Training and the Promotion of Work (OFPPT).

But the parliamentary opposition says the Benkirane government has still not managed to establish a consistent social policy that can create jobs for young people.

Abdelkebir Belahcen from the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) told Magharebia that the government's social policy was disappointing young people who were looking for jobs. "We really would have hoped that the government could find solutions to solve the problem of youth employment, but its unilateral efforts have proved to be a failure," he said.

This view was shared by Ismail R'ma, a human rights worker, who suggested: "The government must consult the various socio-economic and community stakeholders in order to adopt sector-wide policies that can create wealth and jobs."

Trade unionist Abdelghafour Khayyal said that the Benkirane government needed to "resolve unemployment, guarantee wage increases, preserve spending power, increase the minimum wage and apply it to workers in the agricultural sector," he noted. The government should also adjust "the value of retirement pensions, making social welfare coverage universal and revising and reactivating the Employment Code", he said.

"The Benkirane government must keep the promises it made to young people, especially when it comes to tackling unemployment," young IT student Faicel Arrifi echoed.

On top "of an awful wage of 2,000 dirhams a month, I receive neither social welfare cover nor health insurance", security officer Abdelkrim Belhaj said.

According to studies of the current economic situation, the Moroccan labour market is characterised by a low level of education among the workforce, 30% of whom have had no training, in addition to the persistence of long-term unemployment among university graduates.
http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2014/04/22/feature-03
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Morocco's child rape victims and the law
Recently amended statute allowed rapists to avoid prosecution by marrying underaged victims.
by Aida Alami: Al Jazeera  April 22, 2014, Rabat, Morocco, Sri Lanka Guardian

Although the Moroccan government amended a law that forced 16-year-old Amina Filali to marry her rapist - and led to her suicide two years ago - human rights organisations say more legislation to protect women is urgently needed.

The Moroccan parliament unanimously voted last week to amend article 475 of the penal code on statutory rape, which allowed rapists to avoid prosecution by marrying their underage victims. Some Moroccans believe that women who lose their virginity outside of marriage - no matter the circumstance - bring dishonour upon the family. The amendment takes away a loophole that families of some rape victims in this deeply conservative country used to prevent shame falling on their family name by pressing their daughters to marry the attackers.

Two years ago Amina al-Filali, 16, committed suicide by eating rat poison after being forced by her family and a judge to marry a man who raped her at knifepoint. Her death caused an international uproar, and inspired a petition with more than 1 million signatures by social activist group Avaaz demanding the government abolish the law.

Finally, the Islamist-led government heard the calls for change, say proponents. "Congratulations to the Moroccan Parliament. May they bring in their wake many countries that still condone rape. Thoughts for #AminaFilali," tweeted Najat Vallaud Belkacem, the French minister of women's rights, also a native of Morocco.

'Micro first step'

But activists say there is still a long way to go. Many laws in the Moroccan penal code do not mandate heavy enough sentences for rapists, and the law still criminalises sex outside of marriage, which has made it extremely difficult for many rape victims to come forward, as they are often treated more like perpetrators than victims.

The United Nations reported in 2011 that about 60 percent of women suffered some form of recent violence, with 25 percent reporting they had been raped in their lifetime.

"I am happy that lawmakers started paying attention," said Zineb Belmkaddem, 29, an activist who lives in the capital Rabat. "However, the article being amended this way is but a micro first step towards protecting rape victims. Rape must be the end of suffering for the victim, and the end of abuse by the rapist, and this has to be clearly stated in our laws."

Saida Kouzzi, a founding partner at Mobilizing for Rights Associates, an non-governmental organisation based in Morocco, warned the battle to win more rights for women is far from over. The law should not only criminalise rape but also protect the victims of it, she said. "Getting rid of one paragraph was a good start," said Kouzzi. "But the current penal code is mostly concerned with protecting the honour of families, rather than protecting the dignity and the bodies of women."

She added the country also needs to criminalise violence against women, and civil society must push for a prioritisation of addressing all kinds of abuse against women. "We cannot generalise about the attitudes towards women, but if someone calls in the police to report domestic violence, chances are they won't intervene, mainly because they don't have enough resources to but also because it is an issue that isn't among their priorities," Kouzzi said.

Reform

The justice ministry issued a statement [Ar] on Monday supporting the amendment of article 475 and promising more reforms and harsher punishment for rapists.

In 2004, the country reformed its family code after a push by Morocco's King Mohammed VI for more rights for women, a reform that was at the time highly contested by Islamist parties but applauded by the international community and Moroccan feminist organisations. The revised code gave more rights to women in divorce and custody matters, raised the minimum age to marry from 15 to 18, restricted polygamy and removed the notion of "obedience" of women to their husbands in the law.

But conservative judges and little outreach among communities to educate citizens about their rights, has made the application of the new laws difficult. According to ministry of justice figures, in 90 percent of cases, judges have granted permission for minors to marry.

Many are asking for further reform of the family code by instituting a strict minimum age to marry, or by setting specific and strict guidelines when a dispensation is granted, while completely outlawing polygamy as they have in Tunisia.

Favouring men

One problem, some say, is the same judges who favour men against women are still slowly adjusting to the new laws. Observers also say these reforms do not mean much if the state doesn't guarantee a truly independent judiciary.

"The penal code needs to be completely overhauled," said Reda Oulamine, a Casablanca-based lawyer and founder of Right and Justice, a non-governmental organisation that promotes human rights in Morocco. "For every civil right in the constitution, there is a criminal law that [applies] to send you to jail." Oulamine said some of the necessary reforms include raising alimony and revising the inheritance law, which is still based on Islamic law and states that men get twice as much inheritance than women.

Still, the efforts of civil rights groups to reach out to people and the outrage that followed Filali's case appears to have had an impact on Moroccan society. Last week, according to local news reports [Ar], a family in Casablanca refused to force their daughter to marry the man who held her hostage for five days and raped her - instead they decided to file a police complaint.

But many agree the laws are difficult to implement when the prevailing mentality is one of favouring men. "Polygamy is a practice that discriminates against women and should be completely abandoned," said Belmkaddem, the activist. "Victims often fear breaking the silence because the risk of being disowned is unfortunately high. So educating and launching awareness programmes in schools should be a top priority as well."
http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2014/04/moroccos-child-rape-victims-and-law.html
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Ingenico Opens Casablanca Branch.
Wednesday 23 April 2014 Rabat

Ingenico, the leading provider of payment solutions, opened an office in Casablanca, Morocco, in order to cover the African Market. 

Aware of the significant role of Casablanca in the region as a financial and business hub facilitating investors’ access to the African market, Ingenico launched a new office branch in the city as a part of the company’s “geographic expansion strategy, which seeks to closely answer customers’ and partners’ needs to optimize its level of service on each continent,” according to the Ingenico press release.

By expanding its footprint in Africa trough Casablanca, Ingenico will continue to deliver more advanced and innovative solutions answering needs of all types of customers, such as banks, micro finance institutions, retailers, ID & Gov, vertical market and PSP’s, according to the  press release.

Jacques Behr, EVP EMEA of Ingenico, expressed his happiness to expand the company’s geographic footprint across the African continent, and thus provide secure, innovative and high quality payment solutions to clients in Africa. “Expanding our position in Africa clearly demonstrates our commitment to boost our business in the region as we believe that Africa is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing regions in the world,” Behr said.

Commenting on the new office branch in Casablanca, Oulad AkdimIgnecio Africa Managing Director,  said that if Ingenico has been delivering innovative payment solutions to African customers for several years already, “this new office will allow us to more effectively meet their needs.”

“Our Moroccan office, which will play the role of gateway to the rest of Africa, will enable us to better serve them and refine our knowledge of the numerous local markets,” Oulad Akdim said.
Edited by Saba Naseem
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/04/129059/ingenico-opens-casablanca-branch/
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EU grants Morocco 60 mln euros to support Pillar II of Moroccan Green Plan
Friday 25 April 2014 Meknes

Morocco and the European Union (EU) signed, on Friday in Meknes, a letter of intent under which the EU will grant Morocco a donation of 60 million euros to support the Pillar II of the Moroccan Green Plan (PMV). This new donation, by virtue of the letter of intent which was signed by Agriculture minister Aziz Akhannouch and director general for agriculture and rural development at the European Commission Jerzy Bogdan Plewa, will be paid over four years starting from 2014. It will contribute to improving the income of small farmers by taking into consideration the preservation of natural resources through supporting the implementation of the Pillar II of the Moroccan Green Plan.

