Morocco: Culture & Ecology, Spring 2008

B'slama

2008-05-17T09:56:23Z

A couple of pre-depature photos taken in Granada before heading to the airport.

Dilapidated grandeur of Tangier

2008-05-15T23:09:16Z

Tangier needs a new coat paint. Every building seems a bit run down, overworked from the year of housing wild fun of the international zone years. The medina is distinct from any that we saw in Morocco, the medina has buildings with Spanish type architecture or a Catholic church. The Anglican church of St. Andrew outside the old medina has a particularly interesting look. It was a gift to the queen in the in the late 1800's, I think 1883, but the design of the church is very Arab. The ceiling over the alter is the traditional woodcarvings with zoic patterns. Plaster carvings frame the alter with Arabic calligraphy. The Lord's Prayer is in Arabic script. The steeple is square, like a minaret, with zelig patterns on each side. Also in Tangier we visited the American Legation, a US Department of State property. This palace was a gift to the US from the sultan of Morocco in c. 1831. The Legation is currently a museum to Moroccan-US relations and displays artwork of Moroccans and European or Americans with a connection to Tangier. It also has a library open to Moroccans studying English and gives literacy lessons to local women. There is a tribute to Paul Bowles and some lovely Berber rugs.
Tangier was our last taste of Morocco. I already miss greeting Moroccans with Salom, Labaas, Kulshi bixir, hamdu'allah. I wish to return one day soon insh'allah. Only a days travel from the US and I am in an immensely different culture. I know the medina of Fes better than any city in the world. I hope that Morocco is somewhere in my future.

Recipes

2008-05-15T21:40:40Z

It's been a while since I last blogged, so first I'm just letting everyone know that I and the rest of the group are alive and well. At the moment we're sitting in a bus station in Sevilla, so I'm taking this opportunity to type up some of the recipes I got during my cooking ISP with Hajja Fatima.

Lentils (3diss)

Soak 1.5 kilos dried lentils for an hour
Put them in a pressure cooker with a liter of water over medium heat, and boil for 20 minutes
Peel and chop three small tomatoes and one small onion
Add tomatoes, onion, ½ tsp imitation saffron, about a cup of chopped parsley, 1 ¼ tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp canola oil, and 1 ½ teaspoon each of pepper, paprika, and tumeric
Boil everything together, then turn down heat
Cook on low for 30 minutes
Uncover, add a cup of hot water, bring to a boil again
Add a tbsp salt, and serve with bread

Harira

Soak 1 c. chickpeas
Skin them and put into a pressure cooker with a small onion (chopped)
Dampen 1 c. dry lentils and add to the pressure cooker
Add 3-4 c. water, cook on high for 30 minutes
Grate 4 tomatoes
Mash a large handful of parsley tops with 2 tbsp salt until it has a paste-like texture
Put the parsley paste in a pot with a heaping tbsp pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil, add 8 c. water and cook on medium heat
Add ¼ tsp imitation saffron, 1 c. dry rice, grated tomatoes, and 1 tbsp butter to the parsley pot
Mix a small can of tomato paste with water, add to the parsley pot
Mix 1 ½ c. bread flour with 2 c. water
Add the lentil pot to the parsley pot
Add pepper to taste
Slowly pour the flour mixture into the pot, stirring constantly
Mix well, cover, and cook for ½ hour

Cordoba

2008-05-13T22:03:57Z

We spent all day today taking in the sights in the historic and beautiful city of Cordoba. In the morning, we explored the wonders of The Mezquita in mostly silence. The silence was only broken by a morning mass held in the active Cathedral part of the Mezquita. Following the Mezquita, we visited a unique synagogue with Arabesque plaster carving and Hebrew calligraphy. We also strolled the extravagant gardens of the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos (Castle of the Christian Kings). In the afternoon, we all enjoyed a fun and educational tour at the Living Andalusia Museum in the Torre de la Calahora.

In our spare time, we have been sampling Andalusia's finest foods - gazpacho, tortillas (with potatoes and eggs), and of course churros con chocolate - not to be missed!

Tomorrow morning, we will visit Medina Azahara, an ancient city that was abandoned shortly after construction - it would have been the largest city in Western Europe of that time. In the afternoon, we will move on to Granada - our final destination of the semester. Cultural and historical jewels wait for us there - Alhambra, Albayzin, gitanos, flamenco....

Off to Espana...

