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Statue of Berber Poet Matoub Lounes Decapitated In Berber Town

A statue of the Berber poet and activist Matoub Lounes in the Algerian town of Tizi n'Tleta has been found decapitated.

The vandalism comes at a time when organizations dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the poet had been raising funds to repair previous vandalism to the statue.

Lounes was murdered in 1998 by persons unknown. During his life he had been shot by Algerian security forces and kidnapped by Islamists.

Dalil Amazigh, head of a Lounes memorial association, said that the association would continue to protect and restore memorials to Lounes, "who continues to bother the enemies of liberty and democracy."

Source: www.kabyle.com, February 5, 2008

A book that is banned in its own country has become a leading contender for a new literary prize that aims to encourage wider reading of novels written in Arabic.

In Praise of Hate has been banned since it was published last year. By the award-winning Syrian scriptwriter and novelist Khaled Khalifa, it is set in Syria in 1982, and centres around the army's brutal shelling of Hama, where opposition groups were fighting the late President Hafez al-Assad.

It is one six titles shortlisted for the first “Arabic Booker Prize”. Khalifa describes himself as staunchly secular, and has said that the novel attacks political ideologies based on religion: “There is fierce and direct criticism of sectarianism which produces the culture of hatred.”

Another shortlisted title dealing with conflict in the Middle East is June Rain by Jabbour Douaihy, which explores the civil war in Lebanon.

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is run in association with the Booker Prize foundation and is funded largely by the Abu Dhabi Emirates Foundation. None of the shortlist, announced this week, has been translated into another language, and Sigrid Rausing, owner of Granta, has agreed to fund an English translation of the winner.

The shortlist has touched other sensitive political nerves, with complaints that its geographical range is too narrow, with two authors from Lebanon, two from Egypt, a Syrian and a Jordanian, but none from the Gulf and Iraq.

There are also fears that encouraging authors to write with a Western audience in mind will undermine the authenticity of Arabic literature, and provoke authors to write belligerently or to hide social behaviour that may be controversial.

One judge, the Moroccan writer Mohammed Berrada agreed that this happened with some entries, but added: “Many of the novels deal with the position of women or sexuality. They seek to interrogate their own country.”

Some also feared that the novels' subjects will reinforce cultural stereotypes. But the judges see this as inevitable in the Middle East.

Another judge, the Palestinian author Feissal Darraj, said: “The themes may be pessimistic but the writing itself is a source of optimism: it is an act of resistance.”

The other shortlisted titles are The Land of Purgatory by Elias Farjouh, Walking in the Dust by May Menassa, Swan Song by Mekkaoui Said and Sunset Oasis by Baha Taher. The winner will be announced on March 10.

www.arabicfiction.org

Region :Middle East and North Africa
Country :Morocco
Topic :Investigative Reporting, Fellowships and Awards

01/02/2008
Journalists have the opportunity to enter a contest for the best investigative story of 2007, sponsored by Press Now. The deadline to apply is February 28.

The contest is open to Moroccan journalists. Winning journalists will receive prizes in the following cash amounts: first place 15000 Dirhams (approx. US$1,961), second place 8000 Dirhams (approx. US$1,046) and third place 6000 Dirhams (approx. US$784). Winning stories will be published in a Moroccan newspaper or magazine. Articles must be submitted in French, Arab or Amazigh and should deal with one of the themes posted on the website.
To learn more, click here.

Israeli pioneer of direct action protest movement

Lawrence Joffe
Thursday January 31, 2008
The Guardian

The Moroccan-born social campaigner Sa'adia Marciano, who has died in a Jerusalem hospital, aged 57, was the founder and public face of Israel's Black Panthers protest movement, and one of the most charismatic, if tragic, figures in Israeli society. He battled ceaselessly for Israel's poorer Sephardim and Mizrahim (Jews of Spanish and oriental origin) and at his death was still campaigning to provide food and heating for Jerusalem's needy.

