As if your body were  just a corpse

As if it were a hateful enemy of yours,

You’re mangling it without remorse.

As if the grey air, your wheezy breath

Were not enough to ruin your health,

Sent inside like fire eating logs in a heath.

As if you already lived in atmosphere,

As if your life were safe from any fear,

As if your soul was cheap not dear;

You are killing it with just a tiny weapon,

A paper stick beating you into the open,

As if you needed soot, your life to blacken,

As if it had a taste, a pleasant perfume,

You burn it and your life into fume;

It decides on, ratifies your own doom.

I see you run to its hold in a haste

You  light, inhale it, you find its foul taste

A relief, ignoring its lurking waste.

You don’t know what you dearly miss

While keeping it betweem your lips

In a long, slow, breezing and sooty kiss.

It snakes inside you, biting your lungs,

You feel its illusionary lust not its fangs;

You generously or indifferently share

The danger of which you ‘re not aware.

If it had the power of strength, a magic spell

The whole world would live just on its smell;

If its power made you forget your own worries,

The paper stick’d be as scarce as rare currencies

And all the written words’d revolve its burning fee.

And the smoke would not flee the productive bees.

If your smoking idols were sane with their stink,

As you  fancy, in their life and their show-biz,

If none of them ‘re distroyed by the heady drink

And their lung burning, raptly performing their due,

Ignoring its danger and those silly fans like you,

Not wanting to think of the crimes that ensue,

Innocently contributing to legal, civil murders,

Starting by themselves, ramping to the others,

Those gently coaxed into the vice, easy to fool,

Caring more of fame and less of the human soul.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Taroudant, Morocco - The legendary group that revolutionized Moroccan music during the 1970’s released a new album.

Co-produced by the Association Maroc-Cultures and Music Disc Platinum, Moroccan music band Nass El Ghiwane marks its return to the world of music with a new album entitled "Al Baraka".

The new album was performed on Saturday, during the 13th edition of Mawazine Festival along with more other songs spirituality, society and humanity.

After two years of hard work on the album, "Al Baraka" includes a song called "Haraz Aouicha," referring to the famous poem of Melhoune (authentic Moroccan classical music style), another song entitled "Hajouj and Majouj" where the band sends a universal call for peace, the third song called "Kob Atay," whose lyrics are part of the lineage of famous Ghiwani title "Essiniya" and "Mouja" enfolds the bands outlook on the turmoil of the Arab Spring.

The special feature of new released album of Nass el Ghiwane is a song in Amazigh language, under the title "Tamaguit" or "identity" in reference to the diversity of Moroccan social fabric.

Casablanca- Moroccan singer Dounia Batma, who was listed among MWN’s most “Controversial Trinity” (Latifa Ahrar, Sina and Dounia Batma) in 2013, has recently come under fire from Moroccans on social networks—this time for speaking a dialect of Arabic other than the Moroccan darija on an Arab TV Show.

Dounia Batma was recently the guest of Arab TV Show “Sabah Al Arabiya,” which is broadcast on Al Arabiya. The episode shed light on Batma’s successful new single “Hani Hani” as well as her forthcoming album, to be released after the religious celebration of Aid Al Fitr (at the end of the holy month of Ramadan).

While talking about her single, the Moroccan singer did not use one word of her native Moroccan darija, which was not well received by a number of Moroccan viewers.

The bulk of the reactions to Sabah Al Arabiya episode, recently uploaded to YouTube, were less concerned with the latest news of Batma and more with her speaking a variety of Arabic—Khaliji, or Middle-Eastern Arabic—rather than Moroccan darija.

“Dounia, you look very beautiful,” commented a Moroccan YouTube user, “but you should have spoken Moroccan Arabic since you’re your country’s ambassador there. They [people in the Middle East] understand our [Moroccan] dialect.”

Other Moroccans cast harsher light on Batma’s use of Khaliji, and went beyond that to accuse her of being “unfaithful to her cultural origins.”

“Talk in Moroccan Arabic. You renege your origins when Moroccans are behind your success and voted for you in Arab Idol. I never heard an Arab artist speaking Moroccan Arabic in a show,” another YouTube said.

After marrying with the Bahraini millionaire Mohamed Al Turk, who is currently her personal manager, Batma has been subjected to harsh faultfinding by Moroccans, who disapproved of her marriage to a man already married and father of a young girl.

Dounia Batma came to the spotlight in March 2012 after her startling performances during the first edition of Arab Idol. Batma’s soulful voice enabled her to qualify to the final of the competition, which she lost to Egyptian Carmen Souleyman.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed.

Rabat- The 13th Mawazine Festival-Rhythms of the World (May 30-June 2) attracted a record audience of 2.62 million goers, Morocco-Cultures Association announced on Sunday.

The closing concert on the Salé stage brought together at least 180,000 spectators to watch the performance of star Zina Daoudia, while headliner Alicia Keys hit the same evening the stage of OLM Souissi with her best R&B and Soul songs for an audience of around 150,000 music-lovers.

Keys, who is attending the fest for the second time, gave an unforgettable show and invited on stage Moroccan violin player Smail Raziki from the Moroccan Royal Symphony Orchestra.

