Invest in Tangier Headlines

Tuesday 29 April 2008

The artistic magic of Tangiers remains - you just got to find it




Tangier has long captivated writers and artists, from Matisse to Burroughs. Stephen Emms from the Guardian goes to see if that artistic spirit lives on in the 'city of dreams'

Samuel Pepys, quite definitely, was not a fan: only Hell itself was worse. Neither was Mark Twain, who desired to leave next day. But for dozens of artists and writers, from Henri Matisse to Paul Bowles, Tangier, on the corner of Africa and Europe, the Atlantic and the Med, has possessed a je ne sais quoi. Its raffish reputation may have dried up since being reclaimed by Morocco in 1956, after decades as an international zone, but, in 2008 is a cultural renaissance again rumbling through the 'city of dreams'?



Tangier is a place to stroll in, not sightsee – there's even an Idler's Terrace (Terrasse des Paresseux), where strollers gaze out at the hypnotic blue beyond – and drifting through the labyrinth of the medina, its appeal to artists becomes clear: the smell of mint and fish wafts through the air, kids soar past, three on a pushbike, and, in sloping sun-lit squares, women in red-and-white shawls and wide hats squat on wooden stools selling mud-fresh vegetables.

I reach Café Central in the Petit Soco, its former literary heart, where, today, snake-like music rattles from tinny speakers and blue parasols dance in the wind. Here, William Burroughs would procure trade for the night (homosexuality being legal in the "interzone"), Tennessee Williams penned Camino Real, and rooms could be rented by the half hour. As I take a seat, a wild-eyed man, arms raised, wails the same phrase over and over. Tangier still has an on-the-brink feeling, I think, sipping my mint tea; if you squint, you might even glimpse the grey spectres of Ginsberg and Kerouac in the corner.



Artistic associations abound at Cafes Baba and Dalia in the Kasbah (frequented by the Rolling Stones) and elegant Gran Café De Paris, in the screech and whir of Place De France (Bacon and Capote). But a thunderstorm hits town, and I decide to explore Tangier's bars: the Windmill, Joe Orton's beachside regular, is now a pizza joint, so, as lightning crackles, I head to the Tanger Inn, where, upstairs, Burroughs wrote Naked Lunch – but now the beats are of the house music variety. Nearby Dean's Bar, whose eponymous owner died from a cocaine overdose in 1963, has a brightly-lit "locals only" feel, while cosiest of all is Atlas bar ("from 1928").

But where is Tangier's spirit? "It's all very private," explains Jean-Luc, Swiss-born manager of Hotel Nord-Pinus, high in the Kasbah overlooking the bay. We sit in the top bar, as the morning sun pours in over Adnet chairs, Berber rugs and Lindbergh portraits. "There's still a social scene here," he says, "but it's discreet, at each other's houses."

The Nord-Pinus, along with other renovations, such as the Dar Nour, run by a French gay couple, represent a newer side to Tangier, that of upmarket resort. There has, of course, always been the pricey El Minzah Hotel, favoured by Rita Hayworth, Rock Hudson and Tennessee Williams, but as the taxi driver said outside the enormous new airport: "Tangier, it's changing."


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The signs are subtle but everywhere. The proposed road tunnel beneath the Straits of Gibraltar to link Tangier with the Iberia peninsular is due for completion in 2011, though few believe it will actually happen. The Grand Soco, once a thriving market to rival Marrakech's Djemma El Fna, but more recently a car park, was last year refurbed as an attractive garden square with fountains. And the food scene, spearheaded by the glam Relais de Paris restaurant, is impressive, with even budget options like the Darna Women's Co-op (off the Grand Soco) offering delicious lunches. Restored riads such as Nord-Pinus and Dar Nour dish up superb salads and local merlan, while the Minzah has long served fine dourade tajines and pastille au lait.

Festivals have sprung up, too, including the very popular annual Tanjazz festival (May 28 – June 1, tanjazz.org) and 4th Annual Literary Conference (May 16-19, paulbowles.org/janeandpaulbowles.html). One couple at the forefront of "new" Tangier are photographer Yto Barrada and her filmmaker husband Sean Gullette (who co-wrote and starred in Pi), who spent seven years renovating the Rif cinema, on the Soco, into the ultra-hip Cinematheque Tanger. "But it's accessible to all," says 36-year-old Barrada, as she shows me the "international zone-era furniture" of its gleaming WiFi cafe. "Screenings cost 15 dirhams (£1) and we've had people in who've never been to the movies before."

