Rabat - The holding on April 24-27 of the 14th edition of the "Printemps des Alizés" will enhance the destination of Essaouira as an irreducible bastion of cultural diversity and privileged agora for all musical genres, said André Azoulay, the King's advisor and president of Essaouira Mogador Association.

This 2014 edition of the "Printemps des Alizés" will follow the way which masters and pupils have frequently used together to revisit and share the most symbolic pieces of classical music, he told daily "Le Matin" on Monday.

Remarkable on the back of its density, this cultural event features four concerts daily, and several musicians from all over the world, with a large array of formations ranging from the Morocco's Philharmonic Orchestra to soloists, he added.

Brahms, Schumann, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt and Prokofiev performances will mark this dreamlike weekend during which music will wide open our doors to its universality and most thrilling promises, he said.

Goulmima - Human beings are bestowed with gifts of all kinds and yet very few succeed in bringing these gifts to their potential and make masterpieces out of them.

The faculties of speaking and writing are such invaluable gifts yet how many times have we been at a loss of finding the right word or when language fails us? Writers and poets have honed those skills and like magicians, they manipulate words artistically  and with wit to produce an entire manuscript or an image such as “the beauty of a garden.” Strikingly, such refined skill mostly emerges and shines in an environment with limited resources.

Ksar-es-Souk or “Errachidia” is a city in southeastern Morocco whose citizens have gained a remarkable reputation among Moroccans for their hospitality, absolute integrity. The city is also known as being the womb of artists, geniuses, and writers who defy the scarcity of resources and choose to break the wall that has isolated the whole region for years.

Moha Souag is an imminent writer and poet who devoted his life to the symphony of words and whose writings went beyond the majestic mountains of Errachidia and the physical borders of Morocco. He received the “Meilleure Nouvelle en Langue Francaise” awards offered by RFI in 1991 and the Atlas awards in 1998. Mr. Souag disclosed to MoroccoWorldNews the following details on his outstanding experience with writing:

MWN: Would you please talk about your hometown?

Moha Souag: I would say that Ksar-es-Souk “today’s Errachidia” is where I spent most of my childhood and my teenage years and where I also worked for years.

MWN: When did you start to discover that you are passionate about writing?

Moha Souag: I was introduced to the power of words at an early age through listening to short stories and elder’s tales. Their words that make you laugh and cry have a magical power. So I grew an interest in learning languages in general and little by little I tried to find my way towards this capacity to speak and express myself. I started writing since I was a student in Sijilmassa Secondary School in Ksar-es-Souk. I had this dream to establish order in the world, to change it, and to create it through the magical power of words.

MWN: What inspires you?

Moha Souag: Day to day life and my relationship with people are my major sources of inspiration; however, reading and cinema significantly helped me frame my writings.

MWN: Why is writing so important to you?

Moha Souag: It is said that “if you don’t talk about something, it means that it did not happen.” If the spoken word was the only means in our society to handle important events, everybody knows that words go with the wind and only written words remain. On the other hand, writing is an integral part of our existence and the survival tool of our society. Every population and every nation has produced a culture, and an art. I think that my society is moving from an oral culture towards a written one.

MWN: Did you face any obstacles in your career?

Moha Souag: Countless! But it is part of the game. A young country that is “under construction” is like a blind person, he stumbles, but the big challenge is to find a way or a solution to every problem.

MWN: Do you think that writers and poets in Morocco have the status they deserve?

Moha Souag: The challenge with art in general is combining individual and collective adventures. It is a matter of abstract creativity but at the same time an industry. A writer needs a pen and a piece of paper, but writing a novel takes a print shop. Making a movie takes a camera, but screening a movie or making copies of it is very costly. By the same token, painting or making music do not require that much compared to what it takes to produce such works… So, at the individual level, there are abundant creative talents, the problem is with the state, logistics, follow up, and pedagogical organization. Neither the state nor the sponsors understand that art is a field of investment and a means of evolution for a nation.

MWN: Do you think that poetry plays a role in preserving cultures?

Moha Souag: Preserve, I cannot tell! But a culture is supposed to contribute to the advancement of a nation. There is no such thing as stagnant culture.

MWN: How can we encourage youth to enroll in writing?

Moha Souag: By offering them support and encouraging them to express themselves. Thus, whoever can write, should write. Writing is a testimony on our societies and different generations. It is not up to a writer to judge his own work- a writer provides his testimony, emotions, sensations, and feelings and it is up to history and time to maintain what is valuable and throw away what is futile.

MWN: What are the challenges that poets and poetry face in Morocco?

Moha Souag: Finding a channel of communication, reaching out to readership in the languages that represent them the most, walking towards the reader and fighting against illiteracy and ignorance.

MWN: What is your opinion on the Moroccan Art scene?

Moha Souag: It is a world where the so-called intellectuals spend long hours talking about art instead of dealing with its problems and obstacles.

MWN: What is/are your favorite language(s) that you enjoy writing in?

Moha Souag: My mother tongue is Tamazight and French.

MWN: Can you provide a list that you recommend for readers?

