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Morocco Week in Review
February 8 , 2014
How NGOs helped change Moroccan law on rapists marrying their victims
A suicide case and a campaign to stop rapists avoiding jail via wedlock finally brought change but further reform is necessary. A law that allowed rapists to dodge jail by marrying their victims has been changed by the Moroccan parliament after a campaign by NGOs, including my organisation, the Association Marocaine de Planification Familiale (AMPF).
Previously, the law stated that anyone who "abducted or deceives a minor" could face a prison sentence under article 475, but a second clause of the article specified that when the victim marries the perpetrator, "he can no longer be prosecuted, except by persons empowered to demand the annulment of the marriage – and then only after the annulment has been proclaimed". This meant that prosecutors were not allowed to pursue rape charges independently.
The spirit of the 2011 constitution stated that men and women should be treated equally, which was at odds with article 475. We decided to set up an advocacy campaign to reform the law, and to challenge the right of judges to allow child marriage "for cultural and social reasons".
In parts of Morocco, particularly in rural areas, a girl or unmarried woman who is not a virgin, even if she lost her virginity through rape, is seen as bringing dishonour to her family. Marrying the rapist is thought to alleviate this stigma. Another horrific consequence of this law was that if a man wanted to wed a woman who was unwilling to be his bride, by raping her he could, in effect, force her into marriage.
It took the tragic case of Amina Filali, 16, who was forced into marriage after she was raped, and who killed herself seven months into wedlock, to be the catalyst for action. Her plight caused such outrage across the country it triggered protests in several cities.
Last August, several women's rights groups joined forces to tackle child marriage. We organised a so-called peace and white march – "peace" because our protest was non-violent; "white" to represent the colour of doctors' coats. Our aim was to show how rape and forced and child marriage had a negative impact on women's health.
A pair of doctors who work in our clinics joined us on the rally. We waved placards, but fell silent as we marched on the parliament building in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. Many women suffer in silence and we wanted our demonstration to emphasise that.
The peace and white march was followed with a pink march – to symbolise women's rights. Each demonstration increased public interest.
Victory came last month, in January, when we discovered that the law had been changed, though the clause relating to child marriage has been postponed for further consultation.
We are working on a declaration to express our thanks to the government and to request further discussion. Much needs to be done to bolster gender equality, outlaw child marriage and change the law on abortion.
Abortion is prohibited in Morocco, except to preserve a pregnant woman's physical and mental health, or to save her life. The law punishes severely both the person who helps the woman to abort and the woman herself. In cases of rape and incest, for example, abortions are not allowed. Many Moroccans are forced to make desperate choices, which can lead to unsafe abortions, abandonment, and even infanticide. We have the support of two political parties and plan to organise a national debate to advocate for legal changes, so no woman has to undergo an unsafe abortion.
We are pushing the government to adopt the WHO definition of abortion, which we believe would address the social aspects of a woman's reality.
The time is right for such reforms. The amendment to the rape law is not just a victory for us in Morocco but for women throughout the region. A legacy of the Arab spring and globalisation is that we are sharing experiences and learning how to make our voices heard at the highest level. This success will encourage women in other Arab countries to fight for change.
There is still room for improvement. One in four women in Morocco is a victim of violence. Many articles in the penal code need to be reformed because they contain provisions that allow women to be discriminated against and fail to protect them from violence. The ministry of women, family and solidarity is working on a law that penalises harassment against women. It is a good initiative that needs more involvement from us.
I do not know how soon we will see more rape convictions. But one thing I can say for sure is that we have sent a strong message, one that says women have to be at the centre of the discussions about laws that affect them.
Fadoua Bakhadda, is executive director of Association Marocaine de Planification Familiale , a member association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation
http://world.einnews.com/article/189366616/H9RxlHFi_Tx5Uo_2?n=1&code=F0A6UI8SDeLVJB2O
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Young Man Goes On Exotic Moroccan Adventure in J.p. Whaley’s New Novel.
Cadiz, Spain (PRWEB) February 04, 2014
In “Magic Lobsters and Flying Tagines” (published by iUniverse), the new novel by J.P. Whaley, a young man, against his will, transforms a brothel into a small hotel in Morocco, and he is helplessly controlled by the strange twists and turns of his destiny.
Sebastian, a man in his early 30s living in Spain, sends some unwanted guests to Morocco on a mission to find him a small house in order to improve his Arabic. Soon, he finds himself the owner of a once famous but now dilapidated ex-brothel. He employs his impecunious half brother, Roger, to reform a small apartment in the establishment, but Roger wants to turn the building into a boutique hotel. It is not long before he gets involved in a web of black magic, witchcraft and poisonings.
