The southern Moroccan city of Agadir will host the ninth edition of the Timitar Music Festival which will pay tribute to Amazigh music and culture.

The festival, which will take place on June 27-30, aims at acquainting the audience with Amazigh music, taking the culture to an international level by hosting a wide variety of singers who represent different dialects and music styles.

Performers at the Timitar festival will showcase bands, including Izenzaren, and singers such as Raissa Fatima Tihihit, Aicha Tashinwit, and Ammouri Mbarek. The festival will also pay tribute to famous late Amazigh singer Mohamed Rouicha.

2012 EDITION

A preeminent must- see for both home and world musicians, Mawazine World Rhythms Festival is back with its 11th edition that promises to be so vivid and varied. From 18 to 26 May, 2012, Rabat will be on the thrill to receive a unique and rich cast that celebrates music and art from around the world.

7 stages will host the concerts, and Rabat City will once again revel in the street shows of brass bands, choreographers that rally the city streets as well as high quality workshops.

Morocco, therefore, becomes at the heart of world music and cultural dissemination. Paying tribute to artists, holding panel discussions and receiving world stars and future talents, Mawazine is once again on time to honor its mission: bringing together millions of avid festival-goers in pursuit of the dream, exploration and exchange.

TRIBUTES

This year, we’ve decided to pay special tribute to three figures of Moroccan music, namely, the 60’s rock landmark Abdelghafour Mohcine, known as Vigon, who introduced  us all to the genius of Stevie Wonder and Otis Redding. Tribute will equally go to the late Mohamed Rouicha, Moroccan music icon and prodigious ‘’Outar’’ player (Outar is a country lute typical of Berber music). His son Hamdallah, a promising talent himself, will do the job in a concert. Third recognition will be given to the Lemchaheb Band who has recently lost a dear founder, Mohamed Sousdi. Since early 70’s, this avant-guarde band has been blending Berber music with Western influences into memorable songs.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

An encounter of exchange and debate, Mawazine will hold two panel discussions in the presence of key Moroccan and foreign professionals of culture.

A meeting will take place on Saturday, May 2012 about: ‘Music Industry in Morocco: Realities and Perspectives’’ to deal with the current situation of music in the country. Music professionals will get to evaluate the situation and suggest future solutions to a piracy- stricken and financially -resourceless business.

CONCERTS

Like in any other established world festival, global music superstars will lighten up Mawazine stages this year. Electro music, Reggae, Rock, Rai, or again R’n’B will set OLM Souissi stage ablaze and it will resonate with a different style every night. Legends such as Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Jimmy Cliff and Scorpions, Khaled Evanescence, Pitbull, LMFAO, and the grand Turkish Fire of Anatolia Show, DJ Abdel and Yolanda Be Cool will heat it up.

Also, Mohamed V Theatre will stage equally popular stars. Gloria Gaynor, Nigel Kennedy, Royal Symphony Orchestra, Amina, Ibrahim Maalouf to name a few.

Nahda Stage will be the meeting point for Middle Eastern music lovers. 13 icons of Lebanese and Egyptian music will sing peace and love. The list features Marouan Khouri, Yara and Fadel Shaker, Nancy Ajram, Abdellah Rouiched, Hamai, Hany Shaker, Assala, Angham, Melhem Zein and Wael Kfoury.

Nahda stage will also receive Moroccans Karima Skkali, Naima Samih, and Leila Ghofrane along with the Moroccan Orchestra for Arabic Music.

Chellah Stage will take you a little far East, Asia Minor or again to Persia. Afghanistan, Iran and Russia will make the cut through Ali Azam & Niyaz, Lole Montaya, Alexey Arkhipovsky and Kayhan Kalhor & Erdal Erzincan…

Bouregreg Stage honors African music and takes you deep into Sub-Saharan Africa to meet stars from Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Tobago, South Africa, Benin, and Cameroon: Manu Dibango, Magic System, Cheikh Lo, Calypso Rose, Angelique Kidjo, Ebo Taylor& Afrobeat Academy Origine, and Freshly Ground. With historical roots in Africa and a long history of music, Cuba will equally be represented through Juan de Marcos Afro Cuban All Stars.

