Art Exhibition in Fez

Belgian architect Mathy Engelen is in Fez this week to draw, paint and mount his new exhibition at Cafe Clock. The View from Fez takes a look.

Mathy just loves travelling. This is his sixth visit to Morocco, and he lists visits to Palestine, Israel, China, Spain and Italy as favourite destinations. Wherever he finds himself, he paints the local architecture. He explains that his technique is to first draw in pencil, in situ. He then works in ink and prints 100 copies of his work on aquarelle paper, to which he applies watercolours. This makes each work unique.

He has around 60 different paintings of places in Morocco - he has spent time in Marrakech, the Valley of the Roses, Essaouira and Fez. Next on the list is El Jadida and, perhaps, Tangier and Chefchaouen. Fortunately for Mathy, there are plenty of cheap flights from Belgium to various locations in Morocco. He's just been appointed honorary cultural ambassador for his town of Lanaken for 2010.

Matthy's work in Palestine resulted in some 70 paintings, some of which have been reproduced as postcards. Proceeds from the sale of these help Palestinian refugees.

There's a wide variety of art available here - from the postcard to small reproductions of the finished works, prints in sepia, and the watercolours themselves.

What Matthy enjoys most about his work is being able to sit outside, perhaps at a cafe table, drawing the buildings around him. People are curious about what he's doing, stop to talk, and he's suddenly got some new friends.


The exhibition opens at 18h30 on Saturday 13 March at Cafe Clock and runs until 16 May, and everyone's invited. Catch Mathy working at the Clock this week.

Wet wet wet in Fez

No, not the Scottish boy band from the 80s, but rain, and a lot of it.

a wet medina street

A couple of weeks ago, we were having typical spring weather in Fez - some nice showers, then a bit of sun, just perfect to make the trees bud and the plants perk up.

But the last few days have seen torrential rain, thunder and lightning and hail storms. On Saturday there were severe storms that turned the medina streets into rivers. The rain has been pelting down all day today, sometimes horizontally to make the securest house leak.

And there are dire consequences. The land around Fez is completely flooded, the railway line from Tangier is out of action and buses have been laid on for passengers between Tangier to Kenitra.

Weather in other countries is also playing havoc with tourism in Fez. Storms in Germany have prevented travellers from getting to airports so they miss their flight to Fez, and in Spain several flights have been cancelled.

Sunshine is promised for Sunday, insha'allah.

Yacht marina planned for Tangier

In December, The View from Fez team visited Tangier and found a city well worth visiting, one that has left its somewhat sleazy past behind and is now a great place to spend a few days (see the story here). A new yachting marina is planned for the 'white city', with construction starting next year.

Tangier port

"This major project will make the port of Tangier and its bay one of the top marinas and cruise destinations in the Mediterranean," said President of Tangier Port Development, Abdelouafi Laftit, in a statement recently.

Among other new developments, the new port will accommodate bigger cruise ships and pleasure boats. Mr. Laftit also said that additional space will be available for hotels and other tourism activities in an effort to promote new services in the port area. Space will be dedicated to sea fishing, which is currently one of most dynamic activities in the port.

In addition, a residential development will be built in the vicinity which will include leisure and cultural activities.

The passenger ferry port will move to a new terminal at the massive Tanger-Med port, located twenty kilometers to the east of the city. This change will be phased in between April and October this year. The new terminal will be able to handle the large number of passengers to and from southern Europe. Moving the port to Tanger-Med means that the city will no longer be congested with heavy truck traffic. This is intended to make Tangier a more leisurely, clean and cultured city that will attract more visitors from Europe and elsewhere.

Ben Harper at the Fez Festival

Ben Harper is sure to be one of the biggest draws at this year's Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, to be held from 4-12 June.


Harper is known for his guitar-playing skills and is a singer-songwriter who's won two Grammy Awards. He's particularly popular in Australia, where Triple J Radio first aired his work. The French version of Rolling Stone magazine named him Artist of the Year in 2003.

His music ranges from alternative and folk rock to blues, reggae and gospel. Harper has performed with the Blind Boys of Alabama (also on the Festival programme this year), the Brazilian Vanessa da Mata, and Ringo Starr as well as his own band, Relentless 7. Jack Johnson, the Hawaiian singer-songwriter, is a frequent co-artist.

Of African-American, Cherokee and Jewish background, Ben Harper hails from Claremont in California. He started playing guitar as a child and had a musical background with his grandparents owning a well-known music store frequented by such luminaries as Leonard Cohen, Taj Mahal and David Lindley. As a teenager he progressed to a slide guitar and now uses a Weissenborn.

Ben Harper is also well known for his humanitarian activism. In 2004 he contributed to the benefit album For the Lady in honour of jailed Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2007 he covered John Lennon's Beautiful Boy for the benefit album Instant Karma: the Amnesty International Campaign to save Darfur. In 2008 Harper participated in an album called Songs for Tibet, an initiative to support Tibet and the Dalai Lama to emphasise the human rights situation in Tibet. He is also part of the No Nukes Group that opposes the expansion of nuclear power.