An excerpt from “Magic Lobsters and Flying Tagines”:
“The whole place seemed lost in time, barely touched by tourism or innovation. The inhabitants seemed as impassive as their city. Some of them sat impassively in doorways. Gum-booted fishermen tramped wearily to their beds after a night at sea. The women drifted along sedately, their eyes downcast. Nearly all of them were plump and veiled, wrapped from head to foot in either black and white heavy cotton haiks that gave little freedom of movement and were held in place by clasping the fabric at the throat.”
Whaley believes “Magic Lobsters and Flying Tagines” will stick with readers long after they finish the book. He says, “It is original, comedic and gives readers an insight into North African folklore and superstitions.”
“Magic Lobsters and Flying Tagines”
By J.P. Whaley
Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 212 pages | ISBN 9781475999709
Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 212 pages | ISBN 9781475999693
E-Book | ISBN 9781475999716
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author: J.P. Whaley was born in England and has written several film scripts. “Magic Lobsters and Flying Tagines” is his first novel.
iUniverse, an Author Solutions, LLC, self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse has a strategic alliance with Indigo Books & Music, Inc. in Canada, and titles accepted into the iUniverse Rising Star program are featured in a special collection on BarnesandNoble.com. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Reader’s Choice, Rising Star and Editor’s Choice designations—self-publishing’s only such awards program. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, iUniverse also operates offices in Indianapolis. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. For the latest, follow @iuniversebooks on Twitter.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/JPWhaley/02/prweb11547624.htm
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1717554#ixzz2sLQECpA3
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Mountain climb to raise charity cash
Youngsters at a county college are raising funds for a challenging charity trek to the top of the highest mountain in North Africa. The group of ten Level 3 outdoor education students at Northumberland College are organising the trip as part of their course, where they have to plan, prepare and carry out an expedition as independently as possible.
The expedition team, which also includes two tutors from the college, will climb the 4,167 metres to the summit of Mount Toubkal in the Atlas mountains of Morocco over a five-day period. They will fly to Marrakech on Saturday, June 7, and then on to Imlil in the Atlas mountains, where they will spend two days acclimatising before continuing the acclimatisation process en route to the summit.
The ascent of Mount Toubkal will involve trekking through remote valleys and over high altitude passes for five days.
Tutor Carl Halliday said: “The main aim of the expedition is to reach the summit of Mount Toubkal, but what the students get out of this trip goes far beyond that. When they leave college and enter the outdoor industry, they will be required to organise a wide variety of events, activities and expeditions. Planning this trip helps them to develop essential skills, knowledge and vital experience relevant to their chosen career paths.”
The students will use half the money for travel costs and will donate half of any sponsorship money raised to a Moroccan charity called Education For All, which provides the opportunity of a college education for girls from rural communities, who otherwise would not continue their education beyond primary school due to the cost of education .
Anyone who would like to sponsor the students can contact Carl on carl.halliday@northland.ac.uk or call (01670) 841229. http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/mountain-climb-to-raise-charity-cash-1-6424785
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Moroccan ambassador visits. By Sergio Carmona, Staff Writer EST, February 3, 2014
The American Jewish Committee recently hosted the ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United States in South Florida. Rachad Bouhlal met with local Jewish, business, civic and AJC leaders while he was in town and spoke at the University of Miami and Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach.
When asked to discuss his goal here in South Florida, Bouhlal responded, "The goal is to promote our relationships, to promote our friendships, and to promote business in Florida and I thank AJC for this program they organized for me." Bouhlal also said, "I was very, very welcomed here and I was among friends here."
During his lecture at UM, Bouhlal said that Morocco has a free economy and a free trade agreement with the European Union and the United States. He also spoke about the Jewish community in Morocco and that Jews have been there for 2,000 years. "The Moroccan Jewish community, even in a reduced number, is a vibrant community," he remarked.
Some facts Bouhlal shared with the audience was that in Casablanca, Morocco, there are 20 working synagogues, 10 kosher butchers, five kosher restaurants, a Jewish spots club, a Jewish youth center, a Jewish museum and a Jewish old home.
When asked whether he thought the audience was surprised to hear some of the facts Bouhlal shared, he said, "They know that there is a Jewish community and that we have Moroccan Jews but I think they were surprised when I mentioned what we are doing in our country."
