Rabat, Morocco. Photo: Travel Daily News

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* Securing hosting rights for the World Travel Awards Grand Final is just the latest coup for Morocco, which has been able to use its reputation as one of the most politically stable destinations in the region to significantly increase its tourism revenue in recent years. *

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Travel Daily News, by Vicky Karantzavelou (Dubai, UAE, May 8, 2014) — Morocco has been unveiled as the host for the World Travel Awards Grand Final 2014, 2015 and 2016 following the signing of a three-year hosting agreement during a ceremony hosted at Arabian Travel Market. The announcement was made at the press conference jointly hosted by World Travel Awards President Graham Cooke, Moroccan Minister of Tourism, Dr. Lahcen Haddad, and Mohammed Arkobi, Chairman of Innovate Marketing Solutions.

Speaking at the event World Travel Awards President Graham Cooke said: “This is a momentous day for World Travel Awards and for the Moroccan tourism industry. Morocco is the ideal destination for World Travel Awards; growing rapidly to become the leading tourism destination in the region. There is so much to offer, from the beaches of Agadir, to the splendor of the Atlas Mountains, and the cosmopolitan chic of downtown Rabat.” […]

Morocco Tourism Minister Dr. Lahcen Haddad added: “Morocco is an enchanting, hospitable land full of mystery, wonder and cultural richness. One of North Africa’s top tourist destinations, its dusty deserts, snow-capped Atlas Mountains, medieval medinas, and pristine beaches continue to delight and amaze visitors. Hosting the World Travel Awards Grand Final will be a defining event in enhancing the awareness of the Kingdom of Morocco among the most powerful leaders of the travel and hospitality industry.”

[Continue Reading at Travel Daily News…]

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Casablanca teenagers participate in a playoff match for the “Abtal Al Hay” program. Photo: Magharebia/Hassan Benmehdi

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Magharebia, by Hassan Benmehdi (Casablanca, Morocco, May 8, 2014) — In a bid to deter youth from joining extremist groups, Morocco just launched a large-scale sports program. “Abtal Al Hay” (Neighborhood Heroes), a government-sponsored scheme for 30,000 boys and girls under age 15, kicked off May 1st. It runs until the end of July. “The program is entirely community-based,” Sports Ministry official Younes Jouahri said. “The main goal being to offer young people a real opportunity to thrive and a chance to integrate into society,” he added.

Sport teaches young participants about the values of sharing and solidarity, sociologist Amina Bouhlali noted. “In Morocco, sport also enables them to forearm themselves against the dangers of radicalism, drugs and crime,” she said.

Mohamed Benhsain from the “Abraj Association for Development” was among the first to visit the project’s centre in Casablanca’s working-class Derb Sultan neighborhood. “This scheme came at the right time. We need it in order to get closer to young people,” he said.

The program does more than inculcate positive values. It also helps identify future sports stars. “Abtal Al Hay offers an opportunity to young people who want to improve their performance to get proper football training so that they can become tomorrow’s champions,” explained Mohamed Zerrai of the Al Bouchra Association for Integration.

Young people are excited that Abtal Al Hay is a prospecting tool for new talents. Those who distinguish themselves this summer may be noticed by scouts. Close attention will also be paid to the values of fair play and competitive spirit.

Jalloul Balhaj, who coaches a local team in Casablanca, told Magharebia that working with youth in his neighbourhood for several years was an enriching experience. “I discovered how badly these young people want to succeed in football, but without support, guidance and money, many of them give up in the end,” he said.

Yahia Bahhadi, 14, is a talented young footballer who eyes a career with Wydad Casablanca. He credits his training for giving him a whole new attitude. “I learned to respect my teammates, my opponents, the training staff, the referee and spectators,” he told Magharebia.

This is exactly the result that the new Abtal Al Hay program looks to replicate across the kingdom. “The government wishes to give young people the physical, moral and intellectual values that they need for their personal development and professional success,” Youth and Sports Minister Mohamed Ouzzine said in a May 1st TV interview.

A community-based approach to sport is now needed to give Moroccan youth, especially those from troubled areas, a chance “to understand the importance of respecting other people and rules, hard work, politeness, team spirit and self-confidence, thus enabling them to find the path to professionalism,” sports journalist Aziz Badda said. And these skills last forever, even if not all the young athletes end up with a career in sports.  ”Out of 40 players trained over a period of more than three years, it’s a great success if ten of them make the team,” Badda added.

The post Morocco Football Program Counters Youth Extremism – Magharebia appeared first on Morocco On The Move.

Quest to listen to only copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s heretofore secret new album, The Wu–Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, takes Forbes senior editor to Morocco.

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* FORBES first broke news of secret album in late March, and since then, Wu-Tang’s search for a buyer has begun in earnest. The aforementioned box has been moved from a vault in the shadow of Atlas Mountains to the Mansour for extra security.  In the latest step toward unveiling Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, [producer] Cilvaringz invited us to Morocco to be the first civilians to hear part of the album—and to debut an exclusive snippet on Forbes.com. *

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Zack O’Malley Greenburg Senior Editor, Music and Entertainment, Forbes

Zack O’Malley Greenburg
Forbes
May 6, 2014

Walking west from the center of the centuries-old Jemaa El Fna square in Marrakesh, Morocco, the crowds start to thin as the snake charmers and spice merchants give way to modern boulevards clogged with old Mercedes taxis, fume-spewing mopeds and the occasional donkey. The Royal Mansour hotel rises in the distance—a destination packed with wares rarer than any in the old market—in particular, the hand-carved, silver-and-nickel box that will soon contain the only copy of the Wu-Tang Clan’s new album, The Wu – Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. You’ll find a cobblestone street across Avenue Mohammed V, protected by red-and-white sawhorses and a security hut manned around the clock. A few hundred feet beyond, past a clutch of idling Range Rovers and a stand of palm trees helicoptered in from as far away as the ancient city of Fes, a cedar-and-metal gate large enough to fit the fuselage of a jumbo jet guards the Mansour’s front entrance. […]

Hand-carved box with only copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s new album.