Ben Harper will appear at 20h30 on Saturday 5 June at Bab al Makina.

Moroccan News Briefs

Morocco to boost regional air transportation

According to Moroccan ministers of Transports and Finances, Karim Ghellab and Salah Eddine Mezouar, Morocco is determined to boost regional air transportation as an efficient tool for sustaining socio-economic development.

The two ministers made the remarks at the signing ceremony of a convention with Moroccan flag carrier "Royal Air Maroc" (RAM) for the promotion of the new low-cost airline RAM-EXPRESS.

The convention sets the goals and tasks of the new domestic airline and outlines the responsibilities of the Moroccan State, which contributed 25 % in the 300 Million DH ($ 36 Mln) capital of RAM-EXPRESS.

The low-cost company was created to prop up Morocco's socio-economic development, enhance Moroccan regional strategy, bolster trade exchanges between the various regions of the Kingdom, encourage domestic tourism and draw more investments to the Kingdom.

Two killed in Gendarmerie Royal plane crash

Two people were killed on Thursday in a crash of a light aircraft of the Gendarmerie Royal.
The crash of the small plane occurred during an emergency landing near the Rabat-Salé airport killing the two people on board, said a statement of the Chief of Staff of the Gendarmerie royale.

An enquiry was opened to determine the causes of the accident, the same source added.

Moroccan women's situation 'very positive', UNIFEM Executive Director

The situation of Moroccan women is "very positive", "encouraging" and could serve as a model in north Africa, according to the Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Inés Alberdi.

"The progress of women's situation in Morocco is very positive and encouraging" thanks to the new Family Law, Alberdi said following a meeting with Morocco's Social Development, Family and Solidarity minister Nouzha Skalli.

She also commended the partnership between the Moroccan government and civil society to promote women's rights and ensure a good implementation of the Family Law.

For her part, Skalli showcased Morocco's achievements in terms of protecting and promoting the rights of children and women, adding that the partnership with UNIFEM was positive in several programmes, notably regarding fighting violence against women.

The meeting between Skalli and Alberdi took place on the occasion of the 54th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Praise from Women's NGO

At the same time, The Washington-based organization Freedom House highlighted, on Wednesday, Morocco's achievements in terms of women's rights, particularly the increase of political representation and the 2004 Family Code reform.

Moroccan women "continue to make gains politically, and a 12 percent quota was implemented for the June 2009 local elections, substantially increasing female political representation on this level", Freedom House said in a study on women's rights in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The American NGO also shed light on the "sweeping changes" engrained in the 2004 family law and the new nationality law which enables Moroccan women married to noncitizen men to pass their nationality to their children.

Women in Morocco made progress in other fields, Freedom House said, noting that they may "travel without a guardian's approval, lead their business ventures and advance to higher levels of education in greater numbers, in addition to negotiate their marriage rights."

The Washington-based NGO added that Morocco has made progress in protecting women from domestic violence through consolidating support networks for victims.

Union unrest in Morocco

An interesting article on the Maghrebia website highlights union unrest in Morocco.

According to Maghrebia, three major public-sector unions launched a general strike last Wednesday after two months of negotiations with the government reached an impasse.

"We're not fans of strike action," Democratic Labour Federation general secretary Abderrahman Azzouzi said, "but after a two-month halt in the negotiation process, we had to do something."

The strike, led by the Moroccan Labour Union, the Democratic Labour Federation, and the National Union of Moroccan Workers, may paralyse public-service activity in Morocco throughout the month. Union officials and the government plan to resume talks in April.

Micro finance in Morocco

Specialists in new technology are to present solutions for micro finance on March 11-12 in Marrakech. The meeting is being organized by PlaNet Finance, an NGO headed by France’s Jacques Attali, with backing from the Groupe Banque Populaire and the French consultancy Sogeti.

Experts in banking transactions by telephone are to attend, among them: MiPay, Fundamo, and the South Korean concern SK Telecom, which is present on the market through Mobile Money Ventures.

The cash transfer firm Money Transfer International is to be represented by Olga Maitland and the software publishers Crystal Clear Software, Craft Silicon and Compuscan are to present their risk management systems.

The micro finance market in Morocco represents about EUR 500 million, with 1.2 million active loans on the books. But the bad loan rate has climbed to 5% as opposed to just 2% a few years ago. A contract was awarded to Experian to set up a center to reduce risks (MC 867) but the project has been delayed. And nothing much has come of the idea of transforming micro finance associations into virtual banks that can take in savings, either.

Morocco sets sights on 2016 Africa Cup

According to the afrik.com website, Morocco is the only country to have submitted its candidacy to organize the 2016 Africa Cup of Nations. Although there is still time before the final application is submitted, the country’s football infrastructure has raised a few eyebrows.

Gabon and Equatorial Guinea won a joint bid to host the continental soccer games in 2012, while Libya is to host the 2014 African Cup of Nations.

