Morocco # English board

Hi all, hope you're all ok!!

I am organising a "Moroccan food day" at work this coming friday. It's a bit of a tradition that we hold at my workplace whereby once a month, a representative of a country cooks for the team and brings in various little dishes for everyone to sample. This works well as there are various foreginers in my company so the choice is huge and its never boring!

So it's my turn this friday and i am very excited about the idea!! obviously Moroccan or North African food is quite known nowadays but there are still people around who are totally ignorant of what it is about and i was shocked to hear that some colleagues never even heard of couscous! sacrilegeous really, you will agree!!

However, it's not just about the food but about the culture in general. The goal is to expose the people to a bit of everything so i'm taking some moroccan decorations to put in the office for the day (Moroccan tajines, berber carpets, lamps, candles etc) and a colleague of mine even found a moroccan flag on ebay which we'll stick on the wall!! Lovely

The bit which i found tough to handle is the music!! i have no idea what to put as a Moroccan authentic music, i thought of Andaloussi music but they might find it way too boring for their taste. I don't really fancy putting chaabi as it's not exactly a wedding and i'm not sure they'll get as excited as we do about it! well you know what i mean!
So i'm in a dilemma really and don't know what to do! ideally i would like music which might be appreciated by a western taste like a fusion of african and western...a bit like what you hear in Essaouira's gnaoua and jazz festival but i have no clue where to find these!! or maybe collaborations between western and moroccan groups, i heard that Led Zeppelin did a song with Alghiwane in the past? or was it the Stones?? i'm completely ignorant so help please! any suggestions would be welcome

Fantastic idea, I love Gnawa especially the new style that is more like reggae with al hajhouje. Some modern Berber groups are good example of the blend of western and North Africa. Hope others will help with some ideas too.

Best of luck is always the best Moroccan wish

Minniemouse

Wow ,very good news & good luck ..do not limit your choices have a bit of Gnawa , Ghiwane , Andaloussi just music + try a regadda , Fnaire ,Rai too is popular with westerners .

I have a huge Moroccan flag if you need one about 2 metre long ...& few other bits & bobs
Ps do not forget the mint tea & la7liwates ...

Thanks both for your suggestions! Adds, where can i find this new gnawa/reggae style . Do you have any links please? i don't even need to download the music we could just go the website and listen in...

Atlas, thanks for your offer, i did find the moroccan flag as i said. Of course i won't miss the sweets and the tea! i'm going this lunch time to Maison souss get some.

Excellent suggestion about Rai Music! completely went out of my mind. I almost forgot how British people love Khaled, when i went to see him in the Barbican 2 years ago, there were many more British than North Africans!!

Try you tube search on Moroccan music have you seen my privious post?

Hi Adds, yes i did see your post and loved the first song, Zahar is awesome!!

I made a little compilation of moroccan tracks combining a bit of every style, fusion, guiwane, gnawa some rai etc and they all seem to enjoy it so far!!

I was waiting for my plate of coucous or even a cup of tea with "ka3b lagzal"

Perhaps Yabi team and memebers should organize a Moroccan day in London or Cambridge then we all have plates in our hands

Any thoughts ?

adds , a good idea ,let have names on the list :

July :
London : Atlasmagic
Cambridge

August

London : Atlasmagic
Cambridge

Quote
atlasmagic
I was waiting for my plate of coucous or even a cup of tea with "ka3b lagzal"

if it's any consolation, there wasn't "ka3b lagzal" amongst the other cakes

but the couscouss was divine!! i'll put pics later in facebook for you to check.

Quote
adds
Perhaps Yabi team and memebers should organize a Moroccan day in London or Cambridge then we all have plates in our hands

Any thoughts ?

That would be wonderful! if only we had a way of knowing where to find other moroccan fellows in the UK. Another failure of the moroccan consulate who doesn't give a toss about the community!

Minniemouse

I will look up for the pics ....the consulat des not have a social depatment , weel they pay some git but he does .... nada & spoke to him once ...oh my god ignorant bastards is an under statement..
we have to try to arrange a meet & take it from there

Assalam

We pretty much have a good idea where morccans are in UK and fairly documented through Oral History. If you want to know more, check this website
www.mrcf.org.uk
hope this help.

Dear all,
most Moroccan I know are in London Birmingham, Leeds and a few in cambridge hastings and Eastbourne. So if we say London as the center that would be ideal to everyone.
I am for it and can travel