Moha Souag: It is a long list. I will give you the book title of my very first book collection published in 1979 "L’Année de la Chienne” and my very last novel published in 2014 entitled “ Nos plus Beau Jours”.

MWN: Who is your target audience?

Moha Souag: everyone who can read and who has the means of access to culture, and by means I mean intelligence and financial access.

Edited by Sahar Kian

Down! Down! my Enemy

And read not my pity and sorrow,

Lest, perhaps, you wake up

And become my Friend tomorrow.

look!

Will it be of profit for you

My Enemy not to be my Friend

And help me not to help you

And act on when shaking my hand?

Yesterday went on and today

Has gone wailing to end itself soon.

My people are down to earth

But I weep and look at the moon

That has always conferred warm light

On the sky and never told for whom.

True,

We all have dreams and fears

Of sailors who have seen

The sea and the waves turn angry

And take everything to drown our land.

Farewell to arms, goodbye to fears,

To you I will never give my health.

I will give my best to life and friendship

When enmity had and has always death.

Long and tiring is the journey

To the Lighthouse yet without it

Everything always means nothing.

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By Elena Hart - Tangier

The French Institute of Tangier will host the 18th Annual International Literary and Arts Salon of Tangier from May 7th to 11th, 2014.

This unique festival, like the mythical city of Tangier, has made a distinct mark on the Moroccan cultural scene, thanks to a daring avant-garde spirit and a willingness to open up a discussion on critical political and social issues.

Each year, writers, artists, philosophers, historians, journalists, and diplomats gather at the Palais des Institutions Italiennes to take a critical look at such topics as human rights and the situation of political prisoners, urbanization and sustainable development, the responsibility of intellectuals, globalization, and the advent of the Digital Age.

The 2014 edition brings into question the "African-ness" of Morocco. The country has maintained centuries-old economic and cultural ties with its neighbors to the south. King Mohammed VI’s recent diplomatic tour of West Africa and the growing investments of Moroccan companies in the region have reinforced these links.  Casablanca is emerging as a new economic and financial hub of the continent.

Yet, at the same time, it is difficult to think of Morocco, a country rooted in Arab, Berber, and Jewish traditions, as being African. With this in mind, the Salon aims to shed light on the great cultural and linguistic diversity of Africa(s).

Prominent African writers and thinkers, including Achille Mbembe, Alain Mabanckou, Henri Lopes, and Léonora Miano will participate in round table discussions on: The Challenges of Linguistic Pluralism, The Reappropriation and Teaching of African History, War and Literature, Regional Political Alliances, South-South Economic Solidarities, New Technology and the Spread of Knowledge and Literature, and The Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Music.

As always, a wide variety of art exhibitions, musical concerts, African films, and activities for children (storytelling, music, workshops) will complement the literary program. Among them:

• The exhibition "Stories of skin," which examines the treatment of skin from traditional arts and crafts such as leather-working to contemporary art.  Featuring the works of Farid Belkahia, Hassan Hajjaj, Bernard Rancillac, Myette Fauchère, Degbava and Jacques Do Kokou.

• The video-installation "Crossings" by Leila Alaoui on the experience of African migrants.

• The jazz trio Bekkas-Dramé-Raulin, who blend the musical traditions of their respective countries, Morocco, Burkina Faso, and France.

• The French chamber choir Archipels will present a selection of literary texts set to the music of Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Fauré and others.

• A night of dancing and rumba music with the group Coton d’Afrik.

In order to highlight the diversity of languages spoken in Tangier and in Africa, a number of book readings will be organized in French, Arabic, English, and Spanish. Boston University professor Diana Wylie will notably give a talk entitled, “From ‘Revolution’ to ‘Enchantment’: using art to tell stories about the past.”

The Salon is one of the French Institute’s many initiatives to promote literacy in Morocco. Before, during, and after the festival, the Institute collaborates with local schools and NGOs to organize reading programs for children and adolescents.

Rabat- Mimouna, the Moroccan Jews’ traditional holiday has become a national celebration in Israel, in which politicians attend events nationwide, reported Israeli media.

Every year, as the Passover holidays are closed, Jews from Morocco don traditional dress and get ready to start celebrating Mimouna, a festival that features sweets, music, and visits to family members and to the homes of community dignitaries.

Yet, Mimouna is no longer associated only with Moroccan Jews. Mimouna celebrations in Israel have now become a strategic venue for Israeli politicians to attend.

The Mimouna celebrations that kicked off on Monday night nationwide in Israel witnessed the participation of both of the leading candidates for the presidency, MK Reuven Rivlin and  MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, at the central Mimouna celebration in the city of Elad.

The central celebration was hosted by the mayor of Elad, Yisrael Porush, who was dressed in gold Moroccan garb, and it featured also the participation of Hatnua MK Meir Sheetrit,  who is the only presidential candidate born in Morocco.

The crowded race for president “shifted on Monday night from the Knesset to homes of Moroccan Israelis as candidates attended celebrations of the post-Passover holiday Mimouna,” reported JPost.

According to the same source, the candidates in the race that will be held in the Knesset sometime between late May and late June “used Mimouna celebrations to try to show that they are loved by the people.”