It’s hard to imagine a more regal place for the vessel set to contain Wu-Tang’s album as it awaits its next move. “We’ve very lucky to be able to hide it here, away from prying eyes,” says the creator of the box, a British-Moroccan artist known by the mononym Yahya, who has been exhibiting some of his other works at the Mansour. “Now we’ve opened it up … we have to find someone else to hide it.  Despite everybody thinking that this is some great publicity stunt or marketing ploy, this has been a genuine concept from the get-go,” adds Tarik “Cilvaringz” Azzougarh, the album’s producer. “It happened to get a lot of publicity—great—but it is a genuine concept with a genuine core and a genuine goal.”

Click here to listen to our 51-second clip of the album

FORBES first broke the news of the secret album in late March, and since then, Wu-Tang’s search for a buyer has begun in earnest. The aforementioned box has been moved from a vault in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains to the Mansour for extra security.  In the latest step toward unveiling Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, Cilvaringz invited us to Morocco to be the first civilians to hear part of the album—and to debut an exclusive snippet on Forbes.com. Flying more than 3,500 miles from New York to Casablanca for less than a minute of music may seem a bit extravagant. Renting a car and braving Moroccan traffic for 150 additional miles (with a malfunctioning GPS unit, no less) may have been unwise. But there’s more to it than just the audio: the Wu-Tang story has become one of the biggest of the year in the entertainment business. The group’s decision to release just one copy of the record sparked debates in the music industry that spilled from that first FORBES article into Billboard and Rolling Stone, then to mainstream outlets like Time and Fox News, and all around the globe via publications from Der Spiegel to the New Zealand Herald. Even billionaire Richard Branson weighed in (“I take my hat off to them for a really fun idea,” the Virgin Records founder explained in an interview at Kasbah Tamadot, his own Moroccan hideaway).

[Continue Reading at Forbes…]

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Said El Alami and Achraf Afir play the main characters as young boys in ‘Horses of God.’ Wall Street Journal, Photo: Kino Lorber

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* An Arabic-language film about suicide bombers comes to the U.S. with the support of director Jonathan Demme. Mr. Demme has championed “Horses of God” since he and his son first saw it at the Marrakesh Film Festival in December, 2012. “I feel like ‘Horses of God’ is one of the finest films I’ve seen in years.” *

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Nabil Ayouch on the set of ‘Horses of God.’ Kino Lorber. Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal, by Tobias Grey (May 8, 2014) ― The day after the Moroccan city of Casablanca was rocked by a series of suicide bombings in May 2003, film director Nabil Ayouch reacted in the only way he knew how: He grabbed his video camera and went out into the street. Mr. Ayouch’s resulting 10-minute documentary “Pour Ne Pas Oublier” (“To Not Forget”), released that same year, paid homage to the 33 victims of the suicide bombings through interviews with their families.  This was by no means the end of the story for Mr. Ayouch, who is best known for his 2007 feature “Whatever Lola Wants,” about a New York postal worker who travels to Egypt to become a belly dancer.

His latest film, “Horses of God” (opening at New York’s Film Forum on May 14), dramatizes the lives of the young suicide bombers who grew up in one of Morocco’s largest slums, Sidi Moumen, near Casablanca. Mr. Ayouch, the 45-year-old son of a Jewish Tunisian mother and a Muslim Moroccan father, grew up in the Paris suburb of Sarcelles and moved to Casablanca 15 years ago. “I knew quite a lot of people living in Sidi Moumen and I could not get it out of my head how blind we had been not to see what was happening in our midst,” said Mr. Ayouch. So a few years after completing his documentary, Mr. Ayouch decided to revisit Sidi Moumen. He sought out friends and relatives of the suicide bombers to try to understand what happened.

Around the same time, Mr. Ayouch learned that a Moroccan author, Mahi Binebine, was also in Sidi Moumen working on a novel about the suicide bombers’ lives. Mr. Binebine’s novel, originally titled “The Stars of Sidi Moumen,” was translated from French into English and published last year in the U.S. by Tin House. Before his novel’s 2010 publication in France, Mr. Binebine agreed to send it to Mr. Ayouch, who immediately bought the film rights and hired Moroccan screenwriter Jamal Belmahi to work on a script. “I discovered everything that I needed in Mahi’s novel, especially the gradual way these 10-year-old boys grew up to become suicide bombers,” said Mr. Ayouch. The main focus of Mr. Ayouch’s Arabic-language film, which is largely faithful to Mr. Binebine’s novel, is on two brothers who grow up without any kind of formal education.

[Continue Reading at The Wall Street Journal…]

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* Women leaders from 35 African countries come to Dahkla for conference on role of women in the continent’s development *

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Lemag/MAP (Dakhla, Morocco, May 10, 2014) ― The first Africa Women’s Forum kicked off Friday in Dakhla with the participation of high-level women leaders from 35 African countries.

The meeting brings together women ministers, MPs, and councilors from Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Libya, Mali, Madagascar, Senegal, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone, among other countries on the continent.

The event, which provides an opportunity to discuss women’s leadership issues and their contribution to the development of the African continent, was organized at the initiative of the Council of the Moroccan Expatriate Community (CCME) and the International Institute for Security and Development, in partnership with the Wilaya of the region of Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira.

In a statement to MAP, Naima Korchi, president of the International Institute for Security and Development, and also president of the Foundation of Africa Women’s Forum, said the Forum will help discuss the experiences of participating countries in women’s leadership and their role in Africa’s development, adding that the first edition seeks to look for ways to promote female African leadership in the economic, political and legal fields.