The donation aims also to achieve, in the four targeted areas (Fez-Boulemane, Meknes-Tafilalet, the eastern region and Souss-Massa-Draa), the goals of developing the agriculture-related matters as laid in the Pillar II of the PMV, promoting economic and social participation and increasing the ministry’s operational capacities for a better PMV follow-up.

The program implementation will span 72 months divided into two phases. The first phase of operational implementation will last 48 months and the second is a closing phase of two years.

In 2010, the EU have donated 70 mln euros to fund the program dubbed PAPSA, “program for supporting the agricultural sectoral policy”, said Akhannouch at the signing ceremony held on the sidelines of the 9th International Agriculture Show in Morocco (SIAM).
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/04/129273/eu-grants-morocco-60-mln-euros-to-support-pillar-ii-of-moroccan-green-plan/
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There is more to Morocco than Casablanca
Global Times 2014-4-25

"Please come back to me in Casablanca. I love you more and more each day as time goes by." The moment I knew I was to take a business trip with a group of Chinese journalists to Morocco, my mind was full of romantic scenes from Casablanca, the 1942 movie about World War II intrigue starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Its theme song "As Time Goes By" rang in my ears. I fancied myself sipping coffee at Rick's Café in Casablanca, which I believed was where most of the movie was shot.  

But it turned out I did not have the time for such an exotic experience. My schedule was packed with interviews. During the whole trip, I had to stay in Rabat, Morocco's capital, and travel to five different places in the country for interviews during five days and return to Rabat at night. Our guide added that Rick's Café never existed at all until 2004, when it was opened by a former US diplomat in Morocco to recreate the cinematic bar.    MORE

Click it here: http://world.einnews.com/article/201723697/-u1IpEPATApEX6cN?n=1&code=F0A6UI8SDeLVJB2O
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'Green Jobs' Grow in Morocco
By Siham Ali, 24 April 2014 Rabat

Morocco this month unveiled its new national charter for the environment and sustainable development. The law, which comes as part of the new constitution, includes a special police unit tasked with identifying industrial polluters, Environment Minister Hakima El Haite told the press on April 8th. It also covers monitoring methods, such as environmental impact studies. The work of the environmental police will help improve people's lives, she said.

This year, some 100 sworn inspectors will traverse the country to respond to some 1,500 complaints from organisations and citizens regarding pollution and contamination.

According to economist Rkia Nhiri, the long-awaited environmental strategy supports sustainable development. It can also help strengthen the kingdom's finances. "The cost of environmental damage in Morocco is estimated at 4% of GDP, or 13 billion dirhams a year. That's a huge financial loss!" she told Magharebia. "The environmental sector is an extremely important niche, which needs to be exploited in order to bring benefits for the economy and employment, as happens in other countries," she said.

The new measure should include steps to raise awareness among Moroccan youth, Nhiri added.

Young people will have a chance to work in the promising new sector of sustainable development and environmental protection, sociologist Brahim Tanfouri agreed. "In fact, the environmental policy will surely boost employment among young graduates," he said. "The environment is regarded as a sector with a big future in terms of promoting employment in various countries," Tanfouri added.

Sara Touil, a 21-year-old student of physics and chemistry, is among the young people considering a career in the sector. "I'd really like to be an environmental inspector," she said.

Citizens need to be made aware of the government's new strategy, teacher Hamid Masrour said. Morocco should bring public attention to the economic opportunities offered by sustainable development. There are many niches can be explored by young people, especially "green" tourism, he added. "All we have to do is show them the right path so that they can get into this sector. This is a big opportunity to create wealth," he said. He knows first-hand about the job prospects available in this emerging economic sector. "Instead of ending up unemployed, my son Ayman, who earned a degree in economics three years ago, is setting up an eco-tourism business in the south," he said.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201404251121.html
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Morocco a feast for the senses and soul: Vibrant markets, kind people warm the heart
By Joan Thompson, Special to The Sun April 21, 2014

Our trip to Morocco, where we went with an Intrepid Adventure travel group, began in Tangiers, a short ferry ride away from the hip and charming town of Tarifa in Spain. Yes, in Tangiers and later, in Casablanca, we had taxi drivers to brush off, a faux guide to humour, a melee of potholed streets, sidewalks and intersections to negotiate and bleating traffic to tolerate, but these initial impressions were soon overtaken by one heartwarming experience after another in the two weeks we spent exploring this country. A few of those: the child in the city of Fez eager to take my hand, purely as a welcoming gesture; a storekeeper selling me a few dirhams of raw meat to help feed a pregnant cat adrift in the frenzy of Fez’s medina; the children in the mountainous Medelt region, keen to examine “Ali Baba’s” (my partner) camera and delighted with the unsolicited gift of “une stylo”; the opportunity to sing with the Berber drummers at our camp in the Sahara; the ubiquitous tajines, Berber “whiskey” (mint tea) and steamed milk, the eager-to-please cooks, waiters and hotel attendants. One is well cared for in Morocco — the extra mile taken, the extra kindness given.

Especially memorable was our tour’s camping venture in the Sahara, at the southern edge of Morocco. Ochre sand, piled as perfectly as whipped cream, was impregnable to sound and an impossibly rich backdrop for light. Bathed in a warm incandescent glow, we crossed the evening desert via camel train — our rhythms and silence perfectly matched to sweeping shadows of sand and light. The experience was one of the most tranquil of my life — a time-arresting, vision-expanding desert immersion. And bless those camels — their calmness, sure-footedness, stoicism, and sense of brotherhood — content to sit saddled and chained together all night, moments from readiness to do it all over again the next day. The walks, the climbs up the dunes to better views, the impulsive plunges down them, the sudden bursting into song. It was at once a place that inspired a sense of awe and a sense of play — what kind of magic is that?

Unexpectedly, other than the Sahara, it was the cities in Morocco that intrigued us most. The layers of culture and history (Arab, Jewish, Berber, French, Spanish) embedded in the vieux pierres (old stones) of the streets and buildings appealed to our imaginations (as did the boldness of the cats as if protected by a sixth Muslim precept — to love and let multiply the felines in one’s family). And what was most visually staggering in the cities were the medinas — enclosed street markets operating since the medieval period. While every medina was an assault on the senses, the medina in Fez capped them by its enormity — 1,800 streets and tunnelled alleyways to get lost in, multiplied by thousands of stalls and merchants perched proudly atop mountains of merchandise. The wizardry in their urban planning awed — 10 alleys devoted to blacksmithing followed by 10 for babouches, butchers, textiles, cushions — as did the cleanliness (the donkeys wore diapers to keep down the waste in the streets!), and amazing traffic flow (given the number of people, motorbikes and laden donkeys). Amid the cacophony of colour and sound one could feel the townspeople’s poise in doing something centuries in the making. Even the children and the cats seemed to be tuned in. What a dazzling eyeful, what an unforgettable experience and education. The Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Morocco+feast+senses+soul/9759662/story.html
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Camel trek through the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert, Morocco.
by: Toni Jordan From: Escape April 27, 2014

I FEEL like Lawrence of Arabia. As our camel train edges along ochre dunes and the sun sets over the Sahara, the air is still and quiet. The sky is deep blue fading to a soft mauve and the evening is crisp, but I’m a little preoccupied. It occurs to me now, too late, that I don’t remember seeing any photos of female Bedouins on camels.

I’ve never heard of Laura of Arabia. There’s probably a good reason for that.

The camel trek is only 75 minutes and I don’t think my ... er ... discomfort is my camel’s fault. Amalal (“Whitey” in Berber) is pale with soft brown eyes, long lashes and a well-behaved stride. She’s not a stereotypical cranky camel and seems resigned to bearing my weight, yet still it feels like my nether-regions will never recover. The term “saddle-sore” seems inadequate to describe what I’m going through.

I’m on an overnight desert camp near Merzouga in western Morocco, not far from the Algerian border and apart from my delicate undercarriage, I’m having a wonderful time.

This Sahara, with its rolling dunes of soft sand, is an idealised vision of a desert. The wind has made Zen waves in the sand and it’s the perfect tonic for my overstressed city brain.

There are no signs of life except for us tourists, our guides and the camels, and the small animal tracks in the sand: gerbils and birds, our guide says.

It amazes me that anything can live here. The camels’ broad soft feet almost splay out upon the sand, like four-wheel-drive tyres with the air let out. The long lashes protect their eyes from sand storms. They’re a miracle of natural selection.

It’s winter and a balmy 25C during the day but as the sun sets, the desert cools rapidly. When it’s almost dark, our camels pull into a circle of flat-roofed tents covered in blankets nestled at the foot of a huge dune. I’d like to think we’re well into the desert, but the route was so circuitous it could be that we’re close to where we started.

After a shaky dismount, I hobble, bow-legged, into a comfortable camp where we’ll spend the night.