Speaking about Mimouna, Former Israeli Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner remarked that Israel has assimilated “the exiles” beautifully. “From the East and West, immigrants came here to fulfill the Zionist dream of the Jewish people. Maintaining the traditions and customs of our fathers taken from our birthplaces is not only moving nostalgia, it is also the secret of the strength of our nation,” she explained.

Edited by Elisabeth Myers

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Murders occur daily

In battlefields

In streets

In Subways

In neighborhoods

People are pushed to their death

Under trains, cars or lorries

People held at gun-point

Shot at blank-range

Beaten ferociously

People bleed to death

But unlike in old times

Nobody stirs a finger to help

Or assist a being in danger

Us humans instead

Snap photos

Film aghast scenes

For posterity

For the news

For YouTube

For history

We say with no shame

Whatsoever

Then we retreat in our social networks

To display our bounty

And Debate

Press like or dislike

Discuss

How disgusting

Our values are gone down the drain

We are mere verbal species

Unable to act as humans

We are only concerned

About our internet values

Our popularity in YouTube

Our image in Facebook

Our gossip in Twitter

We are despicable

No more socializing

No more gathering

No more dinner parties

No more discussions around fireplaces

Maybe no more feelings

No more true love

We are computer slaves

Chained to theses ghastly machines

Rapaciously consuming thousands of images

Of terrifying scenes

Of desolation

Death

Crime

War

And what have you

Goodbye caring human species

Welcome smartphone cold beings

Casablanca - This article is part of a series of articles entitled BVY (Better Version of Yourself) that aim to bring the best out of you as an individual.

So, are you ready to become the best of version of yourself? Let’s go!

The term “comfort zone” stands for everything you can easily and comfortably do “like a boss.” For example, when you’re the greatest singer in the room, and somebody asks, “can you sing for us?” you actually feel like you were complimented and you barely feel any pressure doing it. That’s your comfort zone.

But, what if you were asked to dance, knowing that you’d look like a drunken bear if you did so? Would you go out of your comfort zone and give it a go or would you just sit on the sofa and pretend to have fun while watching others having a blast dancing? Most people would opt for the sofa.

Comfort zones are virtual spheres where we unconsciously imprison ourselves, thinking that the best things we will ever do will only take place inside the sphere.

When the opportunity to try or learn something new offers itself, we just turn it down and become defensive—“It’s just not my thing,” we usually say.

Well, the bad news is, each time you turned down an opportunity to try something new, you might have rejected a potential chance to learn something valuable, which could have then become “your own thing.” The good news is you can still compensate for all those lost opportunities.

 Don’t feel like a useless idiot if you don’t manage to pull something off in your very first try. No one scores a three-pointer the first time he or she holds a basketball.

Most people turn down life changing opportunities just because of this fear of not being good enough. But who wants to be good enough? There’s no motivation to continuously seek improvement if you already do something perfectly.

Get out of your comfort zone and try something new, because you never know if you will be good at something until you try it. You may be the next Hicham El Guerrouj or the next RedOne, but the fear of ridicule will just kill the uncharted potential in you.

Watch the Experts 

Some people do not feel comfortable asking for help and guidance from others when trying something for the first time. Immodesty is another sphere in which we imprison ourselves and kill our potential. Having a down-to-earth attitude is one of the ingredients of excellence.

Try something I like to call, “swapping comfort zones.” Offer to help other people get out of their comfort zones and learn something new. In exchange, ask them to help you learn what they’re already good at. You will hit two birds with one stone: you will feel useful teaching others, and you will learn something new yourself.

However, if you’re an egotist and can’t ask for help from others, then all you have to do is watch others do something you’re bad at. Look for those people who seem to be very good at what they’re doing. Attentively scrutinize all of their movements and techniques and memorize them, then try imitating the process on your own.

It’s not going to be a piece of cake. Sometimes you will have to work hard and strive to become good at something. This is quite expectable for someone who’s fresh out of his or her comfort zone.

Reward Yourself Constantly 

Self-rewarding is the best way to stay enthusiastic throughout the process of learning something new. Many people throw in the towel just a few steps before the finish line because they lose motivation, the fuel of all endeavors.

We learn big things in small steps. That is why you have to reward yourself whenever you successfully finish a step, in order to be geared-up with determination for the next one.

Talk about your success to others. Tell them how you juggled a soccer ball for 10 seconds on your first day ever touching a soccer ball, or how you nailed a sophisticated salsa move after hours of trying, or how you managed to cook a difficult dish during your first time in the kitchen.

The more you motivate yourself in the process of learning something new, the more you will find pleasure in learning it and the more likely it is to become another trophy on the shelf of your comfort zone.

Edited by Liz Yazlik

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By Marisa Fernandez - Buenos Aires, Argentina

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What I most admire about the Imazighen is that although the pace of the world is constantly accelerating, they will never lose their traditions or roots. They will take all the world has to offer without losing their essence. Imazighen, those wise people from the distant sands of Erg Chebbi, made my stay unforgettable by giving me the most precious thing a person has: their time.

