Amazing Morocco: Hospitality unsurpassed in land of contrasts Posted 1 day ago The bad news? I'm a 40-year-old woman from Winnipeg who has just landed in a Muslim country only to learn the airline has lost my luggage. All of my luggage. The good news? The Muslim country I've landed in is Morocco, a land of contrasts where mothers clothed in traditional jellabas - a full-length, body- covering garment - shop side-by-side with their teenage daughters dressed not much differently from my own. My worries about being able to find something to wear proved just as unfounded as were my preconceptions of what it would be like travelling as a woman through a Muslim country. The people were welcoming and the hospitality unequalled in this nation that seems to forever jostle between competing influences. The modernity of the nation's many five-star hotels slams up against a land where history is measured in thousand-year blocks. The nation's predominantly Muslim population lives side-by-side with its smaller Christian and Jewish populations. European influences from Spain - just across the Strait of Gibraltar - nicely weave with African roots. Oh, and then there's the visually jolting contrast of a goat grazing by the side of a highway - in a tree. The goat, that is. But more on that later. Some contrasts are expected, others not. The facade of our 21-room hotel, the Sultanta, located in the centre of Marrakesh's medina (the oldest parts of the city, encircled by walls), was plain. But once inside, we were surrounded by an opulent display of carved plaster and cedar, and intricate mosaics. All exteriors in Morocco, it turns out, are plain, hiding the wealth within to give no indication to previous generations of invaders what they may contain. Shopping at the souks (street markets) within the medina walls brought a different experience. At times sellers can be aggressive when trying to entice you into the store. Bargaining being the only way in the souks, take care where you enter, as it can be considered an opening you might not want to follow up on. Bargaining is a form of entertainment, rooted in the past when there were no outside diversions other than the customers who happened upon your shop. A relationship is expected to develop, and though at times it may seem an arduous process - and at times a losing proposition - it can also result in smug satisfaction when a hard-fought deal results in a hug and kisses at the end of the negotiations. And then there are those goats. Just outside Essaouira is a forest of trees from which argan nuts are collected to make the traditional Berber oil, used commonly here for salad dressings. Legend has it the best way to harvest the nuts is to have goats collect them - from up high in the trees. It sounded too weird to be true, until our car rounded a bend and, sure enough, there were three goats in a tree by the roadside. The van was brought to a quick halt and we rushed to take pictures - until another vehicle stopped. The herdsmen, who had been requesting dinars, at this point violently yanked the goats out of the tree and took off through the meadow. So was it all just a photo op, orchestrated to separate tourists from their dinars? I'm still not sure. Quite a sight, though. By the roadside are several collectives owned, operated and staffed by Berber women, who are willing to explain the labour-intensive processes involved in making argan oil. They'll sell you a bottle of culinary grade oil - delicious on salads or mopped up with a chunk of fresh bread - or you can pick up cosmetics made from the leftover paste once the oil is extracted. Essaouira itself has a welcoming, laid-back surfing vibe shared by beach towns the world over. A picturesque harbour is packed with fishing boats, white buildings are trimmed in a bright blue, the refreshing salt air blows in off the ocean and there are camels lounging on the sand waiting to take tourists for a ride. In Rabat, the current capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, lies the final resting place of Morocco's beloved King Mohammed V, who successfully negotiated independence from France in 1956 (and grandfather to the current King Mohammed VI). Inside the mausoleum, one's world shrinks to the sound of a single, haunting voice of a lone man reciting prayers from the Qur'an, rising from below to echo through the chamber. And then there's Fes, where the past and present live side-by-side, with sweet-faced donkeys patiently waiting alongside cars packed into parking lots. Donkeys are used to transport goods inside the oldest parts of the medinas where alleyways are too narrow for vehicles. Fes's winding alleyways lead to some of the best places in Morocco to watch artisans such as woodworkers, weavers, metalworkers, bakers and tailors in their own shops. The pottery quarter, now located outside the medina, is also well worth a visit to gain a greater appreciation of mosaics. Every twist and turn in any souk brings a different aromatic experience, from the sweet scent of fresh ground spices to the reek of fish being sold in nearby carts. But never is the smell more overwhelming than when nearing Fes's tannery section. It's worth getting past the stench (sprigs of mint are helpfully handed out) to take a fascinating step back in time to watch animal skins being tanned. The leather, manipulated by men with their feet in large outdoor pots, goes through several washes, including quick lime, pigeon droppings, turmeric and natural dyes. Meknes, 60 kilometres west of Fes, was the 17th-century headquarters of the Sultan Moulay Ismail, who united the country for the first time in five centuries. Contrasting with the 40-kilometre-long wall built as part of a defensive fortress are the 25 beautiful gates for which the city is known. Inside the walls, Ismail made provisions to be able to withstand a long siege - including the Royal Granaries, an amazing engineering feat with a water reservoir below, which helps stabilize the temperature, meaning grain can be stored for decades.

Copyright © 2008 The Cornwall Standard Freeholder

24 May 2008

Long before the King of Morocco ratified the Vision 2010 national development plan to help diversify the economy and bring foreign investment, Morocco was a popular destination for international film producers. Films such as Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ and ‘The Kingdom of Heaven’ have recently been shot there and Morocco’s now so famous as a film set that it has a series of internationally acclaimed film festivals annually such as the Mediterranean Short Film Festival in Tangier and the Trans-Sahara Film Festival in Zagora, which both take place in June.

Naturally, now that the King of Morocco’s ambitious plans for economic diversification are coming to fruition as laid out and detailed in Vision 2010, the film industry is one to benefit even more from the new policies and legislation that have brought about greater business transparency in a successful bid to attract significant and sustainable levels of foreign direct investment.

One of the latest productions to benefit was the BBC’s ‘The Passion.’ Speaking in an interview with The Sun specifically about the filming experience, actor James Nesbitt who played Pontius Pilate remarked that: “from the bustle of Marrakech’s colourful souks to the vast beauty of the Atlas Mountains, it is surprisingly different from anywhere in Europe” – despite being only a short three hour hop away from the UK!

