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Magical Morocco festival organized by Washington Moroccan American Club Oct 2004
Magical Morocco
Moroccan Festival in Washington Suburb Draws Thousands of Visitors
By Elizabeth Kelleher
Washington File Special Correspondent
McLean, Virginia -- A small patch of land outside Washington at the McLean Community Center was turned into a real Moroccan "souk," or marketplace, recently, as vendors hawked brightly colored Moroccan clothing, rugs, pottery, brass, jewelry, tile and ceramics.
The souk was the centerpiece of a daylong festival October 2 titled "Magical Morocco: Sahara to the Sea," a collaboration of the Washington Moroccan Club, Friends of Morocco and the community center.
Kader Rhanime, who planned the entertainment for the event, said, "A souk is not a marketplace literally, but a trading grounds -- a cluttery place, full of yelling and shouting." He said, in Morocco, it might be a place where even stories or poems are traded.
The scene near Washington was lively. More than 3,000 visitors came throughout the day to hear lively singing and thumping music, enjoy savory kabobs and couscous, buy vendors' goods and even see a camel up close.
"In Morocco, there is music at the souk, but not this loud!" laughed Amina Elaissami, a former employee of the Moroccan Embassy in Washington who was there to sell imported wares -- tangines, vessels to cook a dish of the same name over an open fire; pottery; colored-glass lanterns; and intricately decorated wooden chests.
Other vendors sold bright tunics and jackets, gold coin belts favored by belly dancers, rugs and painted furniture. An artisan demonstrated rug making as experts described the long tradition.
Musical acts included a group of drummers called "Sounds of Morocco," who played while roving through the crowds in traditional outfits -- tunics and pants called jabadoor. Much of the group's set was devoted to the joyous, lively musical style of Marrakesh, a city in the south of Morocco where the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert converge.
A Moroccan Jewish singer named Pinhas was the biggest hit with the crowd. Many in the audience left off eating lunches of kabobs, roasted vegetables, couscous, hummus and homemade bread, in order to sway and clap during his performance. Pinhas is well known in Morocco for his mix of flamenco sounds with Jewish and Muslim liturgical music and North African secular songs.
Pinhas was joined on stage by Muslim musicians for a finale. That fusion "focuses on what binds us," said Rhanime, noting that Moroccans are Muslim, Jewish and Christian and have lived in peace for centuries.
Organizers, intent on creating a bustling scene, staged a Moroccan wedding at midday. An engaged couple from Bethesda, Maryland,
Christie Walser and Thomas Mullins, who will marry later in October in Fes, Morocco, were recruited. While not Moroccan, the couple happened to be arranging their "destination wedding" through a travel agency run by festival organizer Hassan Samrhouni, who is also president of the Washington Moroccan Club. He talked them into the "pre-wedding" at the festival.
Walser, dressed in a white dress, made her entrance carried on an amaria, an elegant, roofed platform supported by long poles held by four men. The men hoisted Walser on the amaria into the air, and they were followed by Mullins on foot, who was also dressed in white. The wedding cortege was accompanied by Pinhas and musicians from The Kasbah Band, who sang and played alongside the dancing amaria bearers. Atop her jostling amaria, Walser smiled and waved to the crowd, and expressed relief afterward that she had not eaten anything earlier.
In traditional weddings in Morocco, the bride is carried to her wedding this way, and sometimes the groom is too, from a different part of the city. Afterward they are lifted together to greet their guests as a married couple. "This shows the joy of her," said Samrhouni. "It is like flying to another place, just before the wedding."
In Morocco, brides have their hands and feet painted with henna, a natural dye that washes off in a few weeks. The festival featured a henna-painting station, which was quite popular with pre-teen girls. Today, in Morocco, Rhanime said, women paint their hands or feet with henna to celebrate any happy occasion.