In the middle of the circle of tents is a large open area covered in rugs and cushions. In the centre is a fire, which our host lights from leftover coals buried in the sand. We huddle around it and look up at the stars. We’re all out of chat and are quietly in awe of our surroundings.

I’ve found the food in Morocco to be delicious, but not varied: this is a largely arid, rural country with high levels of poverty. The hospitality, though, is always wonderful.

We start with small bowls of olives and nuts, as is usual here. For dinner, we move into a dining tent and recline on more low cushions, like desert sheikhs. Our meal is cooked by our young local Berber hosts who are also our camel-wranglers, and it is hearty and tasty: beef and vegetable tagine cooked in turmeric oil and served with the ubiquitous Moroccan bread.

Dinner is washed down with “Berber whiskey”, aka sweetened mint tea. Morocco is a Muslim country and few restaurants outside hotels serve alcohol. I’m guessing our guide has travelled with Australians before: he knows every bottle shop within a 15km radius of our route and was happy to detour, so we’ve bought several bottles of the local Meknes red. It’s very good.

After dinner, our hosts play drums and invite us to sing. We decline. I wonder if everyone feels the same as I do: that the songs I know, from back home, are the last things I want to hear in this magical place.

This is camping in the mid-range Western-tourist sense: flushing toilets, running water, electric lights, comfortable mattresses on the sand, clean sheets and lots of blankets in tents for two. There are more luxurious camps available, I’m told, but this is fine for me.

There is no sign of civilisation in any direction and the stars are brighter than I’ve ever seen before. Our hosts tell me that, in the time of their grandfathers, the desert caravans travelled by night. It was too hot during the day, and too disorientating without the stars to guide you.

By 10pm it’s very cold, so we decide on an early night. I brush my teeth and get changed but others in the group opt for sleeping in their clothes. It’s a sensible choice. I’m fine once I’m under four blankets, but I wish I’d brought a beanie.

We’re woken around six by our guide, and more steaming glasses of mint tea. It’s crisp, but not as freezing as last night. We dress as best we can, and pack in the dark. Showers will wait until we’re back at the hotel. We can’t smell worse than the camels.

Outside the camp, our camels are lined up, kneeling and waiting. Also waiting for us is a Berber man who’s walked over the sand in the dark to our camp to sell us trinkets made from beads. The Moroccan Berbers, the indigenous people of a country that links Africa, the Middle East and Europe, have a long history as traders. I buy a bracelet I don’t want, awed by his determination, and am rewarded with a wide smile.

On the way back to the hotel, our caravan stops in the dark on a small plateau and we pause, still on our camels, to watch the sun rise over the Sahara. The photographers among us are overjoyed, and so am I. The sunset that I thought was so spectacular isn’t a patch on the sunrise: the unveiling of the light, the way the colours appear so fresh and new, is something I will never forget.

I jostled for a different camel on the way back and this one is eminently more comfortable. The memory of the Sahara is fresh in my nether-regions, but it was Amalal’s fault after all.

Toni Jordan is the international best-selling author of three novels, Addition, Fall Girl and Nine Days.

DESERT EXCURSIONS

Many hotels and tour operators offer overnight camps in the Sahara.

Hotel Yasmina, in the Erg Chebbi Dunes, Merzouga, offers excursions to their bivouac from one night up to one week, travelling by camel or four-wheel-drive. Prices start from 350 dirhams ($A50) a person. They cater for independent travellers or organised groups. Visit hotelyasminamerzouga.co
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/travel/world/camel-trek-through-the-sand-dunes-of-the-sahara-desert-morocco/story-fnjjva7c-1226893558387
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"The departure of Jews left a vacuum". This Moroccan documentary recalls sweet Jewish-Muslim relations .

In the bustling Berber town of Tinghir beneath Morocco's towering Atlas mountains, some residents remember with nostalgia when Muslims and Jews co-existed harmoniously, the subject of an acclaimed but controversial documentary.

Morocco has had a Jewish community since antiquity, and in the late 1940s it counted some 250,000 members, or 10 percent of the North African country's population. But these numbers dropped dramatically in the decades after the founding of the Jewish state, and today only around 5,000 Jews remain.

There are now none left in Tinghir, a small town on edge of the Sahara whose "mellah" or historic Jewish district present in so many Moroccan cities, is a relic of this bygone era.

But French-Moroccan director Kamal Hachkar has brought memories of its Jewish past back to life with his award-winning documentary "Tinghir-Jerusalem: Echoes from the Mellah," which came out last year and was shown for the first time on Sunday in Tinghir, his home town. "My work speaks of a very special period when Jews and Muslims lived together in this Berber region, in Morocco's far southeast," Hachkar told AFP. "This history speaks to everyone because it touches on the universal themes of exile, loss and otherness."

The documentary has caused a stir in Morocco, with around 200 people, mostly Islamists, demonstrating against it being shown at the 2013 Tangiers film festival, denouncing what they called an attempt to "normalise relations with Israel". "Some have accused me of working for (Israeli spy agency) Mossad. But most of them haven't even seen the film!" said the 36-year-old director.

There is no evidence of controversy in Tinghir itself, where the screening was attended by around 400 people and evoked emotional memories rather than protests.

"This story is ours and will continue to be, whatever the issues and the manipulations of others," said Fanny Mergui, a Moroccan Jew who emigrated to Israel with her family at the age of 16 before returning to Casablanca, where she now lives. "I was born with a Star of David and a crescent moon on my head. This land here, we will carry it with us for ever."

Kindness kept us together

Daoud, an elderly craftsman in Tinghir, is among the few who are able to share personal memories of the town's Jewish past with the younger generation. "There was always understanding between Jews and Muslims. Religion separated us, but kindness kept us together. The departure of the Jews left a vacuum, and they are always in our memories," he said.

For Jauk Elmaleh, a musician from Casablanca, Hachkar's film captures the "love and fraternity" that he believes unites Moroccans "without distinction".

Hachkar took five years to make the documentary, travelling to southern Morocco and Jerusalem to gather material.

In 2011, another French-Moroccan director, Nabil Ayouch, who has a Muslim father and a Jewish mother, took on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his documentary "My Land", interviewing young and old from both sides.

But for Hachkar, a Muslim and a Berber like millions of Moroccans, who lives in France, the question of identity is a more compelling subject, and doubtless a safer one. "I learnt from my grandfather that there were Moroccan Jews. Before, I thought that all Moroccans were Muslim. Suddenly I found my spirit opened," he said. "When I was young I felt like an oddity, at once Moroccan and French, living in the heart of Normandy but identifying with this otherness."

The Moroccan authorities are keen to highlight the country's tolerance, rich history and cultural diversity, scrapping a list drawn up 20 years ago that banned parents from giving their children certain Berber names, and opening a Jewish museum in Casablanca in the late 1990s.

But at the same time, there is also an ongoing and highly charged debate about Israel's links with Morocco, whose government is currently headed by the moderate Islamist Party of Justice and Development. Two bills drafted last year proposed sanctions for Moroccans visiting Israel, one of which has since been dropped.

And last month, an organisation calling itself the "Moroccan observatory for the struggle against normalisation" published a blacklist of people promoting any rapprochement, which has only fuelled the controversy.
© AFP 2014
http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/culture/the-departure-of-jews-left-a-vacuum-this-moroccan-documentary-recalls-sweet-jewishmuslim-relations_23113
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Film recalls poignant Jewish past in Morocco Berber town
Director says his work ‘speaks of a very special period when Jews and Muslims lived together’
By Fadel Senna April 25, 2014,

Read more: Film recalls poignant Jewish past in Morocco Berber town | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/film-recalls-poignant-jewish-past-in-morocco-berber-town/#ixzz300XqukSy
Follow us: @timesofisrael on Twitter | timesofisrael on Facebook
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From Ginsberg to Game of Thrones, Morocco Still Inspires
Glendale, CA (PRWEB) April 25, 2014

Perched on the north-west coast, separated from the rest of Africa by the vast Sahara Desert, Morocco is synonymous with the exotic. Beat writers including Ginsberg and Kerouac drew inspiration from its chaotic streets and souks. Countless film crews – most recently for Game of Thrones – have been drawn to its vast deserts, impressive mountains and ancient ruins, while its largest city served as both setting and inspiration for one of Hollywood's greatest classic films.

Morocco tours and exotic getaways have been a European favourite for decades. Yet despite its profound cultural influence, few North Americans understand what the country is truly about. Visitors can wander ancient Roman ruins, feast on delicious cuisine and drive a hard bargain in centuries old souks (markets), all in one day if desired.