And the film industry is certainly not the only one to benefit from Vision 2010 and the strong economic emergence of Morocco; forming strategically central roles in the national development plan are the tourism and real estate industries which is why Morocco has suddenly become such a popular place for property investment.

According to Steve Worboys, MD of Experience International: “developments such as Apple Gardens in Marrakech, which comprises of 51 high quality villas within a boutique-style development are being snatched up by investors well aware that demand will potentially push up values in the city where there have been predictions of 15% annual capital growth, but that as Vision 2010 comes to completion, Morocco will likely be internationally recognised as a superb place to live, work, invest and do business.”

For others, the appeal of Morocco is not just about its economic strength and fantastic investment landscape – it’s more about the beauty of the nation, the fabulous weather, the history, the magical cities and the people. This is why Morocco is such a popular choice with film producers, holiday-makers and now second home buyers alike. Proving popular with the latter group are resort style developments such as Mediterranea Saïdia with its golf clubs, private beach, diving and sailing centre and myriad of five star facilities, and Playa Vista where apartments are guaranteed an ocean view forever because of their breathtaking sea front setting.

For more information, visit experience-international.com.

To escape the maelstrom of Marrakech, Linda Cookson goes on an off-road trip to the desert – and revels in its stony silence

Saturday, 5 April 2008

There's not a speck of sand in sight in the southern Moroccan town of Ouarzazate – no dunes, no tents, no wandering nomads. Yet the trail to the Sahara desert starts here.

The town's name, approximately pronounced "Waz-a-zat", sounds rather more exotic than the reality, which is a fairly unremarkable colonial settlement built as a garrison by the French in the 1920s. It has palm-lned streets, municipal gardens and fountains, and a seemingly endless selection of car-rental outlets. But the name's meaning in Berber dialect – "without noise" – hints enticingly at the otherworldly stillness of vast skies and shifting sands that lies just beyond the town known as The Gateway to the Sahara.

The 290km journey south from Ouarzazate passes through an eerie, biblical landscape of cool oases and sun-baked kasbahs, right down to where the desert sands begin. It feels like a ride in a time machine – a journey into the very heart of silence. Ouarzazate's history as a staging post for travellers long predates the current French fortress. Lying where three rivers converge, it's a natural crossroads linking east with west and north with south. Until coastal shipping came to Morocco in the late-19th century, it was a busy stopping-off point for the caravans that plied the trans-Saharan trade route. Thousands of camels and their owners made the arduous two-month journey across the Sahara to Timbuktu, bearing cargoes of salt, dates, barley and goatskins and returning with the gold, slaves and ivory that would make North Africa wealthy.

The idea of following a trade route into the deep south struck us as wonderfully exotic. With that in mind, we opted not to start our romantic journey into the desert in Ouarzazate itself, but to begin 210km to the north in Marrakech. Unsurprisingly, we chickened out of attempting a 500km camel-ride. Ali Leghlid, our cheerful driver-cum-guide, was more than happy for his trusty four-wheel drive to take the strain for most of the trip.

The Tizi n'Tichka road out of Marrakech, a magnificent feat of engineering built by the Foreign Legion in 1936, leads directly to the deep south. It cuts through the High Atlas mountains by way of a spectacular pass – 2,260m at its highest point – that snakes and twists like a length of grey ribbon that has been wrapped round the red earth of the mountainside. We set off from Marrakech at dawn. Even early in the morning, we discovered, manic Marrakech doesn't do stillness or silence. The muezzin's recorded wail was crackling through loudspeakers outside a mosque. Blacksmiths had lit their fires and were already hammering away. And the narrow streets of the kasbah were crammed with the usual early-morning traffic.

Soon, the cacaphony was behind us. Ahead, the mountains of the High Atlas beckoned, their shapes a rosy glow on the horizon. As we grew closer, they separated into smoky layers of soft greys and pinks. The sun rose in the sky like a silver coin, and we passed through what felt like half-a-dozen different countries in the space of a couple of hours. Agricultural flatlands began to give way to arid mountains, as we climbed high above olive groves, fruit orchards and bamboo fields in to a Martian wilderness of blood-red rocks and tall shadows. The snow that we'd seen on distant peaks started to appear around us. The landscape became increasingly barren.

Pine trees were soon replaced by acacia trees and tamarinds. Colours shifted constantly across a spectrum that ranged from charcoal to crimson. By the time we emerged from the vertiginous spirals of the high-altitude pass to begin the descent towards Ouarzazate, the mountains were devoid of vegetation. The pale stone settlements that clung to their sides were coated in dust.

By now, it felt as though we were already in the midst of the desert. But there were further surprises in store. The journey south from Ouarzazate, reckoned to be one of the most beautiful in Morocco, led back in to bewildering lushness – 125km of thick, green, palm groves in the valley of the River Draa – before we made our final approach to the sands of the desert.

The Draa is technically the longest river in Morocco, rising in the mountains just outside of Ouarzazate and notionally flowing some 1,100km along the edge of the Sahara to reach the Atlantic Ocean near Tan Tan. In 1989, after a freak flood, it ran its full course for the first time in living memory. For centuries, it has been dry for the final three-quarters of its journey. After carving a rocky channel between the Anti Atlas mountains to the west and the volcanic peaks of the Jbel Sarhro to the east, it flows through tracts of fertile valley that seem endless. But then, abruptly, its waters peter out, and the bed becomes an empty strip of dry rocks. At the oasis town of M'hamid it simply vanishes into the sands.

The Draa valley is known as the Valley of the Thousand Kasbahs, and the route from the start of the valley, in the small town of Agdz (70km south of Ouarzazate), to the fringes of the desert itself is packed with these evocative fortified settlements, which are built up from the earth around oases. Often, they're barely visible from the road, hidden as they are among the palm groves. Fashioned from clay pressed together with pebbles and straw – a technique known as pisé – and with roofs made of reed matting inserted into wooden frames, they rise as though from the land itself.

Newer buildings are red in colour, their thick walls clearly defined. But what's especially fascinating is how, as the buildings age, they simply collapse back in to the land.

