During the 4th Annual Moroccan American Coalition Convention that took place in October 10th and 11th in Washington, Mr. Amine El Farissi,
the U.S. General Manager of the Moroccan Flag Carrier Royal Air Maroc, confirmed the eminent start of a second direct flight between the US and Morocco.
In an Interview with MoroccoBoard TV, he tackled several issues including the airline's customers service shortcomings along with other hot issues.

for more information, check out Moroccoboard.com, the moroccan american news service
at moroccoboard.com

At her reading, organized by Algonquin Books, Washington Moroccan Club and Border Books, in Washington DC, Moroccan American Author, Laila Lalami, described the central character of her second novel in English, "Secret Son", as a poor young man in contemporary Morocco, his aspirations of education and escape from the Casablanca Slum where he lives with his mother, the revelation that his father is still alive and doing well and his sub-sequential adventures.

In a lively Q&A session following her presentation, She refused to be seen as anything but a novelist, "I am not pretending to know my native country Morocco any more than anyone else". She said that she does not necessarily aim to do social criticism, or write about any particular issue, her main focus as a novelist, is to write a story as best I can. And since her characters live in Moroccan society, that society's characteristics, contradictions and shortcomings are laid bare to the reader to ponder.
What emerged from her second book, Secret Son, is ambiguity, and that, for Laila Lalami, is normal providing her upbringing, education, experience both here in the States and in Morocco.
In an interview with MoroccoBoard TV, Laila Lalami took issue with her comparisons to Moroccan Writer Tahar Ben Jelloun, as the marquee Moroccan author in English. She said that she couldnt start believing all the hype that is being written out there. "It is dangerous for an author to do that".
She also confessed that she has been heartened by the outpouring support from the Moroccan American Community both online and at her book tour throughout the country.

for more coverage visit moroccoboard.com
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It is afternoon and I am at the Mclean Community Center in VA to attend an event. I proceed to where my event is being held. As soon as I set a foot in the room, I am already exchanging hugs with faces I had not seen for months if not years, and hellos with individuals I meet for the first time. In the middle of the room, there are tables lined up with about 32 kids, age ranging from 2 to 14 years old, who are drawing with crayons. Some of them are demanding that their parents check on their work for approval while others are adamant that their parents do not even peek at their crafts. Mustapha Saout of MoroccoBoard is busy interviewing kids while Said Zairi is focusing with his camera trying to capture these moments. On the far left corner of the room, there is a table with plenty of juices, bottled water, and various types of cookies.

On the wall to my right, I can see Moroccan and American flags and some posters hanging. These posters are of the Obama to Speak in Morocco (OSM) campaign and the Washington Moroccan Club’s (WMC) activities.

As the afternoon progressed, I got the chance to mingle with few parents who were spread out in various small groups. Topics varied from discussing which airline to take this summer to travel to Morocco, to sharing information on various local schools kids attend, to the fast rate at which kids grow. It was pleasant to also hear parents compare and contrast the habits and ways of their children.

Such was the setting at the second “Youth Art Contest”, part of “My Morocco” event series created and hosted by WMC and Moroccan American Cultural Center. This particular event was chaired by Annalissa Essaadi, and the theme this time around was "Welcome the Obama Family to the White House." The aim was to bring community members and their families together yet again and to “press on with the Obama to Speak in Morocco Campaign” said Hassan Samerhouni a major force behind the OSM campaign by virtue of having initiated it. He is proving to be the quintessence of persistence in this campaign.

After all these aspiring young Picassos had completed their pieces, they were given the opportunity to talk about their works of art. Then, they each received an honorary certificate in recognition for their participation and as a token of encouragement. Speaking of certificates, Art supplies, certificates, and snacks and refreshments were sponsored by WMC members. Speaking of WMC members, Abdessamad Nhairy and Aicha Bensaid were instrumental in making this event a success.

Organizers are planning to select three to four paintings and organize a trip to the White House with these kids to present the paintings to the Obama family. Since we live in a land where anything is possible, attempts at making it official by presenting the selected works to Malia and Sasha Obama in person are underway. It would be quite a tail to tell for these kids if this were to materialize. And who knows, may be this will inspire some of them to want to seek the presidency some day!
for additional coverage visit moroccoboard.com at moroccoboard.com

Part of the Arabesque Festival at the Kennedy Center, B'net Houariyat, who are five women from the region of Marrakech in Morocco, who sing and dance to the rhythm of their drums, performing traditional music of Houara, of the Hammada, together with Berber dances and styles like the Aita and the Chaabi, performed recently at The millennium Stage to a raving audience.
B'net Houariyat have been invited to perform at numerous international festivals and in leading concert halls around the world.
B'net Houariyat are Ms. Zahi-a Bani, Ms. Khadija Haliba , Ms. Malika Rahmi, Ms. Saida Madrani, and Ms. Halima Zeiter.
B'net Houariyat have released the following recordings: Poèmes d’Amour des Femmes du Sud Marocain (1994); Voix des femmes de Marrakech (1997); and, Voices of Marrakech (1997). B'net Houariyat also recorded with Peter Gabriel on Gabriel's Up (2002).
The performance, as you can see in the video, was energizing and hypnotic. It left the audience craving for more of Bnet Houariyat magic.

A fundraising at Morocco's ambassador's official residence fo Mr. salman Belayachi who is preparing a walk of a thousand miles, starting from Laayoun ending his walk in Tangier. Mr. Belayachi said that the purpose of the walk is to engage directly the citizens along his path and stressing the values of citizenship, active participation in the process of development, discarding negative feelings, regaining hope and taking responsability for one's faith.
The fundraiser was heavily attended and donations were above what was expected by Mr Belayachi and his " Le citoyen Marocain" team that converged on the nation's capital from New York, Texas, Florida, Maryland and other states. Members of several associationssuch as the Moroccan American Coalition (MAC), Washington Moroccan Club(WMC), SOS Morocco, the Moroccan Society of Houston(MSH), Friends of Morocco worked hard to make the event successful.
for more coverage and photos of the event visit moroccoBoard.com
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