Edited by Katrina Bushko

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Taroudant, Morocco- The American singer Alicia Keys will perform at the 13th annual Mawazine Festival on Saturday, June 7th at OLM Souissi.

Having previously performed at Mawazine in 2009, the soul diva Alicia Keys will close the 2014 Mawazine Festival with her performance in  Rabat.

In a press release on its website, l’Association Maroc Cultures (the Moroccan Cultural Association) announced today that "the 15-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/producer, Alicia Keys will close the 13th annual Mawazine Festival Rhythms of the World with a performance on Saturday, June 7, 2014 on the OLM-Souissi stage in Rabat."

The closing ceremony on June 7th will also feature Saudi star Mohammed Abdou on the Nahda Stage.

The Mawazine Festival Rhythms of the World, which brings together local and international artists, will run from  May 30th to June 7th this year.

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Edited by Jessica Rohan

Tunis - Saturday April 5th was the most beautiful, stormy day I have ever witnessed.

L’Ecole Normale Supérieure in Tunis hosted Aspire to Inspire’s first event, “Unleash The Poet Within You.” It was a cultural rendezvous, utterly liberating on so many levels; both spiritual and intellectual forces were fervently let loose.

The fierce morning winds echoed in the university’s amphitheater, mixing with the passionate voices of the performers. The poets plunged the audience into sweet, awe-inspiring ecstasy. Whenever I looked around, I saw faces filled with bliss.

There were 23 performers between the ages of 15 and 27. Among the performers was Aspire to Inspire founder Sarra Jouini and the co-founder and creative director of the initiative, Hella Grichi. The participation of a young poet who came all the way from Libya was a surprising delight. She said she had traveled so as to have the opportunity to “unleash the poet within me.”

More admirably, most of the participants had never performed their poems in public before, yet they presented a tremendous amount of self-confidence and energy on stage, holding the microphone with strong determination to impress and inspire.

The audience was composed of students, teachers, parents, photographers and poetry lovers. Haifa Fersi, a professor at the university, proudly stated that “inspiring prospects are born in there… in your eyes, young …speak your hearts and minds…don’t silence your pens… keep speaking to souls…and instilling life in veins… in abundance! …a breathtaking spire is built inside my breast... in-spi--red… I am inspired.”

Muna Abid, a performer, declared, “storytelling starts here and love and spiritual growth will always be here as long as we write and perform.”

Ibtissem Annabi, an audience member and poetry enthusiast, said, “Tunisian students demonstrated their creativity, bravery, passion for beauty and ability to be more than mere mortal beings.”

This three-hour event was a result of the fruitful collaboration of a hardworking organizing committee composed of Sarra Jouini (founder and agenda manager), Sondes Ben Achour (content writer), Arwa Boudaga and Mohammad AlMootaz Bellah Ghodhbeni (outreach), Hella Grishi (creative director), and Manel Khedim (logistics).

In the hope of creating similar future events, may the desire to inspire forever glow in the skies of Tunisia and the world.

Edited by Jessica Rohan

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Marrakech - Mike Richardson’s Cafe Clock saw its official opening in Marrakech on Saturday April 26th in a lively, well-attended event with British Ambassador Clive Alderton and his wife Catriona. A number of the English-speaking community in Marrakech and many other Marrakechis were present.

Ambassador and Mrs Alderton enjoyed a lesson in Arabic script and there was a henna specialist decorating ladies’ hands and feet on the large terrace on the roof above the café. There is a great view from the terrace of the street just a few minutes from Marrakech’s historic casbah.

In a short address, the Ambassador praised Mike Richardson and his team’s  initiative and expertise in creating Café Clock in Fez and now Marrakech and helping to preserve Marrakech’s heritage of storytellers and traditions practiced on the Place Jamaa El Fna. He commended the creation of a cross cultural meeting place for Marrakechis of all nationalities. He called this an unusual and particularly British creation. He also unveiled a plaque celebrating the occasion of Café Clock’s opening, which will be proudly displayed on its wall.

When BBC journalist Richard Hamilton read from his book The Last Story Tellers of Marrakech at Café Clock during this year’s Biennale, he noted that the great storytelling tradition recognized by UNESCO  was in danger of dying out as only 6 storytellers were left. As sitdown restaurants and orange juice stalls expand on Storytellers Place, art and oral tradition need a helping hand to preserve the heritage and the stories. Cafe Clock has  provided not only a new audience and space for the storytellers but also a unique program to train new apprentice storytellers, some of them young Moroccan girls who can also tell the tales to the audience in English.

A delicious lunch of salads hummus and mini camel burgers was served, washed down with almond and other juices. Café Clock’s retired master storyteller Haj Ahmed Ezzaghani launched into a story about Joha and the King with Shakespearean eloquence, a flowing cloak, and great animation. This was followed by a rendition by Sara Mouhi,  a trainee English language teacher at the American Language Center, of the Joha story In English, telling how the King’s adviser tried and failed to have Joha beheaded by having the King ask Joha three seemingly unanswerable questions with a death sentence if Joha failed to answer correctly, and how Joha evaded death with the help of a donkey.