Ali, our guide, was born in southern Morocco and proved an invaluable source of information. There are heart-breaking pockets of poverty in the region, we discovered. The upper reaches of the Draa valley are provided for by the El Mansour Eddahbi dam, built near Ourzazate in 1971 in order to distribute water more evenly among the 50 or so settlements in that area. Fruit trees, vegetables and crops all flourish, alongside the date palms for which the area is celebrated. But the impact of the dam has been devastating to residents in the lower reaches of the valley, who are now deprived of running water and their livelihoods as farmers.

Ali drove us off-piste at several points so that we could see the contrast for ourselves. First, we visited Tamnougalt, a prosperous settlement 6km south of Agdz. The air smelt of honey. Almond blossom drifted like snowflakes, as women tended the bean-fields by the river bed. A crowd of young boys were busily packing orange cardboard boxes of dates in to crates, for selling at the roadside. At the other end of our journey, nearer the Sahara, it was a different story. In the Berber settlement of Ait Atta and the Jewish settlement of Beni Sbih, withered date palms stood like totems in the stony ground. A date palm can yield an income of 150 dirhams (£10) a year, Ali explained. Deprived of that income and in no position to raise the 10,000 dirhams (£650) needed to buy a camel, villagers scratch an existence as best they can, keeping chickens and goats among the rubble and sieving the earth for saleable fossils or brightly coloured stones.

As every schoolchild probably knows (although I didn't), the Sahara is mostly made out of stone. Less than 30 per cent of its total area is covered in sand. But the pot of gold – or bucket of sand – at our journey's end was to be the romance of a dromedary ride across the dunes at sunset. And the great moment had finally arrived.

Hassan, our chamelier, was waiting for us at the palmery-village of Oualad Driss, where a thrilling drift of sand across the surface of the road marked the end of the stony sub-Saharan wastelands known as hammada and the start of the desert itself. And off we set, into the silence. It was a journey like no other we'd ever made. For two magical hours there wasn't another soul in sight, just rolling folds of fine beige sand dotted with occasional tamarisk trees. Theirs were the only shadows cast, apart from our own. The only sound was the gentle, rhythmic plodding of the camels' hooves. All above and around us – the sky feels like a dome in the desert – the day sky that began as a haze of brilliant blue slipped in to the colours of night. Sands rose into crescent-shaped dunes as the light began to fail. And finally, ahead on the horizon, we saw the light of a fire marking the camp where we would spend our night under the stars.

TRAVELLER'S GUIDE

Getting there: Fly from Gatwick to Marrakech on easyJet (0905 821 0905; www.easyJet.com) and Atlas Blue (020-7307 5803; www.atlas-blue.com), or from Heathrow on Royal Air Maroc (020-7307 5800; www.royalairmaroc.com).

Linda Cookson travelled with Inntravel (01653 617906; www.inntravel.co.uk) which offers a one-week City & Sahara Experience starting at £875 per person in March and April. It includes hotels and a night in a camp with breakfast, some meals, as well as the services of a driver, and the camel ride. International flights not included. You can buy an "offset" through Abta's Reduce my Footprint initiative (020-7637 2444; www.reducemyfootprint.travel).

More information: Moroccan National Tourist Office: 020-7437 0073; or got to www.visitmorocco.com

My recent visit to Morocco helped to flesh out, in three dimensions, what it means to be a Moroccan and Arab woman today

Khaled Diab

April 3, 2008 2:00 PM

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/khaled_diab/2008/04/threed_moroccan_women.html

The Hollywood Casablanca is an enigmatic place of wartime intrigue peopled by a multinational cast of gin-swigging refugees and fraudsters, shady Nazis and heroic members of the resistance. The real Casablanca, Morocco's frenetic commercial hub, is quite a different place - for a start, it's inhabited by Moroccans, who are notable by their absence in the celluloid version of the city, excepting perhaps the doorman who lets people into Rick's Café Américain.

That said, the Moroccan Casablanca has been - given its size, cosmopolitan population and commercial status - a major ideological battlefield with its fair share of political tragedies and conflicts, particularly in the so-called Years of Lead under the late heavy-handed king, Hassan II.

Fatna el-Bouih, a quietly commanding woman with a solemn and earnest face, was, as a student and young activist, one of the many who fell foul of the regime in the 1960s and 1970s. As she drove us through Casablanca's broad and congested boulevards, el-Bouih recounted what happened to her during those dark years.

Born in 1955 in a small village about 60km from Casablanca, el-Bouih showed promise from an early age, earning herself a scholarship to the Lycée Chawqi, a prestigious girls' high school in Casa. Soon after joining the school, she discovered political activism and became a member of the Syndicat National des Elèves, Morocco's national union of high school students.

Her first serious run-in with the authorities was as a leader of a 1974 students' strike. "By a strange coincidence, the holding centre where I spent the night was next door to my school," she told me as we drove past the Lycée Chawqi.

She went on to tell me about the five years she spent in prison and how they changed her outlook on life. "Prison is a school you don't wish upon your loved ones but it is also a school where you learn a lot about life," she reflected. "In prison, my determination and understanding deepened and sparked my interest in women's issues."

However, it would be several years after her release before she recovered enough from the lead poisoning she got in jail to become politically active once again. Since then, she hasn't looked back. She has been involved in the campaign to force the government to face up to the legacy of the Years of Lead, which led to the establishment of an Equity and Reconciliation Commission, and she set up an NGO to help prisoners reintegrate into society. She was a leading voice in the successful campaign to make Morocco's family laws more friendly to women and she is in the process of writing her third book.

We continued through Casablanca's more affluent neighbourhoods and past the walls of the small historic medina - the fact that Moroccan towns still retain their original city walls adds a touch of beauty and timelessness to modern metropolises. Our destination was the crumbling masonry of decaying industrial buildings and the narrow alleyways that make up the working class Mohammadi neighbourhood, which was one of the half dozen or so areas in the country hit worst by government repression during the Years of Lead. Today, el-Bouih is coordinating a major initiative - funded by the EU's European Neighbourhood Policy - to rejuvenate this neglected district.

