First Time

Sometimes it is hard to remember one's first time in Morocco — or any foreign country with which one has become somewhat familiar, for that matter. Becky Ryan describes her first visit to Tangier with an enthusiasm undimmed even by the mob of faux guides that greeted her and her two friends upon their arrival. Her description is a reminder of how enchanting and how offputting Morocco can be for a first-time visitor, and how striking the difference between reality and one's preconceptions can be.

Mathematics of Islamic Art

In Medieval Architecture, Signs of Advanced Math - New York Times

The New York Times reports that an article published in the journal science describes how certain medieval Islamic mosaic patterns made use of an advanced branch of mathematics known as quasi-crystals:

In the beauty and geometric complexity of tile mosaics on walls of medieval Islamic buildings, scientists have recognized patterns suggesting that the designers had made a conceptual breakthrough in mathematics beginning as early as the 13th century.

The tiles in the pattern can be rotated to form a pattern that is "infinitely big and yet the pattern never repeats itself, unlike the tiles on the typical floor." This branch of mathematics has only been understood by modern science within the past 30 years.

The Accidental Treaty

Last night's lecture at SAIS by Dr. Jerome B. Bookin-Weiner, sponsored by Friends of Morocco, described the origins of the United States' longest standing treaty, between Morocco and the United States, and the story behind Morocco's being the first state to recognize the independence of the United States on December 20, 1777. Recognition was more the result of Sidi Mohammed bin Abdullah's attempt to reform the fiscal underpinnings of the Moroccan state than of any direct exchange between the Sultan and the Americas. The Sultan was eager to conclude trade treaties with as many nations as possible in order to open an alternative to direct taxation as a source of revenue to the Makhzen (Moroccan state). From the time of the initial recognition of American independence, which coincided with recognition of a number of Italian city-states, it took several years for the Makhzen to get the attention of the Americans and conclude the famous treaty in 1786. The Americans, after all, were busy playing the French against the British for the sake of survival during the years in question, and Bookin-Weiner pointed out that, at the time at least, Moroccan and American interests were truly peripheral to each other. More information can be found in Bookin-Weiner's book, the Atlantic Connection.

Moroccan Suicide Bombers

Terrorist Networks Lure Young Moroccans to War in Far-Off Iraq - washingtonpost.com

The Washington Post ran a front page story today suggesting that Tetouan, home of several radical mosques, has become a recruiting ground for suicide bombers responsible for attacks in the Middle East:

About two dozen men from Tetouan and nearby towns in the Rif Mountains have traveled to Iraq in the past 18 months to volunteer as fighters or suicide bombers, according to local residents and officials. Moroccan authorities said the men were recruited by international terrorist networks affiliated with al-Qaeda that have deepened their roots in North Africa since the invasion of Iraq four years ago.

The Post further reports that the Moroccan authorities are cracking down on recruiters, but that the Islamic PJD has suggested that the attacks are simply a pretext for curbing the rights of Islamists.

An Infamous Life

Maurice Arthur Jean Papon's chief claim to infamy, according to the New York Times, was his signing the deportation orders of thousands of Jews sent to the death camps during World War II while he was an official in the collaborationist Vichy regime. His subsequent career, however, was littered with bodies from his career as a regional prefect in Algeria during the war for independence and later as prefect of police in Paris. The abduction of Moroccan opposition leader Mehdi Ben Barka by two policemen took place while Mr. Papon was prefect of police. Mr. Papon characteristically denied responsibility. In 1998, he received a 10-year sentence for complicity in Nazi crimes against humanity; he served less than three years.

Reading

Cat in Rabat and Eatbees have extended essays on why more people in Morocco do not read for pleasure.  Though Cat in particular advances the tri-lingual nature of Moroccan society (Darija, Arabic, French) flavored with Berber and sometimes even English, my experience in Morocco suggested that a significant part of the problem is a lack of reading material at an appropriate level and an early age.  Cat writes:

Our parents read to my brother and I before bedtime; we were encouraged to read for ourselves when we became a certain age; our bookshelves were routinely replenished with fresh Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys volumes; weekend trips to the public library were considered a natural way to spend a Saturday; used book stores acquired an importance early in our lives
that has never diminished.

When I was teaching, my students were always pestering me for books in English.  I never had enough, and with the exception of a few special purchases, they were generally too difficult for my high school students.  Not having books to read, or having only books that are too difficult, will discourage any would-be reader.  As Cat notes, she had a plentiful supply of Nancy Drew, etc. as a child. The Hardy Boys may be tripe, but I had a whole shelf as a boy and devoured every one.

However, high school is too late to start.   My two toddlers between them own more books than than I suspect most Moroccan villages do.  And the books are appropriate for babies. They are just taking the first steps toward reading, but I cannot pry the books out of their hands.  (In addition, we read to them throughout the day.)

A Moroccan friend of mine pointed out today that the Qu'ran commands Muslims to read.  Children will not learn to love reading, however, unless they have the opportunity while they are young.

P.S. I think Massir's comment on Eatbee's post, in which she describes giving her children books before they can speak, nicely sums up what I am trying to say.

Thé à la Menthe: Lyrics in English

I owe the song Thé à la Menthe by Nikkfurie/La Caution a debt because I think it is coincidentally one of the main reasons that people come to visit my blog by the same name. Although the song apparently figured prominently in the movie Ocean's Twelve, it was unknown to me at the time I started blogging. It occurred to me that if I ever found the lyrics, the least I could do is try to return the favor by translating them into English. This proved to be a more difficult project than it first appeared, because the lyrics are full of obscure (to me) French street slang. Nevertheless, in the hope of inspiring a better translation, I have printed my effort below. Any comments that will render the sense more justly will be greatly appreciated. I would also like to acknowledge a debt to wordreference and wiktionary as well as my more conventional Harrap's and Petit Robert.