Diversity, tolerance and openness on the world, the Mawazine Festival succeeded again in keeping its promises, the organizers said.

Casalanca- Latifa Raafat, one of the towering icons of Moroccan song, has been selected as the beauty ambassador for leading Swedish beauty cosmetics company, Oriflame.

Moroccan diva Latifa Raafat was announced Oriflame’s new beauty ambassador for 2014 at the launch of a new cosmetic brand named The One. The announcement was made during the recently held annual seminar of Oriflame’ Directors.

“We [Oriflame] are very proud to have chosen a beauty Ambassador whose personality shares so many similarities with the brand: natural elegance, bright charm and confidence,” read a statement in an article devoted to Latifa Raafat on the Moroccan version of Orfilame’s website.

“She’s naturally beautiful,” confirmed a comment on Oriflame’s article. “She’s always genuine,” read another comment.

A video recently uploaded to YouTube shows Latifaa Raafat, dressed in glamorously colorful Moroccan garments, posing for pictures that now appear in Oriflame’s catalogue for June.

Born in 1965 in Kenitra, Morocco, Latifa Raafat is one of the most celebrated Moroccan singers, having risen to fame in Morocco in the early 1980s. Latifa is also famous in the Arab world, and is recognized as an international ambassador for Morocco’s culture and distinctive beauty.

Edited by Elisabeth Myers'

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Tinejdad, Morocco- Hollywood Star Apologizes for Film Crew Accidentally Bursting Boys’Soccer Ball by Teaching All-American Baseball

American film star Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, known popularly as Tom Hanks, taught a handful of Moroccan boys how to play the national American game of baseball after “a production truck accidentally ran over their soccer ball and exploded it.”

Half of dozen Moroccan boys were playing football (soccer) in the street in which the American actor was filming his upcoming film, A Hologram for the King, when one of the crew’s production trucks accidentally ran over the soccer ball.

Touched by the sad look on the faces of the boys, Hanks, who happened to be nearby and heard the explosion of the ball, sent his assistant to buy six new soccer balls and gave them to the boys as an apology for the loss of their ball.

According to Showbizspy, the American actor “handed each boy a new ball,” and then asked them, “Hey, do you guys ever play baseball?”

When the boys answered that they did not know how, Hanks is reported to have said, “You show up here tomorrow.  I’m gonna teach you how to play a real sport!”

The six Moroccan boys showed up the next morning on time to find that Hanks had bought bats, balls, and gloves for every one of them, and then he spent an hour teaching them to play the great American sport.

 Edited by Elisabeth Myers

Tinejdad- British Muslim TV, a new TV channel, will launch this month on the British Sky digital platform.

According to the channel’s website, British Muslim TV will “provide both Muslim and non-Muslim communities with news, views and insights into how British Muslims live”

As stated in its official website, the channel “aims to make British Muslims feel confidently Muslim and comfortably British.”

“Viewers will be treated to a range of engaging, entertaining and educational content, aimed at showcasing the best that our British Muslim community has to offer,” the channel added.

In its promotional video posted on YouTube, British Muslim TV showcases a range of entertaining programs and TV shows that the channel will broadcast including “Marriage Made In Britain, Talking Booth, Halal KJitchen and British Muslim Teen Vision.”

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

If you have nothing to do nor even to give

For people who find it so difficult to live,

Simply give them a real, thoughtful smile,

It may be as generous as the flowing Nile,

   Only a smile;

****

See, money is like a bird you cannot ensure.

It can make you at ease, desert you and fool.

Give the poor one a mere smile to make sure

With hope you have imbued his empty soul

  Through a rich smile.

****

A smile to the sick  can be much healing;

You really don’t know what is in the offing,

But  you do see and feel what they endure;

So smile to them, make it but a bit of a cure,

Your  hearty  smile.

****

To children without a safe shelter , no ceiling,

Or bossom to hold them, lend yours to rest in.

Give them just a caressing and  loving smile;

It’ll warm them days and nights long or awhile;

    Just  your smile.

****

In the corner sits a sad, elderly man alone,

With a stick supporting his bent backbone.

His memory is a set of past events, a big file;

Break his silent loneliness with your smile,

 Your attentive smile.

****

Give the blind one a helpful cheering hand,

The deaf-and-dumb a patient, smiling nod;

Help them on your way to reach their end,

And if you can be of some use, thank God

    For being able to smile!

****

Even on an off-day, to the needy keep smiling;

You have nothing to lose but rather a lot to win.

You have some of people’s misery to deplete;

Never be lax on this soothing task, never effete;

   Just go on smiling.

London - Morocco is a kingdom that is full of history and culture. Millions of travelers visit the country each year, and it is a very attractive and safe place to tour. There are five main destinations within Morocco that are perfect for touring in style, experiencing the wilds, relaxing and having your breath stolen by stunning beauty.

Marrakech — Hustle, Excitement and Bustle

This ancient city is loaded with beautiful architecture that looks nearly the same today as it did centuries ago. Influenced by the French, many buildings are carved from solid stone slabs and are covered in decorative designs. The craftsmanship of these ancient buildings ensures that they are safe and will remain in existence for many centuries to come.