It's also a very safe introduction to this part of the world. While Egypt and Tunisia have been slow to reopen to tourists following recent strife, Morocco has remained a stable, welcoming and utterly mesmerizing slice of Northern Africa.

Goway Travel's Exotic Morocco trip is a 9-day journey from Casablanca. It takes in four of Morocco's great cities including the capital Rabat, spiritual Fes, and Marrakech, the most romantic of Moroccan cities. Also on the itinerary are the imperial city of Meknes and the Roman ruins of Voulibilis.

Right now, the Africa experts at Goway are offering travellers a saving of $800 per person on Exotic Morocco. Prices start at US$2320 (ex New York) and CA $2688 (ex Toronto), including international airfare with Air France via Paris (stopover not included… but highly recommended!), all taxes, 7 nights 4-star accommodation, daily breakfast and dinner, 6 lunches, guide and driver, all sightseeing and entrance fees, plus porterage at airport and hotels.

Since 1970, Goway has been providing unforgettable travel experiences to Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, idyllic island destinations and Latin America. Today Goway is recognized as one of North America's leading travel companies for individuals, families and groups to select exotic destinations around the globe. Goway has offices in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, and Sydney (Australia).

For reservations and information, visit http://www.goway.com, or call your Travel Professional on 1-800-387-8850.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/04/prweb11790640.htm
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1874000#ixzz300WGmJJr
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Morocco, UN Women Sign Partnership Agreement to Promote Gender Equality
Thursday 24 April 2014 - Rabat

The Ministry of Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, and UN Women signed, Wednesday in Rabat, a partnership agreement to promote the institutionalization of the principles of gender equality in the public policy making process in Morocco. Launched by Minister of Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, Bassima Hakkaoui, and representative of UN Women-Maghreb Leila Rhioui, the agreement aims to contribute to the implementation of the government strategy on equality, the strategy of the social division, and the strategy of UN-women/ Morocco in terms of gender equality.

The agreement also provides for the institutionalization and the promotion of the principles of equality in the public policy making process in Morocco, through capacity building of the Ministry in terms of inter-sectoral coordination, improved access to information, and the acquisition of tools of detection, assessment and awareness raising. Under this agreement, the Ministry and the UN-Women will work together to support the Social Development Agency and the National Institute of Social Action in Tangier, in order to enhance coordination between the various stakeholders in this field in Morocco.
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/04/129203/morocco-un-women-sign-partnership-agreement-to-promote-gender-equality/
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Ministry of Solidarity, ISESCO sign agreement on women, children and family
Monday 21 April 2014 Rabat

A partnership agreement was signed on Friday between the Ministry of Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) on the protection of women, children and the family. The agreement, signed by Minister of Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development, Bassima Hakkaoui, and Director General of ISESCO, Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, provides for the implementation of activities and programs on common interest areas.

These activities and programs cover the protection of women and children, capacity building of women and supporting their role in the development process, protecting the elderly, and upgrading the social protection system. In a statement to MAP at the end of the signing ceremony, Hakkaoui explained that this agreement provides mainly for organizing joint studies and training sessions in these areas.

In a similar statement, Dr. Altwaijri said this agreement focuses on issues related to the development of society in terms of education and culture. He said the agreement will strengthen cooperation between the two parties in order to organize specialized seminars and training sessions in the field of the promotion of family, women and children
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/04/128928/ministry-of-solidarity-isesco-sign-agreement-on-women-children-and-family/
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Art Review: Forms of Illumination
By Lee Lawrence April 21, 2014

Nur: Light in Art and Science From the Islamic World, Dallas Museum of Art Through June 29 Dallas

At the Dallas Museum of Art, a light-filled passageway curves gently toward a white wall where, hanging in the center, four small, circular objects radiate lines of indigo, russet, sky blue and gold. They are three 13th- and 14th-century ceramic bowls and the center of a 17th-century shield. From Persia, Spain and India, they introduce "Nur: Light in Art and Science From the Islamic World."

In Arabic, nur denotes not just physical light but the light of knowledge and spiritual truths. The museum's adviser for Islamic art, Sabiha Al Khemir, adopted its multiple meanings as her guiding principle in selecting more than 150 works spanning the Islamic world, from Spain to India, from the ninth to the 20th centuries. Ms. Al Khemir scoured European and U.S. private collections as well as the holdings of almost 30 museums, foundations and libraries in Spain, Portugal, Lichtenstein, Morocco, Britain and the U.S. The resulting selection mixes the famous with the unknown, the rare with the familiar, and, sprinkled throughout, Islamic-style works made in Europe, Jewish- and Christian-themed works made in Islamic countries, and scientific treatises that contributed to world knowledge.

Thus, a small 19th-century menorah from Morocco sits amid 10th- to 19th-century lamps from India, Egypt and Spain, while a blue mosque lamp probably made in 19th-century France shares a case with an enameled Egyptian lamp dated 1329 to 1335. A mid-13th-century glass bottle from Syria is covered in vignettes of life in a Christian monastery that scholars have connected to French medieval art as well as Syrian and Iraqi miniature painting. And just as we marvel at two indigo-dyed folios with gold calligraphy from a famed late ninth- to early-10th-century Koran, we discover 10th-century Egyptian quartz chess pieces that have spent centuries tucked away in a Spanish cathedral.

From the initial light-filled space we walk into a series of galleries where, displayed within dark-gray walls, spotlighted objects glow like precious jewels. Lamps and candleholders in a variety of sizes and materials give way to illuminated manuscripts ablaze with jewel tones and gold, metalwork with intricate silver inlays, and a cornucopia of translucent stone, gem-studded vessels and enameled glass. The wattage then seems to intensify in the gallery devoted to lusterware. Ceramists and scientists may see the result of calibrated additions of metal oxides and controlled firings. For art lovers, luster imbues vessels with the magical ability not just to reflect light, but to hold it. It is one of the Islamic world's most distinctive artistic inventions, which scholars believe originated in the eighth or ninth century in southern Iraq. Whether it is a 17th-century blue-and-gold bowl from Persia or one of several 15th-century platters from Spain, the show's works live up to Persian historian Abu'l Qasim's description. Luster, he wrote in 1300, "reflects like red gold and shines like the light of the sun."

The second part of the show focuses on the hard and soft sciences. We see magnificent astrolabes and compasses, groundbreaking medical advances and anatomical drawings, but also poetic images of constellations and astrology and an 18th-century painting of an alchemist at work. It is clear that lusterware owes much to chemistry and that artistry infuses sophisticated instruments. In the last gallery, interlocking designs decorate architectural fragments of wood, tile and mosaic, as well as some textiles—mathematics made visible in geometric designs that seem to extend into infinity.

While the catalog delves into history, styles and techniques, the wall texts and labels are kept to a minimum. Even most of the videos serve primarily to magnify details in the works. There is therefore little to pull our attention away from the objects whose thoughtful selection makes them a delight to contemplate individually, while their arrangement invites us to see connections. A sequence of vessels, for example, evokes the development of lusterware. Another traces an increasing love of adornment as we move from Persia to Mughal India. And windows between galleries link in a single sightline the enamel decoration on a glass mosque lamp with glittering metalwork and shimmering illuminations of manuscripts—a reminder that they share such motifs as radiating stars, scrolling vines and calligraphic styles.

Even the show's exit is carefully planned. As at the start, we walk through an empty passageway awash with light, except that this time geometric patterns spill across the floor in the form of shadows. We now carry with us the imprint of a vibrant culture whose arts and sciences made significant contributions to Western civilization and continue to enrich us all.

Almost palpable is Ms. Al Khemir's keenness to see art bring people together and replace distrust with respect, lack of knowledge with appreciation. But the show also aims, as she states in the catalog, to provide "an overview of the traditional arts" in a nonlinear, attractive context, thereby laying "a foundation for a sense of the cultural history of the Islamic world." Given that part of this history is also reflected in a tradition of finely wrought ceremonial armor and weapons whose Koranic verses, decorations and light-weight technology fit the show's premise, their absence feels conspicuous. The sole reference to the arts of war is the boss from a shield at the entrance. Yet, historically, religion and culture have not spread like flower petals in a breeze; they have often ridden in with imperial armies. In Spain, where the Seville-based Focus-Abengoa foundation helped organize and inaugurated the show, there was perhaps no need to acknowledge this since evidence of Christian and Muslim armies fighting for dominance permeates the landscape. By glossing over the connection between might and the spreading of light in a U.S. context, however, "Nur" may risk being dismissed by some of the very people it hopes to reach. That would be a shame, because the show offers a lyrical and instructive experience.
Ms. Lawrence writes about Asian and Islamic art for the Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303532704579479330558402064?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303532704579479330558402064.html
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Explore the World From Your Kitchen: Moroccan Menu
By Sunrise Senior Living on April 21, 2014

Although many people draw a blank when asked what they know about the country of Morocco, you might be surprised to learn that this small nation is home to the city that gave its name to one of the most famous movies of all time.