Dakhla, Morocco. Photo: MAP

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“Morocco has remained a model of stability despite a challenging environment—the economic crisis in Europe, political transition in Arab countries, and more. Throughout all this, the economy has proved resilient, and serious reforms are under way,” said IMF head Christine Lagarde, received by King Mohammed VI (above) last week on her visit  to Morocco. MAP

* “The confident & articulate students whom I met yesterday at the Université Internationale de Casablanca gave me confidence that the new generation of Arab youth is ready to tackle the challenges ahead.” *

Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

Christine Lagarde
IMF Direct
May 10, 2014

Earlier this week, the first stop on my Middle East and North Africa trip was Morocco, which displayed its legendary hospitality and kindness. Located at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, the country holds so much promise as a dynamic hub for the region.

Morocco has remained a model of stability despite a challenging environment—the economic crisis in Europe, political transition in Arab countries, and more. Throughout all this, the economy has proved resilient, and serious reforms are under way.

Yet repeatedly during my visit, I heard about the problem of unemployment, especially among the youth.

In the Middle East and North Africa, more than 15 million people are currently unemployed.  It is a phenomenon that touches all countries and, disproportionately so, people under 25.

In Morocco like in most countries, youth unemployment (19 percent) is double that of the average population (9.2 percent).

We will discuss this difficult issue of unemployment at our regional conference in Amman, which starts tomorrow.  At “Building the Future: Jobs, Growth, and Fairness in the Arab World,” senior policymakers, civil society representatives, private sector partners, and academics will debate the next phase of economic transformation for the Arab countries in transition.

Strengthening the middle

During the Amman conference, we will listen to each others’ news, compare our analysis, and assess best practices; no one has yet the magic recipe to fix all these pressing economic challenges.

Yet I have little doubt that sustained growth is only possible if a country has a solid macroeconomic foundation based on which confidence can be built, to in turn develop investments and create jobs. Beyond stability, I also think that strong cooperation between the public and the private sectors is indispensable to encourage the creation of growth and jobs, and I believe that an inclusive economy best supports sustainable growth.

Addressing Morocco’s Economic, Social, & Environmental Council (CESE) in Rabat, with CESE president Nizar Baraka (on right). Photo: MAP

In a speech in Rabat on Thursday, I offered a thought: strengthen the “middle” in the economy, in society, in the size of government—that is, create more vibrant small and medium-sized enterprises, a stronger middle class, and a government that is neither too small nor too large.

Accomplishing this is not easy. As discussed with my Moroccan colleagues, the private sector can play a significant role. But it will only do so in an improved business environment through smarter regulations and more competition, through streamlining conditions for business entry, and through ensuring that small and medium-sized firms have adequate financing.

A more inclusive economy also involves (1) the right conditions for more youth and women to enter the job market; (2) education that matches students’ skills with the needs of modern business; and (3) better functioning labor markets.

Raising the participation of women in the labor force would result in real gains for the region’s GDP. I discussed this point during my visit in Morocco. To my astonishment, I learned from a group of dynamic, passionate women leaders that I met  in Morocco that 66 percent of recent graduates are women—and yet only 26 percent of woman actively participate in the labor force.

This will change, because such a low ratio, common in many parts of the region, signals a huge waste of resources. One calculation shows that if the gap between male and female labor force participation in the region were only double (rather than currently triple) the average gap in comparable countries, output over a decade would be $1 trillion higher.

Facebook Campaign: Tracy Helou of Lebanon attracted a lot of traffic to her picture with a very cool background (nature) illustrating her plea for rural development strategies. IMF

Finally, a more inclusive economy implies better transparency and enhanced governance. People want to know how the government spends their tax money and whether banks and companies are financially sound. Strong governance is essential, because corruption undermines economic effectiveness, just as it can eventually destroy a society’s social cohesion.

Youth perspectives

In the run-up to the Amman conference, we at the IMF conducted a Facebook campaign to hear directly from Arab youth on how best to create jobs in their countries. We received suggestions from a diverse set of young Arab women and men. Many of them echoed the points I just made—the need for greater investment in the region, a desire for more assistance to entrepreneurs, and the urgency of stamping out corruption. The confident and articulate students whom I met yesterday at the Université Internationale de Casablanca gave me confidence that the new generation of Arab youth is ready to tackle the challenges ahead.

I look forward to discussing these ideas in Amman over the next two days.

IMFdirect

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The $1.1 billion investment by Wessal Capital in Rabat tourism projects will be the second phase of the Bouregreg valley development, located where the Bouregreg River meets the Atlantic Ocean, initiated by Morocco in 2006. Reuters

“Rabat is starting to become a great cultural destination.”

—Moroccan Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad

Reuters (May 12, 2014) — Wessal Capital, a joint venture created by Morocco and four Gulf States, will invest 9 billion dirhams ($1.10 billion) in tourism infrastructure in the Moroccan capital Rabat, a statement from the fund said on Monday. Wessal Capital fund is focused on tourism development in Morocco and is supported by Qatari fund Qatar Holding, the Kuwait Investment Authority’s Al Ajial Investments, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Aabar, Saudi Investment Fund and the Moroccan Fund for Tourism Development (FMDT).

Morocco Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad. Photo: MAP

It is the fund’s second and the larger investment after an initial 6-billion dirham project to build hotels, a cruising port, marina and a plan to renovate the old medina in the port of Casablanca. Rabat’s projects will be the second phase of the Bouregreg valley development, located where the Bouregreg River meets the Atlantic Ocean, initiated by Morocco in 2006.

There will be hotels, a marina, residential housing, urban green spaces, a museum and a theater with a property base of 110 hectares, the statement said. “Rabat is starting to become a great cultural destination, that is why we are planning theaters and museums,” Moroccan tourism minister Lahcen Haddad told Reuters. The minister added that the Moroccan government is planning to spend another 9 billion dirhams to renovate the urban areas of the city.

[Continue Reading at Reuters…]

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A Delegation from Maghreb Arab Press on their first visit to London in October 2012. Photo: Thomson Reuters Foundation.