The Peace Corps, which has roughly 100 volunteers working in Morocco on environmental and youth-related projects, showed a film inside the community center's meeting rooms that quoted Morocco's King Mohammed VI as saying his country is "a buffer zone, a melting pot." He said, "To the people of the West, Morocco is the Orient. To the people of the Orient, Morocco is the West."
The festival too was a melting pot of native Washingtonians, Moroccan immigrants and visitors. Rhanime estimates that 20,000 Moroccan immigrants live in the Washington area. A group of children gave a fashion show, with the emcee naming their local Washington area schools but often noting that a child's outfit was sent from a grandparent in Morocco.Each year since 1990, the community center has held a cultural festival featuring a different country. Despite predictions of rainstorms on the day of the event, the Moroccan festival attracted the "largest attendance for our fall cultural festivals besides [that for] the Russian culture," said Sam Roberts, the center's events director.
Rhanime said he hopes the day set a precedent. He said he wants to take "Magical Morocco" on the road to Boston, Orlando and New York, which all have large Moroccan populations.
W.USA Channel 9

How'd you like to take a trip to Morocco this weekend - without leaving the area? The McLean Community Center's Fall Cultural Festival will spotlight the Kingdom of Morocco.
Have you ever been to a Jewish wedding?
You know how during the celebration they hoist the bride and groom up in chairs? They also do that at a Moroccan wedding and one will be re-enacted at the festival on Saturday. It's just one example of a culture that brings people together.
This is a rare sight in this country - a roving Moroccan band jamming in McLean. You'll see this and more at the McLean Community Center this Saturday as it's transformed into a Marrakesh Marketplace.
“It's about creating a festival atmosphere. Everywhere you look, it's a different scene.”
The famous Moroccan singer Pinhas has flown in for the event. Pinhas is a Jewish Moroccan, which is also his singing style. It blends perfectly with the Muslim style. In the kingdom of Morocco, Jews and Muslims are friends.
“In Morocco, we are all united as one. It’s a good example for others.”
The festival was the idea of Amalisa Assaad, an American who's married to a Moroccan.
“I love the serenity of the people and the joyful culture. I want to showoff my Moroccan brothers and sisters in this community.”
People who come to this weekend's festival will be immersed in Moroccan culture - the clothing, the food, but most importantly the music.
“It brings culture and religion together. Music is an inspiration for us all.”
The festival is at the McLean Community Center this Saturday from 11am to 5pm. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children age 3 to 9-years-old. There will be lots of activities for the kids, including a moon bounce, pony rides, face painting and camel petting!
نجاح كبيرلمهرجان " المغرب الساحر .. من الصحراء إلى البحر"
واشنطن
4 - 10 - 2004 ( بقلم قدور الفطومي) عاش فضاء المركز السوسيو تربوي لماكلين ( ولاية فرجينيا) أمس الأول السبت على إيقاعات المهرجان الثقافي الخريفي الذي تركز هذه السنة على المغرب تحت شعار " المغرب الساحر: من الصحراء إلى البحر ".
عكس هذا المهرجان الذي نظمه مركز " ماكلين كومينيتي " بتعاون مع عدة فاعلين وجمعيات مغربية وأمريكية بمنطقة واشنطن ، مختلف أوجه تميز المغرب المعروف بسحر إيقاعاته وألوانه وماكولاته وعبق أريجه.
فبعد تقديم التمر والحليب جريا على العادة المغربية الراسخة ، كان الجمهور الذي حضر المهرجان على موعد مع معرض للفنون التشكيلية أقيم ببهو تكريما للفنانة الراحلة نادية حدو خريجة مدرسة الفنون الجميلة بالدار البيضاء والتي هاجرت إلى الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية حيث شاركت في عدة معارض تشكيلية ونحتية قبل وفاتها خلال السنة الجارية بعد صراع طويل مع المرض.