Café Clock is a great new addition to Marrakech’s cultural and social scene, driven by Mike Richardson’s boundless energy and the enthusiasm of his young team. 

Edited by Jessica Rohan

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Essaouira - The 14th edition of the "Printemps Musical des Alizés" ended on Sunday after a week-long music fest during which all genres of classical music merged with the magic of the city of Essaouira.

The festival closed with a concert, in Dar Souiri, given by the "Ensemble Contraste" band which tends to reinvent the limits of classical concerts by placing the public at the center with a style known for its diversity and spontaneity. Brahms, Schumann, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt and Prokofiev performances had marked the event, along with a concert by the Morocco's Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Olivier Holt and Bruno Membrey, and accompanied by soloists Patrice Fontanarosa and Da-Min Kim.

The domes are talking softly to the sky

We do not know if it is a prayer

Or a mere incantation or just

Ordinary gossip

This palace is spacious and full

Of unspeakable intrigue and hatred

Dating from centuries back

Huge candles flicker inside on and on

To light this emptiness over emptiness

Outside the kings used the water pavilions

As a gateway from retinue’s ongoing rivalry

And the daily grind of deceit

There is much torment in the air

So strong

That even the scent of flowers

Cannot erase or subdue

In these premises

There were once powerful men

Covered in the glory

Of huge empires

Strong armies

And so much oppression of the poor

And peasants

Their wretched destinies

Haunt this place

And will do so maybe for eternity

The beautiful marble pillars

Recount of unsettled times

Of the boy king’s regency

Overseen by his fierce uncle

Telling of myriad deceit

And an uncountable betrayal

Jockeying for power

And chronicling

Of the inhuman blinding

Of the eyes of enemies

And firing their severed heads

As cannonballs over

The crenellated walls

The air still reeks

Of the stench of death

And the unspeakable smell

Of innocent blood

Spilled for the glory

Of king and empire

Of bards praising horror

Out fear of torture

At royal hands

That had a sickly

Penchant for blood

There are also tales of wild romance

Under intricate roof brackets

Covered with calligraphic decoration

But these are not recounted by the domes

In their celestial narration

What purpose

Are these great piles of architectural splendour

To the memory

Of blood-thirsty monarchs

If the sublime gate

Is one of human demise

Photo by Paolo Moundir - Photography

Marrakesh- Tahar Ben Jelloun is exhibiting his paintings at the Tindouf Gallery in Marrakech.

He’s disarmingly modest about his creations, describing them as an arrangement of colors and shapes originating from doodles made while on the telephone. Of course, nothing that his exceptionally gifted mind produces is to be dismissed quite so lightly. Indeed, last year these paintings received critical acclaim at an exhibition in Rome.

There is nothing heavy or complicated about Ben Jelloun’s paintings; they are a delightful expression of natural joy in bright, engaging colors:, flowers, butterflies, and bird-like forms. There are desert scenes, and a ghostly white marabout which appears in different paintings. The last time I met Tahar Ben Jelloun here at the Tindouf Gallery was when he and the late Claudio Bravo published a book on marabouts in Morocco and their solitary, spiritual and intimate beauty as places of pilgrimage for the devout.

You may also notice amongst the small colored shapes in the exhibit other symbols which recall shapes in Arabic script and illustrations on ancient walls. The desert scenes convey the stillness and calm of Morocco’s southern sands, contrasted with strange buildings like long-deserted casbah ruins. Tahar goes into the back room brings out another desert scene with strange ruins peering down at us over the dunes. What we see is Tahar Ben Jelloun‘s mind in repose, a colorful, sublime mediation and moments of sheer amusement. The picture you see upon entering the gallery has a globe of patchwork colors with two smaller planets on either side, whorls like colored ribbons, and many shapes that could be birds in flight. The lower part of the canvas is covered a field of little flowers.

In his recently published book, A Letter to Matisse and Other Writings on Art, Ben Jelloun explores the art of Matisse and Moroccan painters. He reflects on Matisse’s visit to Morocco and the effect it had on his art. Matisse spent seven months in Morocco from 1912 to 1913, he creating about 24 paintings and numerous drawings. Included in these paintings was Window at Tangier, the view from his hotel window. Ben Jelloun affirms that this period in Morocco influenced Matisse’s later oriental paintings. He writes in Letter to Matisse that the vision of the East came from within the painter; he was not merely reacting to what he saw. Tahar Ben Jelloun also writes about other painters, some of whom he knew personally, including Jilali Gharboui, Mohamed Kacimi, Hassan El Glaoui, Chaibia Talal, Belkahia Farid and Bellamine Fouad.

His other recent work, Ablation, is very different. It covers the effects on those who have had their prostrate surgically removed. It has been a taboo subject but affects many men who have experienced the side effects of the procedure, which include incontinence and loss of sexual stamina. It is a deeply personal predicament which many face as they age. Ben Jelloun breaks the taboo, and as he discusses their condition with the sufferers, he is deeply touched by their situation. He is a writer who considers the human condition from every angle, including death, despair and even the prospect of suicide. He points out that cancer was once a taboo but is now discussed openly.