Sa'adia was a lanky, long-haired 20-year-old when he first galvanised unemployed youths in the rundown Jerusalem neighbourhood of Musrara in 1971. The Panther moniker was an echo of the African-American group: "Golda Meir was aware of [their] reputation, and we wanted to scare her."

The rebels took to the streets, accusing Israel's European-origin Ashkenazi establishment of betraying their community. The Sephardim were a small minority when the state of Israel came into being in 1948, but by 1971, after immigration from the Middle East and north Africa, they represented almost 60% of all Israeli Jews. However, only 3% of top official posts and a fifth of parliamentary members were Sephardi.

The Panthers attacked the ruling Labour party for housing Sephardi immigrants in substandard ma'abarot (transit camps) and "development towns", and denigrating Arabic-Jewish culture. A spontaneous uprising soon turned into protests outside Jerusalem town hall. They bore coffins to symbolise the death of social equality, and stole milk bottles from outside middle-class homes to redistribute in disadvantaged areas.

The Panthers won attention after Marciano's face, bruised by police batons, appeared on television. In 1971 Golda Meir called them "not nice boys", and a month later 20 were wounded and 74 arrested when they clashed with police. But they forced her to call an inquiry and increase social budgets.

Marciano's group challenged two sacrosanct ideas of Israeli society: that Jews constituted one, indivisible bloc, and that social concerns had to wait until peace arrived. They also claimed common cause with Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in the occupied territories, and were among the first Israelis to meet Yasser Arafat in 1972.

In September 1973, the Panthers won several seats in the Histadrut labour federation, but in the wake of the Yom Kippur war that October most Sephardim disagreed when the Panthers blamed Zionism for engendering social rifts.

In 1977 Marciano entered the Knesset (parliament) for the leftwing Sheli party. Three years later he formed the one-man Equality in Israel-Panthers party, but failed to pass the 1% election threshold in 1981. He then founded a drug rehabilitation centre, organised concerts and dabbled in film production. He later joined the Labour party, though he never stood for election again.

Despite their failures, the Panthers set a model for direct action in Israel, which has been followed by the leftwing Peace Now, Yesh Gvul and Four Mothers, and pro-settler rightist groups such as Gush Emunim and Zo Artzeinu. They also put social issues on the national table. The ruling Likud party launched projects to revive development towns; culturally, Mizrahi music has entered mainstream pop; and restaurants sell more bourekas, shwarma and hummus than bagels, schnitzels and gefilte fish. Since 1971 Israel has had two Mizrahi presidents and many government ministers. Sa'adia's cousin became chief aide to the Moroccan-born Amir Peretz, who was elected Labour's second Mizrahi leader in late 2005.

Marciano was born the sixth of 11 children in Oujda, a town on the Moroccan-Algerian border. He emigrated to Israel in 1950 after violence between local Arabs and Jews. He is survived by his wife Vicky; they had a son.

· Sa'adia Marciano, campaigner, born May 1 1950; died December 21 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2249494,00.html

Magharebia
Published on Magharebia‎ (http://www.magharebia.com) ‎
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/01/30/feature-01
Morocco to launch Amazigh channel

30/01/2008

A Moroccan television channel devoted to Amazigh language and culture has stirred up interest from the Amazigh cultural movement. Government officials say the programming will cater to a sizeable number of Moroccan viewers, but one Amazigh activist is worried that the channel could be divisive.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 30/01/08

[Sarah Touahri] Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) rector Ahmed Boukous's staff will be responsible for producing content for Morocco's new Amazigh channel, with the aim of bringing Amazigh to an audience unfamiliar with the language.

A new Moroccan television channel will broadcast entirely in Amazigh, satisfying a long-awaited demand by a significant percentage of the country’s citizens. The Moroccan government is finalising broadcast specifications to ensure that the national channel, which will air a range of general-interest programmes, can soon begin operations, Communications Minister Khalid Naciri announced before parliament last Wednesday (January 23rd).

