Michael Toler "On October 9, the new office building of the Consulate General was completed, and on October 16 the move from the old buildings was completed." The laconic entry of the anonymous diplomat or consular clerk, writing in his or her best "Palmer Method" penmanship, belies its historic importance. What is being described above, from one … Read more Medina Diplomats: December 7, 1797 – October 16, 1961
A shopping expedition to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta does not provide the material for sophisticated socio-political analysis, so this little report will be mostly impressionistic. Maybe it's because we live inside the walled medina of Tangier, but we found Ceuta's 7 square miles surprisingly expansive. Partly that's because of the fantastic coastal road that … Read more Ceuta: Spain’s Toehold On the Strait of Gibraltar
Our post on J. Rives Childs, Chargé d'Affaires at the Tangier American Legation during World War II, has elicited a fascinating comment from a friend of his. We repeat David Meyer's letter below to give it proper attention, as Mr. Meyer begins to answer one of the questions we raised in January: does J. Rives … Read more Rives Childs: Remembering the Righteous on Yom Kippur
L to R: Tony Spears, Mhamed Ismaili, Tommy Johnson Earlier this year I joked that the Legation fire plan consisted of praying to St. Florian, patron saint of fire fighters. In the ensuing year, we have made a little progress towards our goal of surviving a fire, and saving the contents of this historic building. … Read more Museum-Quality Extinguishers: Fire Prevention Week
Maybe the Escalier Américain or drouj merican didn't need a thorough steam cleaning for the shooting of "Goodbye Morocco," Nadir Mokneche's forthcoming film. Sometimes grungy is authentic, and if you don't have to paint on fake dirt, it's much cheaper. The Legation's medina neighborhood was the site for some location shooting this week. We've been … Read more “Goodbye Morocco” – Filming Tangier’s American Steps
The Kasbah Museum (Moroccan Ministry of Culture) partnered with Italian NGO COSPE to host a two-day seminar on Tangier's architectural and cultural heritage. A worthy effort, one that this city sorely needs, with developers greedily eyeing every square meter of available land. A parade of presenters, including a Moroccan director at the Paris Institut du … Read more Tangier – Worthy Of UNESCO Status?
First train arrives in Tangier's Charf Station, 1920s Print from Donald Angus Collection of glass negatives, No. 86 TALIM library, Tangier American Legation Yesterday's ceremony to mark the start of construction of Africa's newest TGV or high speed train line brought French President Nicolas Sarkozy and King Mohammed VI to Tangier. As a relatively frequent … Read more Tangier Inaugurations: From Steam Train to TGV
Freedom Riders premieres in the Arab world. At TALIM. In partnership with the American Embassy in Rabat and the Sundance Institute, last night the Legation hosted a showing cum discussion of the award-winning documentary "Freedom Riders" in the presence of the film maker, Stanley Nelson. I do not say award-winning lightly. Stanley Nelson, already a … Read more Freedom Riders at the Legation
Louis Armstrong and Lillian Boutté. For a long time, they were New Orleans' only "Musical Ambassadors," though some other jazz greats have since joined their ranks. So Tangier was honored to have Lillian Boutté & The Gigolos for the latest edition of Tanjazz, an annual festival that attracts a wide audience of Tanjawis and visitors … Read more Tanjazz and New Orleans’ Musical Ambassador
Thanks to a kind member of the TALIM board, I've been alerted to an exhibit in Washington's National Gallery of Art, "The Invention of Glory." Subtitled "Alfonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries," the exhibit features "The Conquest of Tangier." The exhibit is open through January 8, 2012. Today's Washington Post, in an article by culture … Read more Portugal, Morocco, and the Price of Glory