2008-05-11T23:21:19Z

We have had a busy three days here in Tangier - our last days in Morocco. Tomorrow, we will cross the Straits of Gilbralter to Spain and by the evening we will be in Cordoba. More details (and pictures) to come about our last adventures in Morocco and the adventures to come in Spain...

Practice of Fes Sufis

2008-05-08T13:47:44Z

Sufism, or the mystical practice of Islam, has a vibrant place in the spiritual life of Morocco with Fes as the heart of this tradition. Sufism is an extra practice for a Muslim, above Faith and adherence to the Shar'ia. It is by choice that some people choose this greater spiritual path to achieve, ultimately, Sanctification or the admission into Paradise before the Sufi dies. Many Sufis do not attain such spiritual heights, but those devoted to the practices gain greater peace and closeness to the divine.

I was privileged enough to observe Sufi practice at a zawiya (a shrine to a Sufi saint or marabout. It has a blessing from the saint after death, called Baracka, which gives the invocation greater spiritual power) in Fes with Niaz; a Canadian Muslim who is teaching English at the American Centre. In Morocco, non Muslims are not allowed to enter Mosques or zawiyas because of Morocco's interpretation of Islamic Law. Niaz asked a local muezzin (prayer caller) who regularly attended this invocation, if it would be acceptable to make an exception for me. His first inclination was no, but he eventually agreed that it would be fine as long as I bathe before attending, where a djellaba (traditional Moroccan robe), and cover my head.

My night started with the difficulty of trying to find a Taxi at night in Fes. Luckily the kindness of Moroccans was with me. Two men flagged down a petit taxi with one passenger for me, and fortunately his destination was not out of my way. The petit left me off a little before 8:00 pm at Bab Guissa, my rendezvous point. I waited for a minute, then slipped into my new djellaba feeling a little self conscious about wearing the traditional Moroccan dress.

]]> Niaz arrived shortly after I arrived, we went to his apartment to kill time until after evening prayer. We chatted about a book I was reading on Sufism, and the practice of Sufis in Fes. After prayer time we strolled through the medina to a small mosque that would be difficult to notice if it was not shown to me. The muezzin came to the door and greeted us, then gave a sermon on the impermanence and the meagerness of this world compared to the power of God. He asked that God help me on my spiritual path and that I he may bless me with good fortune.

We walked through the Medina for a few minutes, until we came upon an unassuming door leading below street level. As instructed I said B'smeallah as I crossed the threshold. A story below street level, presumably the basement of a large building, the stairway opened upon a large room with white washed walls and arches. Directly in front of me was an enclosure made of Moroccan cedar. It was the shrine of the dead Marabout, greeting those who had come to pray. The room was not elaborate, it was without the fancy plaster carving or zilij work of the madrases in Fes. Rugs were laid out on the floor and men sat against columns or walls. Some men near the mihrab (prayer niche denoting the direction of Mecca) were already singing.

Our muezzin guide introduced us to some of his friends; I was surprised that nobody questioned if I was Muslim. He ushered Niaz and I to a group of men sitting against a wall facing the chanting Sufis. We sat down with them, but unfortunately our muezzin's mother was sick, and needed to be attended to. We sat for a few minutes until one of the men gestured to Niaz to sit in the circle. I sat down behind him.

The music continued uninterrupted, except for some bread and tea. Abruptly a man began singing out of harmony behind me. I turned around. There was a man in a white djellaba strolling through the entrance of the Zawiya. He continued to sing very loudly, until an annoyed man stood up and gave him a stern "shoof." With the pressure of those around him he stopped singing and sat down a few feet from me. Then he began again with his loud singing in praise of the Prophet and God. The men around him tried to quiet him with stern words, but he continued to sing. He eventually was led out; the strange thing was that he didn't seem to mind.

Niaz told me after the night was finished that that man was a mujdid. Apparently he has done so many invocations and read too much Rumi that he is on a perpetual spiritual high, unable to control himself because of his immense love of the divine. This is not the state of oneness and knowledge of God that Sufi strive for, not a bad state of mind.

The poetry continued for the next two hours without interruption. Some men became increasingly emotional, singing with more force and swaying back and forth. Old men appeared to forget the aches and pains in their bodies, and the few you boys sat with an attentiveness that would be the dream of any school marm. Personally I felt a very calming affect on my thoughts and mind. I could easily clear my thoughts and remain present.

