Amazigh Singer Dania Ben Sasi, left, performs with Amazigh musician Idir at 1st international Amazigh music festival, in Paris, Sept. 29, 2013. Photo: Aksel Ben Sasi via Bloomberg

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* “Morocco, where King Mohammed VI’s mother is Amazigh, is where the movement has scored its biggest gains. In 2011, Morocco became the first North African state to make Tamazight an official language, along with Arabic.” *

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Amazigh activism began in Algeria with singers like Lounes Matoub, seen here in 1995, whose assassination led to riots. Photo: Marcel Mochet/AFP via Getty Images.

Bloomberg News, by Salma El Wardany and Caroline Alexander (March 3, 2014) — A month after Muammar Qaddafi’s regime collapsed, Dania Ben Sasi swept onto a makeshift stage in the west Libyan town of Zuwara and filled its streets with songs in a Berber dialect that had been banned for more than 40 years. “I was shaking and had tears in my eyes,” said 25-year-old Ben Sasi. “The moment was bigger than all of us, it was like I was born again, it was the rebirth of me, my hometown and the whole Amazigh people of Libya.”

The indigenous people of North Africa, known as Berbers or Amazigh, have been oppressed by regimes viewing their language and culture as a threat to Arab-Islamic identity. The 2011 uprisings galvanized the campaign for equal rights, with musicians in the forefront. It’s another test for nations struggling to reconcile the forces, from political Islam to youth activism, unleashed by the Arab Spring. “The Amazigh have managed to raise serious questions about the nature of the state and the community,” said Bruce Maddy-Weitzman, author of The Berber Identity Movement and the Challenge to North African States. “These are fundamental issues that speak to the ability of these states to create viable societies that can function in the modern world.” […]

Moroccan First

“We want our rights to be guaranteed by the Libyan constitution, and our identity and the language to be included in it,” she said. “Language is the rallying force behind the whole movement, the core value on which the Amazigh hope to revive their legacy,” according to Mohammed Errihani, who writes about language policy in Morocco. Morocco, where King Mohammed VI’s mother is Amazigh, is where the movement has scored its biggest gains. In 2011, Morocco became the first North African state to make Tamazight an official language, along with Arabic.

[Continue Reading at Bloomberg News…]

School teacher helps pupil read text in Amazigh in Rabat. Morocco, where King Mohammed VI’s mother is Amazigh, became first — and only — North African country to recognize the language alongside Arabic and French in the Constitution in 2011. It has the largest Amazigh population in the region and has had the most advanced status for them since the 1990s. Photo: Abdelhak Senna/AFP via Getty Images

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King Mohammed VI, accompanied by Ivorian Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, presides over opening ceremony and delivers remarks at Moroccan-Ivorian economic forum last week in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Photo: MAP

* King Mohammed VI calls for more intra-African partnerships, private-sector investment to spur progress, growth;  UN lauds Moroccan commitment to South-South cooperation. *

MACP (Washington, DC, March 4, 2014) — In a speech opening the first-ever Moroccan-Ivorian Economic Forum held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire last week, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI hailed Cote d’Ivoire’s economic progress and the two countries’ growing economic partnership.  He emphasized the need for more cooperation and partnerships across the continent, as well as private-sector investment, to spur development.

The address to the Economic Forum served as the cornerstone of the King’s visit to Abidjan — on a four-nation Africa trip that has now taken him to Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and continues later this week to Gabon.

“Whereas the last century was that of the independence of African States, the 21st century should be that of African peoples’ triumph over the ravages of underdevelopment, poverty and exclusion,” said the King to an audience of Moroccan and Ivorian dignitaries, including Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan.

The King said that “Africa should learn to trust Africa,” and that “the continent’s wealth should benefit African peoples.”

King Mohammed VI and Côte d’Ivoire Prime Minister oversee signing public-private and investment partnership agreements in Abidjan. Photo: MAP

The Moroccan sovereign highlighted that “for sustainable development to take place in Africa, the creativity and dynamism of the private sector should focus on specific promising areas such as agriculture, industry, science and technology, and infrastructure development…”

“A vibrant, developed Africa is not merely a dream for tomorrow; it can be a reality today, provided we take action,” said the King.

But to do so requires rising to “the challenges which threaten its political stability and hinder its socioeconomic development,” overcoming “Afro-pessimism,” and unlocking “its intellectual and material potential as well as that of all African peoples.”

The King’s remarks come after a five-day visit to Mali, where he presided with Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita over the signing of 17 bilateral cooperation agreements focusing on a broad range of economic and development matters.

King Mohammed VI and Cote d’Ivoire officials review design for project to build more than 8,000 low-income housing units in the capital of Abidjan. Photo: MAP

In Cote d’Ivoire, the Moroccan King and Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, presided over the signing of 26 public-private and investment partnership agreements to reinforce south-south cooperation and foster private sector growth.

Among the agreements was for a project to build more than 8,000 low-income housing units in the Cote d’Ivoire capital of Abidjan and elsewhere, the launch of construction for a cement packaging plant in Abidjan, and a marketplace and modern refrigeration units to enhance the productivity of a fishing village near the capital.

In addition, King Mohammed VI agreed to a request by Cote d’Ivoire to train imams in using Morocco’s moderate, open and tolerant Islam, which the North African nation is also doing at the request of Mali, Libya, Tunisia, and Guinea.

On Sunday, King Mohammed VI met with Cote d’Ivoire’s President, Alassane Ouattara, who was returning from a period of recovery overseas.  Ouattara praised the initiatives being undertaken at the direction of the King, and called Moroccan-Ivoirian cooperation a model for South-South partnership.

In Conakry, Guinea on Monday, King Mohammed VI and President Alpha Condé chaired the signing of 21 bilateral agreements. Photo: MAP

The King’s efforts were also hailed by the President of the UN general assembly, John William Ashe, who said that South-South cooperation and partnerships are very important for developing countries and central to the UN’s development agenda.

On Monday, King Mohammed VI travelled to the Guinea capital of Conakry, on the third leg of his trip, where he and President Alpha Condé chaired the signing of 21 bilateral agreements in different areas of cooperation between the two nations.

Later this week the Moroccan sovereign will fly to Gabon for the final leg of his four-nation Africa trip, which aims to strengthen Morocco’s relations and role in promoting economic growth, development, security, and stability across the region.

** Click here for full text of King’s address to Moroccan-Ivorian Economic Forum:

http://www.map.ma/en/activites-royales/hm-king-chairs-abidjan-opening-ceremony-moroccan-ivorian-economic-forum-and-gives-

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* “The King’s message and approach to development in Africa resonates among the people who stand to be affected most. This new dynamic, in turn, carries significant implications for Morocco’s Western allies.”