A statement from the prime minister’s office said that "the government is prepared to make all the necessary arrangements for the creation of an Amazigh television channel." The finance and communications ministries will foot the bill, which is expected to come to 168m dirhams ($21.7m), the National Radio and Television Company (SNRT) will provide the channel’s headquarters and a significant share of the staff, and the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) will be responsible for training and also some producing.

Plans for the television station were shelved in November 2006 because of financial difficulties, but the government is now determined to get the Amazigh channel on the air. A committee made up of the SNRT, IRCAM and the Ministry of Communication worked on the production, technical equipment and human resources aspects of the project before it was taken over by the government.

According to the minister, programmes will be broadcast in all three dialects of Amazigh: Tamazight, Tarifit and Tachlhit. "This channel is intended to cater to the needs of a sizeable number of Moroccan viewers in the fields of information, culture, education and leisure," Naciri noted.

IRCAM says the aim is to bring Amazigh to an audience unfamiliar with the language.

The creation of a special channel devoted to Amazigh language and culture has stirred up interest from the Amazigh cultural movement. Even groups which do not support IRCAM are welcoming the move.

Brahim Baouche, a representative of the Amazigh Citizenship Network in Rabat, told Magharebia that all Amazighs are eagerly awaiting the new channel: "It’s a kind of reconciliation with the Amazigh as part of a move to promote cultural diversity. The request by the Amazigh movement to integrate Amazigh into the public media will finally come to fruition." While the two national channels have certainly made efforts to broadcast programmes in Amazigh, he said, the shows are scheduled during off-peak viewing hours.

Said Ameskane, a spokesman for the Popular Movement, which has made defending Amazigh language a key policy, said the channel will meet the expectations of people who do not speak Arabic. He worried, however, that the creation of the new channel would create a kind of separation. He believes that an alternative solution would have been to broadcast more Amazigh-language programmes on existing channels.

"We’re all part of one society," he said. "No Moroccan can say he is either 100% Arab or Amazigh. Morocco is made up of a cultural mix."

Overseas property guides for anyone interested in buying property in Tangiers, Morocco. Plus, find property in the rest of Morocco.

Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco and its location means that it has long been held as a gateway to the Arabic world for people from Europe.

Lying on the coast of the continent, near the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, the city has a population of 669,680.

It is the capital of the Tangier-Tetouan Region and has long attracted creative people from Europe. In fact, William S Burroughs and Malcolm Forbes both opted to live in the city during their lives.

To find property in Tangiers and elsewhere in Morocco, visit: www.justoverseas.co.uk/propertyinmorocco

As a result of its proximity to Europe and its enduring popularity with foreigners, the city has many international educational facilities. These include the American School of Tangier, the English College of Tangier and the Tangier Anglo Moroccan School.

Lonely Planet has noted that the city perfectly captures the mysticism and romance of Morocco, praising its “hint of spice".

What's more, it added: "Jostling crowds, the piquant tension of debate, space in perpetual motion - the minute you set foot in the country you know you've arrived somewhere very different."

The site yourkeytomorocco.co.uk added that the city has attracted people looking for second homes because of its "narrow passageways teeming with excitement all the way into its port area".

It added that two very popular destinations for people thinking of buying properties are the Avenue Mohamed VI on the beachfront and the Place de France in the Ville Nouvelle.

Finally, the site said that the area around Grand Socco square is popular, explaining: "Mendoubia Gardens in the surrounding area of the square is a calm and cool respite from the crowds of the marketplace."

Pros of Buying Property in Tangiers

Many people have recently tipped Morocco as a good spot for investments and this is particularly true of Tangiers.

Michael Kent, marketing director of Moroccan Sands, explained that people could buy a ''decent villa'' in Morocco for around half the price of equivalent property in the Costa del Sol.
He added: "[Morocco] is very much at an investment stage at the moment - over the next five years I think we are going to see some really exciting projects.