The same goes for Moroccan music. Pop, Amazigh, Lyrical or Classic. One thing is sure: Mawazine will introduce you only the best. Nation-wide hit tunes and melodies will reign over Mawazine stages by Aziz Sahmaoui & University of Gnawa, Mokhtar Somba, Alwane, Jilghiwane, Five Stars, Fnair, Tiraline, Nasser Megri, Rachid Khalil amomg others.

For the public to discover the ‘’New Wave’ music, Mawazine World Rythms festival allows a good space on its agenda to Urban music performances such as Rwapa Crew, Babel, Mazagan to mention a few. The festival will pay tribute to three leading figures of Moroccan music, that is, Vigon, the late Mohamed Rouicha, and Mohamed Sousdi.

STREET SHOWS

Brass bands and troupes from Morocco, India, Romania, and France will tour the Rabat streets all day long to give the city new sound, scenery and surprise. The public will come across Moroccan 2K-Far, Casa Fiesta, and mainly Casa Acrobate, an acrobat group which recently got spotlight in Arabic MBC TV channel show

‘’Arab’s  Got Talent’’

Originally from Casablanca, Casa Fiesta is made of young drummers and capoeristas. They present a blend of rhythms and songs of Senegalese, Egyptian and Moroccan origins while playing capoeira, a funny acrobatic Afro- Brazilian martial art.

The Fanfare Casbah will also join the fun. Festive and communicative, the Franco-Algerian band plays the classics of Pop music adding to it a little blend of Berber Chaoui and Kabyle beats. Featuring are well-known entertainers, skilled dancers and a repertoire of shows ranging from Oran to Eastern Algeria.

Familiar with European dance floors and descending from two Tzigane villages known for their confirmed musicians, Roman Mahala Rai Banda will set Rabat streets aflame. Created by Taraf De Haidouks entertainers along with a copper section they will present a blend of festive and military music. And because they party hard, their vibes are so contagious that the public won’t help getting the bug under the effect of a splendid blend of rock drums, Oriental effect and groovy moves.

Youguri! ( France) made of Yourgistan migrants almost with a Balkan feel. From their homeland, they carry their local singing style, a foreign language, with Slav, Brazilian and Arabic accents, and music full of expressive melodies of Klezmer tunes, African and Indian beats. Dancers on winged stilts and musicians in red or gold costumes, Yougyri! will rock the streets and whirl the place with joyful stunning dance tunes and colors.

Dife Kako ( France) consists of talented dancers and musicians originating from The Atilles Islands, Africa and Europe. With rhythms of the Balafon and other tuned percussion instruments, female dancers perform in fine lines between classical music and loose moves of Afro- Antillean dance tunes. Bodies soar in distance and get together in crossbred gestures to give the public an amazing carnival show.

MAWAZINE ORIGINAL SONG COMPOSITIONS

Mawazine is not only about the public meeting artists, but it also engineers authentic encounters between musicians themselves in collaborations that often results in wonderful joint projects.

This year, it is Morocco and Switzerland that make the headlines through the work of Swiss composer Forunat Frölich who mixes Western polyphonic music with modern Moroccan rhythms through a Swiss choir and a Moroccan one singing in unison songs of their respective countries.

Not belonging to any school or style, the work is an authentic way of exploring the affinities between Western and Arab cultures that probes a myriad of musical influences and traditions.

WORKSHOPS

Mawazine : Rhythms of the World orchestrates first-hand encounters between established artists and amateurs. As has always been, this is meant to allow beginners to know more about the stars’ career course and know- how.

Moroccan film-maker Sanaa Hamri- based in the US for about 10 years and a preeminent reference in music video, will ensure the first workshop for music future talents. She has an extended experience with music superstars namely Prince, Mariah Carey, Sting, Jay-Z and Christina Aguilera.