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* The feedback on the visits from the Moroccan delegation was very positive. “What was useful for me was the interaction between MAP and Thomson Reuters teams, which turned each working session into a real exchange of ideas and experience from two different approaches,” said Noureddine Zouini, MAP News Editor and Deputy Director of Information. *

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Nazanin Ratcliffe, Program Coordinator, Thomson Reuters Foundation Media team

Nazanin Ratcliffe
Thomson Reuters Foundation
May 9, 2014

In October 2012, Thomson Reuters Foundation hosted eight editorial executives and senior journalists from Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), the Moroccan state news agency, on a four-day visit to London to meet counterparts from Thomson Reuters and the BBC and to exchange ideas on editorial practice. The program included a visit to St James’s Palace, giving the delegation from Morocco, a constitutional monarchy, a valuable insight into the way the British royal family’s communication advisers handle the media. The visit highlighted some of the challenges ahead as MAP makes the transition from a subsidized state news agency with little competition to a partially self-funding producer of multimedia news for a commercial market. The London program was the beginning of the Foundation’s three-year project working with journalists from MAP and other Moroccan media organizations in partnership with Institut Supérieur de l’Information et de la Communication (ISIC), a highly respected journalism school, and the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The first year of the project focused on exchange visits between London and Rabat for MAP management and the Foundation’s consultants. The feedback on the visits from the Moroccan delegation was very positive. “What was useful for me was the interaction between MAP and Thomson Reuters teams, which turned each working session into a real exchange of ideas and experience from two different approaches,” said Noureddine Zouini, MAP News Editor and Deputy Director of Information.  The next step was to provide Moroccan journalists from MAP and other news outlets with the opportunity to develop their professional skills with a series of training courses led by veteran former Reuters journalists. Our training courses simulated a real working environment to provide participants with the opportunity to hone their skills and learn the latest reporting techniques across a variety of media platforms including online, print and video. Drawing on the experience and knowledge of specialized Reuters trainers, the courses covered key topics of interest to the Moroccan media.

We ran a total number of seven courses from April 2013 to March 2014, four of which were for MAP journalists and the other three aimed at improving the reporting skills of other Moroccan journalists. The workshops included reporting on business and the economy, multimedia and graphics, investigative journalism and parliamentary reporting. Each course provided the participants with a firm foundation in the basics of journalism and focused on a topic pertinent to the work of the media in Morocco. The Foundation also ran a ‘Train the Trainers’ course for staff in both ISIC and MAP’s training departments so this crucial journalism training could continue beyond the lifespan of the project. The ambition of the project is to promote independent reporting on government and politics in Morocco so that public officials and institutions would be held to greater account. Our focus was particularly on supporting MAP in its transition to a more transparent reporting culture. We were encouraged by the enthusiasm of journalists to embrace the notion of change. “The [course] trainers taught us how to write brief and concise stories in order to please different types of readers,” said Youssef Oukhallou, one of MAP’s financial journalists. “I found it very useful that the courses teach us transferable techniques in a way that many MAP journalists have improved the quality of their reports by applying these techniques as well as teaching each other how to use them.”

[Continue Reading at Thomson Reuters Foundation…]

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The kaftan is now a trademark of Moroccan fashion, and is worn by Moroccan women seeking to combine tradition with modern style. Models took to the Marrakech catwalk this week wearing dazzling kaftans to showcase the latest local and international designs at the 18th edition of the most prestigious traditional fashion show in Morocco. Al Arabiya

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 Click here or photo for Video of ‘Marrakech Caftan 2014′ show

* “Fashion designer Khadija el-Houjouji, who presented her kaftan collection during the show, said her design embodied Morocco’s culture and heritage, while at the same time reflecting modern fashion. “I am one of those who preserve the authenticity of the kaftan because it is our heritage and our children should know how to wear it. A dress is a dress, while a kaftan should remain as is.” *

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Al Arabiya (Marrakech, Morocco, Tuesday, 13 May 2014) — Wearing dazzling traditional kaftans, models took to the Marrakech catwalk this week to showcase the latest local and international designs at the 18th edition of the most prestigious traditional fashion show in Morocco. The two-hour long event was held this year under the theme of ‘Splendors of Empires.’ Fourteen established fashion designers and two newcomers presented their creations at the show, taking their inspiration from the world’s great empires. The Roman, Babylonian, Macedonian, Russian, Chinese, Ottoman, Persian, British and Egyptian empires were all celebrated in a fashion show that aimed to set the trend for many other designers in the coming months.

“We wanted to associate empires with splendor. With splendor, we are in some way paying tribute to the kaftan because it represents beauty, women, grace and glamour. It goes exactly with the event’s concept. We were looking for the contradiction between empires and splendor which stands for power and grace at the same time,” said the event’s production director, Zineb Tainouri. Thought to have originated in Iran, the kaftan is now a trademark of Moroccan fashion, and is worn by Moroccan women seeking to combine tradition with modern style. Each kaftan is a unique work of art that needs hours of meticulous work by dozens of traditional artisans who work under the supervision of the designer. While some designers prefer to highlight Morocco’s cultural heritage and refuse to make drastic changes to the garment, others choose to modernize it to reflect international trends.

Kaftan designer Khadija el-Houjouji

Fashion designer Khadija el-Houjouji, who presented her kaftan collection during the show, said her design embodied Morocco’s culture and heritage, while at the same time reflecting modern fashion. “I am one of those who preserve the authenticity of the kaftan because it is our heritage and our children should know how to wear it. A dress is a dress, while a kaftan should remain as is. I took the original kaftan and introduced some new cuts and also some handwork by traditional artists and for these reasons, it was well received,” she said.  But other designers at the event displayed more obvious changes to the traditional wear. Nabil Dahani, who studied fashion in both Rabat and Paris, said the French capital had had a significant impact on his style and inspired him to convey the cultural contrast between east and west in his work. He said he wanted to take Moroccan culture to the international stage.