I have translated the original lyrics as follows:

NIKKFURIE:

Boy, I remember Mrs. Nicole
A teacher who thought a raghead wasn't made for school!
I wore ragged velour, and red boots made of plastic,
A wool jacket, a t-shirt or some "Play-Basket".
The barber didn't even know that I existed!
However young and innocent, the snot on our noses with no Kleenex,
we squatted in the sandbox with our "Buds" and our ideas,
born to vandalize without even knowing it!
Our parents didn't have so we erred without having!
According to our neighbors, blatant racists, to put it best,
we were badly raised and their German shepherds better dressed!
Me, I don't believe it, and I never did
because parental is the only love that I ever had!
Thus for not loving myself, what puts me on the mend:
The virtues of "Naanaa" or some tea with mint!

HI-TEKK:

First generation slum, clandestine environment in a bar in Barbès:
tea with mint, couscous and tagines a la carte.
More scopitones for Mouloud and Said Abdullah.
With a dirty accent, no "Peace to you" said Hassan the athlete
originally from Algiers, from Hollywood to Tamanrasset.
More tea with mint, just bitter words!
Like a mental illness, I have a headache, I cavort
in stan-smith adidas, 501 jeans, it's O.K., I'm stuck with them.
Here, there's the assault, for a dozen more, there will be blood in the air.
This France tears me apart: an Arab is classed as a bandy-legged barbarian!
Fuck the culture of barbecue, steak and fast food!
In the bled, it's djellaba and sandals, from Oujda to Casablanca,
it's banal at the bottom of the city, I'm pissed and I don't give a shit.
It slashes at the base of my home; my pain and my joy are mingled
and that's all that remains of our cultural heritage.

NIKKFURIE:

An adolescence "Nastase and 501, Pento, funk cassettes and Daron in 505".
But as soon as the the word "Problem" comes with a capital P,
in the face of which all the world trembles or deceives!
After innocence, pessimism takes root
before incandescence, the right road bends,
I took his hand and my happiness cramped me,
along the lines of "only money and honor can make me real!"
But here, one can accuse you of things that if you did them, you would hang!
They need an Arab, a black, what you will, in short something concrete!
One is lucky never to be taken seriously . . .
Approach vice without ever going over the edge.
Modeling our long life on the flight of an angel . .
In school, we, vultures, against the albatross of Baudelaire!
One finds oneself in rap despite every real expectation . . .
The recipe: Sampler, pen, and tea with mint!

Words that particularly puzzled me:

Play-Basket, se véner, la tess, le daron

Update: The laser dance in Ocean's Twelve, with the instrumental version of Thé à la Menthe.

Fishy

Ever wonder where your sardines come from?  View from Fez explains it all with a piece on Moroccan fisheries and their speculative future in the face of global warming and ocean cooling.

Abolition of the Death Penalty

Morocco takes a policy stand more progressive than all but 13 states in the United States, as it formally abolishes the death penalty in April.  In the year 2003, 65 people were executed in the United States, making the United States a member of a select group of states practicing the death penalty that includes China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

Update: BO18 points out that Djibouti has the honor of being the first Arab state to abolish the death penalty, which it did in 1995.

Relief for Anmzi and Anfgou

The Morocco Foundation is soliciting emergency contributions to provide warm sleeping gear for the residents of Anmzi and Anfgou near Khenifra, where reportedly 20 infants and toddlers have been killed by the cold.

On the Street

Magharebia reports that there are between 5,000 and 7,000 homeless children in Casablanca, a city of approximately 3.5 million.  In contrast, in Chicago, a city of  2,896,016, there were approximately 26,000 homeless children as of 2001, of whom 12,000 were "chronically homeless," according to a study by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.  In both cities, public and private resources fall far short of meeting the needs of these children.  

To me, it seems both an indictment of the American way of life and a symptom of how intractable a problem homelessness is that a major American city of comparable size to Casablanca faces a worse homelessness problem than that of the bidonvilles of Casa.  Although we clearly lack sufficient resources and a sufficient commitment to addressing the problem in both countries, it seems to me that perhaps we need new ideas for coping with the problem as well.

Shoot or Don't Shoot

Chris Burbank on Photo.net asks if it is safe for him to carry his camera equipment in Tangier.  I would certainly think so, although he will immediately be marked as a tourist, if for no other reason that he is carrying a camera.  Several commenters note that conservative dress can help diminish this appearance and make him less obviously American: I would think long sleeve shirt with a collar, slacks not jeans, and no tennis shoes would be in order.  As for the equipment, I agree with one commenter that less is more.  Finally, one point that no commenter mentioned is that my recollection is that Moroccans in general are quite camera shy; at minimum, ask people before snapping their photos.  Incidentally, Burbank has some beautiful sunrise photos, so I hope he posts his photos of Morocco.

Harira

I had some of the best harira since I left Morocco today at the City Place Cafe at 17th and L, N.W. in Washington, D.C. The restaurant and sandwich shop, which is Moroccan owned, occasionally whips up a mean bowl of Fassi style harira, which I am told sells out in record time. One thing that was different for me was that the soup contained rice rather than soup noodles. It was so good, I bought two bowls for lunch, and only regretted that I did not have lemon, dates, and shebakya to go with it. (And yes, I know it is not Ramadan!)