The art of piggybacking, taking advantage of targets of opportunity, is particularly important when an institution's budget is, shall we say, limited. This week is a case in point. Thanks to the re-opening, after extensive renovation, of Tangier's legendary bookstore Librairie de Colonnes, a certain amount of high-powered literary and cultural talent has gathered in … Read more Another Tangier Literary Week – With Americans
Americans, when they hear the term "roofing," may think of flimsy shingles nailed into plywood. A weekend project for do-it-yourself carpenters. Not Tangier. Think concrete. Think layers. Many layers, like those encountered by an archeologist digging down into a Middle Eastern tell. Unearthing layers of valiant attempts to combat Tangier's notorious rains, which, as novelist … Read more Reclaiming America’s Legation: One Roof, One Room At a Time
Once again, in a long tradition that now is a Tangier-in-Ramadan institution, the American Legation was the venue last night for a concert of Arab-Andalusian music. And it did not disappoint. The audience – despite one of the hottest days yet this summer – was fully into the swing of this rythmic music, one of … Read more A Ramadan Evening To Warm the Heart
Right now it's Ramadan, and the month of August, so it's supposed to be quiet, right? The faithful are too tired, hungry, or thirsty to stay awake over books, and the un-Islamic or non-Muslim are expected to stay in Europe, perhaps awaiting better weather and the assurance of daytime food come mid-September. So why is … Read more The Scholars of Summer