Also, RedOne will give his numerous fans a master class on musical production. The world illustrious music producer, who started Lady Gaga, collaborated with Usher and Jennifer Lopez among other celebrities, will give out insider tips on music production business.

A three-day workshop (20-22 May) on percussion will be monitored by Mokhtar Samba. The famed percussionist, collaborator of Salif Keita and Youssou N’Dour has in stock a breathtaking blend of Western harmonies, African rhythms, and Bedouin tunes.

Contemporary dance will be given a workshop of 3 master classes by Danish choreographer Nønne Mai Svalholm former head of  Denmark Royal Ballet School  inspired by the ‘ Make your move’ program  that aims to show the young  the art of dance.

http://www.festivalmawazine.ma/en/the-festival/presentation-of-the-festival.html

Cooking School

Learn to cook traditional Moroccan food in the heart of the medina
with Clock Kitchen. Fez’s first dedicated cooking school.

Dance

Belly Dance with Saida. Private lessons by arrangement

Calligraphy

Discover the sacred art of calligraphy with master
Mohamed Charkaoui.

Fez Download

Let us introduce you to Moroccan culture, customs and language
with Khalid. In 1:30hrs you will wow your way round the souks.

Henna

Give your hands a fancy look with a beautiful henna tattoo.

Oud

Learn to play with master musician Mohamed Semlali. Oud provided.

Djemmbe

Wild Djemmbe rhythms with Yassine. Djemmbe provided.

Jam Session

Every Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm Jam @ the Clock with
Mohammed Jocker. All Musicians Welcome

Clock Football Club

Friday @ 5pm in Batha Sports Complex .Speak to café manager for  details. All welcome

If in Cafe Clock ask manager for details otherwise call/email using details below

Art Exhibitions

Selected Prints from Habibi A group of prints from the graphic novel.

Cinema

Monday @ 6pm Jannat Directed by Kunal Deshukh, Emraan Hashmi,
Esha Gupta and JManish Chaudhary.The movie is in Hindi with English
subtitles (free)

Thursday@ 6pm Million Dollar Baby Directed by Clint Eastwood
with  Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman.The movie is in
English with French subtitles. (free)

Concerts

Sunday Concert @ 6pm

Nomad Fusion music with djemmbe hajhouj & percussion (20dh)

Lfekkas is Moroccan cookies par excellence. They are so sweet with a very tempting shape and an irresistible natural aroma from the mixture of almonds and raisins. Moroccans prepare Lfekkas with different ingredients resulting in various tastes. Moroccan families keep Lfekkas along with other sweets and cookies at their disposal for expected guests that may show up any time. Culturally, it is served with tea for the evening snack. In wedding ceremonies and other Moroccan festivities, Lfekkas as well as other honeyed cookies and cakes are usually served with tea before principal meals.

Ingredients:  (for about 1.5 kilos of cookies)

4 eggs

½ cup sugar (or less)

½ cup oil (20cl)

½ cup almond (soaked in warm water to remove the peel easily and  cut into small pieces)

½ cup raisins

1 baking powder

1 kg white flour

 Ingredients for garnish:

1 egg

1 tsp instant coffee

mix the coffee and eggs and stir them very well

way of preparation:

In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugar and oil well until the sugar dissolves.

Put almonds, raisins, and baking powder then mix them gently for seconds.

Make long rods

Add flour little by little till dough becomes cohesive and soft.

From that cohesive dough, make 4 rounded balls (the size of a big lemon).

Make long rods from those balls and place them in an oven tray.

Spread the garnish above the rods

Spread the garnish above the rods and bake them for 15 minutes till their colour turn light brown (half cooked).

After taking them out of the oven cover them with a wet towel till they get cold then cut the rods diagonally to form good shapes.