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Ahmed Charai is a Moroccan media CEO and Mid-East policy advisor in Washington

Ahmed Charai
The Huffington Post
March 4, 2014

On February 21, Moroccan King Mohammed VI capped his third visit to Mali in the past year in a dramatic week-long tour, culminating in the signing of 17 bilateral cooperation agreements. It was the first stop in a multi-leg visit to Africa south of the Sahara that also included Guinea, Gabon, and Cote D’Ivoire. Beyond its immediate success, the visit garnered a warm response elsewhere on the continent too — a clear indication that the King’s message and approach to development in Africa resonates among the people who stand to be affected most. This new dynamic, in turn, carries significant implications for Morocco’s Western allies. […]

Americans will recall that in January 2012, war broke out in the north of Mali: An alliance of ethnic separatists and a pro-Al-Qaeda group jointly took hold of a piece of territory roughly the size of France. It was an unprecedented victory for Al-Qaeda, and a blow to Mali’s distinguished tradition of tolerance. France took the lead in mustering an international force, with American support, to rout the secessionists. But Western powers knew all too well that in the long run, a holistic approach grounded in local solutions was necessary to prevent future jihadist putsches in Mali, the Central African Republic, and elsewhere in the Sahel and African south. It would involve training and equipping African forces; human and economic development; and a new, sustained effort to teach tolerance in areas where extremist interpretations of Islam had come to hold sway.

In order to fill this void, Moroccan King Mohammed VI came through with a multifaceted package of aid and support. Building on the monarchy’s military capacity, he invited Malian troops to train with their Moroccan counterparts on Moroccan soil. Building on Morocco’s humanitarian and business networks in Mali and neighboring countries, he established new partnerships ranging from pharmaceuticals to rural electrification to civil society development throughout the country. And building on Morocco’s distinguished tradition of Islamic tolerance, he invited 500 Malian imams to train with their Moroccan counterparts to fight extremism back home through mosque sermons and education. When democratic elections brought a new Malian president to power — Ibrahim Boubacar Keita — the king met with him repeatedly, both in Mali and in the kingdom, to establish a close relationship both personal and professional. Speeches and actions by both in recent months indicate that this may be one of the closest working relationships between any two heads of state in Africa at the present time.

[Continue Reading at The Huffington Post…]

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Morocco’s King Mohammed VI in Conakry, Guinea on March 3, 2014. Photo: AFP

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* Enthusiastic crowds gathered to welcome him in the regions’ capitals — a sign of Morocco’s growing influence in the region. *

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FRANCE 24, by Thomas Hubert (March 5, 2014) — Moroccan King Mohammed VI is due to arrive in Gabon late on Wednesday for the last leg of a long visit to West and Central Africa marked by dozens of trade agreements. Reports from Libreville describe the same display of giant royal portraits and Moroccan flags as on the previous steps in his itinerary, where enthusiastic crowds gathered to welcome him in the regions’ capitals — a sign of Morocco’s growing influence in the region. “This makes us proud because most Western leaders have avoided Guinea in recent months, favoring Mali and Senegal,” said Mouktar, a caller to Radio France Internationale’s (RFI) show ‘Appels sur l’actualité’. Yet the trip’s success is simply gloss on the hard economic reality, which Mohammed VI described in very direct terms in Ivory Coast.

“Diplomacy used to serve the strengthening of political relations. Nowadays, the economic dimension comes first, and it forms the basis of diplomatic relations,” the King told a meeting of around 500 Ivorian and Moroccan business leaders in Abidjan on February 24. Mohammed VI’s record in the past two weeks would put the best sales reps to shame: he has signed an average of 20 trade agreements in each of the three countries he has visited so far and opened Moroccan-contracted projects ranging from social housing to fishing ports, fibre optic links and cement factories. “At a time when Africa is seen as the next business frontier and Europe and the US are hit by the crisis, Morocco is pushing its banks and free-trade agreements to open commerce with countries forming a 250 million-inhabitant market,” said Bakary Sambe, a political scientist at Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, Senegal and the author of a book on Morocco’s diplomacy in sub-Saharan Africa. “Some Moroccan companies now beat French ones for tenders in the region, thanks to such lobbying,” he told FRANCE 24.

Business on the one hand, religion in the other

The Moroccan King’s status as a traditional Muslim leader in West Africa is another sign of Rabat’s influence in the region. “In the Middle Ages, the Moroccan empire used to spread all the way to Timbuktu and Senegal, and the Tijaniyyah brotherhood still recognizes the king as their spiritual leader,” Ismaïl Régragui, the author of “Moroccan public diplomacy: a religiously branded strategy?” told FRANCE 24. During his tour, Mohammed VI donated hundreds of Korans and signed several agreements to train African imams in Morocco. His Maliki school, a moderate branch of Sunni Islam, is particularly appealing to governments struggling to contain rising radicalism in the region.

[Continue Reading at FRANCE 24…]

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King Mohammed VI and Gabonese President, Ali Bongo Ondimba preside over the signing of 24 bilateral cooperation agreements in Libreville, Gabon on Friday.  Earlier in the week, in Guinea, the Moroccan King and President Alpha Condé chaired signing 21 bilateral agreements on trade, agriculture, water and energy, industry and vocational training. Photo: MAP

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* Builds new partnerships for development, food security, and peace *

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MACP (Washington, DC, March 7, 2014) — Continuing his journey to promote solidarity and economic cooperation in Africa, King Mohammed VI was in Guinea on March 3-5, where he presided with President Alpha Condé over the signing of 21 bilateral agreements on trade, agriculture, water and energy, industry, and job training. In Gabon on Thursday, the Moroccan King and President Ali Bongo Ondimba established a new strategic partnership to increase food security in Africa by producing fertilizer adapted to different regional ecosystems.

King Mohammed VI and Gabonese president Ali Bongo Ondimba visit the Libreville Cancer Treatment Institute, which is staffed and equipped in partnership with the Lalla Salma Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Treatment. Photo: MAP

During his visit to the Guinean capital of Conakry, the King, accompanied by President Condé, inspected a state-of-the-art military field hospital set up by Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces to provide surgical and other advanced medical care for Guineans, and inaugurated a new “Moulins de l’Afrique” flour mill on the outskirts of Conakry, a joint 30-milllion-Euro Morocco-Guinea venture that will create hundreds of jobs.

In a joint statement at the end of the Guinea trip, the two leaders praised their predecessors, King Hassan II and King Mohammed V of Morocco and Presidents Ahmed Sékou Touré and Lansana Conté of Guinea, for building strong bilateral ties, and vowed to maintain and enhance the relationship. President Condé expressed Guinea’s continuing support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative to end the Western Sahara conflict.

