Daily Archives: June 16, 2019

Marrakech, Museum of African Contemporary Art and More

June 16, 2019 – 5:18 pm

June 16, 2019

Mark listens to the docents introduce us to the museum

Mark listens to the docents introduce us to the museum

After the late night party, we were all slow getting going in the morning.  It was 10:30 before we were in the van and headed to  the Museum of African Contemporary Art.  It was no ordinary museum.  It was not large, but it was spectacular in its content and purpose.  Even Mark hung around to learn the meaning of each piece.  Here is a sampling of the art we experienced.

Acrylic on canvas," Eyram, Yellow is the Color of Water", Jeremiah Quarshie (Ghana)2015.About women's need for water and the difficulty of carrying it. The only painted image.

Acrylic on canvas,” Eyram, Yellow is the Color of Water”, Jeremiah Quarshie (Ghana)2015.About women’s need for water and the difficulties of carrying it. This is the only painted image in the exhibition.

 

First of all, there was only one piece that was painted, a western mode of art not culturally African.  The rest of the collection was made up of artifacts found in the local culture and turned into eclectic, meaningful and artful works that required thought to understand the intent.  I am including several pieces so you can get a sense of the place for yourself.  Nezha had arranged for us to have the museum to ourselves.  The two head docents shared their knowledge and insights with us at each piece.  That alone made the tour a special experience.

A concrete and steel sculpture that reads, in Arabic, "Liberty." However, the word is in concrete nailed to the wall with a steel plate over the middle of it. The message is that Liberty has not become free. I found this piece very visceral.

A concrete and steel sculpture that reads, in Arabic, “Liberty.” However, the word is in concrete nailed to the wall with a steel plate over the middle of it. The message is that Liberty has not become free. I found this piece very visceral.

Large-scale sculpture of fake acrylic nails by Frances Goodman. Subtle subversion of stereotypes that continue to surround women and their interest in the surface presentation of self. THe image I both appealing and intense.

Large-scale sculpture of fake acrylic nails by Frances Goodman. Subtle subversion of stereotypes that continue to surround women and their interest in the surface presentation of self. I found the image both appealing and intense.

Found objects like used toothbrushes and discarded soap dispenser caps make this an interesting commentary on how people use and waste things.

Found objects like used toothbrushes and discarded soap dispenser caps make this an interesting commentary on how people use and discard things.

For me, the artists presented, collectively, a feeling of HOPE.  They are not looking to the past, but working to effect change, positive change now, for the future.  I think everyone in our group came away feeling moved.

Around the corner from the museum is a golf course where we have lunch. Quite a first rate environment.

Around the corner from the museum is the golf course, where  lunch was waiting.

Then we were off to lunch at the nearby golf course.  It was a pretty setting and a super salad came without us having to order.  It was perfect for everyone at our table and we thought we were done, when a beef and chicken tagine arrived.  Suddenly, it was way too much food, even if it was tasty.  I stopped.

We all agreed to a short visit to the medina to spend some money.  Mark and I wandered around reminiscing about our last visit here 25+ years ago.  Nothing seemed to have changed.  Crowded and noisy. Shopkeepers all peddling the same goods, sellers dogging us while lowering their price as we kept walking, irascible snake charmers and sluggish snakes.  We found a pleasant shopkeeper and settled in to buy some scarves.  We had a nice visit and learned he had been in that spot for 34 years and business was always just OK.  Now there are more people, but more vendors too.

Feeling hot for the first time on this trip, we walked back to where we were to meet the van and were happy to sit down in the air conditioned vehicle.  Nearly everyone had made a purchase and we had a show and tell on the way back to Janen Mayshad.

We had a couple of hours to clean up and rest before the 8pm concert.  Other guests had been invited too, so by 7:30 the garden was filling with folks all dressed up.  At 8pm, Joel Revzen and Susan Graham made their appearance and we all took seats in the living room in front of the borrowed Steinway.

Susan Graham sings for the delighted audience.

Susan Graham sings for the delighted audience.

While Joel played, Susan sang selections from Summer Nights by Hector Berlioz and Women’s Life and Love by Robert Schumann.

The music and singing were delightful and received a standing ovation.  By 9:30 everyone was in the garden drinking wine and eating small dishes of food delivered one course at a time.    Mark and I said good night about 11:30, but the party carried on until 4am for some folks.  Fortunately for us, the revelers relocated to the pool area and all was quiet outside our window.

By adventureswithjulia | Posted in 2019 June: Morocco | Comments (5)

Marrakech, Mohammed V Training Center and more

June 16, 2019 – 9:55 am

 

June 14, 2019

Dinner indoors at Mayshad. Too cold to eat outside.

Dinner indoors at Mayshad. Too cold to eat outside.