Cut the rods diagonally

Finally, return the cookies again in the oven till their color become golden brown in both sides.
Served with tea or coffee.

By Layla Dahamou

Morocco World News

Celebration comes natural to the Moroccans. You may complain that the rose has thorns but that the thorns have roses is reason enough for the Moroccans to rejoice. The Rose Festival, Morocco is an occasion for the Moroccans to exult in the beauty of the rose and revel in the bounties of nature.
About The Rose Festival, Morocco

Dades Valley or the Valley Of the Roses, in Morocco hides a jewel in the form of Kelaa-des-Mgouna, a town that is at the hub of rose production in Morocco. There is a huge distilling plant here that accounts for most of the rose water that goes into Morocco’s gastronomic delicacies and the famed Moroccan perfumes.

The Rose Festival, Morocco takes place here annually in the month of May, wherein rose farmers from far and wide assemble to celebrate the year’s crops and drink to a “rosy” year of bumper crops. The Rose Festival is one of the most popular of the Morocco festivals & events and is an occasion for you to also soak in the breathtaking natural beauty of the region.

During the Morocco Rose Festival, a vibrant and colorful souk (market) comes up in the festivities zone, which is El Kelaa’s main thoroughfare. There is also much singing, dancing, merrymaking and the election of a Miss Rose (amidst much fanfare) involved in the celebrations, just like the other festivals in Morocco.
The Rose Festival, Morocco is a reflection of the Moroccans’ love and appreciation of nature.

http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/morocco/morocco-festivals-&-events/rose-festival-morocco.html

Rfissa is an authentic traditional Moroccan dish. It is famous among Moroccans even though it may not be regarded a regular daily dish. Exchanging visits among Moroccan women is very common and “Rfissa” is considered a special dish to be served in such occasions. Traditionally, it is prepared for a woman after delivery for its rich nutrient facts, and as an act of gratitude and rewarding on the part of the family.

Ingredients:

Large chicken, cut into pieces cleaned and soaked in salty water with some vinegar

4 onions cut into slices

1tsp salt

1tsp ground black pepper

1 teaspoon turmeric

1teaspoon of the Ras lhanout: Typically Moroccan mixture of more than 40 spices  (you can make your own mix, using at least: cinnamon + cloves + nutmeg  + cardamom + white pepper+ fenugreek + ginger)

1tsp ginger

4-6 cloves garlic, peeled

½ cup olive oil

1tbsp butter

1/4 cup fenugreek

1 cups of lentils

½ cup of dried beans,

2tbsp minced parsley and coriander

1.5 liters of water

Method of preparation:

1. Place the chicken with all these spices and oil in the pot, mix them well and let it soak for 15 minutes before cooking.
2. Put the pot on the stove and add onions and cook them for a while (try to give an estimate of how long to cook them, maybe until they are soft? or until they begin to turn brown or…?).
3. Add all the other ingredients and water and let cook for 35 minutes
4. At that time prepare the Trid (it’s like flour tortillas)

Ingredients for flour tortillas:

2 cups white flour.

1 .5 cups warm water.

2 tsp yeast.

½ tsp salt

Instructions:

pull off pieces of dough to form small balls

1- Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2- Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and   not sticky. You do  not need very hot water.
3- Knead the dough for a few minutes.
4- Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form small balls and let them  rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.

Lay your tortilla on the hot comal

This is a good time to heat up the comal or a skillet. Set it at medium to high heat.

Dust your work surface with flour. Working one at a time, remove each piece of dough and pat till it becomes thin.

Lay your tortilla on the hot comal or skillet. It takes just a few seconds to cook. Flip to the other side.

When they are done, they should have lots of nice brown speckles. Place them in a towel to keep them warm longer.

tortillas cut in small pieces

Travel writing these days is usually about the ten best, biggest, fastest, must sees and do’s. When it’s your job you are expected to drop all life’s experiences into the lap of the reader in around one thousand words, allowing them to move on to the next enriching moment in a life cluttered with guide books and next stops on the adventure itinerary. Good in many ways, but frankly, quite boring if you are the one who has the job of writing yet another list of places to tick off, which was probably ticked off in the last magazine you read.