Go to Marrakech to see:

• Majorelle Gardens are an oasis of peace and tranquility

• Souks packed with affordable arts and crafts

• Fire jugglers who defy pain and injury

• Merchants who accept haggling

The city is a strange combination of peace, beauty, crowds and excitement.

Fez/Fes

Fes is the oldest and most intact city in the Middle East and North Africa. The old town, called Medina in the native Arabic language, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here you will see:

• There are more than 9000 very narrow streets to navigate.

• Thousands of ancient buildings to see

• Dozens of ancient mosques and religious sites

Enjoy this city and find a new respect for the spiritual mecca of Morocco.

Merzouga — Sun and Sand in the Wild

This desolate region is the best place in the world to go sand surfing. A favorite of adventure travelers, Merzouga is home to the world's largest natural sand dunes. While camping in the dessert, enjoy:

• Spectacular sunsets

• Plentiful wildlife

• Bedouin tribes

• Native music

Grab a surfboard and hit the dunes for one of the wildest rides of your life!

Essaouira

This relaxed seaside town is a great place to participate in exhilarating water sports during the day and fun nightlife in the evening. While the town is very laid back. There are a plenty of tour providers that take tourists on outings on the water. Hope aboard and experience:

• Open water for sailing

• Para-sailing

• Diving and snorkeling

• Swimming with sharks

Sunsets in Essaouira are unforgettable, and the sound of the ocean waves are the perfect serenade for a relaxing experience.

Chefchaouen

This small city is based at the bottom of the Rif Mountains. This town is laid back, but less luxurious than the larger cities. If a rugged experience in a stunning landscape is for you, this is where you want to be Chefchaouen is different because:

Most of the buildings are painted bright blue, giving the city an odd aura of relaxation and openness.

The town is difficult to spot at a distance because the color of the buildings matches the sky.

In the late afternoon light, the town looks like a magical oasis touched by gold.

No other town in the Middle East and North Africa can compare to this tiny treasure. Of course, there are hundreds of interesting sites to visit in Morocco. Contact a Turkey visa specialist to get an insider's advice on entering the country.

Amelia Verona lives in Cambridge, UK and is an avid reader and blogger. Her areas of interest are food, blogging, reviews (book/movie), travel, fashion, lifestyle and fitness. Presently she is working on behalf of Turkey visa which provides the easy way to visit the places in Turkey.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar; it is also the most sacred month of the year. It is the anniversary of the revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Mohammed in the Cave of Hira. During Ramadan, Muslims around the world abstain from food, drink, sexual intercourse and tobacco during daylight. It is a celebratory holiday, but has other, deeper spiritual meanings. Ramadan is not just about food and drink, but is an occasion during which Muslims reflect upon their past year’s actions, seek forgiveness for transgressions, purify the soul, refocus on spiritual practice, and help the poor and needy.

When Will Ramadan Take Place?

The fast starts on the first day of the lunar month of Ramadan. Since the Gregorian date changes every year, the first day will likely start about 10-12 days earlier in the next calendar year. Muslims do not agree on the exact date to start the fasting because of the differences between Chiâa and Sunnah. And, some countries start their fasting with Saudi Arabia and others with Iran and Syria, based simply upon political issues. In 2011, the first day of Ramadan began on August 2. In 2012, it started on July 20 or 21, and in 2013, on July 11th or 12th. This year 2014, Ramadan is likely to start in the end of June.

Generally, in Morocco and in many other Muslim countries, the official first day of fasting is based on the moon sighting. However, there are two different thoughts about the locale of the sighting: some believe Ramadan should start at one single moon sighting regardless of where the Muslim lives, whereas others insist that the beginning should be when the moon is sighted in the locality where the Muslim himself lives. In Morocco, Muslims are split on this issue, and there is a group of people called "Ikhwan Muslimine" who always fast one day before the rest of Moroccan Muslims, also celebrating Eid adha one day before. Ironically, the religion that is supposed to strengthen the ties of families, relatives and friends has sometimes been reduced to a spiritual tool by varying religious groups, leading us to separated paths and to the formation of distinctive groups.

Who Must Fast?

Not all Muslims fast during this month, but those who don’t must be specifically exempted. The first exemption is for children. Although the Quran does not specify an age to begin fasting, generally speaking, children start fasting when they reach puberty. But, the age is different between Chiâa and Sunnah, and between the Islamists and social-modern Muslims. Some Islamists-Extremists force their children to fast at an early age, and they will proudly repeat in front of friends and family how the child is a "good Muslim" for doing so. I personally do not agree with starting children at this age and think we need to create a new job, with the title "Ramadan Social Workers!" On the other hand, I do believe it is good to allow the children to experience the fasting of Ramadan so long as their health is not harmed (for example, fasting for a few hours or half a day). Ramadan should be a good childhood memory instead of a painful experience. That way, as children mature, they will more likely embrace their parents' religious beliefs and understand the meaning of Ramadan, just like many of us did!

Another group exempted from the requirements of fasting is travelers. If a Muslim is traveling, he/she is permitted to break the fast, provided that the missed day or days are made up.