Local AJC leaders commented on the importance of bringing the ambassador to South Florida. "It's nice when we can bring an international diplomat like the ambassador of Morocco to South Florida to meet with some of the leaders of the Jewish community, business leaders, and others so that we can have an exchange of ideas and we can learn from each other," said Brian Siegal, director of AJC's Miami and Broward Regional Office.
Andrew Hall, president of AJC's Greater Miami and Broward Regional Office, said "This is exactly what AJC does in the sense that it provides a very unique opportunity for our organization to advocate the interest of the Jewish people and we are pleased to create this opportunity and introduce the ambassador to our leadership here and to show him a good deal of our community."
Rachel Miller, director of AJC's Palm Beach County regional office, enjoyed the ambassador's talk at the Norton Museum of Art. "The ambassador truly represented Morocco in the most positive way and what he did was explain very clearly the position of Morocco and the very positive relationship with the United States, with countries in the Middle East, and, although not a formal relationship, the very strong relationship with Israel," Miller added. "Members of the audience really had their eyes open to how wonderful a country Morocco is."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/news/miami-dade-county-news/fl-jjdc-ambassador-0205-20140203,0,727688.story
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Barry Pell, who recently returned from spending a year teaching English in Casablanca, will discuss his travels from 7 to 8 p.m. Feb. 27 at the library's Lebowitz Meeting Hall. Pell "will take you on a journey through the country's walled cities and their ancient markets, across the rugged Atlas Mountains with traditional Berber villages, and into the desolate and dune-covered Sahara Desert," a press release from the library says. "The presentation, illustrated by Mr. Pell's photography, highlights Morocco's exquisite historic architecture and the lives, traditions, and ceremonies of its Arab and Berber people."
The event is free and appropriate for teens and adults. For more information, contact Jane Finlay at 508-647-6526 or jfinlay@minlib.net. http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20140203/NEWS/140209251/11559/ENTERTAINMENT
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Morocco leases lands to expand agricultural sector.
Aurea Santos, special envoy* aurea.santos@anba.com.br Rabat
The Moroccan agricultural sector generates US$ 11.56 billion, aim is to reach US$ 17 billion by 2020. The government is going to lease 600,000 hectares to local and foreign investors.
Morocco wishes to increase the country’s agricultural GDP to US$ 17 billion (140 billion dirhams) by 2020. In 2013, the sector generated US$ 11.56 billion (95 billion dirhams). A strategy created in 2008 by the government, the Green Morocco Plan, aims to promote Moroccan agribusiness and foresees new investments of US$ 1.1 billion (9 billion dirhams) by the end of the decade.
“There is an effort in Morocco to invest in the agricultural sector as the driving force of the national economy,” stated Mohammed Elguerrouj, Director General of the Agricultural Development Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Morocco, this Wednesday (29) to a group of Brazilian journalists. When it was created, the objective of the Green Morocco Plan was to double the agricultural sector’s revenues, which that year was of US$ 8.5 billion (70 billion dirhams).
The plan is an integrated effort that also involves the Ministries of the Interior, Finance and Industry. Currently, the main agricultural goods produced in Morocco are oranges, milk, beef and vegetables. In order to expand production, Morocco started leasing land for agriculture projects. Participation is open for both Moroccan and foreign investors. Up to now, 100,000 hectares of lands have been leased and another 600,000 hectares should be leased by 2020.
In order to participate, interested parties should offer projects that promote the sector’s development. According to Abderrahim Benyassine, Partnership and Associations Director of the Moroccan agency, the quality of the project is more important to win the bidding process than the amount the company is willing to invest. The country is seeking projects with added value, with the possibility of developing the work of local farmers and small property owners, for example.
Among the countries that have invested in projects in Morocco are the United Arab Emirates, France, Portugal and Spain. The tenders, however, have attracted the attention of investors from other countries, such as the United States, Belgium, Argentina, Gabon, Senegal, Tunisia, South Africa and Australia.
There have been 31 foreign projects approved by the program, with a total land lease of 7,800 hectares. The leased land may be used for a period of more than 40 years, with the possibility for contract renovation, and the conditions for participating in the process are the same for Moroccans and foreigners.
Another product that sparks the interest of foreign investors, according to Benyassine, is argan oil, used in cosmetics. “Argan oil is produced only here, where it is certified and then sold around the world,” he emphasized.
When questioned about what could Morocco have to offer Brazilians, since Brazil has an abundance of fertile lands, Benyassine noted the advantages his countries poses for exports. “There is a strong demographic growth in Africa, and the workforce here, trained workforce, costs less than in Europe,” he stated. Also, Morocco has an association agreement with the European Union, which Brazil does not have.