We are having a delightful time getting to know the people in the group, which I count at 18.  Every meal is much later than we eat at home, but we are adapting.  Fortunately, we are not being overfed.  Got to bed about midnight and up at 8.  How civilized is that?

Today we were to depart for the days adventures at 9:30.  We managed to get away by 10:30.  Our first and most important stop of the day was at the Mohammed V Training Center where we got to learn some of what Nezha Alaoui, founder of the Mayshad Foundation, is trying to accomplish through the Foundation.

Mohammed V Training Center
Nazha Alaoui telling us about the center and its purpose
First stop in the Center. Women displaying camel bone pots and a leather ceiling art piece. Very fine work.
Mark looking at inlaid tile table tops and samples of wood detail on the wall.
A training class for developmentally disabled people.
Leather work training in progress
An embroidery training class
Three ladies check us out after class.
Our Mayshad group posing in front of the training center.

 

The training facility is funded by the king, Mohammed VI, and is making progress in training people in various crafts and skills, which we had the chance to observe.  Nezha wants to send 800 women her team has already identified, through the training, which lasts a year per course.  It will be more efficient than starting her own school and the government is willing to allow her to send 2-300 women through the program at a time.  In addition to the 800 she has already identified, there are many more co-operative groups on the waiting list.  Many women want to become more skilled and financially independent.  It will cost about $200 per woman for a year of training, to develop each person into a micro entrepreneur capable of successfully marketing the product she already makes and managing the financial aspects of her business.  The idea is to help hard working women develop the skills to take their business to the next level.  “Helping women help themselves” said Nazha.

There was much more to learn, but it was time to move on.  Out on the street, we walked to the restaurant enjoying our encounters with the local folk and interacting with a few.

A local lady under a large graffitii.
A street scene with interesting people and doors.
Elderly friends out for a walk.
One of the ladies befriended me. Too bad we could not communicate.

Mark encountered a “you make, I bake” bakery and watched it happening.

A boy and his father bringing bread to be baked.
Bread waits in line, while the baker does his job.
The baker turns the bread.
A little boy waits for his bread to be baked.

Meanwhile, a few ladies joined up for a photo.  Soon we were at our lunch place called Snack Anosfa.  The food was much more and better than the name implied.

Mayshad Ladies pose in the alley street – Julia, Julie, Jan, Nezha and Sheila.
18 of us enjoy an outdoor lunch of couscous tajine, standard fair for Fridays in Morocco.
The Friday Tajine included vegetables, chicken or beef.

After a delicious lunch, we headed into the Jewish quarter to visit the nearby synagogue, called Slat El-Azama.

.From there Mark and I headed back to the main square where we met a spice vendor, purchased a bit of an herb-like leaf sweetener called Stevia, which contained, he told us, no sugar.  We shared a cup of tea with him. Another nice encounter.

Catching a waft of burning incense
Three kinds of Frankinsense
Tea, garlic and other spices.
The vendor makes tea after we buy some spice.
We share tea with the vendor in his shop.

By mid-afternoon everyone was hot and tired and ready to relax in the comfort of our home at Janen Mayshad.

The unimposing entrance to Mayshad
The road into Mayshad
The quiet entrance to peace and quiet. Am in my new deep blue blouse.

 

The lovely grounds. Our room is upstairs on the left.

The lovely grounds. Our room is upstairs on the left.

 

At last, we spend the remainder of the afternoon at the pool. The day is not quite hot enough to make me want to dive in.

At last, we spend the remainder of the afternoon at the pool. The day was not warm enough to make me want to dive in, as the water was almost as cold as Lake Tahoe.

As the sun was setting, we all left the pool area and headed for the roof to watch the sun set and the nearly fool moon rise.  I bent over backward to get a pano image of toe event.  It is all there if you look closely.

We all went up on the roof to watch the sunset and the mnearly full moon rise. I managed a pan of the event.

My pano of the sun and moon.

Dinner was back in the dining room and then we gathered quietly to surprise Anthony and Jan, who is VP of Business development in the US for the Mayshad Foundation, for a celebration of their unheralded wedding 5 days earlier.  It was time to party……and this group really knew how.  A 6 piece raucus band waited in the wings until we yelled “surprise” and then the noise was deafening.  I did not need my hearing aids.

After dinner, there is a surprise party for the newly wed couple in our group, Anthony and Jan. They have been married only 5 days and have not had any celebration.
A six person and appeared to help us celebrate the wedding. It was quite a party.
Anthony and Jan share a few seconds in the middle of the party.

 

Here is a short video to get you into the mood.  Fortunately, the band quit after an hour.  The party went on without them, a bit more quietly.  Mark and I departed for bed.

Please click on the arrow to play the video.  Click on the circle with an arrow at the bottom left corner to replay the video.

 

By adventureswithjulia | Posted in 2019 June: Morocco, Adventures | Comments (2)