وكان لهذا الجمهور الكثيف بعد ذلك موعد مع اكتشاف " سوق " به عدة أروقة لعرض منتوجات تقليدية مغربية متنوعة تعكس إبداع ومهارة الصانع التقليدي المغربي. كما اطلع الزوار على مميزات المطبغ المغربي بمختلف انواع مأكولاته.
وكان حفل الزواج على الطريقة المغربية من اللحظات القوية للمهرجان الذي اعتبر الأول من نوعه بالنسبة لبلد إفريقي وعربي، حيث احتفل زوجان أمريكيان بزفافهما على الطريقة المغربية الصرفة ( مع استعمال الزي التقليدي للعريس والعروسة وباقي المظاهر المؤثثة للعرس كالعمارية والنكافة).
وتفاعل الجمهور مع أجواء هذا الحفل الذي نشطته فرق موسيقية قدمت ألوانا فنية مختلفة من الموسيقى المغربية.
من جهة أخرى نظمت أنشطة اجتماعية وتربوية وترفيهية خصيصا لفائدة الأطفال وورشات خاصة بصنع " الطرابيش" والوشم والزينة .
وقد تضمن حفل اختتام هذا المهرجان عرضا للأزياء شارك فيه أطفال أمريكيون ومغاربة وأغنية تحت عنوان "صوت الحكمة" أداها كوهن بنحاس ( فنان مغربي يهودي) وكريم الحامتي مغني الراي المغربي .وتعكس هذه الأغنية الصورة الحقيقية لمغرب السلم والتسامح.
وأعرب رئيس اللجنة التنظيمة للمهرجان السيد حسن السمغوني عن تشكراته العميقة لكل من ساهم في التنظيم الجيد لهذا المهرجان.
وأكد أن هذا المهرجان الذي استغرق تهييئه أزيد من سبعة أشهر يهدف أساسا الى "التعريف بالمظاهر الثقافية والفنية والحضارية للممكلة وإعطاء صورة حقيقية لبلد عربي ومسلم اختار الوئام والسلم بين الشعوب وتكريس التسامج والانفتاح على الثقافات والديانات الأخرى".
وأكد مدير مركز "ماكلان كوميتي " السيد سام روبيرت أن هذا المهرجان الذي خصص للمغرب الساحر قد نظم بمبادرة من " النادي المغربي بواشنطن " و " أصدقاء المغرب" وذلك لوجود جالية مغربية هامة بمنطقة واشنطن وولاية فرجينيا.
وأشار إلى أن المغرب كان هذه السنة ضيف شرف بعد العديد من البلدان كألمانيا وتركيا وروسيا وفرنسا وبلدان اسكندنافية وبلدان من شرق آسيا والبرازيل والبرتغال مؤكدا أن هذا المهرجان حول المغرب الذي حقق نجاحا كبيرا يمكن أن يتم إعادة تنظيمه في السنوات المقبلة.
وقال مدير شركة الخطوط الملكية المغربية بنيويورك السيد محمد سالم عماكي إن من شأن مثل هذه التظاهرات إنعاش السياحة بالمغرب موضحا أنه تم عرض مجموعة من المطبوعات حول المغرب وتوزيعها على زوار المهرجان .
وقد حضر المهرجان أعضاء سفارة المملكة المغربية بواشنطن ونائب القنصل العام المغربي بنيويورك والقنصل الجديد للمغرب بواشنطن وشخصيات أخرى
Festival
Organise par Le Club Marocain du Washington:
Souk marocain à Mc Lean
Dans la banlieue de Washington, un festival made in Maroc attire plusieurs milliers d’Américains
Trois mille visiteurs se sont hâtés à Mc Lean, petite bourgade de la banlieue de Washington, le 2 octobre dernier. Le Centre social s’était transformé en authentique souk marocain, le temps du Magical Morocco Festival. Pièce maîtresse de ce festival d’un jour, le souk offrait un large éventail de l’artisanat marocain. Poteries pimpantes, tapis et vêtements chatoyants s’offraient aux palabres marchandes tandis qu’un artisan dévoilait son savoir-faire de maître-tapissier. L’invité vedette de cette journée n’était autre que le très populaire Pinhas. Le chanteur marocain a séduit le public avec ses mélodies orientales aux accents flamenco. Autre temps fort de la journée, la reconstitution d’un mariage marocain. Rhanime, l’organisateur de cette journée, ne s’attendait pas à un tel succès. Du coup, ils envisage de reproduire « Magical Morocco » à Boston, New York, et Orlando.