If you guessed Casablanca, you're absolutely correct. The city that gave its name to the classic film is also Morocco's most highly-populated area, and put the country on the map in terms of modern recognition and tourism. Since the early 1900s, however, Morocco has been highly-valued as a cultural hub, displaying influence from the countries that colonized it, including France and Spain. A large aspect of this character comes from the traditional foods that were inspired by the incoming nations as well as countries across Africa.

Morocco has a relatively warm climate, making its cuisine a nice reminder of sunnier weather. Residents of senior living can enjoy these hearty and healthy dishes as part of a balanced diet: 

Moroccan Chicken
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, ground
1 1/2 C low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt

Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. While the oil is warming, season the chicken with salt, add it to the pan and brown, then remove it and set it aside.

In the same pan, cook the sliced onion, garlic, carrots and celery until all of the vegetables have softened. Then stir in the turmeric, paprika, oregano and cumin. Allow  the spices to cook for about 1 minute, then add the broth and the tomatoes to the pan. Cook for an additional 3 minutes before stirring the chicken back in, reducing the heat and simmering the mixture for 10 minutes.

After the dish has simmered, add in the chickpeas, and chopped zucchini and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice immediately before serving.

Moroccan Grain Salad
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the salad
1/2 C bulgur wheat, uncooked
1/4 C pistachios, chopped coarsely
1/2 C pitted dates, chopped
2 clementines, peeled and sectioned
2 C baby spinach leaves

For the dressing
1 orange, peeled
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 C fresh cilantro leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
In a medium saucepan, cook the bulgur wheat according to the package directions. During the final moments of cooking, add the chopped dates and salt, then allow the mixture to cool for about 30 minutes.

Mix the chopped pistachio pieces and clementine sections into the bulgur wheat, then mix with the baby spinach leaves. Cover the salad and chill it for about 15 minutes before dressing and serving.

To prepare the dressing, pour the olive oil and balsamic vinegar into a food processor, and mix together until evenly combined. Add the orange slices and salt and continue pulsing, and finally add the fresh cilantro leaves. Mix the complete combination for about 30 seconds, then pour it into a small bowl or directly onto the salad and toss thoroughly.

Cinnamon Orange Slices
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 sweet oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 apple, sliced
1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions
Arrange the sliced oranges and apples on a plate and sprinkle them with cinnamon. You can enjoy them cold or lay the mixture on a piece of aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes at 425° F.

Happy eating!
http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/blog/april-2014/explore-the-world-from-your-kitchen-moroccan-menu.aspx
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3 Mythical Generalizations on Morocco
Monday 21 April 2014 youssef sourgo Casablanca

We sometimes tend to mythologize things that are unknown to us. Many people who have never traveled to Morocco may believe common myths or stereotypes about Morocco that are not necessarily true.

The three myths about Morocco listed in this article are examples of sweeping generalizations based on exceptional cases. Unfortunately, they are sometimes used erroneously as accurate references regarding Morocco. These false assumptions may play a decisive role in the decision-making process when a foreigner considers living or investing in Morocco.

Myth 1: Morocco, the Land of Patriarchy

While patriarchy persists predominantly in some rural areas, the emancipation of Moroccan women has reached a remarkable phase whereby Moroccan women have been placed amongst some of the top decision-makers of the country.

Describing the Moroccan society as being predominantly patriarchal is voluntarily denying the huge progress that the Kingdom has made in terms of gender equality. Patriarchy is gradually becoming a myth in urban areas, but the progress remains much slower in rural areas where the patriarchal style of life is still persistent.

Compared to other countries in the MENA region, where patriarchy still holds sway, many Moroccan women have been outstanding examples of the progress that the Kingdom has made in terms of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Myth 2: Morocco, No Freedom of Speech  

Except for a few instances, freedom of speech in Morocco has made remarkable progress. It did not come entirely as a choice, however. Thanks to technological advances, information is easily transmitted around the world, making freedom of speech no longer a choice.

A myriad of news sources are circulated on a daily basis around Morocco. Social media sites have also made self-expression and information sharing free of any restrictions or patrolling in Morocco. Moroccans are now free to express themselves on a plethora of matters, including taboos and unconventional topics.

Social and political critique has almost become a customary activity for Moroccans, especially the youth. Innumerable pages on the Web now encourage Moroccans to generate constructive criticism on all the actions and decisions of the government as well as the various problems impeding the Kingdom’s development.  Moroccan artists also freely address such issues from their own perspectives without any restrictions.

Moroccans can now create petitions online, call on people to support causes, build a group of followers and eventually put pressure on decision-makers to answer the needs of the people.

Myth 3: Morocco, Pervasive Discrimination and Racism

Generalization needs to be replaced by critical thinking. One or two cases of acute racism are not enough to call Morocco a “racist country.” This only serves to blur the evident manifestations of tolerance and cohabitation that the Kingdom is generally recognized for—this is, at least, a generalization that is based on major evidence.

Acute racial and discriminatory attitudes toward the ‘other’ are almost myths in Morocco

Despite the air of individualization that is gradually sweeping across the Kingdom, Moroccan society is still recognized for its communal lifestyle, which disregards superficial differences of race, ethnicity, or religion.

Despite the fact that Islam is the dominant religion in Morocco, other religions, namely Christianity and Judaism, have coexisted peacefully in the Kingdom for a long time.

Verbal discrimination and racism persist, but where in the world is verbal racism not found?

Unfortunately, this underlying racism condones the habit of telling racist jokes and making racist stereotypes. As long as racism is still deployed as a moneymaking means—in the eccentric humor found in Hollywood movies, for instance—verbal racism will persist, not only in Morocco, but also around the world. This, however, should not encourage anyone to go around telling racist jokes just for the sake of it.
Edited by Liz Yaslik
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/04/128953/3-mythical-generalizations-on-morocco/
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Call of the casbah
April 25 2014 By Carol Huang WASHINGTON POST

Marrakesh - An enormous pile of sand was not our intended destination when we flew to Morocco over the winter. Instead, we were supposed to spend a week luxuriating at one of Marrakesh’s top riads, where a friend was to celebrate a 50th birthday. But as sometimes happens with lavish affairs, things got complicated. Rather than fuel the drama, we decided, somewhat romantically, to go somewhere to see the sun rise over the desert. A glance through the guidebooks sold us on Erg Chebbi, an area of 120m-high sand dunes on the edge of the Sahara.

The 560km journey there would take us through a southern region of the country known as the Valley of 1 000 Casbahs.

These earthen castles and fortified villages of mud and clay were built by the sheiks and powerful families who ruled various regions of Morocco through the centuries. Though many casbahs have disintegrated, the remote oasis valleys and undeveloped deserts south of Marrakesh abound with the soaring walls and towers of those that remain.

First, however, we had to cross the snow-covered peaks of the High Atlas mountains. The riad staff loaded our luggage onto a little donkey named Cous Cous and escorted us out of the medina by foot. At an exterior intersection, my husband haggled with a line of taxis until he settled on a price of about $150 (R1 570). Soon we were driving across a broad, flat plain towards a line of snowy peaks.

Thought to have been formed by the same geological shifts that created the Alps and the Pyrenees, the High Atlas include North Africa’s tallest peak, Toubkal; its most dramatic waterfall, Ouzoud Falls; and the Tizi n’Test pass, where the road narrows to a single lane in places as it traverses switchbacks and blind curves nearly 2 130m above sea level.

In winter, the Tizi n’Test can be blocked by snow and avalanches. There are rock falls and rains year-around.

Because we were going east rather than south, we headed towards the Tizi n’Tichka, a pass described as “marginally safer”. As the road grew steeper, I saw there were no guard rails. The temperature fell at the snow line and continued to drop as we climbed.

Our driver, who looked to be in his forties and was wearing only a light jacket, pulled his collar higher. “Could you turn up the heat?” my husband asked. The driver fiddled with the knobs and shook his head. We burrowed deeper into our coats.

The road twisted and turned. We passed mountain streams that plunged from narrow crevasses and tiny villages tucked in deep ravines. We drove through cloud mists and shadowed passages where the only light was what fell on the white peaks overhead. As the daylight diminished, I saw that the road had no lights. Conversation in the car dwindled then ceased as we focused on the winding road.

Thankfully we began our descent before nightfall, but it was dusk when we passed Ait Benhaddou, Morocco’s most famous and widely photographed casbah. Located on a river in the foothills of the High Atlas, Ait Benhaddou served as a backdrop in Lawrence of Arabia and became a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1987.