He recounts how many wives sought to find ways to understand their husband’s condition alone because their partners would not discuss it out of embarrassment or fear. He defines his work in Ablation as an attempt to find a way to confront the fate that awaits us and learning to live with the new life circumstances and learning to live with this suffering. Tahar Ben Jelloun is a relentless explorer of the human condition and man’s relations with the world around him. It is good to know, however, that there are also flowers, bright colors and delight in his vision.

Edited by Jessica Rohan

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Sailing to the unknown,

They have all disappeared.

The crews moaned and

A dusky cloud appeared,

Alone in a crossroads

Waiting in dreadful fear

Dreaming of an understanding ear,

Of seeing a brother walking there or here,

Or simply of listening to the tender word “dear.”

A hoarse voice

Coming from the foggy void

Says: “you have no choice,

Here, there is no understanding ear, dear.”

Then, the voice vanishes in the air,

And a laughter comes from nowhere.

Drops of bitter sorrow fell from his exhausted, desperate, disillusioned eyes

Unfortunately, he lost his “I”.

A merciless deafening thunder crashed the sky.

It was only the sound of his deep sigh.

“Go there, so far, it is a paradise where everything you can buy “

That was the  Lie

The Lie that throws the blind in a maze till they die.

The poor man is falling down, falling down, falling down,

The poor man is falling down and he lost his empire.

From a king to a squire

Burnt into a cruel fire

Listening desperately to the

Melody of a sad lyre.

Horror and terror

Shouts and doubts

Cries and sighs

Tears and fears

“I lost the rhyme”

Chaos

Chaos

Chaos

He sent a picture to the family

A raised hand shaping “v “

Is it reality?

A light breeze shook the rootless tree

Unfortunately,

The “V” wasn’t for victory.

The letter was to say “Vice”

To convey the bitterness of the life of mice

Eating only rice

Turning each day the dice

Once or twice

To decide whether to leave or stay.

It’s the game of

Black or Gray?

There is black, here is gray

So where to stay?

The golden token

Of Wealth and Freedom

Is now broken

The ghost of an agonizing dream is now dead and frozen

The crows’ moaning was indeed an omen

The huge doors widely open

Turned to be nothing but the gates of a cemetery, a hellish entry.

And that was the truth never spoken

I hate remembering that cursed date

When I went through the gate

Expecting something great

And finding myself in a slave state

Facing a horrible fate, with no mate

Now that I’m dead

Only one wish is turning around my eternal bed;

To be a Phenix,

To rise from the ashes and conquer the world

But before that to exclude the poet and steal the word

To say

I am sailing back to my homeland

There was my beginning and will be my end.

Photo by Kaoutar Rouas

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Casablanca- Why do we travel to places we've never been? The answer is very simple: we travel because we are always searching for new experiences to include in our archive of special moments.

If Morocco is one of those places you’ve never been, then you need to know where exactly to find these special moments and memorable experiences that are unique to Moroccan culture.

This article lists five ways that will help you find these authentic Moroccan experiences, and thus make the most of your visit to Morocco, and learn as much as you can about the culture, no matter which city you visi

1- Stay with a Moroccan Family

If you can manage to find a Moroccan family that would be willing to host you, then you’re sure to have an authentic Moroccan experience. While many hotels in Morocco try to simulate experiences that are peculiar to Moroccan culture, there is nothing like living with a Moroccan family, especially in rural areas.

Living among Moroccans will allow you to learn more about Morocco than you would ever find in the best travel guide or website. You will be able to hear the Moroccan dialect, taste Moroccan food, wear Moroccan clothes, share in some Moroccan customs, and if you’re lucky enough, witness a Moroccan celebration.

However, in order to ensure your experience with a Moroccan family is fully enjoyable, you need to be aware of the cultural norms and values of Moroccan society. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the lifestyle of a typical Moroccan family before you become their guest. That’s where travel guides and websites come in handy.

2. Look for the common, not the luxurious

Almost anything that is common in Morocco reflects traditional Moroccan culture. The souks, public baths,  cafés, middle class neighborhoods and restaurants catering to locals are all places where you can find an authentic Moroccan experience.

While people in urban neighborhoods tend to be inclined towards a more individualistic lifestyle, life in lower class neighborhoods and rural areas still reflects the communal, collectivistic aspects of Moroccan society.

3. Don’t be an armchair cultural observer

The best way to have a memorable, authentic experience in Morocco and learn about its culture is to take part in it.

Be willing to take part in some Moroccan cultural practices. If you’re lucky enough to be the guest of a Moroccan family, it is likely that you will be invited to take part in a number of cultural activities;  you may be invited to dance to Moroccan music, wear traditional Moroccan garments, or celebrate a typically Moroccan celebration.

Research shows that the best way to internalize knowledge is to perform knowledge. By taking part in Moroccan cultural practices, you’re sure to learn a great deal about the Moroccan people, their culture and their value system. Observation is never enough.