Magalie Durdux
Welcome to Washington Moroccan - American Club
Featured Articles
Understanding Morocco- opportunities for Business and Trade by WMAC
Washington Moroccan American Club Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade
&
Global Economics and Business Seminar of the Washington Semester Program of the American University.
Speaker: Jean AbiNader, Moroccan America Cultural Center
Topic: Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade
Location: American University, Washington, DC
Read more French version & English version bellow
Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade Video 1/3
Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade Video 2/3
Understanding Morocco -- Opportunities for Business and Trade Video 3/3
Washington, (MAP)- Les atouts économiques qu'offre le Maroc aux investisseurs américains ont été mis en exergue, jeudi soir, à Washington, lors d'une rencontre placée sous le thème "Connaitre le Maroc : des opportunités dans les secteurs des affaires et du commerce".
Organisé à l'American University à l'initiative du Washington Moroccan American Club, le débat a été notamment axé sur les réformes entreprises par le Maroc pour favoriser un cadre propice pour les investissements, les différents accords signés par le Royaume avec plusieurs pays, la main d'oeuvre qualifiée, le développement d'infrastructures de qualité et la stabilité politique.
"L'emplacement stratégique du Maroc, son économie croissante, le développement des infrastructures et les accords commerciaux avec plus de 40 pays font du Maroc une plateforme pour les investissements et l'exportation vers les pays du Moyen Orient, de l'Afrique et de l'Union Européenne", a souligné Jean AbiNader, du Moroccan American Culturel Center.
Il a cité, à cet égard, l'Accord d'association avec l'Union Européenne, l'accord d'Agadir signé avec l'Egypte, la Jordanie, et la Tunisie, ainsi que l'Accord de libre échange avec la Turquie.
Le Maroc compte également parmi les Etats bénéficiaires du Partenariat de Deauville, ajoute-t-il.
Le Royaume est aussi lié aux Etats-Unis par un accord de libre échange (ALE) qui offre une panoplie d'incitations, notamment fiscales et douanières ainsi qu'une protection du capital pour les sociétés américaines qui investissent au Maroc.
"Cet accord-phare permet aux exportateurs et investisseurs américains un accès presque illimité à des marchés en Europe, en Afrique, au Moyen-Orient et en Turquie", explique M. AbiNader.
L'ALE, en vigueur entre le Maroc et les USA depuis 2006, a permis d'éliminer la plupart des droits à l'importation, alors que les opérations commerciales US bénéficient des zones franches dans les ports marocains.
L'intervenant s'est également arrêté sur le statut d'allié majeur non-Otan accordé au Maroc.
Sur un autre registre, M. AbiNader a mis l'accent sur la tolérance religieuse qui caractérise le pays. Le Maroc est "un exemple dans la région en termes de tolérance religieuse, de reformes économiques et de promotion de la société civile", a-t-il fait remarquer.
Les derniers changements constitutionnels ont conforté davantage le processus de réformes du Maroc, considéré comme un modèle dans la région, affirme AbiNader.(MAP).
********
English version by Morocco World News
The economic advantages offered by Morocco to U.S. investors were highlighted Thursday night in a Washington D.C. meeting entitled "Knowing Morocco: opportunities in the areas of business and trade."