Our taxi left us in the first town we reached, Ouarzazate, a former stop for African traders that has become Morocco’s movie capital. Since the making of Lawrence of Arabia in 1962, the region’s list of movie credits includes The Last Temptation of Christ, The Mummy, The Man Who Would Be King, Gladiator and Babel.

Perched on a high, wind-blown plateau with broad, dusty streets overlooking the desert, Ouarzazate has the vibe of a frontier outpost.

Our hotel, the Berber Palace, had spartan rooms, an enormous pool and an airy lobby filled with fake mummies, chariots and other props left by movie crews.

The next day, having had our fill of kitschy movie memorabilia, we skipped a tour of Atlas Studios, reputedly the world’s largest movie studio in terms of physical size, in favour of the Kasbah Taourirt. It is one of many casbahs that belonged to the powerful Glaoui clan, including Thami el Glaoui, the last Pasha of Marrakesh, who conspired with the French to overthrow Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco before dying in 1956, the year Morocco gained independence.

A middle-aged man stood in front of the casbah. He told us he used to cater meals for movie crews but could show us around inside for 20 dirham, about R30. A chatty guide, he told us the casbah had been built in the 1800s. Maybe. He seemed more knowledgeable about its Glaoui owners, whom he praised as tall, beautiful, dark-skinned, brilliant men. “They can recite every verse of the Qur’an,” he said. “Every word, they remember!”

The next morning, we rented a Fiat with dusty seats. Morocco has few highways, and it was easy to follow the N10, as it was the only road we saw. For the next two days we travelled through the Dades Valley across miles of sand and rock.

The sun beat down and the wind blew cold and steady. My fingers felt dry, my nasal passages felt dry, my throat felt dry.

We spent that night at the Xaluca Dades, a hotel in the tiny village of Boumalne Dades, where we stood on a balcony at sundown and listened to a muezzin’s call to prayer echo in the mountains.

In the morning we drove to Todra Gorge, carved by the Todra and Dades rivers, with 150m cliffs on either side. At the entrance, women washed laundry in the river beneath the canyon’s red walls as goats scampered nearby.

Driving on we passed more casbahs. We passed solitary ones in the distance surrounded by only sand and rocks. We passed them in tiny villages where dust-covered shepherds jostled with dust-covered trucks. We passed them in oases among groves of leafy palms.

When you see enough casbahs, you begin to wonder: “What’s it like to live in a casbah?” You’ll start to notice signs offering accommodations at casbahs, and before you know it, you’re holding the key to a room made of packed dirt. And so it was that we found ourselves at the Ksar el Khorbat, a renovated guesthouse among the ruins of a walled fortress built in the 1800s. To the best of my understanding, a ksar is a fortified castle or village, and a casbah is a fortress, sometimes within a ksar, but depending on where you are, a casbah may also be the same thing as a ksar. Easy, right?

Either way, our room was quiet, dark and very cold. Rugs covered the floor, and a sheet of fabric hung across the window. There was a large, freshly tiled bathroom and a door to a balcony that faced an interior wall within the ksar. We lay on the double bed for a nap, using every blanket in the room. Still cold, we pulled on our coats. Then we pulled on our hats and gloves. My husband got up and asked the staff for a heater, which warmed us up.

Having arisen, we decided to explore an adjacent museum, creeping into the catacomb of tiny rooms like amateur archaeologists entering the silence of old objects – wedding clothes, farming implements, maps of caravan routes, medicinal herbs, pottery and artefacts of lives long gone.

We made our final push to the dunes the next day across miles of dust and loose black rocks, which form a type of desert known in Arabic as a hamada. We passed camels accompanied by herdsmen. We approached mirages shimmering like shallow pools on the dark road that vanished when we neared.

The road ended at a cluster of adobe buildings ringed by hotels and guesthouses. Beyond the village of Merzouga there was only sand. We checked into the Kasbah Hotel Tombouctou, a 72-room resort, and after one night in a warm bed, we mounted camels, to spend a night in the desert.

My camel wasn’t ornery, but any notions of developing a bond vanished as I approached it. The animals are covered in dust and flies, and apparently their infamously difficult temperament caused the US Department of War to abandon using them for military purposes after a brief experiment in the 1850s.

Maybe that’s why our guide walked. Minutes into the trip, he kicked off his sandals and pulled out his cellphone.

He led us away from Merzouga’s cluster of buildings into waves of reddish-yellow sand that rose into sensual mounds and languorous drifts. Soon it seemed that all of Earth was only sand. We plodded forward, our shadows casting strange, dark silhouettes.

Two hours later, we rounded the base of an immense dune and came to a spot where the land ahead of us fell away. Tents built from rugs lashed to wooden poles overlooked a wide valley. A man in a jersey and a grey turban grabbed the corner of a hanging rug and lifted it, revealing our accommodation – a dark space containing a cot with blankets.

There was enough light for me to make out a camel turd beside the cot. Other than the cot and the turd, there was nothing to see, so we dropped our bags and went back outside. Then we did what people do when they have nothing to do and there’s a mound of sand nearby. We climbed it. Or tried to.

When you climb a 120m mound of sand, you quickly become breathless. You slip, you slide, you sink. You think your hands might help, so you get down on all fours. Then you notice how cool the sand is, how powder-fine and soft it is against your skin. You forget about reaching the top and you become a child in a giant sandbox, revelling in the feel of the world as it exists in that moment.

That evening we dined with a Spaniard and three Japanese women – on couscous, stewed chicken and vegetables followed by bowls of fresh fruit and hot tea. Afterwards, our Berber hosts built a bonfire, brought out drums and sang under the night sky until we drifted to our tents.

Some time in the night, we got up and climbed the dune in the darkness, then sank back into the softness of the sand. Shooting stars arced across the sky. We were freezing, but we stayed until the sun rose once more to light the dunes, the tents, the camels and the broad valley below. – The Washington Post
http://www.iol.co.za/travel/world/africa/call-of-the-casbah-1.1680165
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Misery of Morocco's small-scale farmers
Author: As-Safir (Lebanon) Posted April 21, 2014

I came up with the idea of writing about Moroccan farmers while I was looking at Vincent van Gogh's "Farmers Planting Potatoes." The misery of the scene is apparent in the choice of colors and blending of forms. It seems that the misery of small-scale farmers has not diminished with time. In Morocco, 71% of farming is carried out by small-scale farmers on less than five hectares [12.4 acres] of land. Furthermore, an additional 25% of farming land is cultivated by farmers owning plots less than 10 hectares in size. Thus, 96% of farming in Morocco is carried out on small farms. And these farmers suffer from many problems. 

In October of each year, it costs farmers 600 Moroccan dirhams [$74] to till a single hectare three times. The cost of planting 180 kilograms [397 pounds] of seeds costs 600 dirhams, and farmers must pay another 700 dirhams for 41 kilograms [90 pounds] of fertilizer. In February, they must add another 41 kilograms of salted fertilizer, at a cost of 350 dirhams. In March, they pay another 150 dirham for pesticides. When the stalks appear, they must spray another chemical costing 400 dirhams to protect the stalks so that they do not die out. Harvesting also costs 350 dirham per hectare. Thus, in total, the farmer is paying $390 [per hectare]. 

In a good harvest season, the farmer will harvest 820 kilograms, while in an average season he will only get 410 kilograms (each kilogram is worth about 73 cents). Thus, farmers nearly go bankrupt carrying out their work. The majority of farmers are planting the same crop, thus when the crop is ready the price collapses. Small-scale farmers do not receive any funding to help them advance, and they are aware that the crisis of capitalism is like diabetes, it cannot be treated fully but one must deal with it … thus, they are eager to plow their lands every year. 

Climate fluctuations

Production is linked to climate fluctuations. In rainy years the fields thrive, and because the crops are plentiful it costs more to harvest and treat them. And when the harvest is plentiful, the price decreases. Thus, the farmer is subject to the mercy of supply and demand. As for years when there is a dry spell or it rains irregularly, the farmer is not even able to recoup the amount he spent on cultivating the land. Usually, in the case of the latter, he lets his cattle graze on the remaining crop. It is worth noting that in recent years rain patterns have become more chaotic. One week there will be a torrential downpour of 200 millimeters [8 inches] that sweeps away the fertile earth, while during the next two or three months the sky will not bestow a single drop of rain. These fluctuations in weather affect the crops. 

Farmers explain the volatility of nature as resulting from God's wrath. They view the droughts and the floods as a form of divine punishment in light of the increase in evil and "deviation." Note that I say increase, not emergence, of evil. Evil existed in the past, but it was rare and veiled. Now, however, it is prevalent and in the open. Thus, for example, the imam of a village mosque will implore people to refrain from embracing the "haram" [religiously forbidden], so that the sky will bestow water. 