In their communiqué, Guinea and Morocco also called for the deployment of a strengthened UN peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic. Morocco has already provided military support to help stabilize the country.

On March 6, the Moroccan King’s first day in Gabon and final stop on his trip, an agreement was signed to study and begin construction over the next year, in partnership with Morocco’s Office Cherifien de Phosphate (OCP), of facilities in Gabon and Morocco to produce phosphate fertilizer that will significantly increase agricultural output and food security in neighboring countries in the region, as well as create more than 5,000 new jobs.

“King Mohammed’s visit to Guinea and Gabon continues his focus on African solidarity and the vision he laid out in Cote d’Ivoire,” said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel, “where he said that ‘the 21st century should be that of African peoples’ triumph over the ravages of underdevelopment, poverty and exclusion,’ and urged that ‘Africa should learn to trust Africa.’”

King Mohammed VI is currently in Gabon on the last leg of his four-nation African tour, which began in Mali on February 18 and went on to Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea. In the four countries, more than 80 bilateral cooperation agreements were signed—in areas including agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications, housing, banking, and vocational training—deepening Morocco’s public and private-sector partnerships with its African neighbors.

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Political change in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia had a profound impact on salafist movements and Islamist parties, Amel Boubekeur said at Casablanca conference in October. Photo: Imrane Binoual

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Magharebia, Text and photos by Imrane Binoual (Casablanca, Morocco, March 7, 2014) — French-Algerian Amel Boubekeur is an internationally-recognized expert on political Islam. Her books include “Whatever Happened to the Islamists?: Salafis, Heavy Metal Muslims, and the Lure of Consumerist Islam.”

Magharebia met with Boubekeur in Casablanca to learn more about what she calls the “transformation” of salafist and Islamist movements in the Maghreb.

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Magharebia: What is the first thing people need to know about Islamists in the Maghreb region?

Salafists gained “revolutionary legitimacy” with the Arab Spring, sociologist Amel Boubekeur says. The question now is what they will do with it. Photo: Imrane Binoual

Amel Boubekeur: These movements can be viewed in terms of how much access they have to political power. It is more meaningful to talk about whether parties have been legalized or not than to distinguish between “moderate” or “radical” Islam.

In Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, we find legalized parties that have accepted the rules of the game…Then there are parties, which are more or less tolerated in public places but are not at all permitted to participate in elections.

Magharebia: What changes have the Islamists undergone since the Arab Spring?

Boubekeur: Acquiring a new revolutionary legitimacy or portraying their victory as the result of a democratic transition gave them an opportunity to re-launch their presence in politics, and they have done so with varying degrees of success.

They are discussing the theoretical aspects of their ideology less and have had to adapt to the demands for social justice made on the streets. For example, Al Adl Wal Ihsane is now talking much more about the price of fuel as a danger that could cause a social explosion than about the “roaya” (vision) of the late Sheikh Yassine in order to announce a probable “kaouma” (revolution). They have also had to agree to govern in coalition with non-Islamist parties in order to consolidate their presence.

Now, however, there arises the question of the Islamist relevance of their use of institutions, which rarely goes beyond the anecdotal. The fact that they do not yet have the creation of a common front with the newer Islamist parties or the salafist movements as an election strategy is quite telling, and reveals that as parties, they have been quite disoriented by the way that the revolutions or transitions have turned out. They are probably still at a stage where they are “digesting” their integration into the mainstream.

Magharebia: Who do these movements aim to serve?

Boubekeur: I think that when Islamist parties are in power, their role is to keep radical tendencies in check. We have seen the impact of the dissolution of the FIS in Algeria on the violent scattering of its most hard-line fringe. At the same time, it seems to me that these parties have not solved the dilemma of deciding what their social support base is.

[Continue Reading at Magharebia…]

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New York City-based author and broadcaster writes that his “listenership has begun to spread beyond [Morocco's] borders, moreover, Risalat New York presents a case in point of how the broader Moroccan policies that keep me on the air can help spread tolerance in other places where Arabic is spoken, too.”  Click on photo to watch video. Huffington Post

*In The Huffington Post, respected NYC-based author, broadcaster, and Middle East scholar Joseph Braude says that his radio show, Risalat New York (‘Letter from New York’), broadcast to almost 2 million listeners in Morocco, “has the distinction of being the only radio program hosted by a Jew on Arab airwaves that doesn’t originate in Israel.”  He adds “In numerous Arab countries, such a situation would be revolutionary—but in Morocco, where leadership has proactively nurtured Muslim-Jewish understanding for years, it’s merely one step forward among many.” Also see his Al-Arabiya interview (above) on relations—and common ground—between Muslims and Jews.  —MOTM *

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Joseph Braude, Author, broadcaster, and Middle East specialist

Joseph Braude
The Huffington Post
March 6, 2014

Sunday night for me is always Moroccan radio night.  From a home office in Brooklyn surrounded by echo-absorbing foam, I write a commentary in Arabic about the week in Arab politics and then read it into a microphone. Next, I upload the sound file to a studio in Casablanca, where a producer adds the theme song, and it airs the following day to an audience of 1.75 million under the title Risalat New York—”Letter from New York.”

My show has the distinction of being the only radio program hosted by a Jew on Arab airwaves that doesn’t originate in Israel. But more than three years after the broadcast debuted, my Muslim audience now finds it ordinary, rather than aberrant, to hear a Jewish voice opine on Arab affairs in their mother tongue. In numerous Arab countries, such a situation would be revolutionary—but in Morocco, where the leadership has proactively nurtured Muslim-Jewish understanding for years, it’s merely one step forward among many. Given that the listenership has begun to spread beyond the kingdom’s borders, moreover, Risalat New York presents a case in point of how the broader Moroccan policies that keep me on the air can help spread tolerance in other places where Arabic is spoken, too.

“In a 2011 speech, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI countered the scourge of Arab Holocaust denial by describing the tragedy as ‘a wound to the collective memory, which we know is engraved in one of the most painful chapters of the collective history of mankind’—and called on Moroccans to observe Yom HaShoah.”

A century ago, the region’s demographics were considerably more diverse, and considerably more Jewish. A million Arabic-speaking Jews still lived throughout the region; in some Arab cities, almost every Muslim knew at least one. Jews formed a professional class, deeply engaged in mainstream culture wherever they were allowed to be. Iraq’s national orchestra, composed overwhelmingly of Jewish musicians, broadcast a live radio performance across the region each week into the 1940s. Leila Mourad, the Barbra Streisand of Egypt, starred in some of the most popular Arabic movie musicals ever made. Jews published prolifically in Lebanese and Syrian media and contributed to the major newspapers of Baghdad, where even a Zionist daily with reporting from Palestine was licensed in the 1920s. In Morocco, Jews began publishing newspapers as soon as printing presses became available. The Hadidi brothers of Casablanca, Pinhas Assayag and David Chriqui of Tangier, and one of the country’s few female journalists, Rahma Toledano, were all well known to Muslim and Jewish readers. Some published in Spanish or French, then the languages of politics and commerce, while others wrote for a narrower audience in Judeo-Arabic—the Moroccan equivalent of Yiddish—printed in Hebrew block characters.