I am not sure how the invocation stopped, but those involved seemed to agree when it did. Everyone stood up and said peace to one another. All the participants, but especially the older men, where extremely joy full, as if some great gift had been bestowed upon them. They shook hands, kissed, and embraced with overwhelming happiness. Niaz and I said our goodbyes, and we left the Zawiya for the streets of the Medina.

It's Very Blue Indeed

2008-05-06T20:08:43Z

We had a great few last days in Fes; the culmination fo which was the homestay party where the students shared their appreciation for their time in Fes and the families that cared for them so well! It is always hard to leave our home-base of Fes, but everyone is enjoying the cool mountain air here in Chefchaouen.

A small city nestled in the Rif mountains (the northern most range of Morocco), Chefchaouen's medina is known for its beautiful pastel blue walls. Originally the walls were green (a charasterisitic Muslim color), but we repainted this soft calming blue by Jews in the 1930s. Chefchaouen has a long history of Jewish and Muslim influence (as both populations moved into the community during the Spanish Inquisition). Chefchaouen also has a distinctive Spanish/Andalusian feel (as compared with most cities in Morocco) since the city was once under Spanish occupation.

Literally the town's name (shoof-chaouen) can be translated as "look at the horns" (or peaks of the moutains that tower over the city). Tomorrow that is exactly what we plan on doing by taking a day hike into the surrounding rural areas to gain a better understand of how the Amazigh (Berber) population here differs from that in the Middle Atlas and the High Atlas/Souss Valley.

On Friday, we will head to Tangier before moving on to Spain. Time is passing quite quickly these days.

Morocco is like a Tajine

2008-05-04T19:41:56Z

Here are some photos from the Fnaire & Rhany concert. Highlights included the enthuastic crowd, Rhany's dance moves and, of course, a Fnaire song equating the diversity of Morocco to a tajine.

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Our Last Days in Fes

2008-05-02T22:07:48Z

This past week, we have been busy as usual...taking in every last bit of Fes as we head up North on Tuesday. This morning, we finished up our medina restoration activities with a plaster carving workshop in the Attarine medrasa (a Quranic school which has been closed to the public for the last few years for renovation and restoration) - quite a rare opportunity!

Afterwards, we took a group trip to Art Naji, an artisan factory where Chris has been apprenticing under a zellij (Moroccan tilework) malem (master).

Charlie tries his hand at the art form, chipping away...

Omar explains the process of creating a finished zellij piece to the group

Chris tries out a new craft - his interest and talent for such crafts never ceases to amaze. Watch out New Hampshire, Chris is going to revolutionize interior design (woodcarving, zellij, carpet weaving, the works)!

This afternoon, Zoe, Chris, and I saw an impressive art exhibit presenting photographs from around the world -from Morocco to South Africa to Siberia - it was quite diverse to say the least!

Tomorrow, the students will continue their ISPs and in the evening we will attend a Moroccan rap/hip-hop concert - it should be mumtastic (a new word I have created from fantastic and mumtaz -a Modern Standard Arabic word for excellent)!

If you want to check out their music: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=175921284

Where are the Jobs? A Cross-Cultural Dialogue

2008-04-30T18:54:41Z

This morning, we attended a lecture and round table discussion on the issue of unemployment in Morocco at a local university.

Local university students explain their concerns for the future and discuss possible solutions.

Charlie, Audrey, Zoe, and Chris share their insight on U.S. unemployment and engage the Moroccan students to explain how the issue compares in Morocco.

Our Last Day at Ahli

2008-04-29T13:20:29Z

Yesterday was our last day volunteering with the street kids of Ahli. We created a handprint mural to remember our time together.

Cultural Exchange in Sefrou

2008-04-27T16:04:14Z

This morning we ventured to Sefrou, a small city half an hour away from Fes, to assist in a English language program hosted by the U.S. Government and the Moroccan Association of Teachers of English (MATE). In addition to providing these students with access to native speakers, the Global LAB students gave these Moroccan English language learners a taste of U.S. culture. From Thanksgiving and birthday cake to hip-hop and indie rock, Charlie and Zoe discussed U.S. holidays, food, and music.

Chris and Audrey discussed the U.S. system of education and leisure activities.

We also learned about the Moroccan system of education, talked about couscous and tajine, and heard about the Sefrou cherry festival. It was a wonderful exchange!

This afternoon, everyone will engage in their ISP activities – Zoe and Audrey will “bust a medina move” at bellydancing, Charlie will continue to enrich his Modern Standard Arabic language skills, and Chris will create another zellij (Moroccan tilework) masterpiece.