Why Tangier? "The mythology still works here," she says, with a smile. "That's how I persuaded my husband back to my hometown." But Yto admits the struggle for culture over commercialism will be slow-fought. "It's a huge transitional period for Tangier: it's about culture, not leisure."



I'm determined not to leave without meeting Madame Hamri, widow of Mohammed Hamri (the "Picasso of Morocco") and one of Tangier's legendary figures. The rain falls in spikes as Jean-Luc leads me through the white-washed corridors of the Kasbah, passing Dar Zero's famous fig tree (Samuel Pepys' home in 1683), and Bowles' former house, where a cat smirks behind an iron grille.

With a huge smile, Blanca Hamri beckons us on to bamboo chairs in her covered courtyard, canvases covering every last inch of wall, lamps on in daylight. Smoking cigarettes, she says: "You come here and you start a new life," she says. "But strange things happen. There's magic."

A 40-year-old divorcee arriving in 1972, New York-born Blanca was seduced by painter Hamri's "screwdriver eyes" in the flower market. Whisked off to a festival in his home village of Joujouka, she met the gang: Brion Gysin, Tennessee Williams, Ted Morgan, Timothy Leary and Burroughs. "And Paul Bowles soon after," she says, before adding diplomatically, "although I'm not a big fan of his writing." As the tea flows, so do the stories: Tennessee Williams liked Tangier, she says, but really he was "a city boy", while Burroughs was "the most charming man". Finally, I'm beginning to feel the spirit of old Tangier.

"It's a city that will give you what you want," she says, as we stand up to leave. "A wonderful sensibility. In the West everyone wants to move forward, but Moroccans are always in the present time. They're pleased with who they are."

The sky has cleared and the pink sun is setting so, to the sound of the muezzin, I head to Café Hafa, beloved of Bowles et al. On its spectacular terrace overlooking the Straits, I watch a cat curling up on the low wall: "He has a raison vivre," says Mohammed, next to me. "He gets food from the kitchen. He suns himself. He lives.'"

I think of Madame Hamri, who, pondering a fresh golden age for the mythical city, took a long drag of her cigarette, and said: "Who knows who's writing away somewhere?"


Thanks to Stephen Emms.

Pierre et Vacance to invest Euro 270 in Morocco


France's Pierre et Vacance Europe's largest operator of vacation resorts will invest Euro 270m in a tourist project in Morocco with a capacity of 10,000 beds.

The investment program includes the building of resorts in the tourist cities of Marrakech and Agadir, and tourist residences and apartments in Tangier, Rabat and Casablanca.

In total, 2,264 units/apartments will be built by 2013, under a memorandum of understanding signed between Europe's largest operator in vacation resorts and the Moroccan government during the 9th ministerial joint meeting held last week in Rabat.






The project will allow for creation of 700 direct and stable jobs, the Tourism Ministry said. During the ministerial meeting, co-chaired by Moroccan PM, Abbas El Fassi and his French peer, François Fillon, the two countries signed 16 tie-ups, including the sale of the multi-mission naval warship, FREMM.

Saturday 19 April 2008

Fancy a shopping trip to Fez



Would you like to take a virtual trip through the Fez Medina - just click on any of the buttons below the viewer and then right click the photo with your mouse to control the camera.



Or perhaps a relaxing weekend in Tangiers is more your thing - check out the new web site, guestbook and online photo album that La Tangerina Hotel has just luanched.

Invest in Tangiers reccomends La Tangerina Hotel

Monday 14 April 2008

Sight seeing in Tangier




Here is a small selection of some great things to do and see whilst in Tangiers.

The Forbes Museum.

Billionaire magazine publisher Malcolm Forbes built an entire museum out of toy soldiers in his former residence - the Mendob Palace. A collection of over 115,000 lead soldiers that are set up re-enacting major battle like Waterloo to Dien Bien Phû.
You'll see entire armies of tiny soldiers on guard in the showcases and in the gardens 600 statues bearing silent homage to the Battle of the Three Kings.


Cap Spartel

Located just outside Tangiers is the Lighthouse of Cap Spartel, a favourite viewing and picnic point, where you can sometimes see the extraordinary meeting of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; one turquoise and the other one dark blue



The caves of Hercules.
Located just 14kms west of Tangiers is a place of stunning natural beauty and great archeological significance. This is where the mythical figure, Hercules rested after finishing his 12 labours.
Swimming here can be quite dangerous, the offshore currents can get very strong. If you're not a strong swimmer, it's best to stick to sunbathing or sightseeing.