[Continue Reading at The Huffington Post…]

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Joseph Braude believes that Jews and Muslims are natural allies and partners, and welcomes those who share this view into his circle of friends.  Follow Joseph Braude on Twitter: www.twitter.com/josephbraude

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Morocco’s Minister Del. for Foreign Affairs, Mbarka Bouaida, underscored the major reforms Morocco has undertaken to promote gender equality, on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2014.  She spoke with FOX News about improved opportunities for women such as herself to take on leadership roles on Nov. 21 in Washington. FOX News

Maghreb Arab Press (Rabat, Morocco, March 7, 2014) — Morocco has undertaken a series of major reforms to strengthen the principles of fairness and gender equality, said Mbarka Bouaida, Minister-delegate for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Friday in Rabat.

“The integration of the gender equality is reflected in real actions, measures and provisions through strategies, programs and action plans, and on several levels,” she said on the occasion of the celebration of International Women’s Day by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the United Nations in Morocco.

The issue of human rights has led, over the past two decades, to “unprecedented interest in Morocco,” Bouaida said, noting Morocco’s keenness to promote the issue of women’s rights.

For Bassima Hakkaoui, Minister of Solidarity, Women and Social Development, Morocco, with its democratic and constitutional achievements, works to consolidate the integration of the gender approach in public policies.

For her part, Leila Rhiwi, Representative of UN Women in the Maghreb, said the organization of this event, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, reflects the strong determination of Morocco for the promotion and protection of women’s human rights, a commitment reaffirmed in 2011 with the adoption of a Constitution that can be considered a pioneer in the region in terms of gender equality.

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For more on advances in gender equality in Morocco see: ‘Women’s Rights in Morocco Have Witnessed Real Change’ 

http://moroccoonthemove.com/2013/07/18/womens-rights-in-morocco-have-witnessed-real-change-n-elboubkri-c-dearing-scott/#sthash.Hncspn1R.dpbs

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The guided-missile frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56) arrived in Casablanca, Morocco for a scheduled port visit 0n March 6. The visit serves to continue U.S. 6th Fleet’s efforts to strengthen maritime partnerships in order to enhance regional stability. Photo: Naval Today

Navy News Service, AFRICOM  (Casablanca, Morocco, March 7, 2014) — The guided-missile frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56) arrived in Casablanca for a scheduled port visit, March 6. Simpson’s visit serves to strengthen the existing partnership between Morocco and the U.S., and provide each other with opportunities for cultural exchanges.

Sailors heave mooring line during sea-and-anchor detail aboard guided-missile frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56) as ship arrives in Casablanca for scheduled port visit. AFRICOM

“I am excited Simpson has been given another opportunity to visit Casablanca and operate with the Royal Moroccan Navy,” said Cmdr Christopher Follin, Simpson’s commanding officer. “It’s not very often that one of our ships has the opportunity to re-visit friends we made on a previous deployment. We are looking forward to building upon the cooperative efforts and interoperability in training that both of our Navies strengthened during our last visit. When we share ideas and learn to operate together, we become twice as strong a force to improve maritime safety and security for all nations in the region.”

During the visit, Simpson is scheduled to conduct a passing exercise with the Royal Moroccan Navy, hold office calls and gift exchanges with a number of Moroccan officials, host a reception, and conduct a community relations event with the Bennani Center Girl’s School.

“Every time we go out and do something for the communities we visit, we have a great time,” said Ship’s Serviceman 1st Class Manuel Dulucgomez, Simpson’s community relations event coordinator. “The location we chose for this port visit gives us an opportunity to make a great impression on the youth of Morocco and hopefully we’ll make a difference in their lives.”

Hassan II Mosque: The world’s tallest minaret is in Casablanca, Morocco reaching 210 meters. Photo: Getty

As a part of the visit, Simpson Sailors will also have an opportunity to go on a number of tours through the ship’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation department, most notably a tour of the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world. “The ship stopped here on its last deployment, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it,” said Yeoman Seaman Luis Burks. “The culture here is very rich, and every corner you turn there’s a piece of history waiting to be learned about. Hopefully I’ll be able to see it all while I’m here.”

Simpson is on a scheduled deployment supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation in the US 6th Fleet area of operations. US 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.

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Morocco’s King Mohammed VI in Libreville, Gabon with President Ali Bongo Ondimba on final leg of African tour also visiting Mali, Cote d’Ivoire & Guinea. Photo: MAP

African Bulletin  (March 10, 2014) — The visit to Gabon is not a surprise to anyone, as King Mohammed VI has always included the Libreville phase in his trips in Africa. Each of these visits provided opportunity to consolidate further the historical longstanding relations binding Morocco and Gabon, to sign more cooperation agreements, and to give a new momentum to investments, both at the level of state-owned companies and at the level of the private sector. Economic relations between the two countries are described as very good and according to 2011 figures, Gabon is Morocco’s leading trade partner in West Africa. This bilateral cooperation is not limited to the trade and economic sectors only but also covers education and training. Hundreds of Gabonese students are attending Moroccan Universities and other higher institutes with grants from the Moroccan Government. Many Gabonese civil servants and even military also benefit from training and refreshing courses in Morocco.

The two countries are also bound by strong historical and religious ties. Besides these very strong economic, cultural and spiritual ties, Morocco and Gabon have established a political partnership that defies time and men. Gabon has always been keen on preserving its firm political ties with the North African kingdom, and Morocco, under the reign of the late Mohammed V, the late Hassan II or under the reign of King Mohammed VI has always endeavored to upgrade its privileged partnership with the West African country. Many Moroccan companies have also established in recent years in sub-Saharan Africa, in the image of Morocco Telecom, majority shareholder of Gabon Telecom.