Held at American University by the Washington Moroccan American Club, the debate focused, in particular, on the reforms undertaken by Morocco to promote a safe environment for investment, the various agreements signed by the Kingdom with several countries, its skilled workforce, the development of high quality infrastructure and political stability.
"Morocco's strategic location, its growing economy, infrastructure development and trade agreements with more than 40 countries have turned the country into a platform for investments and exports to the Middle East, Africa and European Union, "said Jean AbiNader, of the Moroccan American Cultural Center.
The speaker also addressed the status of major non-NATO ally granted to Morocco.
On another note, Mr. AbiNader focused on the religious tolerance that characterizes the country. Morocco is "an example in the region in terms of religious tolerance, economic reform and promotion of civil society During the conference, AbiNader also cited different trade pacts, including the Association Agreement with the European Union, the Agadir Agreement signed with Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia, and the Free Trade Agreement with Turkey. Morocco, in addition, is among the beneficiary states of the Deauville Partnership, he added.
The Kingdom is also linked to the United States by a free trade agreement (FTA), which offers a variety of incentives, both regarding taxes and customs as well as capital protection for U.S. companies investing in Morocco.
"This agreement ensures leading exporters and U.S. investors almost unlimited access to markets in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Turkey," said AbiNader.
The FTA, set up between Morocco and the United States in 2006, has eliminated most import duties, while US trade operations benefit from tax free zones in Moroccan ports.," he stated.
The latest constitutional changes have strengthened further the reform process in Morocco, considered a model in the region, said AbiNader.
Translated from French by Louise Riondel-Editing by Benjamin Villanti
New York, October 10, 2011-Morocco World News
Note from Joseph Braude to WMC, Dear members of the Washington Moroccan American Club,
In 2008 the Moroccan police became the first Arab security service to grant sustained, inside access to a writer, enabling him to spend four months reporting on their operations from inside a police precinct in Casablanca. I am that writer, and my new book on the experience is both a real-life murder mystery and an unusual examination of Moroccan society and government in the 21st century. It's called The Honored Dead: A Story of Friendship, Murder, and the Search for Truth in the Arab World. You can pick up a copy in most bookstores, or online via www.josephbraude.com .
"Honored dead" booking signing by Joseph Braude and WMAC
Joseph Braude and the Washington Moroccan American Club
Present
“the making of the “The Honored Dead”, by Joseph Braude”
Police in North Africa and the Middle East have a troubling history of human rights abuse and corruption, and their inner workings are opaque. But in 2008, one Arab government granted a Western journalist unprecedented access to its security services, and the outcome of his reporting offers gritty insights into the changes now underway throughout the Arab world.
"the making of the "The Honored Dead", by Joseph Braude" sponsored by WMC
Police in North Africa and the Middle East have a troubling history of human rights abuse and corruption, and their inner workings are opaque. But in 2008, one Arab government granted a Western journalist unprecedented access to its security services, and the outcome of his reporting offers gritty insights into the changes now underway throughout the Arab world.
Ambassador Aziz Mekouar farewell party
Ambassador Aziz Mekouar farewell party
After a very successful decade as the Moroccan ambassador to the United States of America, Mr. Aziz Mekouar will be returning to Morocco in September 2011.
Members of the Moroccan Community will host a Dinner party in his honor to bid him farewell and to thank him for all he did for Morocco and the Moroccan Community in the USA.
Please join us to celebrate this important event.
Date: Wednesday September 14, 2011
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Place: Maggiano’s Restaurant
5333 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington D.C. 20015
Interview of Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco
On June 17, 2011, King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced a series of proposed amendments to the country's constitution. The announcement followed a three-month review of the Moroccan constitution at the order of the King, after protest calling for reform began in February 2011. The Moroccan constitutional reforms are significant and unprecedented in the Arab world, as King Mohammed VI is clearly attempting to get in front of the demands for change sweeping the Middle East. Some skepticism remains, however, as to the extent of constitutional checks placed on the King's powers and whether Morocco will become a true constitutional monarchy.