4. Engage in respectful and spontaneous cultural exchange

In Morocco, you should be willing to teach people about your own culture in the same way you expect Moroccans to teach you about their culture. Hence, you should expect to be asked questions about almost anything, ranging from details about day-to-day activities in your country, to commonalities and disparities in terms of how your culture conceives of spirituality, relationships, etc.

You, too, can ask as many questions as you want, about almost anything. Moroccans are very open to respectful cultural exchange and dialogue. You can even comfortably ask about delicate topics, such as religion and politics, as long as your questions are neutral and do not bear any value judgment or critique.

You will be able to see that once Moroccans understand that you’re open to an cultural exchange, they will talk to you openly and spontaneously.  This spontaneity in conversation is what you should look for, as it is in spontaneity that the beauty of culture surfaces.

5. Abandon Your Culture for a while

Be willing to accept differences between your culture and that of Moroccans. If you ever come across some cultural practices or hear of beliefs that seem to differ from those of your culture, then know that you’re viewing Moroccan culture from the vantage point of an outsider— and you will miss a lot in doing so.

Try for once to remove your own cultural lense, and stop looking at things from the perspective of an outsider, who is more concerned with what is different, than what is beautiful. If you’re looking for enriching, authentic Moroccan experiences, then you should be willing to turn off your cultural “firewall” and open up to the beauty and magic of Moroccan culture.

The best way to do this is through physical and emotional mimesis. If you take part in a Moroccan cultural practice, for instance, try not to focus on the fact that you’re an outsider trying something new, but rather on the fact that you’re taking part in something that the Moroccan people value considerably. This principle applies to any new culture.

If you desire to experience the authentic, your desire has to be authentic as well.

Edited by Jessica Rohan

 By Fatimah Alzahra Ben Saied - Tunis

Our life now is a mess

They say they want democracy

While we live in hypocrisy

We don't know what is right or wrong

 Now we live a bad  sad song

 We want justice also we want peace

 But unfortunately this revolution took too long

We don't know what to say

 We don't know what to do

!We live a misery and that is true

 ****

Our life now is a  mess

With unknown end

 And problems keep coming in

I took a paper and a pen

 So I could analyze it but I got confused, and don't know where to begin

Too many loose ends

I have many questions to ask I will mention them while asking two men

?Will things get better and start developing

!The first man said it won't since there are many problems happening, and he is always sitting in his chair and not doing a thing but keep on complaining

!So I asked another and he answered of course it will, if there is a will but it depends on us to make it the darkest hell or the beautiful Heaven

 ****

Our life now is a mess

Where sadness is dragged

Into our souls & life

 I'm afraid it will kill us inside

Or make us lose the life's delight

?This got me thinking is following our beliefs wrong or right

To not surrender for misery

Or maybe we should weep over the situation

And choose to embrace the sorrow

!Instead to make a choice which is to fight

 ****

Our life now is a mess

But I got a dream that

!The sun will shine, it's brightness will make me blind

!Where I can see the smile in a child's face when he is flying his first kite

Where people accept each other's differences and respect the human rights

!Where I can see people's smile on the street indication it's a good sign

!Where girls & boys are collaborating together to build a country from zero to nine

And when you ask how are people, they don't reply okay or going but

 !Fine

And what I dream the most about is where people in charge tend to make people happy is their goal and sight

!Where grammarians would concentrate on the meaning more than if it's noun phrase or verb

!Where I can find  inner peace, love and light

Am not going to let this hope go, not today, not tonight

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By Mary Finnigan

Fez - Faouzi Skali, the founder and Director General of the  Fez Festival of World Sacred Music, has been granted France's highest award.

In a ceremony in Paris on Thursday 1 May Dr. Skali was made a Chevalier (Knight) de la Legion d'Honneur by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

The award recognises Dr. Skali's pioneering work as a standard bearer for cultural diversity, religious pluralism and spiritual and humanitarian values. He founded the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in 1994 – after he was horrified by the implications of the First Gulf War.

“I felt I had to do something to focus on peace and understanding between nations and religions”, he says, “music is a universal language for people all over the world”

The festival celebrates its 20th anniversary this year from 13-21 June.

Faouzi Skali was born in 1953 in the Moroccan holy city of Fes. He is a doctor of anthropology, ethnology and the science of religions. – and a Sufi scholar and practitioner. Sufism is the esoteric and pluralist branch if Islam. It is practiced worldwide by both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Dr. Skali was invited to join the European Commission's Groupe de Sages (group of wise people) and in May 2011 King Mohammed VI appointed him to the Moroccan government's Audio Visual Communications Committee.

In 2002 Dr Skali inaugurated the forum Giving Soul to Globalization which happens during the Sacred Music Festival and in 2007 he founded The Sufi Culture Festival, which takes place as an annual event in Fes.

There are five classes in the Legion of Honour – Chevalier is the highest. To qualify at least 20 years of public service is needed, together with “eminent merits”. The eminent merits citation requires “the flawless performance of one's trade as well as doing more than ordinarily expected, such as being creative and contributing to the growth of others.”

