A True Treasure Trove: Casablanca’s Vinyl Record Shops
Vinyl records are a rarity these days and many are collectors’ items. The shop we discovered held a treasure trove of recordings from the golden age of Egyptian music. Artists such as Umm Kulthum, Abd al-Halim Hafiz, Farid al-Atrash, etc., as well as some of the foundational Moroccan musicians from the mid-twentieth century, artists like [...]
Diplomacy Undone: Rice’s Disastrous Moroccan Blunder
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: As the plot to a Hollywood movie it would have been thrown out as incredible. But fact beat fiction this week in Morocco
‘Funny, Touching, Poignant’: The Voice of Moroccan Children
A few days ago The View from Fez wrote about a project being run by SOS Children, a UK-based international charity which supports orphaned and abandoned children worldwide. One of the interesting things about the way they operate is that their Africa project, Our Africa seeks to give young Africans the power to show Africa the way [...]
The Inter-Connected Magic of the Medina Souk
DEREK WORKMAN, THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Everything has its place and everyone has their role. It’s an easy reality to overlook with the pace of modern life.
Scams and Expense Hitting Mecca Pilgrims in Morocco
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: There has been a marked increase in the number of scams as well as increased cost, two factors hitting religious pilgrims in Morocco
Declining Fertility Rates ‘A Badge of Modernity’
ANOUAR MAJID, TABSIR: It’s a phenomenon that’s being observed across the Muslim world as women are marrying later and opting to have fewer children
Uncertainty Undermining Joy of New Freedom
The positive side of continual political change has got lost in the Arab world. Fear of uncertainty has killed the joy of new political life emerging in so many Arab states. The grim weekly numbers of people killed in political and sectarian violence dominate the new burgeoning of political life at national and local levels.
FRANCIS MATTHEW: The positive side of continual political change has got lost in the Arab world. Fear of uncertainty has killed the joy of new political life.
‘Last Storytellers of Marrakech’: There’s One Left
DEREK WORKMAN, VIEW FROM FEZ: It’s a culture that stretches back more than 1,000 years but it’s on the point of extinction
Morocco ‘An Example of Jewish, Arab Co-Existence’
ADINA FRIEDMAN: The richness of Morocco’s Jewish history comes as a surprise to many but it could provide a template for the region.
Ifrane: The Arab World’s Own ‘Little Switzerland’
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: The authorities in the town are trying to up its profile and attract visitors with new initiatives
Polygamy ‘the Answer to Morocco’s Marriage Woes’
According to a recent report in Le Soir, estimates from the Moroccan High Commission For Planning (HCP) found the median age for marriage in Morocco was 31 for men and 27 for women.There are many reasons for this – more years spent studying, and the high cost of housing and wedding ceremonies being the most [...]
The Menace of Mopeds in the Medina: Need for Speed
DEREK WORKMAN, VIEW FROM FEZ: Some traders and residents in the Medina have had enough of the speedy, ill-disciplined moped riders.
‘Ambulance or Hearse?’: Life and Death in the Atlas
DEREK WORKMAN, VIEW FROM FEZ: He throws his ambulance around hairpin bends with the practiced confidence of a taxi driver. Which is what he once was.
‘Exotic’: Orientalist Cliches Still Used to ‘Sell Morocco’
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: If a family of Moroccans were to find themselves on Bondi Beach they’d find it ‘exotic’. But that’s not a word used to sell Australia
‘Major Boost’ for Moroccan English Language Media
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: The story of English language media in Morocco is not a happy one. The arrival of a new title though is cause for hope
‘Play It Again, Issam’: The Real ‘Rick’s Cafe’ Story
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: For 60 years visitors to Casablanca were disappointed to discover there was no ‘Rick’s Cafe’. That was until Kathy Kriger stepped in.
Blazing Skies: Moroccan Meterorite Up for Sale
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: A perfectly intact meteorite that was ejected from Mars 700,000 years ago and landed in the Moroccan desert last year will go on sale this Sunday
Moroccan Tourism: Set for Up-Market Boom?
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Are we on the cusp on the major boom for the Moroccan property market driven by cash-rich tourists? Views are mixed.
Restoring the Glory of Fez: A ‘Capital Idea?’
THE VIEW FROM FEZ: It has enjoyed a glorious past but faces a very uncertain future. There’s a case to be made for restoring Fez as Morocco’s capital city.