*The journalist travelled at the invitation of the Moroccan Investment Development Agency (AMDI) http://www2.anba.com.br/noticia/21862630/agribusiness/morocco-leases-lands-to-expand-agricultural-sector/
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An agribusiness hub
Aurea Santos, special envoy** aurea.santos@anba.com.br Meknes
The Moroccan city of Meknes is the main agricultural hub in the country and home to Agropolis, an industrial park for businesses in the sector. One of the highlights is the production of olive oil. The city of Meknes, in eastern Morocco, is the main agricultural center in the country. “We have the greatest food hub in Morocco,” emphasized Hassan Bahi, Director of the Meknes-Tafilalet Regional Investment Center. “This is a region with great biodiversity potential,” he stated this Wednesday (29), in an interview with a group of Brazilian journalists.
To promote the sector in the region, the government recently created an industrial park, called Agropolis, where companies in the sector are beginning to settle in, such as the Swiss bio-fertilizers company, Elefante Verde. The area, currently under the first phase of development that covers 130 hectares, will hold research and development laboratories, as part of the Green Morocco Plan, created in 2008 to double the sector’s income by 2020. The government’s aim, according to Abdelkarim Ouahchi, Investment Consultant, is to expand the park to 450 hectares. Currently, 15 companies are preparing to set shop at Agropolis.
Already established at the park is Agro-pôle Olivier, an olive oil production and export promotion center for the region of Meknes. “Olives are an opportunity for business between Brazil and Morocco, because Brazil is an olive oil importer,” recalled Noureddine Ouazzani, who is in charge of the center.
The region of Meknes currently produces 120,000 tons of olive oil per year. “We account for 60% of Morocco’s olive oil and we export 90% of what we produce,” said Ouazzani. “Our olive oils are intense, with a fruit flavor, which are most appreciated by consumers,” he evaluated. According to Ouazzani, the region produces various types of olives. “We have not only the Moroccan type, but also Greek, Spanish and Italian. In Meknes we are capable of producing the best quality olive oil, with international standards,” he emphasized.
Currently, most of the Moroccan olive oil is exported to the United States, but the country has an eye on the Brazilian market. “Morocco could have a share of that market, particularly in the high-end olive oil segment,” stated Ouazzani. According to him, only 5% of the world population consumes olive oil. “The potential market is of 95%,” he stated. In Morocco, the annual olive oil consumption is of only two kilos per person. In Italy, this figure reaches 19 kilos, while in Greece the average is 23 kilos per person per year.
Dairy products
Meknes also hosts one of the four factories of Centrale Laitière, a branch of Danone in Morocco. With a 65% market share, the company produces 800,000 tons of dairy products per year, of which 220,000 tons at the plant visited by ANBA alone. In 2014, the Meknes plant expects to produce 249,000 tons. “The greatest part of our production is pasteurized milk, which is a product that sells every day,” says the Factory Director, Abdellah Noau,
At the plant, which counts on 274 employees, the entire process is automated and investments are ever increasing. In 2013 investments added up to US$ 4.28 million (35.25 million dirhams), and the amount this year is expected to reach US$ 14.59 million (120 million dirhams), due to a plant expansion.
The factory also produces many types of yogurt and dairy beverages, and the company believes in the potential for increase in domestic consumption. In Morocco, the annual milk consumption per person is of 62.7 kilos. In Finland, country with the highest milk consumption, this figure reaches 150 kilos per person per year.
Brazilian brakes
During the visit to Meknes, ANBA also met an entrepreneur interested in importing auto parts. Saaoud Abdeslam, from Enterprise Saaoud, said he is currently negotiating with Fras-Le, from the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and a branch of road equipment manufacturer Randon, to import and distribute Brazilian brakes. “I have visited Brazil five times. I want to first develop business in Morocco, and then take it to Algeria and other countries in North Africa,” said Abdeslam.
* The journalist travelled at the invitation of the Moroccan Investment Development Agency (AMDI)
http://www2.anba.com.br/noticia/21862633/agribusiness/an-agribusiness-hub/
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Morocco to receive USD9b to fund solar projects.
MENAFN - 05/02/2014
The Moroccan foreign minister said that the country has hired foreign investors to fund a USD9 billion solar power project, Saudi Gazette reported. There are several investors, including the World Bank and the European Union, who refused to fund the project because some of its plants are to be set in the disputed Western Sahara. The Moroccan Foreign Minister said: "That is their problem. We have no financing problems. We have several (investors); there are Japanese, Chinese, Gulf countries."