[Continue Reading at Al Arabiya…]

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As well as the glamorous side, show organizers say the kaftan industry also donates to charity. Part of this year’s revenues will be given to SOS Villages, which caters for abandoned children and single mothers and provides educational facilities. This charity has worked in Morocco 28 years, with five sites in the country, looking after 700 children. Al Arabiya

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Fatima Khouchoua, Moroccan civil society activist and founder of Giving Chances, wins 2014 “Humanitarian of the Year” award from London-based Women 4 Africa for her work promoting education and literacy in rural schools. Photo: MAP

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* Moroccan grassroots activist, Fatima Khouchoua, wins 2014 “Humanitarian of the Year” honor for African initiative promoting rural education and literacy. *

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Magharebia (May 13, 2014) — Moroccan civil society activist Fatima Khouchoua received the “humanitarian of the year” award from British NGO “Women 4 Africa,” Le Matin reported on Monday, May 12.

Fatima Khouchoua is the founder of the NGO “Giving Chances,” which supports educational projects in Morocco. She was awarded for the African pilot initiative, launched to encourage education and literacy in rural schools.

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Photo: Marance magazine

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Morocco’s King Mohammed VI presided over the groundbreaking for a new religious training institution that will promote moderate, tolerant Islam in the next generation of Muslim religious leaders and provide a shield against extremism in the region. Photo: MAP

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* Imam Training Facility to Promote Open, Moderate Form of Islam *

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MACP (Washington, DC, May 14, 2014) — King Mohammed VI on Monday presided over the groundbreaking for a religious training institution aimed at instilling the values of Morocco’s open, moderate form of Islam in the next generation of Muslim religious leaders (imams) and preachers (morchidines and morchidates) from across the region.

King Mohammed VI speaks with new Mourchidate religious leader.

The Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Morchidines, and Morchidates will welcome students from Morocco, Africa, and the Middle East, and is a key element in Morocco’s ongoing efforts to provide a shield against extremism by promoting religious moderation and tolerance in the region, and instilling a culture of understanding and dialogue across faiths.

The project launch comes just a few months after Morocco signed an accord with Mali to train 500 imams.  Since then, several other countries in the region have requested similar training programs in Morocco.  The new institute will train imams from Mali, Libya, Tunisia, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, and the Maldives on a modern campus of more than seven square acres, and will include a pedagogical and administrative department, housing and dining facilities, as well as recreational facilities.

Morocco first began its innovative program to train morchidates in 2006, as part of a comprehensive “counter-radicalization” strategy following the 2003 bombings in Casablanca.

Secretary of State John Kerry meets with King Mohammed on his recent visit to Morocco. MAP

In addition to counseling against extremism by using religion itself, the strategy aimed to provide more empowerment and economic opportunities, including for youth.  At the direction of King Mohammed VI and under the leadership of the Moroccan Ministry of Islamic Affairs, women morchidates were trained to work with imams in mosques and communities across Morocco providing counsel and “spiritual security” to counter the potential appeal of extremists.  The program was recognized as “pioneering” by the US State Department’s 2009 report on terrorism.

During his visit to Morocco last month, Secretary of State John Kerry praised King Mohammed VI and Morocco for “playing an essential leadership role” in the region, noting that Morocco “plays a very important role in facing extremism, and it also disseminates cooperation with African countries in the religious domain at a moment where Africa needs this spiritual support to face terrorism based on these values, the values of tolerance.”

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United Arab Emirates (UAE) is participating as a guest of honor in Morocco’s 10th edition of the Tan-Tan (Moussem) Festival on June 4-9, 2014. Middle East Online

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* Mazrouei: UAE’s participation as guest of honor at Moroccan Festival will contribute to promotion of Emirati culture, heritage regionally, globally. *

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Middle East Online (Abu Dhabi, UAE, May 15, 2014) — Under the theme ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage and Its Role in the Development and Rapprochement of Peoples,’ the United Arab Emirates (UAE) participates as a guest of honor in the activities of the state-sponsored 10th edition of the Tan-Tan (Moussem) Festival in the Kingdom of Morocco on June 4-9, 2014. This participation comes in recognition of the successful experience of the UAE in the field of cultural activities at all levels, whether local, regional, or international. Through this participation, the UAE seeks to promote dialogue and cultural exchange while celebrating the values of friendship and tolerance.

The participation of the UAE aims at strengthening the feeling of pride in the local heritage. It also seeks to elevate this heritage and promote the efforts that have been made to inscribe the elements of intangible heritage on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The UAE has recently succeeded in registering falconry, sadu and taghruda (a poetry form) as part of the world heritage at the UNESCO. On this occasion Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Adviser for Culture and Heritage in the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Chairman of the Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee – Abu Dhabi said: “Certainly, we would like to remind, here, of the authentic and deep-rooted bilateral ties that have existed between the two countries and peoples, and this for decades.”

“The participation of the UAE as a guest of honor at the Festival will definitely strengthen this friendship, and contribute to the promotion of the Emirati culture and heritage regionally and globally. The Emirati participation will also supplement the state’s cultural assets and agendas,” he added. “The Emirati-Moroccan cultural relations have always been excellent, especially in recent years,” Mazrouei noted. Morocco has vigorously participated along with 10 Arab and foreign countries in the campaign, led by the UAE, to register falconry as part of world heritage. These efforts culminated in the official inscription of falconry on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

[Continue Reading at Middle East Online…]

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On CNN’s Marketplace Middle East, Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad says Morocco plans to continue growing the country’s popularity as a destination by attracting 16 million tourists in 2020.  Click on photo to watch interview and report from CNN Marketplace Middle East.

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* Morocco’s Tourism Drive: CNN’s John Defterios interviews Tourism Min. Lahcen Haddad *

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CNN Marketplace Middle East (Dubai, UAE, May 12, 2014) — CNN’s John Defterios reports from the annual Arabian Travel Market in Dubai about “how the region’s tourist destinations have changed, after some went from hot spots to trouble spots.”

Defterios reports that “Morocco has been a popular destination for years, and having largely escaped the Arab Spring turmoil, the country now wants to attract 16 million tourists by 2020, 6 million more than they had in 2010.   I caught up with Moroccan Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad and asked him how his country could position itself for the next wave of growth.”