Morocco Bets on Reform By Peter Pham
At a time when, as the experts assembled at a symposium earlier this month hosted by the Atlantic Council's Ansari Africa Center noted, the fate of both the "Arab Spring" in general and the North African revolutions in particular remain far from certain, Morocco has made an audacious bet with the new constitution that King Mohammed VI unveiled in a televised speech last Friday. If the proposed charter is approved by voters in a refer-endum next month, the country will once again prove itself to be an exception, both in the Arab world and on the African continent, where integral transformation voluntarily undertaken and carried out both with respect for history, religion, and culture, and at an appropriate speed can offer a path to the future that balances the competing demands of stability and openness to change.
The King's Speech vs. The Dictator's Deceit
Amb. Marc Ginsberg
Former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco
The King's Speech vs. The Dictator's Deceit
It is the tale of two Arabian cities. As the crow flies, Morocco's capital Rabat and Syria's capital Damascus are about 2,500 miles from each other. But judging by the context and content of the respective national addresses delivered within hours of each other this weekend, Morocco's King Mohammed and Syria's Bashar Al Assad might as well have been a million miles apart from each other.
In Morocco: A Quiet Revolution?
North Africa, Middle East, Middle East Unrest, Democracy Promotion
Kenneth M. Pollack, Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy
The Brookings Institution
You probably won't be surprised to hear it, but there is something potentially very important going on that isn't getting the attention it deserves. It's happening in Morocco, where King Muhammad VI recently began to lay out the key provisions of a new constitution--something he first promised several months ago in response to popular protests as the Arab spring swept across his Kingdom.
The New Moroccan Constitution: Real Change or More of the Same?
Marina Ottaway Commentary, June 20, 2011
The constitution King Mohammed VI announced to his country on June 17 has been greeted by Moroccans with a great deal of ambivalence. Although it appears to be a foregone conclusion that a majority of Moroccans will vote "yes" in the referendum announced for July 1, many will do so with reservations. The young protesters who have been organizing periodic demonstrations beginning on February 20-hence the name, February 20 movement-have already announced that they do not intend to stop their actions. In fact, protests took place on June 19, drawing thousands of protesters in Casablanca and smaller numbers in other cities.
Women and the New Media in the Mediterranean Region
Isis Centre for Women and Development organizes the fifth edition of the international Forum “Mediterranean Women” under the theme : Women and the New Media in the Mediterranean Region on June 24, 25 and 26, 2011 at Palais des Congrès, Fez, Morocco
Presentation will be in Arabic, French and English with simultaneous translation
Conference Director : Fatima Sadiqi
Press release on MWN ( Morocco world News)
Press release, New York, May 30, 2011
We are pleased to announce the launching of the online-based news outlet Morocco World News. Fruit of the efforts and perseverance of a group of Moroccan and foreign journalists, political analysts, researchers and university professors, MWN comes to fill the vacuum of information in the English language on Morocco, North Africa and the Middle-East.
Magical Morocco festival organized by Washington Moroccan American Club Oct 2004
Moroccan Festival in Washington Suburb Draws Thousands of Visitors
By Elizabeth Kelleher
Washington File Special Correspondent
McLean, Virginia -- A small patch of land outside Washington at the McLean Community Center was turned into a real Moroccan "souk," or marketplace, recently, as vendors hawked brightly colored Moroccan clothing, rugs, pottery, brass, jewelry, tile and ceramics.
واشنطن 4 - 10 - 2004 ( بقلم قدور الفطومي) عاش فضاء المركز السوسيو تربوي لماكلين ( ولاية فرجينيا) أمس الأول السبت على إيقاعات المهرجان الثقافي الخريفي الذي تركز هذه السنة على المغرب تحت شعار " المغرب الساحر: من الصحراء إلى البحر ".
W.USA Channel 9 ( ABC)
It's just one example of a culture that brings people together.
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