Judged For Its Cover: Enchantment Wins Design Award

Breaking news from the graphic design world: Graphic Design USA presents a 2011 AMERICAN GRAPHIC DESIGN AWARD to Studio Schaad Design for Enchantment Book Cover and Spreads. We are very pleased for Cathleen Schaad of Studio Schaad, who has designed a beautiful book, beautifully written by Boston University professor Diana Wylie. Ever since its publication … Read more Judged For Its Cover: Enchantment Wins Design Award


CLS Tangier: Language, Culture & Heritage

TALIM's Fatima Benguerch with CLS students and women's literacy group As the State Department funded 2011 Arabic Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program in Tangier draws to a close, it's time to reflect on what makes Tangier a special place to learn Arabic.  Tangier is but one of several sites for CLS Arabic programs; there is … Read more CLS Tangier: Language, Culture & Heritage


Ramadan Notes 2011

Photo by Rachid Tefersiti Perhaps I should say Ramadan Notes 1432 (A.H., not A.D.). We marked Ramadan in the traditional ways the Legation has ever since my predecessor Thor Kuniholm established the pattern.  We started the week with our Moroccan NGO partners FTAM (the Fondation Tanger al-Madina) and the distribution of foodstuffs to needy families … Read more Ramadan Notes 2011


Deciphering Moroccan Arabic, 1911 – 2011

"Shnoo the Hell is Going on H'naa?" – the subtitle to Aaron Sakulich's book Moroccan Arabic (Collaborative Media International) – probably captures the bewilderment of many a foreign student of darija or Moroccan colloquial Arabic. For modern day students trying to fathom how to transition from what they learn in Modern Standard or classical Arabic … Read more Deciphering Moroccan Arabic, 1911 – 2011


Graduation Day Is When You Can Read Your Diploma

I don't yet have the picture of the smiling women who were handed their diplomas yesterday, but here's a diploma of someone who missed graduation day (click on picture to enlarge.) My favorite "graduate" wasn't even at the end of her program.  But our teacher gave her a diploma as a sort of "Ms. Congeniality" … Read more Graduation Day Is When You Can Read Your Diploma


TALIM – We Are Also a Museum

Happy International Museum Day. TALIM – the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies – used to have museum in its name: TALM – the Tangier American Legation Museum.  Signs on our street reflect that history, and it is true that people from Tangier and tourists visiting the city know us best as a museum. … Read more TALIM – We Are Also a Museum


Tangier’s Salon du Livre – Much More Than a Book Fair

The setting is magnificent: the Palais des Institutions Italiennes, home to several Italian cultural institutes and NGOs (Elisa Chimenti, COSPE).  A.k.a. the Moulay Hafidh palace, the venue is one of Tangier's most prestigious, and the arcades around an Islamic garden make for a perfect setting to browse the bookstalls. This year, for the first time … Read more Tangier’s Salon du Livre – Much More Than a Book Fair


Open for Business, In Tangier and Washington

Have I become accustomed to living in historic landmarks?  En route to a week in Washington for meetings, I have decided to set up shop at DACOR Bacon House, one of Foggy Bottom's few remaining historic homes, now the home of DACOR, which organizes a lively calendar of activities for foreign affairs professionals. I've stayed … Read more Open for Business, In Tangier and Washington


Tangier’s New Port: Let the Water Flow

Engineer and Commercial Director of the Moroccan government chartered company SAPT Hassan Mzerma opened Day Two of the 2011 April Seminar, with the focus on the SAPT project of the conversion of Tangier's city port.  We thank SAPT chief Abdelouafi Laftit and Mr. Mzerma, probably two of the busiest people in Morocco, for their valuable … Read more Tangier’s New Port: Let the Water Flow


Live Blogging The 2011 TALIM April Seminar

Note: Marking its 10th edition in 2011, TALIM’s April Seminars have attracted audiences from Tangier, the rest of Morocco, and beyond.  This year, with the theme of Tangier’s Ports: Circles of Impact, we piggybacked on the US Trade Mission which participated in the Med-Log (logistics, with a focus on foreign investment) Conference. – – – … Read more Live Blogging The 2011 TALIM April Seminar