The North African nation is aiming to increase renewable power to reach 20 percent of its supply in 10 years, up from the current 8 percent.
http://world.einnews.com/article/189041602/aRSHMwrD1EvQflLp?n=1&code=F0A6UI8SDeLVJB2O
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Morocco’s female artists showcased in new Exhibition. “Women and Art in Morocco” exhibition reflects growing maturity of country’s female plastic artists.
Abdul-Kabir Al-Minawi Friday, 7 Feb, 2014 Marrakesh, Asharq Al-Awsat
Until a few years ago, women’s presence in the plastic arts such as sculpture and ceramics in Morocco remained limited. While dozens of male names emerged on the Moroccan plastic arts scene— Jilali Gharbaoui, Hassan Al-Kilawi, Mohamed Al-Melihi, Mohamed Shaba’a, Farid Bilkahya, Ahmed Bin Yasif, Mohamed Al-Qasemi, Mahi Binebine, Mohamed Murabity, among others—the number of women in the plastic arts in the country remained low. Among female artists, only Chaïbia Talal (1929–2004) achieved worldwide fame thanks to her “naïve art” paintings that were put on display in several renowned museums and galleries in Paris, New York, Frankfurt, Geneva and elsewhere, as well as a few others such as Fatima Hassan Al-Folous and Latifa Al-Tigani.
Today, there are many more women at the forefront of the country’s plastic arts scene, with female artists from a variety of schools and backgrounds and with a variety of sensibilities winning public and critical acclaim inside and outside Morocco.
One new exhibition, Women and Art in Morocco, is on display at the Four Seasons hotel in Marrakesh, and shows off the works of seven women from different generations: Malika Agueznay, Kenza Benjelloun, Leila Cherkaoui, Wafa’a Mezouar, Ahlam Lemseffer, Nawal Sekkat, and Claudine Lavit Lahlou . The exhibition runs until February 15, and emphasizes the progress, richness and variation of the plastic arts in Morocco.
Nidal Chaouki, the head of public relations for the exhibition’s organizers, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Choosing to hold a collective exhibit of seven Moroccan plastic artists to celebrate women and art in Morocco” was intended to showcase “the value, distinction and expansion of [the role of] women in the plastic arts in Morocco.”
In a statement to Asharq al-Awsat, Wafa’a Mezouar, Layla Cherkaoui, Ahlam Lemseffer, Claudine Lavit Lahlou and Nawal Sekkat all emphasized the value of Moroccan women’s contribution to the contemporary art world inside and outside Morocco and of the public recognition of their experience arising from that.
Although the plastic artists who participated in the exhibition were classified as contemporary plastic artists, each has their own unique sensibility. For Wafa’a Mezouar, for example, toys with color, light and shade in her paintings through the use of colors drawn from nature such as brown and red blended with a touch of blue and gold. Because she seeks to engage with what she feels are the prominent issues of the day, her paintings touch upon deeply rooted Moroccan cultural issues.
Malika Agueznay is one of the female pioneers of Moroccan plastic arts known for championing the Casablanca School, which emerged as a distinct movement that sought to take Moroccan art from simple depiction of the East to modernity and the abstract, thus rehabilitating Moroccan sensitivity and linking modernity to the roots of the past. Agueznay ’s paintings have distinct personal characteristics, as seen in the use of mosses and extremely small objects.
As for Nawal Sekkat, following a prolonged and exhausting experience in realistic art, she has moved towards more abstract elements in her work. However, she continues to mix this abstract trend with an inclination towards realism. Her art career reflects a state of continuing transformation in which symbols, denotations and values evolve. In her painting, formalistic structure intersects with fetus-like objects and immortal colors, and so the differences within her paintings remain a permanent and continued wound, reflecting a decisive attitude towards identity, existence, nature and the universe.
For Ahlam Lemseffer, color summarizes the magical aspects of life, as the pivotal aspect of beauty and a determinant of its shapes and components, as well as being a predominant part of a painting’s makeup. In her use of colors, Lemseffer relies on the empty spaces of the colors in use, even if these colors are monochrome or shades of grey. In her abstract works, the artist seeks inspiration from the land, sea and sky so that the work remains linked to pure environmental reality as well as to its identity in a clear visual frame.
