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)

The evening was organized in Dar Batha from 15h to 18h in the presence of an audience (100 to 150 persons) including many young people who enjoyed the evening and have continued to applaud all the poets and artists who appeared on stage. Along with poetry, there were breaks with four groups of guitar players, also L’malhoun which is the most traditional music and an exhibition of jewelry and clay. The surprise was a parade of traditional Moroccan Caftan.

The success of this poetry evening couldn’t be achieved without the help of participants, organizers and sponsors, especially Café Clock which donated with tea, coffee and selection of Moroccan pastries during the evening for the 150 guests who attended the competition.

On the occasion of the International Day of Theater, the Moroccan Association of ‘‘the United Comedians of Culture and Art’ ’is organizing its first edition of the Fez National Festival for Humor and Irony on March 16-18. The festival is under the supervision of the province of Fez Boulmane, in partnership with the urban community of Fez.

The program includes a competition between young comedians who will perform an original sketch in front of a specialized committee.  Participants must meet the following pre-requisites:

Participants must be from the province of Fez Bouleman.

Participants must be between 16 and 28 years old.

Participants must have at least two original sketches.

Sketches must not exceed 10 minutes.

Participants will be selected on Sunday March 11^th at 10 a.m. at Al-Hurriya Complex.

The young Moroccan artist, Mohamed Azzam, will be honored during the festival for his contribution to art and comedy in Morocco.  There will also be a seminar that includes a group of artists and intellectuals from Fez and elsewhere. The festival will include the participation of numerous Moroccan artists from cinema, theater and Television. They include: Ezz al Arab al-Khaghat, Mohamed Azzam, Abou al Azz,Mouhsin Mouhtadi, Khalid Zwichi, Ghassan, Fatah Gharbaoui,  Hamza Draoui, Mohamed Bassou, Nadia Berchid, Nabil el Metioui, Nissrine el Manji, Rasha, Karim Mizouar, Aminz al zelzouli, Mohammed Alami, Amine Lamrabet, El Mehdi Chentouf, Safae Bedak, Zakaria Mamad and Idriss Ouaryaghi.

According to the organizing committee, the festival is meant to encourage young talented artists to be more active, creative and to stay in touch with the audience.   The festival seeks to also improve the status of art in Fez, Morocco’s Capital of Science and Art.

By Yassmine Zerrouki

Morocco World News

Fez, also known as the spiritual city of Morocco, will host the 18th edition of the World Sacred Music Festival in June 8-16, 2012 under the theme “Re-enchanting the World”. The World Sacred Music Festival of Fez is one of Morocco’s most prominent festivals that celebrate musical diversity and cultural richness. Different nations are represented by their unique musical styles that take the audience into a spiritual journey for days. It is an occasion for different sacred musical styles to come into harmony and make the audience transcend all the worldly conflicts in an atmosphere of peace and co-existence.

This year’s edition will honor the great Persian polymath, poet, scientist and philosopher Omar al-Khayyam whose contributions have marked world literature through the many translations and studies on his works and their impact. He is considered the most famous poet of the East through his celebrated Rubáiyát Omar Khayyám where he is believed to have written about a thousand four-line verses or rubaiyat (quatrains). He made fundamental contributions in various fields: Mathematics, astronomy, poetry, religion, and philosophy. His works have always been regarded as out of time and space and could be applied anywhere anytime that searches for a new healthy place for a person’s intellectual and spiritual growth.

The eminent late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish will also be honored at the festival for the rich literary legacy he left behind that embodies the sufferings of the Palestinian people under siege whose every day is a struggle. He lived most of his life in exile but Palestine always lived in him and in his works. His works have been a bridge that made people from around the world sense the Palestinian struggle.

The opening ceremony, which will be in June 8, will start with a choreography directed by the Algerian choreographer Tony Gatlif and acted by artists from different nationalities from the West and the East who will gather together in this artistic piece re-perform the cherished legacy of Omar Khayyam’s creativity.

The second day, June 9 at Batha Museum, Gipsy Sentimento Paganini Ensemble from Hungary will perform pieces that draw from the traditional music of Central Europe. At the same time at Bab l’Makina, Sufi music fans will enjoy a spiritual evening that mixes between the genuine music of the Blues and the Gospel performed by the Arshie Shepp group from USA who will dig deep into their roots.

Sunday, June 10, will be an Arabic night par excellence either in Batha Museum or Bab l’Makina. The audience will be will be blown away by true Sufi mystical performances by the masters of the Sufi chanting and original Arabic music, such as the master of Sufi chanting in Egypt Sheikh Yassine Touhami, the giant Lebanese singer Wadie Safi along with George Safi, the powerful Tunisian voice Lotfi Bouchnak and the great Indian singer Moukhetyar Ali. The latter will have a concert on Monday, June 11 at Batha Museum where he will perform a collection of timeless songs by an Indian poet names Kabir who is highly esteemed in India for his valuable position in Indian poetic sphere.