There are also health issues exempting Muslims from fasting. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not fast, since an intermittent schedule of drinking and eating during the day is not healthy for the baby. Also, women menstruating, with postpartum bleeding, and going through menopause are exempt, as well as those who suffer from severe migraines. These exemptions are provided because fasting during Ramadan blood loss frequently results in fatigue, severe headache, stomach ache, dizziness, vomiting, physical weakness and bad mood. Of course, one should make up the missed days when the condition is resolved.

The final category of those Muslims who are not obligated to fast encompasses old people, mentally ill people and people with diabetes or other serious diseases. In general, if a Muslim is suffering from a sickness or takes medication which makes fasting detrimental, he shouldn't fast. The doctor and common sense should decide.

Food and Its Traditions:

Ramadan means fasting from dawn to sunset, but does not mean "Light Food or Less Cooking." There are many traditional, rich dishes made especially for Ramadan, which also differ widely from one region to another. Ramadan’s main meal is called "Ftoor" in Darija ("IFTAR" in Arabic), meaning the end of fasting at sunset. Ftoor is a happy, special celebration for families to eat and get-together, listening to the Quran, or to Tarab Andaloussi (Moroccan Classic Music) or to simply chat, share recipes and tell stories. The meal lasts for a couple of hours. Sometimes so many people are in attendance and the food so varied that the meal is served on 3 or 4 tables.

A few days before Ramadan begins, children become excited, knowing it means less school, exams and homework. More importantly they will get a lot of special and traditional treats, basically a party every night for thirty straight days. Mothers are busy stocking their pantries to have the essential ingredients on hand. If you go to the souk or market a few days before Ramadan, you can see mothers shopping, hustling and bustling about, getting ready to prepare the most popular Ramadan treats in Morocco i.e. Chabakiya, the famous tressed cookies soaked in honey, Krachel, Harira, Briwat, Mini-Bastilla, Salloo, Rziza, Mssamen, Malwi, Baghrir, Harsha etc. One week before Ramadan, Moroccan streets are transformed into Food Workshops and Iron Chef Competitions!

Traditions of Ramadan in Morocco:

"Zowaka": This is a traditional practice identifying the time of Ftoor in Morocco. An Air Raid Siren (Zowaka {Z O W A K A}) is heard, announcing the end of day’s fasting. This startling, loud sound is followed immediately by the ritual “Adan or Athan,” or "the call to prayer." This tradition has been replaced by a recorded sound, aired on national TV or Radio.

Lilt Sab3a W3achrin: Called in Quran "Laylat Al-Quadr or Al9adr," it is the 27th night of Ramadan. The first verses of the Quran were revealed to the prophet Mohammed on this very night, so it is quite special. The first Sura revealed to him was "Surat Al-Alaq:" "Read in the name of your Lord who created..."

During this big family gathering night, children offer gifts to parents and grandparents. The gifts given are usually traditional Moroccan clothes (Kaftan, Jlaba, Charbil, Balgha) or money. On this night, it is also important to perform Tarawih, which are prayers that come after the Isha prayer, performed in pairs. Women usually prefer to pray their Tarawih at home, whereas the men choose the Mosque, taking brief breaks between Tarawih by coming back home for a cup of Moroccan mint tea and spoonfuls of Sellou or Tquawt.

Another particularity that sets "lilt sab7a w3achrin" apart from all other Ramadan nights is a lovely smell in every single house. L'Bkhour (incense) is burned in M'bakhra (incense burner); some call the heavenly scent the “smell of paradise.” The smell can last for few days, especially if L'Bkhour is of high quality. Some say that L'Bkhour coming from Saudi Arabia is the best and the most expensive.

Stars of Lilt Saba w3achrine: The special night of Laylat Al-Quadr is a celebration of children who begin fasting. To celebrate, parents hold a traditional family ceremony after Ftoor meal. It marks the beginning of their upbringing in the Islam faith. With the help of Negafa (a woman who offers stylist and make-up services), the girls wear beautiful make-up, formal Moroccan traditional clothes and gold. Boys wear traditional Jelaba, Fassi hat (the Fez hut), and Balgha. The boys take a short ride on a beautiful horse, usually accompanied by one of the parents. The horse is dressed in beautiful traditional attire, parading the street, followed by a group of traditional musicians performing cheerful music, followed by Zgharit (women roll their tongues and produce this cheerful sound). These horses look stunning and I think they are well schooled to tolerate all what is associated with the drums, dancing and music sound, even seeming to enjoy themselves! This Ramadan event is one of the best childhood moments for every Moroccan!

Nafar, a volunteer who is a kind of town "Crier": This is another special, old tradition of Ramadan in Morocco. A Nafar is a kind of town "Crier," whose task is to walk down the streets playing a special instrument, like a trumpet, or calling people by their family names, to wake them up for the Shoor meal, the last meal before sunrise. A Nafar is usually chosen from the local community and he knows everyone in the neighborhood.

Charities: During the entire month of Ramadan in Morocco, there are many charities, volunteers and mosques throughout the kingdom, who hand out free Ftoor meals to the poor and the needy. In Addition, every muslim, male or female, old or young, is obliged to pay Zakat al Fitr to the poor at the end of Ramadan.

