Welcome to the MoroccanCulture Blog

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — A pro-Moroccan Sahrawi group blasted a top UN official Thursday, as vandalism of prehistoric art by UN peacekeepers in the disputed territory of Western Sahara blossomed into a diplomatic incident.

In a statement sent to AFP here, the Casablanca-based Moroccan Sahara Association (ASM), described as a "serious diplomatic faux pas" the apology offered to the Polisario independence movement by the head of the UN mission in Western Sahara (Minurso).

Minurso said that the official, Briton Julian Harston, discussed the affair with Polisario representatives during UN-sponsored talks on the territory's future in the New York suburb of Manhasset earlier this month.

Harston "apologized for the unthinking actions of some Minurso members in the past and undertook to investigate the matter further and explore the possibility of remedial action," a Minurso statement said.

This gesture to the Polisario, which wants a referendum with the option of full independence from the Rabat government, sparked anger from the ASM. That group is loyal to Morocco, which has offered broad autonomy to the Sahrawis in the territory.

ASM chief Reda Daoujni warned that if an apology was not offered to his group, it would call for a rally outside the Minurso offices in Western Sahara and in Rabat to protest Harston's "blatant pro-separatist stance."

A UN spokesman here said Harston "apologized to the Polisario representatives because they were the ones who brought up the issue with him at Manhasset."

But Ahmed Bujari, the Polisario representative to the UN, dismissed the ASM protest and told AFP: "Morocco has no legal basis to complain since no one in the world recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara."

"What is important is that Minurso agreed to investigate the affair and to take steps to have those responsible prosecuted in their own countries."

Bujari said the vandalism of prehistoric art carved onto rocks depicting human and animal figures occurred at Lajuad in the "liberated territory under Polisario control in the central south of Western Sahara."

"This is a cultural legacy going back 6,000 years," he said.

UN peacekeepers monitor a truce along a defense wall in the Sahara constructed by Morocco following a UN-brokered peace deal in 1991 between Morocco and the Polisario.

Morocco's director of national heritage Abdallah Salih spoke out against the vandalism. "We condemn these acts committed in the demilitarized zone," he told AFP on Thursday.

Minurso said that since the Polisario drew attention to the vandalism in the middle of 2007, "action has been taken to stop any further vandalism, and a formal enquiry is being undertaken."

The Times of London Thursday quoted Harston as saying Minurso personnel had sprayed graffiti onto rock art at an isolated site known as Devil Mountain, which the local population regards as of great cultural significance.

One Croatian peacekeeper reportedly sprayed "Petar CroArmy" across a rock face, while "Ibrahim" sprayed his name and number over a painting depicting a giraffe.

Morocco, which annexed the phosphate-rich, mainly desert Western Sahara in the 1970s following the withdrawal of colonial power Spain, and the Polisario failed to make any headway in their third round of direct talks this month.

But they agreed to hold a fourth round from March 11-13 to try to reconcile Morocco's offer of broad autonomy to the Sahrawis and the Polisario's demand for a referendum with the option of full independence.

Despite the 1991 ceasefire after years of fighting, a promised self-determination referendum never materialized and since 2002 Rabat has insisted that holding such a plebiscite is no longer realistic.
Hosted by Google
Copyright © 2008 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/080215-morocco-mc

by Michel Hoebink*

15-02-2008

Moroccan Minister for Moroccan Communities Abroad Mohammed Ameur says that Moroccan migrants in Europe need to work harder to preserve their language and culture. But his statement has rubbed Dutch politicians the wrong way.

It's beginning to take on the appearance of a trend. While European immigration ministers emphasise the need for migrants to integrate - and preferably even assimilate - politicians from their countries of origin underline the need for migrants to preserve their cultural identity. Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan sparked an outcry when he said that assimilation was no less than a crime against humanity. The Moroccan minister appears to have taken a page from his book.

Moroccan women

Classes
In the French language magazine Aujourd'hui le Maroc, Minister Ameur recently revealed Morocco's new migrants policy. "The Moroccan community abroad", he argued, should be regarded as our country's 17th province." The spearhead of the new policy is to ensure that more children of Moroccan descent take classes in Moroccan culture and in Arabic.

The minister said that the number of children following such classes should over the next few years double from 60,000 to 150,000. The government will also earmark funds to enable young people to travel to Morocco so they can reinforce their bonds with their country of origin.

Irritation
Minister Ameur's statements have caused considerable irritation among Dutch politicians. Conservative MP Henk Kamp says the Moroccan policy is diametrically opposed to Dutch government attempts to further the integration of Moroccans in Dutch society.

Labour MP Khadija Arib, herself of Moroccan descent, argues that: "Moroccans in the Netherlands should focus on their lives here, so they can get ahead". She calls the Moroccan minister's policy old-fashioned. Ms Arib argues that the Moroccan government should understand that the new generations have less of a strong tie with Morocco.

Berber language
In addition to sparking widespread irritation about the Moroccan government's interference, the plans have raised serious concerns among many Moroccan migrants. Said bin Azouz from the Voice of Democratic Moroccans in the Netherlands says that "In principle, there is nothing wrong with preserving your own language and culture, but the question is which culture"?

Mr Bin Azouz argues that an open democratic Moroccan culture is not at odds with integration, but the traditional, static culture that the Moroccan government is promoting, is. Also, the Moroccan government seems to have forgotten that 80 percent of Moroccans in the Netherlands speak one of the Berber languages. To them Arabic is a second language, just like Dutch is.

Money
Attempts by the Moroccan government to retain its hold over its migrant communities are nothing new, and have repeatedly led to irritation. The Moroccan government refuses to allow its migrants to give up their Moroccan nationality and tries to force migrants to choose the names for their children from an officially approved list. A recently created Advisory Board to the Moroccan Community Abroad is also being regarded with suspicion.

There is a reason why the Moroccan government wants to retain strong ties with its migrant communities. There are more than three million Moroccans in Europe, more than 10 percent of the total Moroccan population. In addition to tourism and phosphate mining, the money sent home by these migrants is the country's main source of foreign exchange.

*RNW translation (gsh)

Tags: assimilation, Berber, Dutch politics, immigration, integration, language, migrants, Morocco, Turkey

A brush with Moroccan art
Published: 19th February 2008

MOROCCAN art, music and fashion will come under the spotlight in a three-day cultural festival to be hosted in Bahrain on April 29.

The Al Bareh Moroccan Cultural Festival, organised by Al Bareh Gallery of Assorted Arts, will be held under the patronage of Injaz executive director Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa.

Gallery general manager Hayfa Al Jishi said the festival aimed to introduce the audience, both Bahrainis and visitors, to the traditions, habits and arts that identify and distinguish the Moroccan culture.

"It is also an opportunity for the Moroccan people to demonstrate their various forms of assorted arts, music, fashion, architecture, handicrafts and cuisine - and to what extent they epitomise and reflect social value and creativity," she said.

"A collection of lectures and specialised workshops comprise the festival's programme to benefit from the artistic techniques and experiences offered by Moroccan culture.

"The notable focus on Morocco this year is a way of appreciating the country's history, civilisations, heritage, its geographic proximity to Europe and its various successive civilisations which influenced a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural taste that remarkably distinguishes the identity of Moroccan culture today."

© Gulf Daily News