Roman Ruins at Cotta.
A short distance from the caves you'll see the remains of an ancient Roman town that dates back to the 2nd and 3rd century. After extensive excavation, archeologists revealed several walled sections along with the layout of the Roman town. There are temples, shrines, Roman baths, oils presses and a courtyard where they used to process oil and other products in large vats.

Like many other ancient Roman sites on the coast of Morocco, Cotta specialized in the manufacture of a pungent anchovy paste called "Garrum". It was made from fish guts, but the Romans loved the stuff.

Thursday 3 April 2008

Hotel La Tangerina invests in web 2.0

The view from the stunning roof terrace at La Tangerina


The stunning and unique boutique hotel situated in the Kasba of Tanger has recently signed up for a Media Morocco internet site and web 2.0 package.
There new site is under construction but the online photo gallery and guestbook are already up and running. check them out! Guestbook or Photo Gallery



If you would like more information on web 2.0 and virtual tours and how we can help your business achieve a higher ranking on the search engines and more qualified visitors contact us through our web site.

Media Morocco launches online photo bank and web 2.0 service for Morocco


Media Morocco launches a comprehensive multimedia bank including high resolution photos of Morocco, 360 virtual tours and an editorial and content bank covering some of the best tourism destination in Morocco. They are also offering a bespoke web site package including 360 virtual tours, online guest book and photo gallery.

Fraser Cairns explains in a little more depth just what Media Morocco can offer.

Web 2.0 products and integration for online business and marketing:

Web 2.0 is the next generation of internet it allows your company to communicate better, faster and more clearly with your internet based target market.
Media Morocco are web 2.0 experts with over 3 years experience on this cutting edge of internet development. Web 2.0 has been likened to a D.J in that we sample and mix media and republish across networks and mediums to facilitate communication between like minded internet searchers.

Here are some samples that we regularly mix up for our clients:


www.360factory.com The leading 360 virtual tour company and a founding partner in media morocco. Virtual tours offer the internet visitor a chance to view in 360 degree images (equirectangular projections) of your product or venue.




www.flickr.com - Yahoo owned photo bank monster, probably the best social photo site on the web. We open you an account and show you how it works whilst uploading your first 30 images.
A cool widget in html or flash showcasing your latest photos will be added to your web site and blog. This updates from your latest photos and allows you to have fresh content appearing on your web page automatically.



www.youtube.com is the massively popular Google owned video site and an excellent way to drive traffic to your site or blog. If you have a visual based product then have a look at our photo montage videos to see if a You Tube solution could work for you.
We open an account and a photo montage video with music is created and uploaded to your account. A neat Html widget is placed on your web site and blog displaying your latest videos or a selection from YouTube.

www.twitter.com is another Yahoo acquisition, this neat little application allows you to send a SMS message from your mobile phone which will be published immediately via a small html widget on your web page or blog. This is an ideal way for non internet savvy people to simply update the headlines on their web page with a cheap and simple text message.

www.skype.com is the daddy of all VOIP systems it was bought by the online auction company eBay and goes from strength to strength, If you haven't tried it you should.
Free calls between users and reduced rates to worldwide landlines plus dedicated phone numbers, call forwarding, voice mail and more. We assist in account opening but an international credit card is needed to add credit to your account or purchase nuimbers ( available in 15 countries would you like a UK or French landline number?) We can place an html widget with contact details on your web page, blog or email footer allowing other skype users to call you directly and free generally from your web page - a no brainer.

www.blogger.com Blogger is the super easy blogging software from Google, we will open you an account, create a unique Blog/guestbook page and integrate the whole thing graphically to match your existing web page.

Blogging is the new voice of the internet and its time you got your companies products and news out into the Blogsphere. Blog posts or guestbook entries attract huge amounts of traffic as they are regarded by the search engines as a regular web page and so are indexed and appear in google search results.

If you can publish a couple of interesting posts a month, with photos and links to other sites of interest to your subject matter, it wont be long before your blog is hitting the first page of google search results and serious traffic is arriving. This traffic can be fed through to your web site giving you more qualified and interested visitors and hopefully more business.
A widget called an RSS feed reader will automatically place the headlines from the last few blog posts onto the front page of your web site and finally we give you a dedicated email to allow clients to email photos and comments that will be held, awaiting approval, before being published as blog posts and fed through automatically to the widget on your web page.

These are just some of the web 2.0 applications that we work with. The beauty of web 2.0 is that as a new business problem crops up a worldwide community of users and producers develop a new solution. If you are ready to make the most of the Internet drop us an email or call on 00212 783 48733.

THE VIEW FROM FEZ

The Truth WareHouse