Most of these small farms are used to produce food for the owners; thus, it's rare that farmers have surplus to bring to the market. To compensate for the lack of crops, farmers rely on livestock. Grass feed for the livestock is often brought from the neighboring large farms, or they graze on the side of the road for free. 

Small-scale farmers work on their lands throughout the day, without having specific working hours. This is not the only problem, but also the yield is meager compared to the number of hours they work. And due to the weakness of purchasing power, small-scale farmers feel that they are working for free. Most of the time, men refuse to do this, and to compensate for losses and reduce costs they rely on employing family members, particularly women. Females are the most likely to submit to being controlled, due to the fragility of their situation. Women frequently fear divorce, so they end up working while the husbands sit under a tree smoking and drinking tea. It is the woman who also milks the cows and churns the milk to sell butter. A farmer who marries a skilled woman will live an easy life. Yet despite this, he will still tell her in an ugly tone, "I've made sacrifices to marry you." When women refuse to comply and flee to the cities, they are accused of "taking the wrong path," and this brings shame for the men in the family. 

Small-scale farmers do not benefit from the support of the state program called the Green Morocco Plan, which requires that a farmer has registered his land. The Green Morocco Plan is for large-scale farmers, and the state is aware of this, so they offer women sheep even if they do not own land. If you were to see my grandmother today you would feel anger, because throughout her life no one helped her. She spent 50 years of her life — from 1946 to 1996 — working as a farmer, and she witnessed terrible oppression. During summer breaks from school, I would help graze my grandmother's cows while reading a geography book. When I was in middle school and high school I would buy the textbooks for the next year as soon as I had passed my courses at the end of the school year. I spent my summer vacations in the countryside, studying my geography book in the shade of a tree while my grandmother and grandfather's cows grazed in the scorching sun. I would memorize various countries of the world, from those that border Tunisia all the way to South Africa, and from France to Russia and from Italy to Sweden. Now, as I ponder my life's path — given that I was the son of a farmer who became an employee with a bank card, lived in the city and traveled by plane — I feel that I have made a huge social leap. I have spared myself of what almost consumed my life: milking cows. 

A farmer's life

The milk overflows from the cow's udder and spills onto the milker's clothing. It can turn sour within hours, especially in the summer. I hated the farmer's life in summer and winter; the pay was little and the work was plentiful. However, I admit that I have maintained a farmer's thinking, especially when it comes to food and work. I hate eating preserved food, and I wake early every day and work long hours, regardless of how much I have written. The only mistake I have made in this regard is that I sold the land I inherited to buy equipment for filming. 

Inheritance plays a big role in the manufacture of small farms. Because of inheritance, ownership of land is split into small tracts. Each division of land results in the establishment of new buildings for housing. This means that farmland decreases as the number of family members increases. Thus, having a large number of children, which was originally a goal aimed at "social prestige," had become a mechanism for systematic impoverishment. And as farms are divided, family relations deteriorate due to inheritance cases in courts, and because women who marry men from other regions sell their share of land. As for the men, they would prefer death to selling land. 

Land and politics

Morocco extends 3,000 kilometers [1,864 miles] in length, from Gibraltar to the Tropic of Cancer in the Sahara Desert. The further you head south, the more the problems of farmers increase, as rain decreases and the land becomes less fertile. Natural features — such as the fertility of the land, the availability of water and proximity to roads and cities — dictates the distribution of houses in the villages. Thus, there is a significant demographic shift in the countryside. The mountainous regions have been emptied of their residents, while there has been an increase in population density in the regions of the coastal plains, which welcome farming investments. The latter regions include Souss in southern Agadir, where there are hundreds of thousands of fertile hectares of land and irrigated crops, thanks to several dams such as the Abdulmoumen Dam and the Youssef Ibn Yasin Dam. This is an area where production can be increased, and there are local (wealthy) and foreign investors. 

Finally, when it comes to the relationship between land and politics, it is worth noting that those who do not own land have no influence. The owners of large farms are the "masters" of the owners of small farms. It is easy to subject a poor farmer [to one's will] when they are temporary or full-time workers. Small-scale farmers will vote for the large-scale farmers, who maintain a patriarchal discourse. However, the entrance of foreign investors has had a significant influence on the prevailing relations and production. Foreign investors bring in developed technology and rely on mechanization and establishing new production relationships. They heavily employ female workers, and — unlike the locals — often obey the labor laws. Work is carried out under plastic covers when it is very hot, and when production increases they re-evaluate the product. Factories have been established around Agadir for canning vegetables and juice and preserving dairy products. 

Thus, the mode of production is changing. The foreign investors' work method is undermining that of the prominent locals. Contractual relationships are replacing patriarchal ones. This is also leading to a development in production and thus an increase in export. Usually, revenue is used to buy new plots of land, which are combined to create large farms that enter into the capitalist economic cycle. Over time, the number of small-scale farmers has shrunk and they go to the cities. And the cities do not welcome farmers with open arms. 

The above article was translated from As-Safir Al-Arabi, a special supplement of As-Safir newspaper whose content is provided through a joint venture of As-Safir and Al-Monitor.
Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2014/04/morocco-small-scale-farmers-difficulty.html
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2014/04/morocco-small-scale-farmers-difficulty.html#ixzz300i3dWnR
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Teacher of the Future: Challenges of Self-Development and Stakes in Academic Knowledge
Thursday 24 April 2014 - Mohamed Chtatou Rabat

Undoubtedly, the teacher plays a fundamental and central role in the life of the child and in the future of the Ummah [community] in general.

The teacher provides him or her with science, knowledge, morals, behaviour, belief and ambition, as they spend almost eight hours a day together full of activity, vitality, and vigour. These hours are longer than those the child spends with his parents and relatives. Accordingly, the teacher holds the position of the fundamental educator, the first teacher, and the central actor in the life and upbringing of the child. If the teacher is good, the child and the society should be good, because the “industry” of the educated, responsible and believing person is the cornerstone of the edification of society, civilization, culture and the future. In the words of the prince of poets, Ahmed Shawqi, the teacher is therefore really a prophet:

Rise in reverence for the teacher

The teacher is almost like a prophet,

Do you know any more honourable and venerable person than

The one who builds up and brings up spirits and minds?

Praise be to you my God, the best teacher

Who taught with the pen the first centuries,

You brought this mind out of its darkness

And guided it to the path of enlightenment,

And marked it in teacher touch

Sometimes rusty, sometimes acute. (1)

To overcome the several challenges facing it now and in the future and to guarantee its continuity as an active and interactive civilization and culture, the Arab Islamic world should reconsider its educational paradigm, especially its three main elements: the teacher, the learner, and the curriculum, with special attention to the teacher, who is the driving force of the educational system in its totality.

The time of the “teacher-lion,” of whose roar children were afraid and seized by a violent fear when he appeared in the classroom or in the street, is over. With this type of traditional teacher, the educational strategy was based on overpowering and despotic authority and unfair parenthood, while providing a huge bulk of impractical information to the child, encouraging him or her to memorize and then reciting the material as proof that he or she had learned them, whereas in fact the child had neither understood nor benefited from its content.

One of the causes of the failure of this educational system throughout history is that the accumulation of information for the child in this traditional, authoritarian and non-interactive environment led to the production of cognitive “clichés,” instead of producing knowledge in the true meaning of the word. This led the Arab Islamic world to lag behind the progress of civilization due to the scientific and technological backwardness and made of it a mere consumer of immediately available technology without playing any role in its development.

Effective education is associated more with the psychological characteristics of the teacher than with the cognitive characteristics. Purposeful interaction influences despotic authority and aims at developing the personality of the teacher through eradicating his  or her educational and psychological illiteracy so that the teacher becomes a “knowledge facilitator” instead of merely an “information provider.”

Today the learner can receive all the information he or she needs through the internet, the mass media, and television, as well as through the other technological means available in the age of scientific influx and digital revolution. The learner remains, nonetheless, in need of a teacher to accompany him or her in the learning process and facilitate the extraction of scientific and functional knowledge from the huge bulk of information received inside and outside the school.

The teacher of the future is required to face the educational challenges with determination, firmness and professionalism. He or she should also face the information influx with perseverance, wisdom and rationality, through lifelong continuing training, “the teacher’s lifelong learning,” to preserve “teaching fitness.” The teacher is further required to have appropriate capabilities that enable him or her to adjust to the educational new developments, keep abreast of the age, and improve his or her teaching means and methods.