As forLayla Cherkaoui , the search in her work is characterized by a search for a “poetry of light” that depicts an entire creative horizon, mixing poetic beauty with the plastic art expression of her brush through colors, mainly white and black. Cherkaoui sees that the “light wave is opened endlessly,” and so we find her drawing akin to writing a poem. Inside her paintings, one can hear tones flowing like water.
http://www.aawsat.net/2014/02/article55328596
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Seven Seas adds Morocco clementines
02/03/2014 Mike Hornick
Seven Seas New Jersey, a division of the Tom Lange Co., has started a Moroccan clementine program under its Clementines So Sweet label. “We are excited to bring a kid-friendly bag that is packed locally,” Bill Weyland, Seven Seas vice president, said in a news release. The fruit will be offered to retail and foodservice customers most of the year. “Look for the Seven Seas label on additional products in 2014,” Weyland said.
“While we are always looking to increase volume, the bigger goal is to increase consumption among children for overall wellness,” Phil Gumpert, chairman and chief executive officer at Tom Lange Co., said in the release. “This program is an appropriate step in continuing the expansion of the Seven Seas label both domestically and internationally,” he said.
http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-news/Seven-Seas-adds-Morocco-clementines-243390531.html
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Morocco, a Chaotic Paradise (Part II).
02/05/2014 Adam Williams
We stirred from our restless slumber as the coach jolted its way through the narrow streets leading to Marrakech, Grace brushed her waves of auburn hair out of her face and I checked my watch: It was four in the afternoon. We grabbed our board bags and flagged down the latest in a long run of drive by taxis and headed for our new abode.
Once in Marrakech, our driver signaled us to follow a lingering youngster to our Riad (a Moroccan guest house). Considering we'd just arrived and had no map or sense of direction, we had very little choice in the matter. We followed him through shadowed alleyways, abruptly stopping before each one and telepathically expressing our unwillingness to get mugged. Hesitantly, we strolled on and soon arrived outside a door at the bottom of a passageway with the name of our Riad tiled above it, Riad Selouane. Relieved, we dropped our luggage and rang the bell.
"Five euros," said the boy who had walked all of three minutes to our destination as we dragged our luggage behind him, exhaling the last of his cigarette through his tea-stained teeth. We knew what was coming next -- the inevitable backsheesh (tip) so I placed a 10 dirham coin in his hand, the equivalent of €1.
"It's not enough! The fee is five euros!" he replied. A further five dirham greased the palm of our new friend. "No! It's five euros, so need to pay more!" It seemed this guy was going nowhere with a solitary €1.50 in his pocket, but fatefully just then the door to the Riad creaked open and the stooped shadow of our host, Moustaffa, silhouetted in the doorway. €1.50 quickly became a satisfactory fee, and our guide scampered back into the labyrinth.
We shuffled timidly into the Riad, which opened into a tranquil courtyard, white pillars towering up to the view of the sunset, water features trickled around us and leaves fluttered in the balmy breeze. It was as if we had walked through a portal into another universe, our safe haven away from the madness of Marrakech.
We settled into our new home nicely, and after a couple days, organized a bus trip to the mountainous village of Aït Ben Haddou through a middle-aged man in an alleyway who claimed to be a booking agent, praying he wouldn't just take our deposit and run. We arrived at the pick-up point at 7:00 a.m. the following morning and piled into a minibus to take us to the site where they filmed the African arena scenes in the movie Gladiator, as well as scenes from the television series Game of Thrones, among others.
We sped through the treacherous mountains, sliding back and forth across our seats, bumping heads and limbs with the person next to us:
"Oh! Nice to meet you, ugh, sorry about the elbow in your chest/crotch/throat."
"Oops, excuse me! Here are your false teeth and dignity back."
The mini bus clung to the road as a sheer drop down the mountainside invited us with every wild turn. The driver, noticing bodies flying around in the back and trying to avoid a motion sickness epidemic from breaking out on his nice seats, mercifully stopped every hour for toilet/cigarette/sick bag emptying breaks.
After the death defying, yet picturesque, four-hour journey, we arrived at Aït Ben Haddou. Orange sand whipped skyward and danced across the barren landscape in the fresh mountain breeze. Smoky mountain ranges dominated the horizon, disappearing into an endless powder-blue sky, eliciting a collective "wow" from our wide-eyed tour group. The surroundings were breathtaking, a habitat so alien to anything I'd witnessed that it felt like we'd flown up to Mars. Considering how disorientated we were from the journey, it felt very much a possibility. The village sprawled across the foothills and spread up the side of the mountain as if it had spilled from an overflowing well, humble abodes built from the sand and mud that made up much of its surroundings. We toured through the village and across the mountain peaks snapping our cameras furiously, afraid we might miss something or leave without proof of our footsteps on Mars.