In the framework of “Nights in the Medina”, four concerts will be organized on Monday, June 11. The first one will be at Dar al-Maqari where Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat from Iran will perform. The second one will be at Dar Adiyel by the Moroccan Ihsan Rmiqi. The two remaining concerts will be at Batha Museum performed by Mory Djely Kouyaté et Jean-Philippe Rykiel.

Tuesday, June 12, a classical performance with the MITO Settembre Musica from Italia will be given at Batha Museum. The second night of Nights in the Medina will resume by Rabbi Haim Louk and Abderahim Souiri from Morocco in a ceremony that will reflect the reality of convergence and cohesion between the people of one nation, Morocco, despite religious differences. They will both introduce a duet of a collection of songs based on Arabic and Hebrew poetry. At Dar Adiyel, the charming voice of Charifa will perform her Atlas songs that carry a whole culture within. Nour Ensemble from France and Iran will perform a collection of their amazing music just afterwards.

On Wednesday, June 13, the spirit the great late Mahmoud Darwish will be present and honored at Batha Museum through a special theatrical piece entitled “Song of Songs” created by Rodolph Burger to celebrate the eternal impact of Darwish.

Over the week, then, ancient music will prevail the streets of Fez as concerts will be launched on a daily basis starting from 4 pm. As the opening ceremony is going to bring out a strong performance, the closing ceremony will not be any less; the American folk singer, who is considered by many as a legend of American Popular music with a strong voice and a distinctive vocal style, will give a special closing performance at Bab l’Makina.

The ticket price to the festival ranges between 100dh and 600dh depending on the performances.

Detailed Program of the festival:

Friday, June 8, 2012:

• At 8.30 pm at Bab l’Makina:Opening Night: A tribute to Omar Khayyam by the Algerian Director and Choreographer Tony Gatlif.

Saturday, June 9, 2012:

• At 4 pm at Batha Museum: The Gipsy Sentimento Paganini Ensemble from Hungary.
• At 8.30 pm at Bab l’Makina: Arshie Shepp from USA. (A mix of Blues and Gospel)

Sunday, June 10, 2012:

• At 4 pm at Batha Museum: the Master of Sufi chanting Sheikh Yasin al-Tuhami.
• At 8.30 at Bab l’Makina: Wadie Safi and George Safi, and Lotfi Bouchnak from Tunisia.

Monday, June 11, 2012:

• At 4 pm at Batha Museum: Mukhtiyar Ali from India (will perform mystical songs by the great poet Kabir)
• From 8 pm to 10 pm at Dar Mokri: Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat Sisters from Iran.
• From 9 pm to 10.30 at Dar Adiyel: Ihsane Rmiki from Morocco (Andalusian Mouwachahates).
• At 8 pm at Batha Museum: Taraf de Haidouks from Romania.
• At 10 pm at Batha Museum : Mory Kouyaté Djely and Jean-Philippe Rykiel from France and Guinea.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012:

• At 4 pm at Batha Museum: Classical Performance by MITO Settembre Musica from Italy.
• From 8 pm to 10 pm at Dar Mokri: Rabbi Haim Louk and Abderrahim Souiri from Morocco.
• From 9 pm to 10 pm at Dar Adiyel: Charifa from the Middle Atlas, Morocco.
• At 9 pm at Batha Museum: Nour Ensemble from France and Iran.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012:

• From 8 pm to 10 pm at Dar Mokri: Rompesaraguey from Cuba.
• From 8 pm to 10 pm at Dar Adiyel: Terra Maire from France.
• At 10.30 pm at Cultural Complex Sidi Mohamed ben Youssef : Ibn Arabi Ensemble from Morocco.

Thursday, June 14, 2012:

At 4 pm at Batha Museum: Arabesques Ensemble from France and Spain.

At 8.30 pm at Bab l’Makina: Spiritual Chating by The Sama’a Group.

Friday, June 15, 2012:

• At 4 pm at Batha Museum: Sanam Maryi from Pakistan.
• At 8.30 pm at Bab l’Makina: Bjork – biophilia from Iceland.

Saturday, June 16, 2012:

• At 4 pm at Batha Museum: Anuj Mishra (Kathak Dance) from India.
• At 8.30 pm at Bab l’Makina: Joan Baez from USA.

By Nidal Chebbak

Morocco World News

No matter the medium, technique or format, the value of the canvas is found in the event it creates and the emotions it brings. At the intersection of Arabic calligraphy and contemporary painting currents, Mhamed Mrani, in his own words “plays with colours in order to extract the poetic spirit so keeping dreams alive. Like the sound of a musical instrument echoing in the tumult of the universe, with its subtle whispers”.

