TALIM Director Gerald Loftus (left) and Abderrahim Foukara (right)
"Min Washington," the Al Jazeera Arabic weekly news magazine hosted by Washington Bureau Chief (and Moroccan-American) Abderrahim Foukara, aired yesterday worldwide (it will be repeated throughout this week; see local listings).
The Tangier American Legation was featured, a full 10 minutes of interviews, exhibits, and lots of history. Moroccans are proud of Foukara, whose clear style and serious interviews cover the gamut of current events, but also touch on cultural subjects like ours. Here, the focus was on the longevity of US-Moroccan relations, and the accent on the fact that the American diplomatic post in Tangier was the pioneer permanent presence of the newly independent United States on African soil.
Abderrahim Foukara was moved by his visit to the Legation, and we have former Tanjawi Said Temsamani, now in the United States and a guest on the same "Min Washington" show, to thank for putting us in touch. Here's Foukara on the Legation:
Visiting the American Legation in the heart of Tangier, a city where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, I could not help seeing, with my mind's eye, both Spain and America. To me, the bridges of co-existence and friendship often begin at the crossings of the future, the present and the past.
You can see the Legation segment on this link, approximately at minutes 35 through 45 (there's also a short soundbite "tease" at the outset).
Text: Gerald Loftus; photos courtesy of Al Jazeera
Dear Jerry: Thank you for sending us this more easily accessible link. As we approached the Legation via the streets we know so well, it must be said that they looked cleaner than usual. The Legation itself looked splendid. For those of us who do not speak Arabic, the voice-over too loudly drowned you out; but since we had already heard your presentation, it was not too painful. It’s a fascinating history which should long continue.