Night Promenade: After the Ftoor meal, most families, including children go out to have fresh air, forget about food and enjoy the rest of the evening. Needless to say, working and school hours are greatly reduced to suit Ramadan schedules.

Greetings: Since Ramadan is the time for celebrations, all Moroccans send greetings and best wishes to their family members, hoping that they have a long and healthy life. A long time ago, greetings were conveyed by family visits one or two days before the starting of Ramadan, talking about Ramadan preparations and enjoying a fresh mint tea with Dwaz-Atay. However, now, many greetings are conveyed in the form of phone calls, text messaging, e-mail, facebook, google, twitter, blogging, etc.

Visiting Morocco During Ramadan:

Most tourists avoid travelling to Morocco during Ramadan. However, if you do come, it is good to know that it is a very special time for majority of Moroccans-Muslims. Not all Moroccans celebrate Ramadan, including Moroccan-Jews, Moroccan-Christians and others who do not fast. In general, Moroccans are very tolerant of non-Muslims eating, drinking and smoking during Ramadan, unlike Saudi Arabia that often threatens to expel those who engage in these activities. In Morocco’s tourist areas, a few restaurants and food stores will be open during the day, but it is respectful to avoid eating and drinking publicly. You can always eat in a hotel during the day without worry.

Ramadan does provide some positives for non-Muslim tourists during the day, especially in the mornings. The streets, markets and souks are less crowded and less busy than usual. The beaches are almost empty because Moroccan-Muslims will not go to the beach while fasting. There are also good flight deals to travel to Morocco during Ramadan; during that time, a five-star hotel for 1 or 2 weeks might not blow your budget.

If you have Moroccan friends, don't hesitate to ask them to join you for a home cooked Ftoor meal. In is in the traditional Moroccan house that a person will have the best chance to taste the uniquely Ramadan dishes prepared to perfection.

Enjoy your trip in Morocco, celebrating Ramadan! Wishing all of you and your Family a very Blessed Ramadan Mobarak! Ftourkom Mabrouk, as we say in Morocco.

Edited by Ann Smith

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

By Dahamou Layla

Tinejdad, Morocco- Steamed and stuffed chicken is a tasty Moroccan meal.

It is considered among the prestigious dishes that Moroccans serve for their special guests. In special ceremonies and festivities, people prepare it as a basic meal along with spicy thick sauce and pickled lemon. Nowadays, people prepare it more often as a regular dish for lunch. With bread, cooked vegetables and some salad, it can be unbelievably a delicious and a rich meal.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken with its lever 3 tsp salt Some vinegar. 1 tsp ginger. ½ tsp turmeric. ½ tsp ground black pepper. 2 cloves of minced garlic. 1 lemon juice

For stuffing, you will need:

2 tbsp green olives cut into small circles. Few saffron stamens (soaked in cold water) 2 cloves of minced garlic Half a pickled lemon cut into pieces. 1 tsp hot sauce. Chicken lever cut and boiled in salty water. ½ bag of Chinese vermicelli. 1 tsp soft butter. 2 tbsp olive oil. 1 tsp cumin. ½ tsp salt. 1 tsp paprika. 2 tbsp chopped parsley and coriander.

Way of preparation:

Clean the chicken and the lever very well and soak it in water with salt and vinegar at least for 2 hours.

In a bowl, mix ginger, turmeric, garlic, lemon juice, saffron, black pepper and some salt with a cup of water.

Clean the chicken again very well and strain it from water then marinate it in the mixture of spices (inside and outside) and let it at least for an hour.

Put the vermicelli in hot salty water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain them and cut them into half.

In a bowl, mix the vermicelli with other ingredients.

Stuff inside the chicken with the vermicelli mixture.

Take a needle and a thread and sew the opening by stitches, spin the thread around the chicken, and tie it firmly.

Let the chicken rest at least for an hour.

Pour about 2 litters of water in a couscous pot and let it to boil on a high heat.

Put the stuffed chicken in the steamer and cover it with a lid, using aluminum foil to stop the steam from escaping. Steam for an hour.

When the chicken is steamed grease it with butter and put it in the oven until it is grilled.

Serve the chicken with steamed or grilled vegetables, rice and salads.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Fes  - Princess Lalla Salma chaired Friday in Fes, the opening ceremony of the 20th Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, held on June 13-21 under the auspices of King Mohammed VI, under the theme "The Conference of the Birds, "Journey of Cultures."

Princess Lalla Salma joined the official stand where Her Royal Highness chaired the opening show of the festival, an original composition of traditional songs and dance entitled "Conference of Birds."

A true masterpiece of performing and visual arts, this show is inspired by the "Song Bird," a tale of 13th century-Persian mystic poet Farid ud-Din Attar.

Like previous editions, the Festival of World Sacred Music offers a selection of musical expressions of different traditions and cultures of the world, free concerts, and Sufi nights, and other educational activities.

The festival has brought together artists from across the world, notably Rokia Traoré (Mali-June 14), Roberto Alagna (France-June14), Youssou Indour (Senegal-June 15), Johnny Clegg (South Africa- June 15), Luzmila Carpio (Bolivia- June 15) Bardic Divas (Kazakhstan-June 16), Kadim Al Sahir (Iraq-June 20), and Buddy Guy Legend (USA-June 21).