Click here for CNN’s report on Morocco and interview with Tourism Minister Haddad: http://youtu.be/QxnUQEePN_A?t=3m39s

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Click here for the full report on tourism in the region from John Defterios and Leone Lakhani with CNN’s Marketplace Middle East: http://youtu.be/QxnUQEePN_A

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The post (Video) Morocco Ranks Among the Top Trending Travel Spots for Tourists – CNN appeared first on Morocco On The Move.

William Daniels / Panos

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“Local communities anywhere can benefit from natural resources they know and master; this is how we eradicate poverty and ensure food security,” says Zoubida Charrouf, a chemistry professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat, whose research led to Morocco’s argan oil environment and economic empowerment success story.

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SciDevNet (Cairo, Egypt, May 28, 2014) ― For centuries, the drought-tolerant argan tree, endemic to Morocco, has acted as a ‘green curtain’ against desertification by the encroaching Sahara. Argan oil is the tree’s most valuable product. Known for its light, nutty flavour, the oil is used for salad dressing and cooking, and is also reputed to have medicinal and cosmetic properties.  But over the twentieth century Morocco lost around half its argan trees to deforestation, overgrazing and agricultural land clearances. Part of the problem was that the production of argan oil was not providing enough incentive for local people to protect the trees: the extraction process was difficult, time-consuming and required strenuous manual work, and there was little available scientific evidence of the oil’s nutritional value — meaning it did not sell well.

As a result, locals would often clear the trees to make way for more lucrative and less labor-intensive crops, such as oranges, bananas and tomatoes. But Zoubida Charrouf, a chemistry professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, saw strong economic and ecological potential in the tree, by partly mechanizing traditional oil production processes and involving local communities. “The idea was to transform the environmental problem into an economic opportunity, and invest in nature,” Charrouf says.

Science to the rescue

In 1986, Charrouf began researching argan oil production processes and traditional techniques. Using new technology developed in her Rabat laboratory, Charrouf mechanized part of the production process:  she found that automating the pressing of the oil helped speed up operations, improve oil quality, reduce waste and prolong the oil’s shelf life, hence reducing production costs and improving income from oil sales. She also discovered molecular substances unique to the argan oil — including antioxidants and antimicrobial agents — and undertook field work, during which she consulted local oil producers to help devise an innovative plan to improve the entire production process and make it more sustainable and lucrative.

“Women in the cooperative not only learn how to read and write; it’s also a comprehensive capacity-building atmosphere where you continuously learn and practice.”

Amina Ben Taleb, Taitmatine

[Continue Reading at SciDev.Net…]

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This article is part of a series Africa’s Minds: Build a Better Future produced by SciDev.Net in association with UNESCO, with funding support from the Islamic Development Bank. 

The post Research Turns Oil Into Market Hit, Empowers Women – SciDev.Net appeared first on Morocco On The Move.

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* “Morocco gained 26 places between 1995 and 2012, the most of any of the top 75 countries in our index, reflecting the government’s aggressive efforts to position the economy in both goods and services to serve the large European market.” *

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Huffington Post/World Post, by James Manyika, Susan Lund, Olivia Nottebohm/ McKinsey & Company (May 28, 2014) ― Openness to the global economy has gained many detractors as a result of the 2008 global financial crisis and subsequent recession. People are unnerved by the volatility of capital flows and worried that their jobs may be outsourced. Yet more countries than ever before are playing on a global stage―and benefiting economically as a result. A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute and the McKinsey High Tech Practice finds that five types of global flow―goods, services, finance, people, and data and communication―increase global GDP growth by between $250 billion and $450 billion a year or 15 percent to 25 percent of global GDP growth. And the most connected country will see 40 percent more of that benefit than the least connected country. For example, Thailand, which is highly connected to global flows, will disproportionately benefit compared with its neighbor Laos, which has a low level of connection.

After a pause in the aftermath of the financial crisis, global flows are once again expanding (with the notable exception of financial flows, which remain almost 70 percent below their pre-crisis peak) and accelerating as increasingly prosperous emerging economies become more engaged in cross-border commerce and exchange, enabled by the rapid spread of digital technologies. But the participation of countries varies enormously. To provide a snapshot of this evolving landscape of connections, we developed the McKinsey Global Institute Connectedness Index, which looks at 131 countries across the five main flows in 1995 and 2012. By looking at connectedness to all the major flows―rather than just manufacturing exports―we obtain a truer picture. And, importantly, the MGI index differs from others because it corrects for the size of country. If we don’t do this, a large diversified economy looks relatively closed because flows are a modest share of GDP, and smaller countries’ connectedness is exaggerated because their flows are a higher share of GDP.

The index reveals some surprises. Who knew that South Korea and Japan, the two established Asian manufacturing export powerhouses, overall rank at only 20th and 21st respectively, lower than most of Europe and the United States and even Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Poland. The reason is that both countries remain relatively closed to immigration and low on cross-border Internet traffic. China, for similar reasons, ranks only 25th on the index. Perhaps surprisingly, the United States is no longer the world’s most connected economy―those laurels go to Germany. Germany ranks first and the United States third with two smaller economies―Hong Kong and Singapore―coming in second and fourth. The index shows that the trade intensity of the United States―the value of flows relative to the size of its economy–is only one-third of the intensity of Germany, and one-half that of China. As emerging markets become increasingly important as both consumers and producers–they now account for 38 percent of global flows, nearly triple their share in 1990―they are climbing up the connectedness rankings. Morocco gained 26 places between 1995 and 2012, the most of any of the top 75 countries in our index, reflecting the government’s aggressive efforts to position the economy in both goods and services to serve the large European market. India gained 16 places in this period, largely reflecting its huge exports of services. Brazil jumped 15 places, reflecting growth in services and financial flows.

[Continue Reading at Huffington Post/World Post…]

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What is now the Tangier American Legation in Morocco played a key role in the Allied invasion of North Africa during World War II.