Sadly, there is no place these days for the ‘sit and watch’ observational article, the sort that almost every journalist loves to write, but rarely gets the chance. It’s our opportunity to paint our personal picture beyond the hurly-burly rush that most editors commission. So while Suzanna and Sandy are on the high seas somewhere between Rio de Janeiro and Venice, I’m going to take this opportunity to sneak in an extract from the notes I made as I wandered through the Medina in Fez.

Mid afternoon, Saturday, 14th April.

I’m hungry. I was up bright and early and have had nothing other than a couple of cups of coffee and a bit of nutty stuff I found on the side of a plate that was part of last night’s dessert but got overlooked. I’m at the top of Talaa Kebira, so stop at a food stall where the six-person table inside is full and a crowd has gathered, watching the young man with the wallpaper scraper-cum-spatula, flipping the assorted meats and intestines as they reach their final succulence. Always a good sign, a crowd around a food stall.

To the left of the hot plate a camel’s head hangs suspended from a hook. I’m not sure if it’s part of the menu or a modern-day version of the horse-head signs I used to see outside carneceria de caballos, horse butchers, in Spain. On the hot plate is a selection of merguez, spicy sausage, and an assortment of entrails and meaty things that I’m not about to question, although I find out later that the thick black pudding-looking one is stuffed spleen (there’s also a red version). I’m glad I find out later and not at the time, but at ten dirhams a sandwich it seems pretty good value.

While I’m waiting I look around. Opposite the hot plate is a bread stall with only a few loaves left. With a raised-eyebrow look of expectancy, the salesman’s eyes are focussed over my left shoulder. I turn and see he’s looking at the boss of the food stall, a bear-sized chap wearing a soiled apron and white hat, who, watching how his crowd of punters is growing, makes a slight sideways motion with his right hand, resembling the secret hand signals of a tick-tack man offering the odds at a horse race in England.

Bread boy grabs a pile of round flat loaves, and with three strides he’s at my side. With barely a look of recognition, boss-in-white-hat indicates a point behind the hot plate where a piece of plastic lawn in easy reach of short order chef lies naked of any adornment.

Bread boy skips back to his stall as the sandwiches begin to be served and lifts another pile of loaves with the same enquiring look. I miss the hand signal, but white hat has obviously said yes because bread boy is back at my side faster than you can say ‘butter on both sides, please’ and the second pile joins the first, just as the skillet king reaches out for a loaf to make the next sandwich. Precision timing without a word being said. I muse about when the baker will be bringing bread boy his next freshly-made batch, as BB is down to three loaves and skillet king’s hands are going like greased lightening as he fills his sandwich orders.

Is this a case of JIT, the ‘just in time’ production pioneered in the motoring industry, where no-one holds stock of anything, and where everything is where it should be at the right moment?

As the sandwiches are shooting off the skillet, white-hat calls to the chef and asks for one, which he sprinkles with hot sauce and wraps in paper. I think he is having a late lunch, but he hands it to me, and I wander away down the hill.

To take the weight of my feet and enjoy my sandwich, I sit on a low wall at the side of a narrow lane leading away from Talaa Kebira. A few minutes later a skinny man with a magnificent moustache staggers up the hill carrying a big cardboard box, a couple of wooden trays and an old orange crate. Behind him a young boy is weighed down with three bulging plastic shopping bags. They stop at the entrance to my alley and put everything down. The moustache leans on a crate to get his breath back, gives the boy and few coins and starts to unpack the box.

Chomping away at my sandwich, I watch the scene unfold. Moustache hasn’t got his breath back yet, but I begin to realise that the low wall I’m sitting on is part of his display area. I raise my eyebrows in question, he nods. I stand. “Shukran,” he says, smiling. I move on and leave him to go about his business.