"It's the sleeping giant of Mediterranean tourism really - everybody knows about it and it comes out with very high approval ratings as a destination."

Indeed, the Global Property Guide showed that prices in the country remain very reasonable. Its data suggested that the average price for a home in the country is $1,973 per square metre.

Website theoffplanstore.com suggested that buyers need to make a decision about whether they want a new build property or a more traditional home in Tangiers.

It explained: "If you were attracted to Morocco by its vibrant culture you may simply prefer to plump for a charming riad or dar."

Cons of Buying Property in Tangiers

While many properties in the city do not have the correct title deeds, it is vital these are obtained before a purchase is completed. Without them, a person does not own the house, regardless of how much they paid for the property.

When buying in Tangiers, it is important to employ a notary. Some experts have also suggested that hiring a local solicitor could be useful as they can provide sound independent advice.

What you need to know when buying property in Morocco

Foreigners are generally encouraged to buy property in Morocco and do not typically find it hard to secure a mortgage. There are also no restrictions on selling a home; although a capital gains tax of 20 per cent is usually required.

© Adfero Ltd
http://www.financedaily.co.uk/showArticle.aspx?loadid=00910

Press release from: Moorish Architecture & Home Decorating By Saint Tropez Boutique
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(openPR) - Moroccan tiles are a testimony to their deep heritage and rich culture and are usually handmade or handcrafted. The practice of making handcrafted Moroccan tiles has been passed down through the ages. They are the true epitome of Moroccan culture and heritage. They showcase the different colors and designs that have influenced Moroccan design since the early days of Middle Eastern culture. Many people have loved the designs and the colors that handcrafted tiles bring to a room.

Why Are They Unique?

Handcrafted Moroccan tiles are unique because they are traditionally crafted by artisans from varied local materials. These tiles are made specifically in Morocco and wood fire is used to make them hence the natural variations in their color tone and shade. It is this aspect that makes the tiles unique even from each other.

The fact that customers are often encouraged to design their very own tiles with designs to suit their preferences. The choices of tiles are varied both in color and design. The handcrafted tiles also come in several shapes and sizes in order to make unique designs which are specific to the preference of the owner.

Zellige Tiles

Zellige tiles often come as loose tiles and some customers can make their very own Moroccan designs to suit their color preferences and tastes. Other tiles come pre-assembled and can be used to make up Moroccan inspired areas in the home. These pre-assembled tiles are also handcrafted but they already have designs of their own and they are already glazed compared to the designs your own tiles which will have to be fired up when you have decided on the design. Some stores even have a sticky paper backing where you can try out several designs. This is part of the uniqueness of handcrafted Moroccan tiles.

Some specialty stores carry tiles that are bigger in size and already have designs of their own. Some are handcrafted while others are made, with the aid of modern technology so technically, they are not quite the same because they are probably not made in Morocco nor are they handcrafted. The handcrafted Moroccan tiles are more expensive than the other Moroccan inspired tiles.

In spite of their price tags, many people still prefer handcrafted Moroccan tiles due to their authenticity and uniqueness. Many prefer to design your own tiles because they can really integrate their ideas and likes into the design. Saint Tropez Boutique of San Francisco offer this as part of their service, before having the tiles created individually for their clients in Fez, Morocco and flown to anywhere in the world.

For more info, please contact:
Mark Logan
Saint Tropez Boutique
25 Evelyn way
San Francisco, CA 94127
(415)-513-5920
www.sainttropezboutique.us

Saint Tropez Boutique is a manufacturer and distributor of fine handcrafted Moorish tiles, Moroccan tiles, Moroccan lighting, Moorish wood lattice, Moroccan furniture, zillij mosaic tiles, zellige tile, terracotta tile, limestone tile, Moorish inspired home decorating, Bedouin tents.