This royal trip to Gabon is providing a new opportunity to the two heads of states to reiterate their mutual commitment to the everlasting, outstanding relations binding the two countries. HM King Mohammed VI and Gabonese president Ali Bongo Ondimba visited, on Thursday, the Libreville Cancer Treatment Institute, located at the Agondjé University Hospital Center (CHU), north of the Gabonese capital. Details were given to the sovereign on this ultramodern Cancer Treatment Institute, carried out in partnership with the Lalla Salma Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Treatment. Built at the Agondjé CHU at the initiative of the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation, the new health facility is an achievement in terms of providing on-site health care to cancer patients and improvement of medical services in Gabon. The Institute is meant to offer high-quality services to cancer patients, facilitate access to health care, promote all medical disciplines relating to cancer diagnosis and treatment, and develop scientific research on cancer. A Moroccan medical staff is tasked with training and providing health care at the Institute. The facility, which seeks, on the long run, to turn Gabon into a leader in Central Africa in the fight against cancer, includes a technical ward and a hospitalization ward of 18 beds.

[Continue Reading at the African Bulletin…]

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King Mohammed VI and Gabonese President, Ali Bongo Ondimba preside over signing 24 bilateral agreements in Libreville on Friday. Earlier in the week, the King and Guinean President Alpha Condé chaired the signing of 21 bilateral agreements on trade, agriculture, industry and vocational training. Photo: MAP

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Maghreb Arab Press (Libreville, Gabon, March 7, 2014) — His Majesty King Mohammed VI and Gabonese President, Ali Bongo Ondimba, chaired, Friday in Libreville, the signing ceremony of 24 agreements. These agreements, which cover various sectors such as agriculture, health, housing, vocational training, finance and banking, new technologies, transport and tourism, aim at strengthening the legal framework for cooperation between the two countries.

These agreements reflect the concern of the leaders of the two countries to give a strong impetus to cooperation relations between the two countries, in the private and public sectors. They also fall in line with the royal policy to strengthen south-south cooperation.

Here is the list of these agreements:

An agreement in the field of agriculture, signed by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, and Gabonese Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Security, Luc Oyoubi.

An agreement between the Agricultural Development Agency (ADA) and the National Office of Rural Development (ONDER), signed by Aziz Akhannouch and Luke Oyoubi.

An agreement between the National Office of Food Safety products (ONSSA), and Gabon’s food safety agency (AGASA), signed by Aziz Akhannouch and Luke Oyoubi.

A cooperation agreement on merchant marine, signed by Minister of Infrastructure, Transport, and Logistics Aziz Rebbah, and Gabonese Minister of Transport, Paulette Mengue Me Owono.

A draft memorandum of understanding on maritime transport, signed by the Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics, and the Gabonese Minister of Transport.

A 2014-2016 tourism agreement, signed by Minister of Tourism, Lahcen Haddad, and Gabonese Minister of Mines, Industry, and Tourism, Régis Immongault.

A partnership agreement between the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT), and the National Agency for the promotion of tourism and hospitality in Gabon, signed by Lahcen Haddad and CEO of ONMT Abderrafie Zouiten, and the Gabonese Minister of Mines, Industry, and Tourism.

A draft protocol on Industrial Cooperation, signed by Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, and the Gabonese Minister of Mines, Industry and Tourism.

A framework agreement on the implementation of a partnership program between MEDZ company, and the Gabonese Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Security, on the creation of new activities areas, mainly in the agri-business sector, signed by CEO of MEDZ, Omar El Yazghi, and Luc Oyoubi.

A Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in industrial infrastructure between MEDZ companies and the Ministry in charge of Industry of the Gabonese Republic, signed by Omar El Yazghi, and the Gabonese Minister of Mines, industry, and tourism.

A cooperation agreement between Gabon’s Ministry of Labor, Employment and Vocational Training and Morocco’s Office of Vocational Training and Labour Promotion (OFPPT ), signed by Director General of OFPPT Larbi Bencheikh and Gabonese Minister of Labour , Employment and vocational Training Simon Ntoutoume Arises.

A partnership agreement between group of “Banque Centrale Populaire” (BCP) of Morocco and the Ministry of Economy, Employment and Sustainable Development of Gabon, signed by the CEO of the BCP Group Mohammed Benchaaboun and Gabonese Minister economy Christophe Akagha Mba.

A memorandum of Agreement between the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM) and the Equatorial Mining Company (SEM), on scientific and technical cooperation, signed by Director General of SEM Fabrice Nze-Békalé and General Director of ONHYM Amina Benkhadra.

A cooperation agreement project between the “Caisse de dépôt et de gestion” (CDG ) of Morocco and the “Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations” (CDC) of the Gabonese Republic, signed by the Director General of the CDG , Anas Houir Alami and Director General of the CDC Alain Ditona Moussavou.

A partnership agreement between the Gabonese Republic and Attijariwafa Bank Group (Plan Gabon Emergent ), signed by the CEO of the Attijariwafa Bank group Mohammed El Kettani and Gabon’s Ministers of Economy Christophe Akagha Mba and of mining, industry and tourism Régis Immongault.

An agreement on the construction of a real estate program on the site of Avorbam in Libreville, signed by Moroccan Mohammed El Kettani and Mohamed Bouzoubaa (Travaux Généraux de Construction de Casablanca/TGCC) and Gabonese Director General of the National Corporation for the state social housing construction (SNGCLS) Paul Mapessi.

A partnership agreement between the Gabonese Republic and the Attijariwafa Bank Group on market activities and debt consultancy signed by the CEO of Attijariwafa Bank and the Gabonese Minister of Economy Christophe Akagha Mba.

A cooperation agreement between the General Confederation of Morocco’s Enterprises (CGEM) and the Gabonese Confederation of Employers (CPG), signed by the President of the CGEM Miriem Bensalah Chaqroun and President of CPG Madleine Berre.

Palmeraie company contract for the construction of houses in the site of Nomba Owendo bridge, signed by President of Palmeraie Holding Company Hicham Berrada Sounni and CEO of SNGCLS Paul Mapessi.

A framework cooperation agreement between the Mohammedia Energy African Academy (ACAFI) and the Gabonese Refining Company (SOGARA), signed by Director General of ACAFI Mohamed Ghayate and CEO of SOGARA Pierre Reteno – N’Diaye.

A Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of a national center for hybrid mail for Gabon’s post office, signed by CEO of GEMADEC Touhami Rabii and CEO of the Gabonese post office Alfred Mabika Mouyama.

An agreement on the allocation of a license to operate the network of 3rd and 4th generations (3G and 4G) in Gabon Telecom, signed by the CEO of Morocco Telecom Abdeslam Ahizoune and Gabonese Minister of the digital economy, communication and post office Ngoua Deme Pastor.

An agreement between the Universiapolis — International University of Agadir and Berthe and Jean Institute, signed by the founding president of the Universiapolis — International University of Agadir Aziz Bouslikhane and Arthur Lemani, member of the Supervisory Board of the Berthe and Jean Institute.