Since its creation in 1994, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music aims to harness the arts and spirituality in the service of human and social development, and the relationship between peoples and cultures.

Fez- There was a time when there was no difference between the artisan, the craftsman performing the most menial tasks and the artist who devoted himself to art. It was the Amien, Simon Marmion, who in 1449 painted and gilded the weather vanes of a turret in a large dock. Marmion was a painter of pictures that contemporary criticism likens to Memling. Marmion was a manuscripts illuminator of sumptuous quality.

That was in the past! Today everyone claims to be an artist or artisan but nobody recognizes the craftsman. We all trust the anonymous work of mechanics and it is surprising that the resulting objects do not touch our personal lives. They simply lack out the human touch though they come out of human hand. They cannot maintain that indefinable thrill of life, supporting gouge or punctuating the route of the brush printed decisively to the most inert things. (Daniel Coutourier) It was this thought that came to Daniel Coutourier’s mind when he first stood before the so original work of Driss Oumami in 2007. El Oumami presented his work at the festival of contemporary art. He painted on animal skin which is a unique material in the community of other works painted on canvas or wood, or even plywood.

Driss El Oumami is of Berber origin, of Southern Atlas Mountains, land of his ancestors and a crucible of Morocco’s vernacular roots. Born in 1962 in Casablanca, today El Oumami is a decorator at television shows, designer and producer of models for buildings, residential edifices, ports, airports, exhibition stands, and artisan with an almost mystical respect. He considers art in its various manifestations knowing that the artist can convey a message of joy and culture, and better self-knowledge.

Daniel Coutourier proceeds by saying that Driss El Oumami instinctively reflects his art which is based upon an Amazigh family heritage. He maps out a path line for his works which he borrows without restraint or constraint because he knows he does not belong to any school or master. He venerates the traditional and looks down on the imitational. He rather innovates constantly especially taking into account the environment in which we, human beings, are immersed and using culturally-rich material. He creates his works by translating the needs and the gestures of his contemporaries, taking into account how the used material will evolve artistically.

The harmony of lines, the richness of the material and the work on the naturally- tanned skin leave a dominant artistic symbol. This sleek but noble simplicity is precisely the marking quality of El Oumami’s works. If the theme of work is meant to be modern, he processes his work manually. This embodies the artist character at the final work.

It is not a requirement to be a genius in order to have a high state of sense and sensibility. It is necessary, though, that thought should be consistent with the excellence of the sensory faculty. Only then as Leo Arnoult notes in "The work of art: the infinite and the perfect” that the artist’s intelligibility and moral order became full. It is irresistible taste that leads a perfect to a passionate idealist. They are qualities that the artist generally mixes with a creative imagination to be able to "take a fragment of the world, redesign and then make all possible and perfect."

Driss El Oumami is a simple but an aspiring man seeking the truth. His truth seeking quest is processed through technical procedure, construction and execution of his work. His masterpieces are characterized by a beauty of form and a color harmony. He acquired a style of beautiful form, subject only to a higher spiritual principle. His ornate style activates the assets of any judgment. Yet, style remains what impresses most among others professionals of art or even among those with sensitive taste to beauty and form.

Abderrahman Benhamza, equally, sees the work of Driss El Oumami as unique in the world of art. According to Benhamza, Driss El Oumami uses skin as an ideal receptacle for his pictorial language. The artist strives to keep the skin’s spectacular aspect. The skin, from El Oumami’s point of view, has no artistic limit. It preserves initial configurations and geography encountered during the preparation of work forms. The hair that covers the fleece, sometimes partially shaved, plays a major role in the color issue; its natural pigmentation is an integrated subject, which helps to define shapes and flow direction.

The coloration of the skin is performed to create an impressionist mode. Nonetheless, the process of coloration counts but little if the artist prefers the expression and movement. The tones have a complementary role; they derive their side features from an acquired celebration atmosphere.

El Oumami oversimplifies his topics and themes yet his artistic memory remains overloaded. His typical genre scenes target the development of a social aspect deeply- rooted in the Moroccan landscape; they maintain a constant dialogue with the roots, sometimes putting in relief character models, which the artist assigns a symbolic dimension.

El Oumami ensures adjusting the context of representations in relation to the present. He does not hesitate to raise high the banner of the Amazigh identity and ethnic paradigm that he integrates into the framework of his work respecting traditions. He enhances the rendering of visual elements such as kernels of the Argan tree, jacket buttons, and shards of traditional jewelry….etc. He makes a kind of "editing", sticking the material just mentioned to the skin and sewing these "recovered" elements. Successful contrasts and a sense of depth are raised to attention.

The art critic, Sheikh Abdullah, from his part described the exciting world of the colorist alchemist, Driss El Oumami as a universe both pictorial and scriptural which presents itself as a harmonious blend of form and tonality. This deep plastic sensitivity makes this artist a reference in contemporary Moroccan painting. His chromatic tones loaded with a naturalistic symbolism refer to a well-structured macrocosm that emanates from the inner nature of the artist.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

I will never forget that rainy day,

The day God decided to take you away.

****

You left to go ride with your friend,

Only to never come back home again.