The artist ties the philosophy of his life to the worship of Rimbaud “” I will not speak, I will have no thoughts, but infinite love will mount in my soul; And I will go far, far off, like a gypsy, through the countryside,  joyous as if I were with a woman”.

After careful exposure one can see varied, veiled references associated with Sufi doctrine, problems of identity and movements of the Arab spring.

The exhibition is presently showing in Cafe Clock before heading off to a gallery in Essaouira.

The Floor

When you come to Café Clock, you have a variety of seating options. Depending on your mood, you can always find a place to match it. What’s your preference … cushions, a low stool? Maybe a small sofa — or perhaps a straight back chair? There’s even a throne or two! Take your pick.

Feeling a bit voyeuristic? Sit on The Floor and you can watch the world go by and in the early morning hours you can watch the kitchen set up for the day. Sooner or later Ismail will come in, toting large bags of fresh fruits and vegetables. Souad will survey the kitchen contents and place orders for chicken, lamb and camel. Cooking school participants arrive and get ready for a day of shopping, baking, cooking and eating. Suppliers and workers come and go as The Clock is always adding some new feature and making improvements. Tourists, locals, expats and students wind their way into the café and settle in to eat, chat, surf the net, inquire about cultural events or make new acquaintances.

The Balcony

Climb the stairs to The Balcony if you’re looking for a bright, airy space where you can peer down at the activities below or lose yourself in thought as the mobile of instruments suspended from the halqa slowly spins before your eyes. Peer into the sky above.

If you’re part of a large group, there’s alwaysThe Red Room with long tables to accommodate a party of twenty.

The redroom

There’s The Library for more intimate gatherings or quiet study — and off to one side is The Mansoura Room; another cozy corner for thosewho enjoy their privacy.

The Terrace

Looking for views and a bit of fresh air? There’s the incredible Garden Terrace with enclaves of seating and great vistas of the medina. The climb up the stairs is well worth the effort. Once you emerge onto the sun-filled terrace one of the most magnificent minarets in the medina stands right before you. And should Muslims wish to answer the call to prayer, there is the beautiful designated Prayer Room just below the terrace.

Climb to the topmost point onto The Eyrie and imgine you are atop a camel, traveling through space and time. The Garden Terrace is both intimate and expansive.

Mansoura Room

So whatever your mood, Café Clock has a spot waiting for you. Sit, lounge, work, sing, study, eat, drink, recoup, visit, do business and enjoy.

Your table awaits…

CLOCK CULTURE CONCERTS:

Sunday at Sunset                                             6:30pm

Issawa Traditional music with percussion (20dh)

Every WEDNESDAY at 6:30 pm

Jam @ The Clock Young musicians play live music on the terrace (free)

CLOCK CULTURE MOVIES:

Thursday movie                                                6:30pm

El-el-Khobzi Hafi directed by Rachid Belhadj with Said Taghmaoui, Faisal Zghadi, Bilel Lasini, Sana Alaoui .The story of a boy without bread, without affection, who transforms his destiny at the age of 20 years through the power of writing (free)

CLOCK CULTURE EVENTS:

13^th March 2010 -16^th May 2010

Architectonic Maroc a watercolour and line-drawing by Mathy Engelen

17^th April 2010 -16^th May 2010

Whirling Dervishes Charcaol + pastel by Aicha

Dhiker photography exhibition by Robert s. Harison

CLOCK CULTURE  COURSES:

Dance Belly Dance Workshop with Saida. Private lessons by arrangement

Calligraphy Discover the sacred art of calligraphy with the master Mohamed Charkaoui.Private lessons by arrangement.Speak to café manager for details.

Yoga Speak to café manager for details.

1001 Arabian Nights Auditions

Cafe Clock is happy to report Zanouba and Adil made the cut during the recent auditions for 1001 Arabian Nights in Rabat. Next stop: Casablanca where they are joining 40 other hopeful actors from around Morocco.

Zanouba and Adil rose to the occasion under the direction of Tim Supple as they warmed up in a series of exercises designed to put the actors at ease and get them in character. I myself participated in the warm-ups and had a great time pretending to be an actor.

Should all go well for  Zanouba and Adil, they will be asked to Egypt where final auditions will be held. After that, rehearsals begin in earnest.

Cafe Clock can’t imagine anything more gratifying than seeing two of Fes’ own get a shot at the ‘big time’. We wish nothing but the best for these two budding stars.

Better get your autographs next time you see Zanouba or Adil as there is every indication these two are on their way to the fame and fortune.