There have been Shahs in Morocco. Of Iran, and of Afghanistan. We speak of the latter. Tahir Shah (official site) In Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams (Bantam, 2008) Tangier holds a special place in my heart. It was there that my grandfather lived, then died, knocked down outside his villa on the steep … Read more A Shah’s Triumphant Return To Tangier
Don't worry if you can't make out the cartoon captions. They're in Spanish anyway. Last night the Tangier Instituto Cervantes opened "Casablanca," an exhibit of sometimes whimsical pop art inspired by the film. The point of this post is not creative cartoonists, but the parallels between the Casablanca depicted in the film (celebrating its … Read more When Tangier Was Casablanca: Rick’s Café & Dean’s Bar
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
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
Note: In our continuing series of posts touching on the long history of Moroccan-American relations, we reproduce below the text of a passport issued to the “Prince Among Slaves,” Abd al Rahman Ibrahima Sori. Passports in those days were not what we think of today; they were basically safe conduct letters. The President at whose … Read more His Emancipation From Slavery Would Be Agreeable To Morocco’s Emperor
Here's another example of how farsighted Senator William Fulbright was. Fulbright, after whom the US Government scholarships for international exchange are named, probably didn't imagine that his program would be funding documentary films, but his intent – that funds from the disposal of surplus World War II materiel further international understanding – couldn't be better … Read more The Dressmakers Premieres in Tangier
Don't worry: Teddy Roosevelt and his gunboat diplomacy have not made a reappearance on the Strait of Gibraltar. Whatever happens down the coast in Libya, the USS Olympia of the Great White Fleet (image: ModelShipMaster.com) is safely moored in its Philadelphia museum home. Here in Tangier, we don't expect any battleship-assisted hostage rescue attempts à … Read more The Great White Fleet Returns to Tangier
We've seen films-within-films before, usually films about making films. La mosquée, a little gem featured at the 2011 Moroccan National Film Festival, is different. It's a sort of "post-production" film: what happens after the film crew leaves a small Moroccan village? From the director, Daoud Aoulad-Syad, at last November's Damascus International Film Festival: For the … Read more La mosquée at Tangier’s Moroccan National Film Festival
فوضى Pronunciation: Fwḑá Definition: chaos It's one of our favorite words, a way to smile at the confusion that sometimes swirls around us. Arabic teachers searching for that perfect visual aid to illustrate the fawda that can come to inhabit life in places like Algeria could do no better than show the hilarious opening sequence … Read more Mascarades: Fawda Was Never So Much Fun
After 5 days of readings, exhibits, concerts, and walkabouts, Tangier's week in Homage to Paul Bowles has come to an end. Though most of the events were attended largely by a strongly European cultural crowd, it started and ended with programs well-attended by young Moroccans. "Every Reader Is a Translator," held at the Tangier School … Read more Tribute to Paul Bowles In Tangier