 ****

It's been two weeks since you've left,

And I still can't say the word "death."

 ****

Day by day I think of you,

How can all of this be true?

 ****

I can’t believe you’re really gone,

I still can’t accept it, even after so long.

****

Just the thought of you makes me cry,

I never even got the chance to say goodbye.

 ****

You left us sad, while still a young man,

Just one summer more, I wish that you can.

 ****

So many things I never got to say,

I never imagined you’d be so far away.

 ****

In my heart you’ll always be,

You’ll be my guide and help me see.

 ****

I’ll never forget your soothing voice,

I would take your place if I had a choice.

 ****

I wish we never had to part,

I miss you with all of my heart.

 ****

I hated Casablanca because you’re not there,

If I never come back, I really don’t care.

****

You were the big brother that I never had,

God knows how much I am sad.

 ****

I know you will always be by my side,

But I guess it is time to say goodbye.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

By Anas Zedgui

Marrakech - Last week, comedy festival organizer Jamel Debbouze and a number of  comedian friends met in Marrakesh to organize the fourth annual Marrakesh du Rire, from June 10 to 15, a festival created four years ago that has since grown to be a huge success.

Founded in 2011, the festival has grown year after year in both numbers of performing artists and numbers of attendees. From 2011 to 2014, the festival individual performances have increased from 3 to 15, the artist line-up has expanded from 20 to 60 artists, the number of tickets sold soared from 6,000 to 70,000, and the number of viewers on channels broadcasting the event (Moroccan, French, Belgium and Canadian TVs) went from 20 million to more than 70,000 million, according to Maghreb Arab Press (MAP)

Marrakech Du Rire is providing an opportunity for young comedians to get a “lucky break.”  “Ecko [a young Moroccan comedian] is the perfect proof of young comedians who got their big breaks thanks to this festival,” said Mr. Debbouzze.

The festival was held in different spots of the city such as Ksar El Badii, the Royal Theatre and some of the city's squares. Comedians from Morocco and other countries participated in the festival, including Malik ben Talha, Baptiste Lecaplain, Max Boublil, Ecko, and many others.

The festival also sponsors a Charity Game, a football game in which well-known comedians and football players play against each other. The proceeds from the game are given to the association of Al Karam, and the association of Sa’aat Al Farah.

Jamal Debbouze, highlighted at a press conference that the purpose of the festival is to present Morocco to the world and to select comedians from different backgrounds and help beginners improve so that they can perform on international stages.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Rabat- Following Tom Hanks, who shot his movie “A Hologram for a King” in Casablanca and Marrakesh, Bruce Willis is currently in Marrakesh for the shooting of Barry Levinson's next movie, "Rock the Kasbah ".

Cap on head and bottle of water in hand,  Bruce Willis was seen on Tuesday taking a walk in Gueliz, downtown Marrakesh.

According to Daily Pulpy news website, the American star is filming ‘’Rock The Kasbah’’ in the “red” city’s streets. Production on the comedy kicked off on Tuesday in Marrakech.

“Rock The Kasbah”, is similar to the recent movie by Moroccan director Laila Marrakchi, which uses the same title.  However, this is a new comedy by director Barry Levinson. It premieres in US in the spring of 2015. QED International will handle the movie’s sales.

Kate Hudson, Danny McBride, Scott Caan, Zooey Deschanel, and Leem Lubany are also in Marrakech to star in the comedy.

Rock The Kasbah’s story follows Richie Vance, a has-been music manager who decides to send one of his artists on a tour for the benefit of the American troops in Afghanistan. After some complications, Vance finds himself alone in Kabul, penniless and without his passport. He then discovers a young Afghan girl with a crystalline voice, whom he decides to register to compete on the TV Afghan’s equivalent of the show “American Idol.”

Edited by Timothy Filla

Fez - The productions of Driss El Oumami can generally be described as Amazigh hymns.

They reflect his Amzigh origins in particular and the Moroccan identity in general. His work radiates a strong sensitivity and projection within a Moroccan historical context. His skin art renders drawing a line between Driss El Oumami the artist and Dirss El Oumami the artisan a preposterous mission.

He, truly, immerses the artist’s sensitivity within the artisan’s skill in a deftly manner. Driss El Oumami knows how to translate the unfathomable strength weighing upon the lives of common Amazigh man. He is a researcher in a rich Amazigh heritage that constitutes a substantial sub-culture within a wider frame of a Moroccan culture.

His skin work is a cultural fantasy taking the visitor of his art galleries into the ancient roots of Moroccan history. It is genuine then when art critics testify that the essence of such artistic works have never been tarnished by modern influence. Canvas is replaced by animal skin mostly goat, sheep, cow and camel skin. When asked about the pre-artistic steps in preparing material for his work, El Oumami insisted that preparation phases of material involved in his work is highly an artistic procedure.

El Oumami is very selective to his material and guarantees a man-made product from the very first steps of work. He selects and gathers the appropriate raw skin from imperial cities like Fes, Marrakech where natural tanneries exist for over 1200 years. The skin is naturally dyed after having the skin manually trimmed, shorn, or fleeced.