I pass a beautifully fitted out shop, with grey laminate lining the walls and concealed lighting and shelf supports. It looks as if it has been designed as an elegant jewellery shop, but if it was it has evidently gone bust, because the stock on the shelves are nothing more than packets of chewing gum, lollipops, jars and trays of sweets in gaudy wrappers. A tasteful shop in all senses of the word.

Wandering through a clothing section I find it populated with some of the most grotesque mannequins I’ve ever seen. A group of child dummies in straggly blonde wigs are as terrifying as the evil midget in the red cape in Donald Sutherland’s film Don’t Look Now.

Outside a small bespoke tailor shop, an elegantly suited gentleman with a glorious head of well-coiffured hair sits on a low stool, acting, I assume, as publicity for his product. He wears a crisp white shirt and pearl grey tie fastened in a Windsor knot. He lays a white napkin over his knee and carefully peals an orange with a small pocket knife, separating the segments and placing them on a plate that sits on a small table at his side, before wiping the knife carefully on the napkin and putting it in his pocket. The only thing out of place with this epitome of corporate imagery is that he is wearing a pair of maroon carpet slippers – although admittedly they do have a horizontal stripe that almost exactly matches the grey of his suit. I couldn’t quite see it as the rig of the day in the boardroom of Maroc Telecom.

As I wander on I am amused by the care and attention someone will take over even the smallest display. Everywhere shopkeepers are flicking feather dusters over their stock, but I’m amazed when I see a man carefully laying out his tray full of dates in tiered rows. He carefully wipes each of them before placing them one on top of another in serried ranks. I think I’d rather stare vacantly into space than relieve my boredom in this way.

As lunch time and I wander on I spend long moments watching the shopkeepers while away the hours before evening and the return of customers. They play board games, with bottle caps and odd coins used as checkers. Passers-by stop and watch games in progress, offering a bit of advice – usually ignored – before moving on. When a game finishes with a flourish and shout, the battered cans with tired old cushions that serve as stools change bums and another game begins.

The proprietor of a stationery, wrapping paper and games shop lifts a game off the wall, still in it’s cardboard protective corners, and begins playing a dice game on its glazed surface, using the layout of the game beneath. When he has successfully thrashed the young man from the spice store next door the glass is wiped off and hung on the wall again to await a buyer.

Working my way downhill I find myself behind a heard of goats being driven down the alley, the four-legged kids getting a stroke from the two-legged ones as they pass. A voice behind me calls out, “Atencion!” I turn and look into the eyes of a mule, two steps higher. I’m trapped in a petting zoo!

The herd of goats stop under the shade of the enormous tree in Place Saffarine, where buyers begin to give them a close inspection, although sales are slow. After fifteen minutes the goatherd and his flock move on, hopefully to greener pastures.

As the day drifts into early evening I take tea and watch the world go by. Tired-looking guides lead their groups, their faces suddenly brightening as they turn to deliver their story to their flock. It surprises me how many people in these groups, who have presumably paid for the service, ignore their guides. I watch a man who is so concerned with looking at the world through the lens of his camera that he doesn’t notice that his group and another have crossed paths. Eventually he lowers his camera, turns around and tags onto the tail of the wrong group. Moments later he scampers back into the square, just in time to see his group hightailing it down another alley.

I finish my tea and go home.

Source: The View from Fez

A young Moroccan art consultant living in London launched her own online art gallery on 19 April 2012. The gallery, entitled Moroccan Fine Art, is accessible at www.moroccanfineart.com.

According director Nadia Echiguer, the aim of the operation is to promote contemporary Moroccan art in the United Kingdom and throughout the world.

At just 27, this young marketing graduate acts as an art consultant, an interior decorator, as well as being a private collector. Having been immersed in the art world since childhood, she decided to take the initiative in opening an art gallery dedicated to Moroccan art online.