According to el-Bouih, Mohammadi - built originally to serve as the city's industrial hub by the French on confiscated farmland - was once a veritable talent production line churning out some of Morocco's greatest writers, artists, musicians and sportspeople. Today, the deprived neighbourhood is suffering the consequences of decades of neglect by the former regime as punishment for its obstinacy.

Our first stop was a place of painful personal association for el-Bouih. We parked in the courtyard of a nondescript concrete block with laundry hanging on the balconies. In the basement of this mundane-looking building was the infamous Derb Moulay Chérif "secret" torture centre where el-Bouih spent seven months in 1977 enduring psychological and physical abuse.

When I asked her how it felt to revisit the source of so much personal anguish, she went quiet for several moments, caught in her own thoughts. "Visiting this place affects me in a way that words fail to express," she confessed, struggling to maintain the customary calm of her voice as she gazed up at the freshly washed clothes fluttering on the balconies, concealing the dirty human laundry hidden in the bowels of the building and locked away in the vaults of time.

"So, people live here now," I remarked casually.

"People have always lived here," she responded with a hint of bitterness. "They just pretended that nothing was going on under their noses. Some of our torturers lived in those apartments up there."

I told her that I wasn't sure whether I would be able to endure what she had. "When people are faced with dire situations, they discover capacities they didn't know they possessed," was her response.

After taking the photographer, Mohammed Chamali, and me on a tour of the local youth centre - a rare space crammed full of local kids keen to express themselves in sports, music and culture - she drove us to the station.

On the way, we picked up her husband, Yusuf, from his office, who stepped into the car and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. When I was doing some background reading before my visit, I learned that Yusuf, despite his busy life as an IT professional, found time to support his wife in her numerous activities by taking care of her correspondence and typing up her manuscripts.

When he found out I was Egyptian, he told me about how much he enjoyed visiting Cairo and that he felt that it was his spiritual home. We chatted about his favourite haunts in the city of a thousand minarets, a million contradictions and 20 million restless souls.

Not only is Egypt the spiritual home of Imane Masbahi, a young Moroccan film director and distributor, but she can also speak Arabic with a distinct Cairene lilt. This took me a little by surprise when she greeted me in the Casablanca office of her film distribution company, giving me an eerie sense that I had somehow stepped through a portal and fetched up in another town.

Masbahi studied filmmaking, with a particular focus on screenwriting, which she describes as the orphan art in Morocco, at Cairo's prestigious Higher Institute for Cinema. Although she has focused mainly on television films during her career, she released her debut film for the big screen in 2002, after some eight years of on-off production. The Paradise of the Poor (Paradis des pauvres) explores a theme familiar to many young Moroccans: the allure of emigrating and the tough reality of life on the margins in Europe.

Masbahi's love of Egyptian cinema and culture has sparked in her a steely determination to carve out a niche for Egyptian films in Morocco. Almost a decade ago, she set up a distribution company for Egyptian films and now she shuttles back and forth between Cairo, where she has an Egyptian boyfriend, and Casablanca.

This surprised me somewhat, since I had assumed that Egyptian films, produced in the "Hollywood" of the Middle East, would not need someone to champion them single-handedly. After all, it is easy, as a visitor, to come away with the impression that Moroccans are passionate about all things Egyptian and are well-versed in Egyptian popular culture.

As in Egypt, traditional teahouses in Morocco still resonate with the legendary vocal chords of Umm Kulthoum, the undisputed grand diva of the Arab world. People's televisions are as often as not tuned in to Egyptian satellite channels or channels showing Egyptian productions. Sometimes, with the sounds of Egypt all around, one could almost be lulled into thinking they were a few thousand kilometres east.

People also tend to become warmer and friendlier when they find out you're an Egyptian, particularly now that Egypt has been crowned African football champion for the second time running. This proved particularly useful at a checkpoint, when a bored gendarme started being difficult with Umar, who was driving us to the Rif Mountains. When Umar identified me as Egyptian, the gendarme called over his mates, all of whom started congratulating me on Egypt's victory and telling me that all Moroccans had rooted for Egypt and that the national side had done all of North Africa proud.

Masbahi was surprised that all Moroccans seemed so friendly with me. "Surely the women are friendlier than the men?" she asked. "Moroccan men are often jealous of Egyptian men because Moroccan women are so infatuated by them." I though to myself that perhaps Moroccan women would be somewhat less enthusiastic if they actually lived in Egypt!

Masbahi explained that this love for Egypt did not actually translate into bums on seats in cinemas. "In Morocco, most people go to see Hollywood, Bollywood or Moroccan productions," she said. "Another big problem for Egyptian films is widespread piracy. You can get knocked-off DVDs and videos everywhere in the market."

In addition, she explained, most Egyptian films that make it to Moroccan cinemas are lightweight and incredibly commercial. "The reputation of serious Egyptian films among Moroccan filmgoers was hurt by the so-called 'contract' films of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, when businessmen who had no idea about the industry financed highly formulaic films in search of a profit," Masbahi says. "In recent years, there have been lots of high-quality Egyptian films which Moroccans are not really aware of."

Being a small fish in a very large distribution ocean, Masbahi struggled to draw audiences to her first releases, many of which were highly political or focused on very Egyptian issues. But she puts much of the trouble down to her shorter reach compared with the distributors of American and Indian films. "Not only do they have a larger distribution budget, but they benefit from all the press hype and publicity prior to the film's release," she points out.

This led her to seek sponsors to finance the promotion of films, but she soon abandoned this because it was too commercial for her liking. Then she managed to get hold of some EU funding aimed at helping distribute films across the Euro-Med area. With better promotional campaigns, she soon discovered that there was a latent appetite for Egyptian cinema.

The veteran Egyptian comedian Adel Imam has proven to be a good investment for her. His latest satire, Morgan Ahmed Morgan, has been at the top of the box office takings for Morocco's main cinema chain for the entire first quarter of 2008.

The film, which she invited me to see, is about a billionaire of modest roots who believes he can bribe his way through anything. When his children express their shame at his uncultured and uneducated ways, he buys his way into parliament, and they join the opposition against him. He then decides to go back to school and joins the same exclusive university they go to and goes about trying to buy himself an education. When his son and daughter more or less disown him, he begins to reform.

