August 2006 Archives
Carnival band leader Gloria Cummins would rather be in Agadir, the Guardian reports. Personally, I have never seen the attraction, but then I have never been to the Paradiso Valley, either.
Hadar Harris and Rahim Sabir - New York Times
Human Rights advocates Hadar Harris and Rahim Sabir met in Morocco and were recently married after Mr. Sabir finished an eight-month stint as a human rights monitor in Sudan.
Mr. Sabir, a human- and legal-rights advocate in Morocco, had organized a series of workshops on pending reforms to the country’s criminal procedure code. Ms. Harris, an international human rights lawyer, was a guest speaker.
The couple were married in Chevy Chase, Maryland, at a "traditional Jewish ceremony with Moroccan flourishes."
Morocco: Here's Looking At You, Girlfriends
The Washington Post reports on the good times some local women had on their trip to Morocco. Lowlights were people on the street shouting "Fish and Chips" at them in Marrakesh; a highlight was the hammam.
Tagine shopping in Crate and Barrel Specialty Cookware
Crate and Barrel has the following to say for its 21st century tagine:
Named for both the vessel and the savory stew-like dishes it produces, the traditional Moroccan tagine has a conical lid designed to recirculate moisture and return it to slow-cooking foods. Our version uses a new glazed clay called "flame" that's exceptionally resistant to heat, allowing you to break with tradition and use your tagine on a gas or electric stovetop, in the microwave or oven.• Clay from the Burgundy region of France
• Heat-resistant "flame" technology
• Dishwasher-, microwave-, oven-, broiler- and stovetop-safe
• Made in France
At $89.95, however, I doubt it will make much of an inroad in the Moroccan market.
France to Send 2, 000 Troops to Lebanon - New York Times
Aside from France and Italy, other nations considering contributions include Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Spain and Turkey.
Check out My Marrakesh, another expatriate Blog about making a home in Morocco.
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Women dumped in Morocco?
The View from Fez carries a chilling story about women who are abandoned in Morocco when their husbands or fathers return to Europe. About 20 or 30 women are abandoned each year.
One thing that is particularly interesting about this story is that it crosses the fault lines between Europe and North Africa, since the story suggests that the practice is mainly perpetrated by Moroccan immigrants to Holland (or possibly other European countries).
The story cries out for a broader analysis of the treatment of women in immigrant communities, in Europe, and in North Africa. It raises unanswered questions about whether the practice is unique to Morocco or fits in with a wider pattern of abuse of women. Perhaps that is asking too much of a single news story, but in light of common assumptions about how women are treated in the West versus Muslim countries, some serious analysis is called for.
The most disappointing part of the story is that the Dutch authorities have apparently washed their hands of the women who have already been abandoned and are confining their efforts to preventing future abandonments.
MAROC IT - Toute l'actualité des TIC au Maroc
For French-speaking readers, Maroc.IT interviews blogger Larbi.org on the state of the Moroccan blogosphere.
Dernière remarque, et il s'agit là d''une surprise agréable, le nombre des bolggeuses marocaines dépasse légèrement celui des bloggeurs de sexe masculin. Je crois même que c'est le premier domaine ou les femmes de notre pays réussissent cet exploit. La parité parfaite, les marocaines l''ont rêvée, la blogoma l''a faite ! Et ça, c'est une révolution.
"A final comment, and it concerns an agreeable surprise, the number of women blogging in Morocco slightly exceeds the number of men. I think that is the first arena in which the women of our country have pulled that off. Moroccan women have dreamed of perfect equality, and they have achieved it in the Moroccan blogsophere. And that, that is a revolution."
Larbi conducts a wide-ranging discussion of the Moroccan blogosphere, including observations on the need for better bandwidth so more adolescents can blog, the fact that blogging has yet to spread beyond the major cities, and the lack to date of a genuine impact by bloggers on policy in the country.
Today in History - Aug. 20 - New York Times
In 1955, hundreds of people were killed in anti-French rioting in Morocco and Algeria.
Long after Malcomb Forbes' display of conspicuous consumption as Morocco's most extravagant tourist is but a memory, the New York Times reports that his heirs have parted with a 40 percent share of their main capital asset, Forbes magazine, the erstwhile "capitalist tool." The Moroccan palace where Forbes feted Elizabeth Taylor was sold to the monarchy in the 90's, and Forbes' famous collection of Faberge eggs hit the block a short time later. As my father would say, shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.
Morocco Arrests 44 Terrorist Suspects - New York Times
RABAT, Morocco (AP) -- Moroccan security services have arrested 44 suspected terrorists and dismantled a network allegedly planning attacks in the North African country, the state news agency reported Monday.
The article also notes that human rights organizations have raised concern that the Moroccan government has arrested and tortured innocent civilians in the course of its crackdown on terrorists.
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Woman and Islam - series on-line.
The View from Fez has on-line links to Wide Angle's widely acclaimed series on Morocco's first official female religious leaders, or murchidates, in Class of 2006. I missed the show on TV, so I am looking forward to seeing it online.