And even though Morocco, Kenya, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea are competing to host the 2016 games, only the Kingdom of Morocco has officially submitted its candidacy.

"We are ready to organize a major competition and we have our chances. Morocco meets CAN’s selection criteria,” said Moncef Belkhayat, Moroccan Minister of Youth and Sports, in January. “We’ve already won a Cup once, in 1976, and we have not organized the games since 1988. By 2016, all the necessary stadiums will be built and operational."

Moroccan Blog Awards get a boost from Global Voices

The recent Moroccan blog awards received a boost from the influential Global Voices site with Hisham writing a wrap up. Global Voices is a community of more than 200 bloggers around the world who work together to bring you translations and reports from blogs and citizen media everywhere, with emphasis on voices that are not ordinarily heard in international mainstream media.

Global Voices seeks to aggregate, curate, and amplify the global conversation online - shining light on places and people other media often ignore. We work to develop tools, institutions and relationships that will help all voices, everywhere, to be heard.

Our thanks to Global Voices!

Photographic exhibition in Fez

The View from Fez team were at the opening of Fez-based photographer Gerard Chemit's new exhibition at the Galerie Kacimi in the new city.


The photographs are taken from Gerard's book Transe en Danses and are the fruit of his work with the Turkish choreographer Ziya Azazi who is, in turn, inspired by Whirling Dervishes. This is, perhaps, not a particularly challenging subject for a photographer, but the results are gestural and painterly. Although the photographs are well-presented in the gallery's excellent space, the lighting was over-bright. What is disappointing is their size - how much more exciting they would be if life-size!

The gallery is a beautiful space and it's a pity that it's rarely used. It can be found on Avenue Moulay Yousseff between the fountain at La Fiat and the Royal Palace in the Mellah. The exhibition runs from 10h00 to 17h00 Tuesday to Saturday until 13 March. Entrance is free.

International Women's Day in Fez

The upcoming International Women's Day will be celebrated in Fez over three days - not just one. Culture Vultures has put together an interesting and stimulating programme of events for 6, 7 and 8 March, at venues across the city.

All events are free of charge, except the Divas Dinner. Here's the programme:
Saturday 6 March:
15h00-17h00 Literature readings at Cafe Comedie, Rue d'Espagne, Fez Nouvelle Ville.
19h00-midnight Divas Dinner: a Roman banquet conjured up by chef Fern at Dar Touria near Bab Guissa in the medina. DJ Collie-Flower will preside. Tickets are Dh250.

Sunday 7 March:
11h00 Yoga session at the ALIF Riad in Batha.
15h00-18h00 Gala of Performances at the ALIF Riad.
18h00-19h00 Documentary screening Where the Water Meets the Sky, at the ALIF Riad.
Launch of Women's Blog: www.women4morocco.moroccoblogs.com

Monday 8 March:
09h30-noon Presentations and Debate: Moroccan Women - the Way Forward at LGCMS Lab in the Faculty of Arts, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University
17h00-18h00 Student Writing Competition: Women of the Future at the American Language Center, 2 Rue Ahmed Hiba, Fez Ville Nouvelle

For more information, contact Jess at Culture Vultures on 0645 223 203.

Another Deadly Mosque Collapse in Morocco

Just over a week after the tragic deaths of 41 people in a mosque minaret collapse, one person was killed and three others wounded when the dome of the Al-Amal mosque in the town of Zaio in the Nador province in northeastern Morocco collapsed on Saturday during repairs. The dead man was one of the repair workers.

Eight days ago, the 400-year-old minaret came down during prayers at the Bab al-Baradeen mosque (also known as the Lalla Khenata bint Bekkar Mosque) in Meknes, killing 41 worshippers and injuring over 80. king Mohammed VI ordered an urgent appraisal of all the country's old mosques after the tragedy in Meknes

Reports blamed heavy rains for the collapse.

Princess Lalla Khadija's 3rd birthday

On Sunday the Royal family celebrated the third birthday of princess Lalla Khadija. Lalla Khadija is the second child of the sovereign and sister of Crown prince Moulay El Hassan who was born in May 2003.



According to the local media, the anniversary has been an occasion for Moroccan society to reassert its loyalty to king Mohammed VI and celebrate February 28, 2007, when Lalla Khadija was born.

The View from Fez joins with the Moroccan people in wishing the princess a very happy birthday!

Learn to speak Darija in Fez

The new Darija conversation course with the Arabic Language Institute Fez,(ALIF). The classes are once a week in 6 week blocks and start the 2nd and 3rd of March.

J'ai le plaisir de vous addresser au sujet du cours de conversation en Arabe Marocain (Darija) a l'Institut de Langue Arabe Fes (ALIF). Les cours auront lieu une fois par semaine pour six semaines, commencant le 2 et 3 mars

For more details contact: Jess Stephens - Culture Coordinator - (00 212)06 45 22 32 03