This unexpected success has been uplifting for her small company. Masbahi is now considering setting her sights on the trickier challenge of promoting Moroccan films in Egypt. One major barrier is language, since most Egyptians cannot understand fully the Moroccan dialect. Another is the Egypt-centrism of the Egyptian cultural landscape, which often ignores the creative output of other Arab countries, particularly those to the west.

Masbahi is proud of the fact that Egyptian films are, thanks to her efforts, gaining in profile across Morocco. She is doubly proud of this achievement given the fact that she is the only woman boss in the Moroccan film distribution industry.

But it is not just women from Morocco's educated urban elite who are entering traditionally male domains.

Chefchaouen is a breathtakingly beautiful town of blue and white buildings perched in the luscious green of the Rif Mountains. In its hinterland, Chamali, the photographer, pointed out to me that up here in the north it was the women who did a large share of the work out on the fields, unlike in the south. "A lot of men in the rif are too lazy to work their land," he maintained. I hoped, but very much doubted, that these absent men compensated by doing more domestic chores.

Nevertheless, even in this traditional and very conservative environment, there are young women who are taking their first bold steps towards emancipation. For instance, I was surprised at a small co-operative goat's cheese factory I visited that the most technical job there, that of lab technicians, was being performed by two young female graduates.

One of them, Zeinab, was quite pleased that this place had opened up in the area. "It gives me the chance to practise my specialty, which is very fulfilling," she told me. "As a first job, the income also isn't bad." Betraying a healthy spirit of ambition, she remarked: "This is only a first step. I hope to develop my skills and find more challenging work in the future."

And the ambition to move onwards and upwards is one that is doubtless shared by many Moroccan women.

Moroccan King hails President Wade’s peace-building efforts in Africa
http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article&id_article=59734

APA-Rabat (Morocco) Morocco’s King, Mohammed VI, on Friday hailed President Abdoulaye of Senegal’s "constinuous efforts" for "peace, stability and progress" in Africa.

Hailing his efforts as part of Senegal’s 48th Independence Day, king Mohammed VI paid tribute to President Wade for his continuous efforts for peace, stability and progress in our continent and for the triumph of the Islamic noble values of tolerance, moderation, dialogue and understanding among religions and cultures".

The Moroccan King also hailed the Senegalese head of state’s strong commitment for "the consecration of democracy and the promotion of development" in Senegal that he described as a "brotherly country".

Mohammed VI further stressed the concordance of points of view while meeting with President Wade as part of the 11th organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) convened in March in Dakar. These included bilateral ties and regional and international issues.

"This understanding accounts for the fact that Morocco and Senegal share the same values of Islamic solidarity and sue for African brotherly and unity spirit", the king said.

He also expressed his "strong and continuous commitment" to pursue with President Wade the strengthening of the strong ties ushered in through time and our two peoples brotherly united by a common history and the sublime values of a common culture".

YB/sd/tjm/APA
04-04-2008

By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 2:53am GMT 20/03/2008

A Moroccan internet prankster jailed for pretending to be the brother of the king on the social networking site Facebook has been given a royal pardon.

Human rights groups had expressed outrage after Fouad Mourtada, a 27-year-old computer engineer, was sentenced by a court to three years in jail and fined 10,000 dinar (£650) for "the use of false information and usurping the identity" of Prince Mourlay Rachid.

Mourtada, a graduate of the prestigious Mohammedia Engineers School in Rabat, had insisted he had meant no harm by setting up a Facebook page purporting to belong to King Mohammed VI's younger brother.
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He said at his trial: "I admire him, I like him a lot and I have never caused him any wrong, it was just a joke. I am innocent."

His lawyer had pointed out that Facebook contained sites for President Sarkozy, George Bush and Tony Blair, as well as sport and film stars, without any proof that they were real.

Amnesty International, which condemned Mourtada's sentence as disproportionate to the offence, had been particularly worried by the judge's claim that he had "undermined the sacred integrity of the realm as represented by the prince".

His release from jail in Casablanca on Tuesday evening followed an international campaign for his release by human rights groups and ordinary internet users.

Reporters Without Borders, a media freedom campaign group, welcomed the royal pardon but added: "Nevertheless, we regret that his liberation was due to a royal pardon and not a fair verdict."

The case illustrates that whatever the internet's generally liberating effect on free speech elsewhere in the world, any sort of criticism or mockery of the royal family remains very risky in Morocco.

Ahmed Benchemsi, a Moroccan journalist, faces up to five years in jail over an article he wrote about one of the king's speeches.

In another official reprieve for another Facebook user, a computer engineering student in Canada learned he would not be expelled for running a study group on the site.

Ryerson University in Toronto decided that Chris Avenir, 18, had been charged with 146 counts of academic misconduct - one for each of the classmates who discussed their course work on his Facebook page.

Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence. For the full copyright statement see Copyright

PEOPLE & CULTURE
[03/19/2008 - 11:10]
The history of Morocco in São Paulo

The Ministry of Culture of the Arab country, in partnership with FAAP College, is going to promote, starting on the 31st, exhibition 'Morocco'. Around 500 archaeological, ethnic, handwritten, painted and photographed objects are going to show the riches of the Moroccan people.

Marina Sarruf*
marina.sarruf@anba.com.br

São Paulo – Starting on the 31st of March, Brazilians will be able to learn more about the history of Morocco. The fact is that the Ministry of Culture of the Arab country, in partnership with Armando Álvares Penteado College (FAAP), brings to São Paulo exhibition "Morocco", to bring together 500 items from the most important museums of Morocco. The exhibition, to take place at the FAAP Brazilian Art Museum, should be open to the public up to June 22.

"The objective of the exhibition is to strengthen cultural relations between developing countries and also to show Brazilian people the rich components of Moroccan culture," said to ANBA the director of Cultural Assets at the Ministry of Culture of Morocco, Abdellah Salih, one of the organizers of the fair. According to him, this kind of action brings the nations closer together and permits greater mutual knowledge of each society for a true partnership.