A tax, customs and social agreement between the Gabonese Republic and the company Ciments d’Afrique (CIMAF)-Gabon and the banking Consortium UGB and BGFI signed by Director General of CIMAF Anas Sefrioui, CEO of Gabonese bank Union and CEO of Attijariwafa Bank group and Gabonese Minister of Economy Christophe Akagha Mba and CEO BGFI Bank Henri Claude Oyima.

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The passion of one Moroccan professor, Zoubida Charrouf, to save her country’s argan tree forests helped unlocked the door to what is now a remarkable story of environmental success, women’s empowerment, and a cosmetic and culinary revolution. CNN’s African Voices

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* CNN African Voices’ Three-part Series on Morocco’s Argan Oil Revolution *

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CNN, African Voices, by Errol Barnett (March 10, 2014) — Zoubida Charrouf is a professor and research scientist in Morocco who wanted to save the argan tree forests, which are indigenous to Morocco and deeply rooted in the country’s culture and history, but were in danger of being squeezed out between the advances of rapid regional development and the encroachment of the vast Sahara desert.

With her research, Charrouf discovered that argan oil, with its unique cosmetic and culinary qualities, could be the key to both saving the argan tree and empowering rural Berber women who had little opportunity for employment or education.  Until, that is, the passion of one professor unlocked the door to what is now a remarkable story of environmental success and women’s empowerment.

CNN’s Errol Barnett interviews Zoubida Charrouf, the mother of the argan oil revolution in Morocco, in a three-part series for African Voices:

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Part 1:

Passion drives Moroccan professor

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CNN’s Errol Barnett meets Zoubida Charrouf who has uncovered some of the many riches of Morocco’s argan oil.

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Part 2:

Inside Morocco’s argan oil co-op

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Zoubida Charrouf opens the doors to her argan oil processing facility which empowers local women. CNN’s Errol Barnett reports.

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Part 3:

The business of argan oil

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Research scientist Zoubida Charrouf explains why Moroccans don’t always reap the financial benefits of the country’s argan oil.

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CNN African Voices

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Tourists stroll through the markets of the Tunis medina. Photo: AFP/Fethi Belaid

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Magharebia, by Mohamed Saadouni (Berlin, Germany, March 11, 2014) — Tourism professionals from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya this week showcased Maghreb products and attractions to the world’s largest travel trade fair.

Morocco participated in the International Tourism Exchange in Berlin, which wrapped up in the German capital on Sunday (March 9th), as part of Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad’s plan to make the kingdom a world leader in environmental travel. “Our 2020 strategy for developing tourism relies on development and job creation,” said Nada Roudies, secretary-general of the Moroccan tourism ministry. “We now seek to be among the world’s top 20 countries in attracting tourists, and we aspire to be a model tourist area in the Mediterranean Sea.”

Algeria aims to make the sector a pillar of its national economy. The country looks to shed light on its history, identity and natural and historical attractions. The Algerian pavilion at the German trade show highlighted the country’s history, identity and natural attractions. It also had a strong presence of handcrafts to attract foreign visitors.  ”To us as Maghreb citizens, tourism is one of the important economic hubs in our countries,” Anbees Hocine of the Algerian Tourism Ministry told Magharebia.

“We want to make tourism an economic, cognitive, social and cultural… bridge between us and our Maghreb neighbors,” he said.  The Algerian official added: “To us, Tunisia and Morocco represent good and strong experiences in promoting the beach tourist products. Our strength in Algeria is that we have a large desert, and we seek to promote the desert, cultural tourist products. We have long experience in this type of tourism, and therefore, Morocco and Tunisia can benefit from us in this field,” he said.

The Tunisian wing at the event showcased artisans. Experienced travel agents also promoted beach holiday products. Tunisia’s travel sector was hit hard just after during the revolution, but the country now seeks to heal its wounds. “Tunisia is an open country to its neighbors,” Lassaâd Chebbi, a representative of the Tunisian tourist commission, told Magharebia at the German expo. “The biggest market in terms of tourists coming to Tunisia is the Libyan market, as more than 2 million Libyans entered Tunisia in 2013. The Algerian market is important as well, accounting for about 600,000 tourists. As to the Moroccan market, the number doesn’t exceed 35,000, but we’re trying to encourage Moroccans to come to visit Tunisia in spite of geographical distance.”

Libya also sought at the Berlin show to present its image as a new, free, democratic country that broke all ties with the previous era. Abdul Samie Amer Matloub, the deputy Libyan tourism minister, told Magharebia. “We took part in the event to establish contacts with tourist companies and create new relations with neighboring countries.  Libya is going through very tough circumstances,” he added. “As a tourism ministry, we hope the country will stabilize soon and that we’ll have a presence on the Maghreb tourist map.” As to Maghreb co-operation, Amer said, “We’re trying to see the pioneering experiences of our Maghreb neighbors to benefit from them.  We want diverse tourism whereby tourists can come to Morocco, then pass to Algeria, and cross to Tunisia and Libya,” he said. “Libya is calling for the establishment of a Maghreb tourist union so we may become one of the most important tourist hubs in the world,” he added.

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Morocco’s King Mohammed VI wrapped up his four-nation Africa trip in Gabon, after stops in Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, and Guinea, and presiding over the signing of more than 80 bilateral agreements that deepened Morocco’s partnerships in Africa across a broad range of economic and social cooperation. Photo: MAP

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* More than 80 agreements signed for economic, social cooperation with Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Gabon.

“Morocco and its partners have shown they are serious about ‘Africa working with Africa’ to overcome its challenges and chart a bright new course forward — together.” *

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MACP (Washington, DC, March 12, 2014) — This past week, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI concluded a three-week trip in Africa which began in Mali and continued to Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Gabon. The King demonstrated Morocco’s leadership in South-South cooperation by presiding over the signing of more than 80 bilateral agreements on trade, agriculture, water, energy, industry, job training, and other sectors by members of the Moroccan delegation—including government and private sector representatives—and their Malian, Ivorian, Guinean, and Gabonese counterparts.

King Mohammed VI arrives in Conakry, Guinea March 3, 2014. “Enthusiastic crowds gathered to welcome him in the regions’ capitals – a sign of Morocco’s growing influence in the region,” reports France 24. Photo: AFP

The trip has been deemed a diplomatic success by African and other international observers and drew praise from the US.

“Morocco is showing the way within the framework of an approach that doesn’t recognize artificial differences between North and Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Ambassador Michael Battle, US Department of State, at a recent roundtable of African Ambassadors at the National Press Club. Battle, senior advisor to the upcoming August 3-5 US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, said, “Morocco is setting the pace by showing how African countries which are prosperous can be responsive to African countries which are in the process of becoming prosperous.”