The next day, our adventures took us to the palaces, Mosques and gardens that surrounded the city. We strolled slow motion through the Jemaa el-Fnaa, one of Africa's most famous squares. Navigating a market of snake handlers, xylophone playing monkeys and jewellery salesmen, all competing for the attention (and dollars) of passing tourists.
Two palaces dominated the city's skyline, towering above the bustling crowd like stoic watchmen from the city's corners. We ambled through the palace's open courtyards, cooled by the shade of the olive trees, and posed for photo opportunities below the golden-laced ceilings and intricately painted archways. While meandering through the gardens, I began to reflect on our unique time in Marrakech:
We'd haggled our way through the Souks, defied gravity on our way up mountain peaks and toured the beauty of the palaces throughout our four-day stay in Marrakech. But strangely, it was when we retired from the busy streets to the terraces overhanging the city that I really felt its presence. At those moments, the culture of the city drifted on the cool night sky, filling our senses with all of the cities wonderful flavours, brushing our palettes with its local cuisine and filling our ears with its ancient sounds. It was when we resided in the calm above the storm that Marrakech really settled into our souls, the madness below framed by a blissful peace hiding in the rafters of this chaotic paradise. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-williams/morocco-a-chaotic-paradis_1_b_4725107.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel
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Connah's Quay sixth formers set to help underdeveloped village in Morocco.
6 Feb 2014
Students host casino night to help raise funds for trip
Read It here: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/connahs-quay-sixth-formers-set-6678562
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Communications Training in Morocco
MENAFN Press - 04/02/2014
Under the Arab Partnership programme, the UK ran a training week for Moroccan communications professionals
What is effective media monitoring? How can government use digital media in the 21st century? And what is the best way to communicate in a crisis? These were some of the questions discussed between Moroccan and British participants at a training session run in Rabat by the British communications consultancy Portland. Over four days, communication officers from various Moroccan Ministries received training on communication strategy, communication planning and coordination, media monitoring, crisis communication and finally digital and social media.
The project is being funded by the British Embassy in Rabat's Arab Partnership programme which aims to support the ongoing political reform process in Morocco “ in this case by sharing ideas with Moroccan professionals on how to strengthen democratic debate through effective government communication.
The week of training was focused on practical exercises which allowed British and Morocan participants to exchange views. During one session, participants were asked to evaluate different scenarios and discuss the most appropriate communications response. Scenarios discussed ranged from a ministerial reshuffle reported in a blog, to an error in the cost of a draining system reported in a daily newspaper, to the degradation of tourists' security in Morocco in an international newspaper. Participants had to evaluate the source of the information, its political affiliation, the importance of the information and what damage would it have if no action was taken. Then they had to agree on the most appropriate government response, choosing between a phone call to the journalist, a press release, an interview with the minister or a press conference by the Minister.
The analysis of these scenarios prompted plenty of discussion and debate between participants, and gave the opportunity to exchange British and Moroccan perceptions and experiences on media relations. Participants left the course with some new skills and ideas, and a strengthened network of communications colleagues across the Moroccan government. As one participant commented, "we have done communications training before, but the pragmatic British approach adds something new!".
http://world.einnews.com/article/188859986/hV8ps4gSX1NTBQve?n=1&code=F0A6UI8SDeLVJB2O
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Moroccan villagers step up actions against massive silver mine
Cecilia Jamasmie February 7, 2014
A group of Moroccan activists, who have been living on an occupation camp 5,000 feet high in the Atlas Mountains, to oppose the most productive silver mine in Africa, say they are ready to negotiate a settlement, but that no one is listening. The ongoing occupation was brought back to the spotlight last week, after The New York Times published an in-depth feature on Imiter, home to the poorest people in the African country.
Since August 2011 they have been blocking some of the main wells supplying water for Imiter Metallurgic Company’s operation. They claim the mine, in operations since 1969, is drawing more than its fair share of water and polluting what it uses.
Problem is, Imiter Metallurgic is a sister group of Managem, which is indirectly controlled by a holding belonging to Morocco's royal family.
But one of their main demands is related to jobs, as they want at least that 75% of the positions to be allocated to their municipality. The company has called such demands unrealistic.