The idea of organising an exhibition about the Arab country at FAAP arose in 2006, when the ambassador of Morocco to Brazilian capital Brasília, Farida Jaïdi, was invited to make an official visit to the college. At the time, FAAP museum was organising an exhibition about Greece. "It was a large exhibition and there were many objects. I was impressed, so I suggested the organisation of an exhibition about Morocco," said the ambassador. Since then, she has been working for the exhibition to take place.

According to Farida, the promotion of the fair in 2008 is not by chance. "This will be an important year as there will be the second Summit of Arab and South American Countries," she said. The meeting of heads of state is scheduled to take place in the second half of the year, in Doha, the capital of Qatar. "I hope that the exhibition may show a little more of the culture of Morocco, which is very rich," added the ambassador.

According to Salih, the exhibition should contribute not only to bringing two peoples closer together, but also to increasing the tourist flow between both countries. The director of Cultural Assets of Morocco should come to Brazil together with the minister of Culture of the Arab country, Touria Jabrane Kryatif, and with other representatives of cultural institutions in Morocco.

The exhibition

Morocco, which is located in North Africa, is close to the European continent, which resulted in centuries of reciprocal exchange and domination. Even with a strong mixture of cultures and great foreign influences, Morocco never lost its true identity. The works to be presented in São Paulo are going to try to show a little of this history, from ancient times to date.

The exhibition should be divided into four parts. First, "The Origins" which includes articles like decorated vases from the Neolithic period and cave drawings from the Bronze Age. Ancient times and the centuries up to the Muslim period are illustrated by Moroccan objects for daily use.

The second part, called "Traditional Arts", brings aspects of the spiritual and intellectual practices of daily life in the cities and the country. To represent this art, several objects should be exhibited, like jewels, embroidered products, fabrics, garments, ceramics and weapons. In this part, those visiting the exhibition can also see a scenographic space showing the interior of a Moroccan home. Rooms with chests, sculpted wooden shelves, a floor covered in typical Moroccan carpets, cushions and mirrors are also part of this scenery.

Then comes "The eye of travelling orientalists and painters", which goes from the second half of the 19th century to the mid-20th century. In this section, the exhibition is going to show the outlook of foreign artists, painters, writers and photographers who visited the country, considered an excellent destination that exerts strong influence on and fascinates visitors.

Lastly comes "Contemporary Art", which brings paintings and photographs of Moroccan artists who show a panorama of contemporary artistic production in the Arab country.

Service

Exhibition "Morocco"
Date: March 31 to June 22
Site: FAAP Brazilian Art Museum
Address: Rua Alagoas, 903, Higienópolis, São Paulo
Time: Tuesdays to Fridays from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Further information: (+55 11) 3662-7198
Free admittance

*Translated by Mark Ament

RABAT (AFP) — Amnesty International said Saturday it was "shocked" by a three-year jail term handed down by a Moroccan court to a man who registered a false Internet Facebook profile as King Mohammed VI's brother.

The court in Casablanca sentenced 27-year-old computer engineer Fouad Mourtada on Friday and fined him 10,000 dinar (900 euros, 1,300 dollars) for "the use of false information and usurping the identity of the prince."

"We are shocked by such a heavy verdict," said Benedicte Goderiaux, a member of an Amnesty group examining human rights issues in Morocco and Western Sahara who attended the trial.

"The sentence is disproportionate to the offence," she told AFP.

Goderiaux also expressed "concern over the trial's fairness," saying that the prosecutor and the judge each reproached Mourtada repeatedly for having "undermined the sacred integrity of the realm as represented by the prince."

If that was the basis of the verdict, Amnesty would consider him "a prisoner of opinion," she added.

According to Goderiaux, the accused and his lawyers said Mourtada had signed his statement under duress during interrogation.

"In these circumstances, this document cannot be entered into a fair trial," she stated.

The prosecutor had demanded Mourtada's punishment serve as an "example," while the defence argued its client was just having fun and that similar cases in the United States, Canada, and Europe never went to trial.

"On Facebook, you find sites (for) Sarkozy, Bush and Blair as well as sports stars and film stars without certifying that they are real," his lawyer Ali Ammar said.

Asked why he had set up a Facebook profile under the name of Prince Moulay Rachid, the king's younger brother, Mourtada had replied: "I admire him, I like him a lot and I have never caused him any wrong, it was just a joke. I am innocent."
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Magharebia
Published on Magharebia‎ (http://www.magharebia.com) ‎
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/02/21/feature-01
Morocco dismantles widespread domestic terrorist network

21/02/2008

Investigations into a suspected terrorist network in Morocco led to the arrests of three senior political party officials, Morocco's interior ministry announced on Wednesday. The group, trained in part by Hezbollah, is believed to have links to al-Qaeda.

By Sarah Touahri and Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 21/02/08

[Sarah Touahri] Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday (February 20th) Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa said Moroccan investigators have dismantled a "major Jihadist terror network" established in Tangier in 1992.

Moroccan authorities announced Monday (February 18th) that security services had dismantled a "major Jihadist terrorist network, which was preparing to perpetrate acts of violence in the country." Painstaking intelligence work led to the identification and subsequent arrest of the group's main active members.

Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa told the press on Wednesday that the investigations had uncovered a number of branches of the network, originally established in 1992 in Tangier. The group had connections to terrorist organisations active in Morocco and abroad, including al-Qaeda. Benmoussa said the network was preparing to assassinate top-level civilian and military officials and Moroccan Jewish citizens.

In all, 32 people representing a broad cross-section of society have been detained. Many are educated professionals, one is a police superintendent and three more are senior political party leaders. The network is reportedly led by Moroccan Abdelkader Belliraj, a resident of Belgium.

The interior ministry said searches of the residences and workplaces of members of the "Belliraj Cell" in Casablanca and Nador led to the seizure of large quantities of weapons, ammunitions and explosives, as well as supplies intended to conceal the terrorists' identities.