In Mali, the King and President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita presided over the signing of 17 bilateral cooperation agreements. This was the second Mali visit in less than six months for the King, whose September trip to Bamako resulted in an agreement to send 500 Malian imams to Morocco for training in using Morocco’s moderate Islam to help fight the spread of extremism. The first 100 imams have already begun their training.

King addresses Morocco-Ivoire Economic Forum, urges “Africa should learn to trust Africa.” Photo: MAP

In Cote d’Ivoire, the King delivered a keynote speech at the first-ever Moroccan-Ivorian Economic Forum in Abidjan, where he stated that “a vibrant, developed Africa is not merely a dream for tomorrow; it can be a reality today, provided we take action,” and that “Africa should learn to trust Africa.” The Moroccan delegation and their Ivorian counterparts signed 26 bilateral cooperation agreements that included plans to build 8,000 new affordable housing units in Abidjan.

In Guinea, the King and President Alpha Condé chaired the signing of 21 bilateral cooperation agreements and inaugurated a new “Moulins de l’Afrique” flour mill, a joint 30-milllion-Euro Morocco-Guinea venture that will create hundreds of jobs.  In a joint statement, Guinea and Morocco called for deploying a strengthened UN peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic, where Morocco has already provided military support to help stabilize the country.

In addition, President Condé expressed Guinea’s continuing support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative to end the Western Sahara conflict. Morocco received backing on the Sahara issue on the other three legs of the tour as well.

At his final stop in Gabon, King Mohammed VI and President Ali Bongo Ondimba presided over the signing of 24 bilateral agreements. They also launched a strategic partnership to build, with Morocco’s Office Cherifien de Phosphate (OCP), facilities in Gabon and Morocco to produce fertilizer that will significantly increase agricultural output and food security in neighboring countries.

“King Mohammed’s Africa tour delivered on Morocco’s commitment to help build a strong, united, and prosperous future for the continent,” said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel.  “In deeds as well as words, Morocco and its partners have shown they are serious about ‘Africa working with Africa’ to overcome its challenges and chart a bright new course forward — together.”

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Berber women gather fruits in an argan grove. Once dried, the kernels are pressed for oil and the husk used to feed livestock. Argan oil has been a component of Berber folk medicine for centuries, used in the treatment of skin conditions, rheumatism and heart disease, but in the past decade or so the cosmetic and food industries have woken up to its potential as an anti-ageing wonder treatment and super food. Financial Times Photo: Philipp Patrick Ammon

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* It has been used as a medicine by Berbers for centuries; now cosmetic & food industries are showing an interest *

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The Financial Times, by Matthew Wilson (March 14, 2014) — To take the road from Marrakech to Essaouira is to follow a horticultural timeline for Morocco. Leaving the city, with its citrus groves and date-palm plantations, some of which were first planted in the Almohad dynasty, the N8 highway streams west through sparsely vegetated flatlands. The high light levels and warm temperatures here have led to a growing industry supplying the insatiable demand of the international market for out-of-season crops. Soon enough the landscape is littered with nurseries, most of them sprouting rows of polytunnels. Under the protection of these plastic-covered hoops grow salad crops, vegetables and tomatoes. It is an industry that has flourished since the early 1970s, from just 16 hectares of protected crops in 1975 to 16,500 hectares in 2006, much of it under the unnatural milky shrouds of thermal polyethylene.

Dana Elemara used her savings to set up Arganic in 2012. Family-owned farm that supplies her employs 600 Berber women. The Financial Times

A little under halfway into the journey the N8 drops south towards Agadir and the route to Essaouira continues on the slower, dustier route régionale 207. Somewhere between Ounagha and the Atlantic coast, trees begin to appear; solitary sentinels, then small groves giving way to more substantial plantings. These are argan trees (Argania spinosa); distinctively squat with a wide spreading canopy of small, leathery leaves interspersed with fearsome looking spines. Argania spinosa is an ancient species; the lineage goes back to the Tertiary era, between 65m and 1.8m years ago. Endemic to the southwest of Morocco and the Tindouf region of Algeria, they thrive – perhaps a more accurate description is tenaciously survive – in calcareous soils in these semi-deserts. Despite the climatic challenges of their home range, argan trees manage to live for as much as 250 years.

Their adaptations enable them to colonize the desert fringes where few other trees can grow, making them a vitally important bastion against desertification. They have long, questing root systems that go deep into the thin soil in search of the water table. The depth of the root system means the trees are firmly anchored to the ground and resistant to strong winds, which in turn protects the soil from erosion. Small leaves and tough stems help to reduce water loss caused by excessive transpiration. The argan trees around Essaouira are frequently adorned with goats, which climb up into the tops of the trees and nimbly nibble the fruit from between the armoured branches. It makes for one of the most memorable rural scenes to be found anywhere, but historically the goats formed part of the production process of what the local Berber people consider to be arboricultural gold; argan oil.

Goats in the branches of an argan tree. Inside the yellowy-green fleshy drupe is a kernel with a hard shell, and inside this is the “gold”; small seeds, between one and three per kernel, containing 60 per cent oil. Photo: Getty

[Continue Reading at The Financial Times…]

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Anthony Horowitz on Marrakesh: “There really is nowhere else that’s so far away and so near at the same time.” Photo: Alistair Laming / Alamy

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* Introducing a new monthly column, novelist and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz tells of his love affair with the Moroccan city that has both beauty and character. *

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London Telegraph, by Anthony Horowitz (Marrakesh, Morocco, March 16, 2014) — I love Marrakesh. I’ve been five or six times and every time I arrive I find it hard to believe that I’m just three and a bit hours from Gatwick. Even the drive from the airport is thrilling… a herd of camels parked underneath a palm tree, the great ramparts of the city dating back to the 12th century, February sunshine and a dazzling blue sky with the Atlas Mountains astonishingly clear in the far distance.

And then you plunge through one of the gateways and the noise, the colors and the smells simply swallow you whole. There are donkeys pulling carts of bananas, tourists in calèches (horse-drawn carriages), young Arab men weaving past on motorised deathtraps. And all this before you’ve seen the snake charmers, the monkeys and the fortune tellers at the Djemaa el Fna – the main square. This is not just another country, it’s another continent and there really is nowhere else that’s so far away and so near at the same time.

I was here to interview the actor Rupert Everett as part of the fifth Marrakesh Biennale, an arts festival that sprawls across the city and well beyond with installations in ruined palaces, empty office buildings, museums, courtyards… even in some of the taxis. The artworks ranged from the weird to the occasionally not quite wonderful but you can’t fault the enthusiasm of the young people – local and international – who get involved. A high point for me was a 60-metre boat, made of wicker, built on top of a hill at La Pause, out in the desert. It was constructed by the Ukrainian artist Alexander Ponomarev and it certainly wasn’t something you see every day. In fact, as I stood there eating strawberries on a tent-covered slope with 200 people and a helicopter buzzing overhead, I felt like an extra in a Fellini film.

