January 2005 Archives
I came across this reading list of books on Morocco quite by chance, but it looked fairly interesting.
Joshua Haynes feels frozen out on Eid el Kebir. I remember feeling a little bit the same way when it seemed everyone in town had been invited to a wedding except me. I did not have too much trouble getting over it, however, because people made such an effort to include me on so many other occasions.
Marja-Leena Rathje has pictures of Moroccan women based on photographs by Irving Penn. The women in the photograph are from Rissani, on Morocco's eastern border near Erfoud. More pictures of Rissani can be seen at Nomad's Land Photography and VirtualTourist.
Joshua Haynes' A Moroccan Emprise, chronicling his experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, has made a welcome return after a brief hiatus. I still find it amazing that Morocco has progressed so much in the fourteen years since I was there that a Peace Corps Volunteer is able to maintain a web site.
For some reason, the King of Spain thinks that Spain has a "special interest" in resolving the conflict in the Western Sahara. I am a bit mystified by this statement, since it is my impression that Spain's sole historical involvement was as a second-tier colonial power bent on extracting as many resources as it could. Be that as it may, Morocco presumably has an interest in cooperation with Spain, both to further its ties to the European Union and to make progress toward ultimate restoration of the Spanish enclaves of Sebta and Melilla.
Bronze statues from Roman times, Phoenician jewellery, a 14th century wooden pulpit from a mosque, colourful mosaics: the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam has put 300 art treasures from Morocco on exhibit that it hopes will change how Dutch view people of Moroccan descent.
The story in Middle East Online includes a couple of photographs. I am reminded of my father's favorite site — the Roman ruins at Volubilis — that we saw when I took my parents on a tour.
The latest issue of Tingis has hit the shelves!
Friends of Morocco points to a new English language newspaper on the web, the Morocco Times.