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* “The longest tenured American-owned property on foreign soil is in Africa ― Tangier, Morocco, to be exact.” *

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David R. Weible

David Robert Weible
Preservation Nation Blog
May 28th, 2014

If you had to guess, you’d probably think the first American-owned government property outside of our borders was in France, or Canada, or maybe even Japan. But you’d be way off. In fact, you wouldn’t even be on the right continent. The longest tenured American-owned property on foreign soil is in Africa ― Tangier, Morocco, to be exact. It’s the only National Historic Landmark on foreign soil and has served as a symbol of American engagement with the Islamic world and North Africa since the early days of the republic.

Since diplomats and scholars rallied to protect the site in the 1970s, the Tangier American Legation in Morocco has been an American cultural center in Morocco.

Morocco was the first country to recognize American statehood (in June of 1786). What is now known as the Tangier American Legation in Morocco (TALIM) was gifted to the American government by Sultan Moulay Suleiman in 1821. Since then, it’s acquired quite a bit of history.  The property started off as the U.S. Consulate and transitioned to the U.S. Legation to Morocco when the countries established full diplomatic relations in 1905. After Morocco regained its independence from Spanish and French protectorates in 1956, the building reverted to Consulate General status before serving as an Arabic language school for American diplomats and a training center for Peace Corps volunteers.

Spurred by the potential sale of the site and the U.S. Bicentennial, a group of diplomats and academics eventually converted the site to TALIM, a cultural and conference center that includes a museum, research library, and Arabic literacy program for the women of the medina of Tangier.  But beyond TALIM’s official history are even more compelling tales:

• The original incarnation is believed to have been destroyed by the French Bombardment of Tangier in 1844.
• During World War II, the Tangier Legation was the largest U.S. mission in North Africa and the only one not in Vichy French territory.
• It played a key role in the success of the 1942 Allied landings in Morocco and Algeria — known as Operation Torch.
• The site also was pivotal in the evacuation of thousands of Jewish refugees from occupied Europe throughout the war.

[Continue Reading at Preservation Nation Blog…]

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The original American Legation complex in Tangier is thought to have been destroyed in the French bombardment of the city in 1844. The remaining structures date from the mid-19th century through the 1930s.

The post American History on Foreign Soil: Tangier American Legation in Morocco – Preservation Nation appeared first on Morocco On The Move.

Justin Timberlake

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* Click here for video highlights of Justin Timberlake performing in Morocco *

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Alicia Keyes

Mawazine Festival (May 31, 2014) ― Global sensation Justin Timberlake opened the 13th Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival last night in Rabat, Morocco.

The Grammy Award winning artist captivated the crowd with his singing, steps and style on stage at the OLM Souissi, as he performed for the first time ever in Morocco before a huge crowd of fans and followers.

The Maroc Cultures Association was also pleased to announce that Alicia Keys, 15-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/producer, will close the 2014 Mawazine Festival with a performance on Saturday, June 7 at the OLM-Souissi in Rabat, Morocco.

For decades the music festival has brought together exceptional artists to perform and promote openness to different cultures through the universal language of music.

The 2014 Rhythms of the World festival features more than 100 different international artists and groups from a wide range of musical sounds and styles, coming together for nine days at seven different venues, to perform the music and magic that is Mawazine, before a multitude of adoring fans in Morocco that last year numbered more than 2.5 million.

Click here for more details on featured artists and venues at this year’s Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival in Rabat, Morocco.

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Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival in Rabat, Morocco. Photos: Mawazine

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King Mohammed VI and Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki preside over signing ceremony of 23 bilateral agreements to enhance economic, social and security cooperation, and open up broader prospects for cooperation on integration of the Maghreb. Photo: MAP

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* Bilateral agreements of strategic importance, covering economic, social, and security issues, and opening up broad prospects for cooperation on integration of the Maghreb *

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Maghreb Arab Press (Tunis, Tunisia, May 31, 2014) ― King Mohammed VI and Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on Friday chaired the signing ceremony for 23 bilateral agreements at the Palace of Carthage in Tunis.  The agreements are of high strategic importance, as they cover various economic, social and security fields, and open up broad prospects of cooperation for the integration of the Maghreb.

They are also marked by a significant openness on new areas of cooperation, including renewable energy, the environment, financial markets, and the promotion of human rights, as well as by the important involvement of the private sector, represented by the General Confederation of Moroccan Businesses (CGEM) and the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA).

The signing of these agreements reflects the will to support the transition that Tunisia is undergoing, and to enrich in a qualitative way the legal framework of bilateral cooperation.

The first agreement covers a Memorandum of Understanding between the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic Studies and the Tunisian Diplomatic Institute for Training and Education, signed by Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar and his Tunisian counterpart El Mounji El Hamidi.

The second agreement concerns an executive program of cultural cooperation for 2015-2017, signed by Mezouar and El Hamidi.

The third agreement relates to cooperation in the field of security, signed by Interior Minister, Mohamed Hassad and his Tunisian counterpart, Lotfi Benjeddou.

The fourth agreement, signed by Minister of Economy and Finance, Mohamed Boussaid and his Tunisian counterpart, Hakim Benhammouda, relates to regional integration and co-development.

The fifth agreement, signed by Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid El Alamy, and Tunisian Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Kamal Ben Naceur, on cooperation in the industrial and technology fields.

The sixth agreement is a memorandum of cooperation in the field of protection of industrial property between the Moroccan Office of Intellectual and Industrial Property and the Tunisian Institute for Standardization and Industrial Property, signed by Moulay Hafid El Alamy and Kamal Ben Naceur.

The seventh agreement, which focuses on an executive program of cooperation in the field of scientific research and technology, was signed by Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Training, Lahcen Daoudi, and Tunisian Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Information and Communication Technology, Taoufik Jelassi.

The eighth agreement, a draft partnership agreement and cooperation between the Ministries of Education of both countries and the National Council for Human Rights and the Arab Institute for Human Rights, was signed by Minister of National Education and Vocational Training, Rachid Belmokhtar and his Tunisian counterpart, Fethi El Jerray.

The ninth agreement, which covers a cooperation protocol in the field of health, was signed by Minister of Health, Hussein El Ouardi and his Tunisian counterpart, Mohammed Essaleh Benammar.

The tenth framework agreement on cooperation in the field of logistics, was signed by Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics, Aziz Rebbah and Tunisian Minister of Transport, Shihab Ben Ahmed.

The 11th agreement is a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Higher Institute of Maritime Studies of Casablanca and Tunisia’s Mediterranean Institute for Training in Maritime Professions, signed by Aziz Rebbah and Shihab Ahmed Ben.

The 12th agreement covers cooperation in the field of religious affairs and endowments and was signed by Minister of Endowments and Islamic affairs, Ahmed Toufiq and his Tunisian counterpart Mounir Tlili.

The 13th agreement is an executive program of cooperation in the field of religion and waqf for 2014-2017, and was signed by Ahmed Toufiq and Mounir Tlili.

The 14th agreement covers an executive program of cooperation in the field of tourism (2014-2017), signed by Minister of Tourism, Lahcen Haddad and his Tunisian counterpart, Amal Karboul.

The 15th agreement is a cooperation protocol between the Tangier Higher Institute of Tourism and the Tunisian Higher Institute of Tourism Studies of Sidi Drif, signed by Lahcen Haddad and Amal Karboul.

The 16th agreement covers cooperation in the fields of public service, the modernization of public administration and governance. It was signed by Minister-delegate for public service and the modernization of the administration, Mohamed Moubdii and Tunisian Secretary of State for Governance and Public Service, Anwar Benkhalifa.

The 17th agreement, which covers cooperation in the field of the environment, was signed by Minister-delegate for the environment, Hakima Al Haiti and Tunisian Secretary of State for Sustainable Development, Mounir El Mejdoub.

The 18th agreement, which concerns cooperation between CGEM and UTICA, was signed by Meriem Bensaleh Chaqroun, President of CGEM, and Widad Bouchmaoui, President of UTICA.

The 19th agreement on cooperation between the National Railroad Office (ONCF) and the Tunisian National Railway Company was signed by ONCF Director General, Mohamed Rabii Lakhlii, and CEO of the Tunisian company, Mokhtar Sadek.

The 20th agreement relating to cooperation between the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the Tunisian Oil Activities Company (ETAP), was signed by Amina Benkhadra, ONHYM Director General and Mohamed al Akroute, CEO of ETAP.

The 21st agreement covers a draft protocol of cooperation between the Casablanca Stock Exchange and the Tunis Stock Exchange. It was signed by Karim Haji, Managing Director of the Casablanca Stock Exchange, and Mohamed Bichou, Director General of the Tunis Stock Exchange.

The 22nd agreement provides for promoting partnership in the development of solar energy. It was signed by Mustapha Bakkoury, CEO of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) and Hamdi Harrouch, Director General of the National Agency for Energy Management.

The 23rd agreement covers the tripartite cooperation between the Banque Marocaine du Commerce Extérieur (BMCE), Banque Nationale Agricole tunisienne (BNA) and Banque de Tunisie. It was signed by CEO of BMCE, Othman Benjelloun, President and CEO of Banque de Tunisie, Habib Ben Saad, and CEO of BNA, Jaafar Khattech.

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Moroccan King Mohammad VI meets with President Moncef Marzouki and other Tunisians upon his arrival on May 30, 2014 in Tunis. AFP

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* Morocco and Tunisia sign 23 cooperation agreements on security, economy, tourism, energy and more during official visit to Tunis by King Mohammad VI *

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Al Arabiya/AFP, Staff Writer (May 31, 2014) ― Morocco and Tunisia on Friday signed 23 cooperation agreements in various areas involving security, economy, tourism and energy during an official visit to Tunis by King Mohammad VI, Tunisia’s state news agency reported.

Moroccan King Mohammad VI greeted by Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on his arrival in Tunis. AFP

“The signing ceremony took place at Carthage Palace under the co-chairmanship of Caretaker President Moncef Marzouki and King Mohammad VI of Morocco,” TAP news agency said.

The Moroccan monarch is on three-day official visit to Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring.

The King is accompanied by a large delegation of 11 ministers and 90 businessmen.

Mohammad VI will also meet Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa on Saturday and give a speech to the National Constituent Assembly at 1530 GMT, AFP reported.

Shortly after his election to the presidency in 2012, Marzouki visited Morocco, a country he is familiar with having lived there.

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Moroccans living in Tunisia, wave the national flag as they welcome King Mohamed VI (portrait) upon his arrival on May 30, 2014 in Tunis. Photo: AFP / Fethi Belaid

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Lalla Essaydi (b. 1956), Les Femmes Du Maroc: La Grande Odalisque, 2008. WUTV Public Radio

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Arts & Culture

* Listen to Lalla Essaydi interview on WUTV Public Radio, Chattanooga, Tennessee *

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WUTC Public Radio, by Richard Winham (Chattanooga, Tennessee, May 31, 2014) ― Lalla Essaydi is a painter and photographer whose work hangs in galleries all over the country, as well as in England, Japan and Syria and a number of other countries around the world. Born in Morocco, she’s lived here in the U.S. for the past 18 years. She recently visited Chattanooga to talk about her work.

One of her photographs is part of the permanent collection at the Hunter Museum of American Art here in Chattanooga. While she was here, Essaydi sat down to talk to WUTC’s Richard Winham.

This is the painting satirized by Lalla Essaydi as La Grande Odalisque. Ingres was one of a number of principally French painters drawn to North Africa by the promise of women of “easy virtue.” This fantasy was reproduced in innumerable paintings in the 19th century. This practice of fetishizing Islamic women has been termed orientalism. For Ms. Essaydi it is akin to colonialism and an affront to the dignity of all Islamic women. She seeks to draw attention to and to redress this damaging misconception in her photographs.

The post At the Hunter: Moroccan Photographer Challenges Stereotypes of Islamic Women – WUTC appeared first on Morocco On The Move.