Marrakesh.  Photo: Igor Mojzes – Fotolia

[Continue Reading at The Telegraph…]

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Kesh Angels. Metallic lambda print on 3mm white dibond. TIME Magazine – Photo: Hassan Hajjaj, Marrakesh, Morocco.

Out There

* Curator of 15th Biennial Fotofest in Houston, Karin Adrian von Roques, first encountered an “astonishingly vibrant” art scene in Morocco during her travels and studio visits as early as the 1970s — an experience that led her all the way to the Gulf states. *

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Time Magazine, Lightbox, by Eugene Reznik (March 13, 2014) — The 15th Biennial Fotofest in Houston provides a counterpoint to many of the contemporary art fairs underway around the country, where representation of work by Arab photographers is often scant. View From Inside: Contemporary Arab Photography, Video and Mixed Media Art brings into focus 49 Arab visual artists, a third of whom are women, from 13 countries — the first survey of its size and scope in more than a decade.

Converging Territories #24. Moroccan-born Lalla Essaydi

“Does contemporary art even exist in Arab countries?” writes lead Biennial curator Karin Adrian von Roques. “If so, is it good art? Don’t the artists mostly just imitate Western art? Can art even come about when there is an Islamic ban on pictures?” These are the questions and misconceptions von Roques has heard while surveying contemporary art fairs beginning in the 1990s.

She first encountered an “astonishingly vibrant” art scene in Morocco during her travels and studio visits as early as the 1970s — an experience that led her all the way to the Gulf states. Yet to this day, in Europe and America, the common narrative of Arab artistic production concludes around the mid-19th century, or at the end of the centuries-long Classical Period. Arab visual art of our own time is “something like a no-man’s-land,” she writes, “about which little is known in any detail.”

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[Continue Reading at TIME Magazine…]

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Photographs by Samer Mohdad seen during installation at Silver Street Studios, Fotofest Biennial, Houston, Tex., March 11, 2014. Photo: Eugene Reznik for TIME

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* Morocco’s Family Law reforms and Constitution have been hailed as big steps forward by women’s rights activists.  But with conservative social traditions, one expert says, “it takes much more time for changes in the law to be translated into practice,” reporter Aida Alami writes in The New York Times. *

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MOTM — The New York Times (March 17, 2014) reports that a decade ago, at King Mohammed VI’s direction, “Morocco adopted a family code hailed by women’s rights groups as a big step forward. Three years ago, the country passed a new constitution guaranteeing gender equality.” Even with these reforms, the article reports “Moroccan women say that equality is still a long way off.” But, as reporter Aida Alami observes, “the pressure for change is building.”

New York Times – Photo: Abdeljalil Bounhar/AP

When Zineb lost her father at the age of 15, her grief was compounded when she learned that she had to share his inheritance with an older half-brother unknown to her or her mother and sister. “It felt unfair to split it with him,” said Zineb, 29, a teacher in Rabat who asked that her full name not be used because as a political activist she is concerned about her safety. “Somebody was parachuted into your life and we didn’t know him and after all, my mom worked for half of all of that money.”

A decade ago, Morocco adopted a family code hailed by women’s rights groups as a big step forward. Three years ago, the country passed a new constitution guaranteeing gender equality. Even so, Moroccan women say that equality is still a long way off, and much of the old order remains untouched, including the inheritance law section of the family code. That law, laid down in the Quran, states that male relatives receive double the inheritance of women. But the pressure for change is building. “Islam allows for reinterpretation, and it is time for radical decisions to protect women,” said Saida Kouzzi, a founding partner at Mobilizing for Rights Associates, a nongovernmental organization based in Morocco. “This law of inheritance was based on the fact that men were the head of the households, which is not the case anymore as many women are the ones who provide for the family or at least contribute in a significant manner.”

In 2004, Morocco rewrote its code of family law, establishing the right to divorce by mutual consent, placing limits on polygamy and raising the minimum marriage age for women to 18 from 15. But no changes were made with respect to inheritance. At the time, the Moroccan ruler, King Mohammed VI, had to arbitrate between the demands of feminist organizations, who were calling for an expansion of women’s rights, and the Islamic political parties, who were strongly resistant to change. But terrorist bombings in 2003 that killed 45 people in Casablanca weakened the Islamist parties and paved the way for the adoption of the new family code. The king seized that opportunity to make it clear that he was the country’s top religious authority.

[Continue Reading at The New York Times…]

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* Leah Berkebile, a double major in biology and international studies, will study at the Arab American Language Institute in Tangier, Morocco, and plans to practice medicine in the Middle East. *

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UAB News, by Marie Sutton (Birmingham, Alabama, March 18, 2014) — Two University of Alabama at Birmingham students have received prestigious Critical Languages Scholarships.

Leah Berkebile plans to study in Tangier, Morocco. Photo: UAB News

Leah Berkebile and Yoonhee “Charity” Ryder, both juniors and William Jefferson Clinton Scholars, will study foreign language and culture abroad.

The scholarship is a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and has offered intensive overseas study in the critical-need foreign languages of Arabic, Bangla, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish and Urdu since 2006.

Last year, approximately 600 scholarships were awarded for 13 languages.

Berkebile, a double major in biology and international studies, will study at the Arab American Language Institute in Tangier, Morocco.

The 20-year-old is an Experiential Learning Scholars Program student from Athens, Alabama, and plans to practice medicine in the Middle East.

[Continue Reading at UAB News…]

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In 2013, a record-breaking 10 million tourists visited Morocco, whose beaches, exotic cities and pristine mountains are popular among Europeans, relies on tourism for 10 percent of its GDP, the second-largest contributor after agriculture. AP – Photo: Al-Arabiya

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Morocco’s Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad

ABC News, Associated Press (Rabat, Morocco, March 19, 2014) — Morocco’s tourism minister says a record-breaking 10 million people visited the North African country in 2013, indicating the industry is recovering from the setbacks of the Arab Spring revolutions.

After several years of flat growth, Morocco on Tuesday reported a 7.2 percent increase in arrivals since 2012. Morocco, whose beaches, exotic cities and pristine mountains are popular among Europeans, relies on tourism for 10 percent of its GDP, the second-largest contributor after agriculture.

Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad reported a 9 percent increase in the number of nights in tourist hotels but earnings were nearly the same as 2012 at $7.2 billion. He predicted another 8 percent increase for arrivals in 2014.

[Continue Reading at ABC News…]

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