Finally, he falls into the abyss of his cultural imagination to end up into a collection of mind-captivating art. Driss El Oumami is incontestably dubbed the Skin Man. Here follows a collection of his art that has been displayed at a professional art gallery in Sheraton, Casablanca.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Fez - On June 24th, Tyrant, an American television drama, will premiere. The series is created by Israeli  writer Gideon Raff, and is developed and produced by Howard Gordon and Craig Wright.

According to the series' official Facebook page, Tyrant is the story of “the son of a Middle Eastern ruler who returns home after a self-imposed 20-year exile to face the reality of his country he left.”

Tyrant was filmed  in several different countries, including  Israel,  Morocco, and others.

In a recent video, Tyrant actors and the director expressed their astonishment at the richness of the Moroccan locations where they filmed. They described them as opulent, surreal, and exotic locations.

Adam Rayner, an English actor, said that Morocco is a rich country where people can see fantastic things, from incredible palaces to slums. According to Howard Gordon, these locations were chosen artistically, and they helped design scenes in the series

For Israeli actress Moran Atias, shooting in Morocco was a “surreal, magical, poetic experience that adds a lot for me.”

Morocco is a “very mysterious, very unique, very special country,” said actor Ashraf Barhom.

Jennifer Finnigan, a three-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning Canadian actress, described Morocco as “something magical,” and it could stand for Middle East countries.

Director David Yates claimed that Morocco is a country of contradictions and was their, “most exotic location.” He said it had some of “the most extraordinary places”  to shoot and "some of the toughest.”

Line producer Ron Bozman was in charge of finding a country in which to shoot, and claimed Morocco was the perfect location for its “absolutely stunning architecture and monuments.”

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Marrakech - Novelist explorer and entrepeneur Tahir Shah, who lives in Casablanca at the Caliph’s House which he renovated and wrote about is publishing his latest novel Paris Syndrome which was released as an ebook and on line on 16 June this year.

On her 5^th birthday Miki Suziki is told a tale about Paris by her aged grandfather who visited it in his youth. His story, related in stages, fires Miki’s imagination over a twenty year period. She becomes a door to door sales girl for a not very reputable cosmetics company and dreams of flying to Paris, “where all women were beautiful and dressed in the finest gowns and the men had the looks of famous film stars.” She becomes obsessed with Paris and French culture over a twenty year period where she grinds away selling beauty products from door to door and returns each night to her tiny frozen apartment. Then her cosmetic company runs a competition which she wins by an ingenious strategy and the prize is a ticket to Paris. Her desire to see the city is mixed with her love for her old and dying grandfather who wants a Louis Vuitton leather coin pouch which he saw in his youth.

Tahir Shah brilliantly evokes the power and urgency of human desire and the way we create an ideal existence in a foreign land so much more preferable to our ordinary dull daily existence where we try to escape the daily grind to earn a living. It is an attempt to escape which Tahir Shah brilliantly evokes in his novel The Caliphs House where he escapes with his family from the dullness and restrictions of life in London for the dream and adventure of restoring the Caliph’s House in Casablanca.

When Miki arrives in Paris, her dream and desires start to run away with her. She ends up in a clinic for sufferers of the strange condition called Paris Syndrome which is said to affect dozens of Japanese tourists each year. Tahir Shah piles on the pressure with a whirl of subplots featuring vigilantes, trade wars, bounty hunters and a tale of true love. This is a brilliant exposé of what happens when we confront our illusions which have governed our minds as we search for an escape from everyday reality which hems us in. Paris is of course, a beautiful and fascinating city which is there to be enjoyed and celebrated, Just so long as we don’t get too carried away.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Casablanca - Marrakech, Fez, and Casablanca are to host the 2014, 2015, and 2016 World Travel Awards Grand Finals, respectively.

According to news website Breaking Travel News, Marrakech will be the first city to host the World Travel Awards Grand Final. The Southern Pearl will go international as the 2014 Final takes place at its Palais de Congres.

The Kingdom’s spiritual capital, Fez, will host the 2015 World Travel Awards Grand Final. Morocco’s economic capital, Casablanca, will host the 2016 Grand Final.

Tourism operators in the three Moroccan cities have shared positive speculations as to the international exposure the three consecutive WTA Grand Finals will bring the three cities.

“Plans for the World Travel Awards Grand Final 2014 are now taking shape, with the Palmerais Golf Palace selected to host the exclusive event,” said World Travel Awards President, Graham Cooke, as quoted by Breaking Travel News.

“Today we are also revealing that Fez will be honored with hosting rights for the 2015 Grand Final, while we will be headed to Casablanca the following year for the 2016 Grand Final,” he added.

Along with Mr. Cooke, Moroccan Minister of Tourism Lahcen Haddad hailed Morocco’s potential as an incontestable candidate to other international tourist destinations.

“Morocco has considerable assets, which will guarantee the World Travel Awards participants the chance to live a unique and unprecedented experience. The event will undoubtedly reward hospitality industry actors who have chosen excellence and quality. I hope many of them will apply and win,” said the Minister, quoted by the same source.

“We believe in Moroccan hospitality and Moroccan ability,” affirmed Mohammed Arkobi, Chairman of Moroccan Innovate Marketing Solutions.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed