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
Brief but moving ceremony on the steps of the French Consulate General in Tangier, with newly-arrived Consul General Pierre Thénard presiding. A reading of President Nicolas Sarkozy's Armistice Day message. A vin d'honneur. Very much like in every town and village in France, the monument aux morts has lots and lots of names of the … Read more 11-11-11 In Tangier: Morts Pour la France
… they saw Africa. Notes from a trip across the Strait. Well, of course they saw Africa: every primary school geography student knows that the Strait of Gibraltar (or, as they say north of the water, el Estrecho de Gibraltar) separates the continents of Europe and Africa. But Spain's Africanistas were not academic "Africanists" – … Read more What the Africanistas Saw Across El Estrecho de Gibraltar
The Knife Sharpener of Tangier This being the eve of the Aïd, the culmination of the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, knives are being sharpened all over the Muslim world, in preparation for the sacrifice of millions of sheep. BBC has a nice explanation of the feast. We wish our Muslim friends عيـــد مبــــارك سعيــــــد … Read more Sheep Tales
L'Escadrille Chérifienne Recently Moroccan satellite TV audiences tuned in to ARTE, the Franco-German cultural channel, to see Daniel Cling's excellent new documentary, Abdelkrim et la Guerre du Rif. For many, it was the first time footage on this war from Morocco's colonial past was seen on TV. The war was important in many ways – … Read more Lafayette, We Are Here In Morocco’s Rif
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
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
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
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