By Jamal Dahassou

Rabat - Stereotypes are qualities assigned to groups of people related to their race, nationality, and/or sexual orientation. They are, therefore, generalizations about a group of people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics. Craig Mc Garty, a social psychologist whose main work is on intergroup relations and stereotypes formation, defines a stereotype as ‘’a particular set of social beliefs and understanding of outsider groups,both culturally and socially remote from the insider groups.” In the same way, Walter Lippman (September 23,1889 –December 14,1974),an American public intellectual, writer, and reporter famous for coining the term ”stereotype” in the modern psychological meaning, defines stereotypes as “the projection upon the world of our own values, our own position, and our own rights.’’ They are “pictures in our minds,” he adds. So, what are the common widespread stereotypes in Morocco? And why do we label and put stereotypes on others? Are stereotypes good or bad?

Examples of stereotypes in Morocco

Stereotypes are a big problem in our modern society. It labels how a person should act or live according to their sex, race, personality, and other facts. In Morocco, for example, racial groups are linked to stereotypes such as being good at math and physics. People of Errachidia and its surroundings is a case in point. But are all people of Errachidia good at math? It’s a generalization because we can find people there who are bad at these subjects. A person can also make a generalization about an ethnic group that hasn’t been integrated in society.

It is largely said in Morocco that people who come from the Sahara are good, gentle, and hospitable; but we can find bad people as well as good ones. Similarly, we hear that Saharans are more attracted to fat women than to slim ones. This is an overgeneralization because we can find Saharan men attracted to slim and fit girls in contrast of this stereotype. It is well known that when boys talk to girls whom they believed to be physically attractive, they communicate in a more positive and friendlier manner than those who believe they are talking to unattractive girls. People of Rabat are accused of being untrustworthy.

It is widely said in Morocco that Rabatis tend to give wrong directions when asked for a place. I have visited there many times and experienced such behavior on one occasion, but the second time, I asked an elderly and was shown the right direction. So, we shouldn’t take this prejudice as a fixed truth. Besides, that all men like sports, listening to news, and that women are not as strong as men are common stereotypes not only in our society, but in other societies as well. Moreover, there are stereotypes related to gender. For example, men are all the same: “rjal kolhoum bhalbhal,” or in other words, all men are wolves. This is a label that many women adopt because of a failed experience they have had with an ex-boyfriend. Young people, by their turn, have many prejudices. However,“bentnass” doesn’t exist anymore; this was said to ask, why didn’t you get married yet?

Why do we label and put stereotypes on others?

The commonsense answer to this question is captured in social learning theory. Simply put, we learn stereotypes from our parents who are our first and most influential teachers in socialization and upbringing. Sociologists suggest that stereotypes are the result of conflict, poor parenting, and inadequate mental and emotional development. They are shared because they are the result of a common environment. Some psychologists say that stereotypes are usually acquired in early childhood under the influence of parents, teachers, peers, and the media. A number of studies have found that stereotypes are activated automatically. Patricia Grace Devine, a professor of psychology at the university of Wisconsin-Madison, for example, suggests that stereotypes are automatically activated in the presence of a member of a stereotyped group. Besides, we stereotype people when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we need to make a fair judgment about them or their situations. That is to say, we just fill in the missing pieces of information since we don’t have a total picture. Labeling is due to carelessness, bad habits, and lack of critical thinking skills. In short, stereotypes remain part of the “in” crowd whether we agree with them or not. We are obsessed with labels. We should, however, focus on what we have in common like our values and beliefs.

Are stereotypes good or bad?

According to Daniel Katz (July 19,1903 –February 28,1998), an American psychologist, Emeritus professor in psychology at the university of Michigan, and Kenneth Braly (March 3,1906-July 4,1953), an American psychologist and sociologist stereotyping leads to racial prejudice when people emotionally react to the name of group. When people judge individuals and groups based on prejudices and stereotypes and treat them differently, we are discriminating against them not based on fact. Therefore, stereotypes lead automatically to racism. The negatives of stereotypes lie in the fact that people become aggressive after they have faced prejudice in a given situation. In addition, prejudices are bad because they make it more difficult to make good rational decisions. It is said that women have lower mathematical ability. This stereotype, therefore, affects women’s and men’s evaluations of their abilities. Simply put, stereotyping is the responsible for depression when people, for instance, have stereotypes about themselves.

In contrast, stereotypes can be healthy and useful. Walter Lippman argues that stereotypes are necessary for our orientation to the world. They are our way of simplifying and economizing. Without them, "our perception of the world would be like a baby’s.” In the same vein, Laurie Oakesan Australian political journalist and media personality, shows that stereotyping “has been characterized at best to make reality manageable and at worst, a pathological vehicle for prejudice and ill-treatment.” What is more, stereotypes serve the function of cognitive maps, assisting in organizing and categorizing the large volume of information that individuals receive and process in social interaction. They build a sense of belonging and a degree of distinction between groups.

However, even good stereotypes do harm. For example, a child belongs to a racial group known for being highly intelligent. This particular child, however, suffers from a learning disability and struggles to keep up with his classmates in school. His teacher discriminates against him because he has the stereotype that this child is supposed to excel in class, since his people are highly intelligent.

Edited by Katrina Bushko

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