The ministry added that police helped to identify the sources of financing for the Belliraj cell, including armed robbery, sale of stolen goods, and direct contributions by members. The terrorist organisation also reportedly smuggled some 30 million dirhams into the country in 2001 that were invested in money-laundering endeavours in tourist, real estate and commercial projects in several Moroccan cities. Real estate purchased by the group was also used to house some of the terrorists.

The interior minister also revealed that the group received explosives and arms training from Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2002.

The Moroccan public was perhaps most shocked by the arrests of Secretary-General Mustapha Lmouaatassim and El Amine Regala of the Al-Badil Al-Hadari (Civilised Alternative) party, as well as Mohamed El Merouani, leader of the unrecognised Al Oumma (The Nation) party.

According to the interior minister, the terrorist network was found to be instrumental in the creation of the Al-Badil Al-Hadari party. As a result, Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi decreed the dissolution of the party, under Article 57 of the law governing political parties.

Al-Badil Al-Hadari contributed to the creation of an Islamist association in 1995 before becoming a full-fledged party in 2005. The party fielded candidates in the September 2007 legislative elections but failed to win any seats.

Al Oumma began as a partisan offshoot of Al Haraka Min Ajli Oumma (Movement for the Nation). Founded in 1998, the party applied for government recognition in 2007 but has yet to be approved.

"The creation of the Al-Badil Al-Hadari association in 1995 and Al Haraka Min Ajli Al Oumma in 1998," Chakib Benmoussa explained, "was just a front for the members of the [terrorist] network."

Saad Al Othmani, Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party expressed his surprise at the arrests, saying the political leaders were "all known for moderation, rejection of violence and extremism, and for working within the framework of institutions and established national principles."

"We are sure that there is some sort of an error," he said, "and we hope it will be corrected."

Meanwhile, Mohamed Moujahid, leader of Morocco's Unified Socialist Party, said the charges are "in contradiction with their stances that call for modernity, democracy and human rights".

Mohamed Ziane, leader of the Moroccan Liberal Party, commented on the case, saying, "Political struggle has nothing to do with violence. The proponents of a culture of violence have no place in politics. This rule applies to both leftist and rightist ideologies."

In a statement issued Tuesday, Ibrahim Borja, Vice-Secretary-General of Al-Badil Al-Hadari condemned Mustapha Lmouaatassim's arrest, describing him and El Amine Regala as proponents of democracy and rejecters of all forms of extremism and terrorism, and called for their immediate release.

He said the arrests were a crackdown on people trying to effect a real democratic transition in Morocco. Mohamed Ben Hammou, leader of the Citizenship and Development Initiative party, said if the allegations prove true, then it is both shocking and frustrating. "Morocco is our country. We should defend it, particularly when we accept a position of political responsibility. We have to be vigilant when it comes to extremism. No one has the right to go down any route other than the democratic one," he declared.

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

Submitted by Mudassir Rizwan on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 07:17.

* Muslim World News

By NNN-KUNA

Rabat : Kuwait and Morocco agreed on Monday to set up a joint cooperation agreement in the cultural field, particularly in books, translation and publication sector.

A statement from the Moroccan ministry of Culture said the agreement was based on mutual discussion between the Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) Bader al-Rifaei and Moroccan Minister of Culture Thouriya Jabrane.

Talks between the two sides included boosting bilateral cooperation derived from bilateral discussion during 14th Casablanca International Book Fair which opened last Friday here.

The statement also noted that the Secretary General invited Morocco to be part of the upcoming Arab Theater Festival which will be hosted by Kuwait next May.

The two sides also stressed importance on making their presence felt through joint activities and creativities from both countries, including joint cultural projects, the statement noted.

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front resume UN-sponsored talks on the disputed Western Sahara in suburban New York Monday amid warnings that failure to clinch a deal could lead to renewed fighting.

UN spokeswoman Michele Montas confirmed Friday that a third round of closed-door discussions would be held in the New York suburb of Manhasset from Monday through Wednesday to try to resolve the 32-year dispute.

As in the two previous exploratory rounds held last year at the same location, the secluded Greentree estate in Manhasset, UN envoy for Western Sahara Peter Van Walsum will serve as mediator.

The two rounds held in June and August failed to narrow wide differences between Rabat and the Polisario independence movement.

And diplomats say they do not anticipate any breakthrough this time around either.

Last month, the Algerian-backed Polisario warned it would resume its armed struggle against Morocco if negotiations fail.

"We hope that Morocco this time is going to cooperate for the full implementation" of UN resolutions on the issue and "will engage in substantive negotiations," Ahmed Bujari, the Polisario's UN representative, told AFP Friday.

He said the Moroccans must agree to discuss not just their proposal for broad autonomy for the Western Sahara but also the Polisario's call for a referendum that would include the option of independence for the former Spanish colony.

"Our people have been frustrated (in their aspiration for independence)," he said. We believe peace is possible... But a new failure of the (negotiation) process would have negative consequences for the entire (northwest African) region)."

"It could push us on the way to a resumption of hostilities and Morocco will be responsible," he added.

Last October, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to urge the two sides to resume stalled talks "without preconditions" to settle their 32-year dispute over the Western Sahara.

It passed a resolution calling on the parties to "engage in substantive negotiations ... without preconditions and in good faith ... with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution."

Morocco annexed the phosphate-rich, mainly desert Western Sahara in the 1970s following the withdrawal of colonial power Spain, sparking a war with the Polisario guerrillas.

The two sides agreed a ceasefire in 1991, but a promised self-determination referendum never materialized and since 2002 Rabat has insisted that holding such a plebiscite is no longer realistic.

Spain seeks better Morocco ties after enclave spat

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved. | Learn more about Reuters

By Elizabeth Guider

Dec 13, 2007

All Made in Morocco projects will have budgets in the range of 1.2 million Moroccan dirhams ($160,000) and will be dubbed for multidialect distribution in Morocco, for both film and television. International sales will be handled by Zaza.

Find this article at: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/awards_festivals/news/e3i06aacc89730914b7f5602d8a85656f0b

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 04/10/07

[Sarah Touahri] The first years of a child's life have a great affect on later success in school.