The present paper aims at studying thoroughly the teacher of the future and discovering the professional obligations, knowledge rights, and ways to reconsider teacher training so that the teacher meets the knowledge needs of his or her age and becomes a main actor in the process of sustainable development.

The educational process is an interactive process 

The Arab Islamic educational system was characterized in previous ages by the provision of knowledge to students without any interaction.  In other words, the educational process  was mono-oriented, or basically non-interactive and not based at all on the  use of feedback to redress or correct flaws that could mar the transmission of knowledge either at the level of full comprehension or through assimilation leading to good usage and better exploitation of the information. This system, in terms of philosophy and form, did not enable the learner to use his critical thinking in the discussion of knowledge transmitted to him in order to better understand and use it. Therefore, the knowledge received through the educational process remained a passive knowledge rather than an active knowledge, leading in the long term to disfunction and failures in the entire educational system such as failing school or juvenile delinquency.

This non-interactive educational system led to “the pedagogy of preaching” (2) that produced generations of “preaching” teachers who mastered the technique of cramming  “knowledge merchandise” into learners’ heads through memorization and recitation by rote, providing for it to be returned to its owners, as is, in the exam at the end of the academic year.

The “preaching” teacher reduced the educational process to the following steps, characterized by the predominance of quantity over quality:

- Listening: not interrupting or trying to discuss the method of instruction or the content, and any attempt in this regard is considered disobedience toward the teacher to be severely punished.

- Memorization and storing: storing knowledge faithfully and giving it back complete upon request, without adding any personal touches thereto such as critical thinking or creative production.

- Submission: not arguing the teacher’s educational choices and method of performance, even if the purpose is to better assimilate the subject taught.

- Parroting: teaching using the method of repetition and imitation without encouraging the personal initiative of the learner so as (a) to give him an outlet for his creative and cognitive energies or (b) to prompt him to rely on critical thinking.   

- Guidance: relying on the method of preaching and guidance in the transmission of knowledge while disregarding the psychological aspects of the teaching/learning process.

The “pedagogy of preaching” may have yielded good results in the past because education was characterized by encyclopedic knowledge through acquiring knowledge of wide variety of subjects. However, things have greatly changed in the present, and attention is now given more to scientific specialization while taking into account personal inclinations. Furthermore, the educational process is based today on child psychology, mental development, encouragement of creativity, the refining of a student’s talents, and many other things.

The world, as McLuhan predicted it last century in the 1950s, has become a planetary village thanks to amazing scientific progress. Science has reduced distances at both the temporal level and the geographic-spatial level. Jet planes and spacecrafts can transport the person from one place to another in a short period, and the computer can carry out millions of sophisticated operations as quick as lightning. Thanks to the internet, information, sound and image can be exchanged instantly and directly. We should keep in mind as well that the spreading globalization has really broken barriers and borders among nations and peoples, either positively or negatively, and made the world a single and unified space.

With these amazing changes, the teaching process in the Arab Islamic world cannot remain stagnant. It has to imitate the civilized world in its methods and means to guarantee the survival of civilization and the progress and prosperity of humanity. This cannot be achieved without reconsidering the philosophy, content and spirit of the educational system.

It is time to move to the interactive educational system in its form and content. It will guarantee to the teacher the fulfillment of the expected results of his or her arduous efforts and further encouragement to progress in his or her great civilizing action.  Moreover, it will guarantee to the learner a better yield and brighter future, and ensure more fluidity in the educational process.

Believing in the importance of the philosophy of interaction in the 1960s and its positive repercussions on the educational process, American educators applied the concept to all fields of education and training, starting with the teaching of languages to non-native speakers. They created for that purpose a method called Community Language Learning (CLL). It is based on an important  Anglo-Saxon principle, which considers the “patron” a high-ranking person whose needs must be fulfilled. The patron in this equation is the learner; the teacher becomes a facilitator of the teaching process. As opposed to traditional teaching methods, the learners sit in a form of circle while the teacher stands outside this circle. The course is not based on a topic that has been already drawn up by the teacher, but every learner can learn whatever he wants in the focal language according to his personal or professional needs. He pronounces a word in his mother tongue and the teacher translates it to the language to be learned, utters its syllables and writes it on the blackboard in the common phonetic alphabet and so forth. At the end of the dialogue, each learner repeats the sentences he has produced. Then the teacher explains the grammatical aspects of the dialogue and uses them through exercises with flash cards.

The purpose of putting the teacher/facilitator outside this circle is mainly to break the stereotypical image of the teacher/lion or the teacher/despot that conflicts with the principles of educational psychology. Regarding this educational method, hearing the voice of the teacher in the back facilitates the learning process, whereas seeing him complicates things psychologically, bearing in mind that the older the learner is the more he or she finds himself subjected to supreme vulnerability in educational situations. Thus, the teacher should be put outside the circle of the learners. Because of the success of this educational method, many schools have adopted it throughout the world with a slight difference: the circle has been replaced by a semicircle for practical reasons.

Notes and Bibliography 
Shawqi, Ahmed. 1988. Al-Shawqiyat. Beirut: Dar Al-Awdah.

Ahmed Ahdouthen. 2003. “The Educational Discourse in Morocco”. Knowledge for Everybody 28. (Rabat, Morocco: Ramsis Publishing,) p. 130.

Tariq Ali Al-Habib. 2003. “Implanting Psychological Understanding in the Teacher,” a paper presented at the Eleventh Symposium of Educational Leaders. Jazan [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia], 1-3 Muharram 1424 A.H, 2003 AD.

Mohammed Bin Ahmed Al-Rashid, 2003. “The Teacher in a Renewed Age”. Al-Maarifa n° 95. p. 7.

Al-Maarifa n ° 70. 2001. p. 32.

Ammar Bakkar. 2001. “Teaching Creativity… and the Quality of Excellence”. Al-Maarifan° 70. p. 45.

Sharabi, Hisham. 1991. Introductions to Study the Arab Society. (4 th edition), Beirut: Dar al-Talia.

Barakat, Halim. 1984. Contemporary Arab Society: a Social Investigation Research. Beirut: the Centre of Arab Unity Studies. Beirut: Lebanon.

Mohammed Sadiq Mohammed Hassan. 2002. “Authoritarianism … Causes and Therapy”. Education n° 140. pp. 82-83.

Ibid, pp. 84-85.

Adas, Mohammed Abdurrahim. 1996. The Effective Teacher and Efficient Teaching. Amman: Dar Al-Fikr for Publishing and Distribution.

Khalil al-Khalili and Nasr Maqabla. 1990. “A Developmental Study to Assess the Tendencies Related to the Teaching Profession”. Al-Yarmuk Research Magazine, Vol.6, n° 1. pp. 59-80.

Tellefson, N. 1974. “Selected Student Variables and Perceived Teacher Effectiveness”. Education 94. pp. 30-35.

Turner, G. 1991. “Preparing Successful Teachers for Urban School”. Gateways to Teacher Education. Vol. 4, n° 1. pp.28-37.

Zaydan, Hamam Badrawi. 1988. “Teacher’s Qualifications in the light of some Tasks of the Teaching Profession”. Education. pp. 59-66.

Al Kawadiri, Sabah Ahmed. 1985. “The Successful Teacher”. Education 16. pp. 69-71.

Baron, E. et. al. 1992. “Collaborative Urban Education: Characteristics of Successful Urban Teachers”. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of School Administrators. San Diego, California, February 21-24, 1992.        

Vincent, G. 1974. Le peuple lycéen: enquête sur les élèves de l’enseignement secondaire. Paris : France.

Morrison, A. ; D. McIntyre. 1975. Profession enseignant : Une psychosociologie de l’enseignement. Armand Colin. Paris : France.  P.151.

Omar, Sheikh. 2002. “The Teacher we want for the 21 st Century”. The Jordanian School and the Challenges of the 21 st Century . Abdulhamid Shuman Institution. Amman: Jordan. P.99.

Idem.

Al-Khabti, Ali Ben Saleh. 2002. “A Developmental Approach of Teachers’ Self-Development: the Model of Teachers’ Lifelong Learning”. A paper presented at the 11 th Meeting of Educational Leaders. Jazan: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1-3 Muharram 1424 A.H. 2003 AD.

OECD. 2002. Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers. OECD Country Representatives Meeting. Paris, March 2002.

Idem, n° 21.

Al Ibrahim, Ibrahim Abderrazaq. 2002. “Education in the Age of Globalization: Educational Basics to Interact with Life Process”. Education 140. p.139.

Hamdan, Mohammed Zayd. 2002. “New Suggested Programmes to Train Teachers in the Academic Specialities by the Means of Contemporary Multimedia Technology”. Education 140. p.150.

Idem. p.151.      

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