The aim of the gallery is to help talented  and emerging Moroccan artists to make a name for themselves. To this end, Nadia Echiguer points out that her gallery only gives online visitors the opportunity to view works, but not to buy them.

In order to compensate for this lack of selling, Echiguer will be presenting its first exhibition of contemporary Moroccan art, entitled “An Urban Twist from Morocco”, at the Coningsby Gallery in London, from 7 to 12 May 2012. The show will feature 24 paintings and drawings in figurative, abstract, and calligraphic styles by 5 Moroccan artists: Larbi Cherkaoui, Kim Bennani, Said Yaghfouri, Zineb Echiguer, and Said Qodaid.

The organisation of the exhibition has taken some five months, as the works were transported from Morocco to the United Kingdom by boat. Moroccan Fine Art aims to organise around three or four such exhibitions every year.

http://www.artmediaagency.com/en/41681/moroccan-fine-art-opens-its-digital-doors/

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter opened two artificial pitches at Morocco’s National Football Centre in Mâamora, near Salé on Sunday 29 April 2012. Accompanied by FIFA vice-president and CAF President Issa Hayatou and the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Ali Fassi Fihri, Blatter inaugurated the pitches near the Moroccan capital Rabat as part of the Goal Project. “I’d like to congratulate the Royal Moroccan Football Federation for the remarkable work that has been done here. These wonderful facilities will accelerate football’s development and benefit the children of the future,” said the FIFA President.

“I am delighted that the Federation organised a women’s match on inauguration day,” Blatter said before providing further proof of his pleasure by giving the match a ceremonial kick-off.

Following the inauguration, the FIFA delegation visited the Mohammed VI Football Academy, a top-notch training centre for youths aged 13 to 18, many of whom have been selected for the national side at underage levels.

On Monday 30 April, President Blatter will meet with the Minister for Youth and Sport, Mohamed Ouzzine, before holding discussions with representatives from the FRMF at Federation headquarters.

A meeting with International Olympic Committee member Nawal El Moutawakel is also planned, before the FIFA President brings his Moroccan trip to an end with a press conference.

FIFA held its first-ever Congress on African soil in Marrakesh back in 2005, and the FIFA Club World Cup will be staged in Morocco in 2013 and 2014. Morocco have also qualified for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament London 2012, where they will take on Spain, Honduras and Japan in the group stage.

The FIFA delegation will then head on to Algiers for a two-day tour that will include the opening of the new Algerian Football Federation headquarters, also built with support from the Goal Project.

Confederation of African Football/30/03/2012

http://www.afriquejet.com/morocco-blatter-inaugurates-two-goal-projects-2012050137733.html

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday between the OCCI and the Moroccan Centre for Export Promotion (Maroc Export) on enhancing technical co-operation and exchanging information.
The MoU was signed by Khalil bin Abdullah al Khonji, OCCI Chairman, and Saad Eldin bin Abdullah, Executive Director of Maroc Export, in the presence of Tariq al Hussaisan, Ambassador of Morocco to the Sultanate, Omani investors and members of the Moroccan delegation. This came during a seminar on Morocco-Oman Trade Relations which was held at the OCCI on the sidelines of the Moroccan delegation’s visit.

Al Khonji aid that the MoU would strengthen bilateral relations thereby helping Omani business people to explore investment opportunities in Morocco. He noted that the seminar provided an opportunity for both sides to get familiarised with the investment opportunities in the two countries. The Moroccan ambassador noted that the visit of the Moroccan delegation would enhance the efforts from both sides to impede the obstacles facing economic and trade co-operation, hoping that the visit will achieve raising the level of relations.

He exhorted the Omani and Moroccan sides to enhance the co-operation and trade exchange as there are many promising investment opportunities in the tourism, real estate and industry sectors. The ambassador stressed the importance of setting up a joint investment company, launching a sea link to facilitate the transport of goods and commodities and easing visa procedures for Moroccan businessmen.

http://main.omanobserver.om/node/93226