With only a little over a week left in Fes, the students will spend the next week finishing up their Moroccan Arabic (darija) classes, bring their ISPs to a close, and find their last treasures wandering the ancient Fes medina (at least for now). In addition, we will have a lecture and round table discussion on unemployment at the local university and learn more about Fes medina restoration. Next Sunday, we will attend a Moroccan flamenco concert to prepare us for our Andalusian excursion in a couple of weeks.

Fes Festival of Sufi Culture

2008-04-26T16:54:06Z

On Thursday night, we attended the final concert of the Sufi Cultural Festival in Fes. It was quite a sight and the music was enjoyed by all!

Dar Amra

2008-04-25T12:53:44Z

Just a quick post to say it's great to be back in Fes! I returned to Haja Fatima's to find a new set of relatives staying there. Naima, Haja's daughter-in -law (who happens to also be her niece....I think..) and her son Talal have joined the rotating cast of people staying at my homestay house. Abdou, Haja's son, and his wife Fatiha and three little children are also currently visiting, and about two days ago Haja's friend came to help teach Audrey's cooking lesson and has seemingly moved in for the week. It certainly is a full house, or as Haja Fatima described it to me in darija, "dar amra." I have been spending lots of time playing with the kids and will try to post some more pictures soon!

Back In It

2008-04-25T01:06:10Z

It has been a bit over week that we have been back in our 'home city' of Fes. We returned on the 14th and essentially jumped back into our ISPs and Arabic lessons the next day. Because most of my original family has moved to the States, I have been put with a new family in the same neighborhood who are just as nice and hospitable as the last. Each of us has been doing our ISPs including photography, cooking, medina restoration and increased Arabic as well as working at a local H'noot, which is essentially the Moroccan version of a 7/11 except they are very compact, but can be found everywhere. Zoe, Chris and I have been taking turns working with Abdu a Hnoot owner who is also son to Zoe's homestay mother. Working at the H'noot and simply speaking with Abdu has given each of us a perfect opportunity to improve our language skills as well as learn anything we wish to know about the culture from politics, economics, music, etc.

We have also attended quite a few good lectures in the past weeks. One interesting lecture was given to us by a Fulbright student studying in Fes whos was using her grant to examine the success and extent of a government program implemented following the 2003 Casablanca bombings aimed at curbing the spread of radical Islam, particularly in areas it can easily fester. The program entailed training women (called Morshedat)to be specialized Islamic 'guides' to be stationed in mosques and use their knowledge, and through social services, promote a 'moderate' version of Islam. Based on her research in Fes, she contended that while the main goal of the program (combating terrorism) is good, it is hampered by the fact that is not very well known or understood by the general Moroccan populace, as well as being viewed as highly political because of the way the program has been lauded in the West for its 'empowerment' of women as religious leaders. We also had an interesting lecture earlier today with Niaz, a knowledge Muslim scholar studying the legendary Karaouine University in Fes, as well as Mariam, a deeply insightful Moroccan woman who runs SACAL-Fes, an association that has facilitated the majority of our activities. Our lecture was centered around the idea of 'Islamic Law': what it is, how it is has been adapted and applied in the modern world. We discussed Islamic law in Morocco, including the educations system to the family laws to the usage of mosques. Niaz spoke upon the drastic change in mosque usage after the Casa bombings. He spoke upon the government's monitoring and enforcement program of closing mosques 15 minutes after prayer. Not all, but the majority of Moroccans who have participated either in acts of terrorism, or have become insurgents in Iraq, have come from predominantly impoverished 'bidonvilles' or slums. Lack of proper education, job training, and high unemployment and youth allowed these areas to become extremely vulnerable to radical Islamic recruiters, and is thus why the government has taken such action. However Niaz contends that while the laws over mosques, and programs such as that of the Morshedat, can help prevent terrorism and radical Islam in the short term, it also makes it exceedingly difficult for the broad discussion and interpretation of Islam and Islamic law he feels is necessary to ultimately defeat radicalism, while also driving those looking towards extremism, and those looking for others to embrace it, deeper underground.

I have also been doing regular Modern Standard Arabic lessons in addition to Moroccan Arabic. This weekend we will have a rare opportunity to give a lecture of our own to high school students studying English in the town of Sefrou, close to Fes, on American culture as well as initiate discussions within different groups concerning Moroccan and American culture.

Our fearless leader Kempie braving the treacherous sands of the Sahara.

-Charlie