Moroccans are enrolling more children than ever into pre-school education programmes. Even parents from the underprivileged sectors of society are growing more aware of the importance of this education and try, despite their limited means, to enrol their children in private establishments. In rural communities, however, such institutions are largely lacking.

According to managers and owners of pre-school establishments, this branch of teaching requires a great deal of development before it can reach its rightful place. The latest figures, published in 2005 by the High Commission on Planning, indicate that 740,511 children under the age of six, or half of all pre-school age students, study in pre-schools. Nearly all of those who attend modern pre-schools live in major cities. Islamic pre-school education remains popular however, with 88.4% of the children in the age group in attendance throughout the country.

According to the Directorate of Co-operation and Private Education within the Ministry of National Education, the pre-school sector lags far behind the objectives laid out in the national education and training charter, particularly those concerning schooling for girls.

According to Rahim Anouloufe, who manages a pre-school in Rabat, there are persistent flaws in this educational provision: it is not accessible to all, there is no official supervision of teachers, there are contradictions in the perceived objectives of such teaching and there is a lack of ongoing training for pre-school staff.

The National Education Ministry has called for international co-operation and input from civil society, as well as the direct involvement of local communities in the expansion of pre-school education. This will involve devoting part of the income of provincial councils and local authorities to fund pre-school education. On the international level, the Moroccan government hopes to obtain aid for education.

Teacher Abbas Farnatchou told Magharebia that the first few years of a child's life have a great affect on a student's success in school. He added that early teaching, such as pre-schooling, opens up linguistic pathways for a child, contributes to reducing school drop-out rates and child labour, and helps to ground the child in his or her culture, "Hence the importance of involving the state and bringing [pre-school education] into state schools."

Until now, pre-school education has been essentially confined to the private sector. There are very few state schools which offer nursery classes. According to the education ministry, priority goes to the betterment of primary education. Only when this has happened can pre-school and primary education be brought together to represent a coherent educational foundation.

Until pre-school education becomes widely available in state schools, many parents, because of their low incomes, are suffering to stump up the price of kindergarten classes. "I know pre-school education is important in the life of a human being," said Abderrahim Maghloufi, a mechanic. "That's why I’m struggling to pay 300 dirhams every month for my daughter's school, even though I don’t have the funds."

MOROCCO. Approximately 4.3 million tourists visited Morocco in the first seven months of 2007, an increase of 10% year-on-year with over 1 million tourists visiting the country in July alone, Morocco's Department of Tourism announced last week.

The largest number of foreign visitors came from France (1.7 million), followed by visitors from Spain (795,000), Belgium (285,000), the UK (261,000), the Netherlands (211,000), Germany (182,000), and Italy (164,000).

The Department of Tourism also said that the total number of local tourist nights in classified hotels increased by 7% year-on-year for the same period, reaching 10 million. Marrakech remains the most attractive tourist destination with a growth rate of 11% year-on-year, followed by Casablanca (10%), Tangier (9%), Fez (7%), Rabat (6%), and Agadir (3%).

http://www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=13353&t=1&c=33&cg=4

A witness has told police he believes he saw Madeleine McCann in Morocco.

It has been revealed that a British tourist contacted police to say he saw a little girl, resembling the missing four-year-old, at a petrol station in Marrakesh.

His testimony was identical to that of another tourist, Norwegian Marie Pollard, 45, who claimed she was "100 per cent convinced" she saw Madeleine at the same spot.

Both accounts of a little blonde girl standing near a man and asking him in English: "When can I see my mummy?" were given to the police independently without knowledge of each other.

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The police failed to follow up either at the time they were reported.

When they did finally check out the leads, they found the garage's CCTV tape had been erased and didn't bother interviewing staff, according to the Sunday Mirror.

The second witness, who is from Yorkshire, was on holiday in Morocco days after Madeleine disappeared in Portugal on 3 May.

It was only when he returned to Britain that he realised the significance of what he had seen and called the police.

Pollard told the Sunday Mirror last night: "I still haven't been interviewed by Portuguese police and we're four-and-a-half months on.

"If this man saw Madeleine as well it adds weight to what I saw and proves I'm not going mad."

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Though both witnesses were guests at the Ibis hotel, there is no connection between Pollard and the Yorkshireman.

"Gerry and Kate McCann have always believed the Morocco sightings were vital," a friend said.

"Kate said her instinct from the start has been that Madeleine was smuggled into North Africa.

"The couple believe the information from the two witnesses is crucial and should have been released to the media immediately."

Pollard, who lives in Fuengirola, Spain, explained: "I didn't know about Maddie's disappearance then.

"I went in the shop to buy some water. My attention was drawn straight to her.

"She was a sweet, blonde-haired girl with a very cute face.

"She was wearing blue pyjamas with a little pink-and-white pattern, maybe flowers, on her top.

"She was standing alone with a man. She looked sad and a little lost.

"The man didn't look like her father. He was between 35 and 40, with dark brown hair, not very tall.

"She looked at me and then spoke to him, something like, 'Can I see Mummy soon?'. I don't think he responded."

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This follows reports that British forensic experts have sent Portuguese police an email angrily complaining at the way evidence in the inquiry has been "wildly misused", according to sources close to the investigation.

The Forensic Science Service criticises detectives for overplaying the results of its tests and leaking information - most of it inaccurate, it claims - to the Portuguese media.

The relationship between the FSS and the Policia Judiciaria has now deteriorated to such an extent that it is unlikely any further forensic tests will be carried out in Britain.

What most troubled scientists was the way the Portuguese interpreted "inconclusive" DNA evidence from the Renault Scenic hired by the McCanns 25 days after Madeleine disappeared.

Portuguese police are still understood to want forensic psychologists to analyse Kate's Bible.

They are said to be suspicious that passages relating to 'forgiveness' have been underlined and may be incriminating.

But a source close to the McCanns' legal team said: "Most of the references to forgiveness in the Bible relate to forgiving other people.

In any case, Kate maintains that she did not underline the passages herself.

The Bible was given to her in Portugal and they were already underlined."

Police also want graphologists to analyse handwriting in the Bible's margin which they feel is suspicious and could belong to Kate.