Internal sources say processing capacity dropped 40% in 2012 and 30% last year, after the villagers cut off one source of their water. Currently they are using another source in an effort to make up the loss, reports Ethical Consumer. http://world.einnews.com/article/189400887/0mv9tFKpcc4mKsqn?n=1&code=F0A6UI8SDeLVJB2O
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Moroccan garment exports drop 4.6% in 2013
February 07, 2014
Garment exports from Morocco, a country in Maghreb region of North Africa, declined by 4.6 percent to 26.3 billion dirhams in 2013, compared to exports of 28.2 billion dirhams in 2012, data from the Office Des Changes showed. The decrease in apparel exports was seen in both woven and knitted wear segments. It was due to the economic crisis in Europe and also owing to lack of industrial integration in the country, La Vie éco reported.
The exports of woven apparel from Morocco stood at 19.1 billion dirhams at the end of December 2013, showing a decrease of 393 million dirhams over exports made in 2012. Similarly, in the knitwear segment, exports fell by 10.8 percent year-on-year to 7.2 billion dirhams in 2013.
At present, the share of Moroccan clothing in European garment imports is around 4 percent, which is below Turkey, which has a 10-12 percent share in the EU market. Compared to Turkey, Moroccan apparel industry lacks well-structured upstream and downstream industrial integration, which is one of the drawbacks.
The apparel sector is one of the most important industries in Morocco, which employs nearly 175,000 people. http://world.einnews.com/article/189400286/dQxdB4XSQ4-tFgxL?n=1&code=F0A6UI8SDeLVJB2O
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Morocco offers solution to capital flight
By Mawassi Lahcen in Casablanca for Magharebia – 04/02/2014
The Moroccan government will forgive those involved in capital flight if they pay a lump charge and transfer their overseas assets to banks back home. Morocco's Financial Intelligence Handling Unit (UTRF) on Monday (February 3rd) outlined the procedures to implement the new policy, which was outlined as an amendment to the 2014 Finance Law.
"The goal of this initiative is to enable Moroccans involved in illegally getting money out of the country to resolve their cases with the authorities in a way that would save their face and encourage them to return the money to the country, so it can benefit from it," Economy and Finance Minister Mohamed Boussaid said. "Morocco is more entitled than foreign countries to benefit from such money,’ the minister added.
The government hopes that the measure will help alleviate the financial crisis in the country. The restored money will feed the country's foreign currency reserves, which have significantly deteriorated in recent years, dropping to a level equalling 4 months of imports. In addition, income from charges imposed on this money will help cut the government budget deficit.
Boussaid said the plan would allow people to put up to 75% of their balances in hard currency accounts at Moroccan banks, by paying a charge of 5% of the total value. But if "the beneficiary decides to transfer all his balances to dirham bank accounts, the charge will be 2% only of the value of these balances," Boussaid added.
"There won't be any administrative or judicial measures against those people, and their names won't be disclosed. We'll keep them the same privileges they were enjoying overseas,” the minister explained.
As for anyone holding real estate or other moveable assets outside of Morocco, they will be able to resolve their cases by disclosing the property purchase price and paying 10% of the value. They would also have to return the money upon selling the property, the minister said.
"As far as I'm concerned, if we manage to restore 5 billion dirham through this plan, we'll be deemed to have made a good achievement," he said.
The plan does not protect money launderers or criminals. "I wouldn't call those people smugglers," he said. "Most of them did that to get around the strict exchange laws. Many of them are businesspeople engaged in exports and imports, and they got their money out by manipulating invoices."
Bank Al Maghreb governor Abdellatif Jouahri hailed the government's initiative, which came amidst the international move to establish greater transparency in financial transactions.
Democratic Workers' Federation (FDT) MP Larbi Habchi, however, called the measure “only a partial solution”. "The government was forced to opt for that measure because of the ramifications of crisis, especially the aggravating budget deficit, trade deficit, deteriorating currency reserves and bank liquidity, and decreasing tax revenues," he told Magharebia. "What we need is a comprehensive, multi-faceted strategy to protect national capital by dealing with the real factors behind this phenomenon and combating bribery, rentier, smuggling, monopoly and tax evasion,” the MP added.
http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2014/02/04/feature-03
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Moroccan lentil stew
Give dinner a richly flavoured upgrade tonight, with this high-protein, low-calorie red lentil stew. Feb 6, 2014
A slam dunk when it comes to earthy Moroccan spicing, this organic blend of grenache blanc, clairette and bourboulenc has a complex profile of orchard blossom, Golden Delicious apple and ripened quince.
Nutrition (per Serving) What You Need to Know Before Traveling to Morocco.
02/07/2014 Halle Eavelyn
Read more here: http://world.einnews.com/article/189474230/6-3R_V5j_gwriaSs?n=1&code=F0A6UI8SDeLVJB2O ##########################################################
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