mogador for festival d'essaouira gnaoua et musiques - air highways ...

HAPPY RETURNS TO MOGADOR FOR FESTIVAL D’By Jerry W. BirdIt’s been seven long yearssince we first toured Moroccowith the Ministryof Tourism as part of theATA media team. Thistime, our purpose is to setup Africa Travel Magazine’sfirst office in Africa, here atEssaouira, a beautiful Atlantic Coastcity, once known as Mogador. A worldclassgolf course development, withmulti-star hotels is underway and manyother attractions are on the horizon.Since arriving from Paris on Royal AirMaroc, we have visited Rabat, withbrief stops at Safi and Al Jaddida, spenttwo days in Casablanca and anotherin Marrakech, meeting old friends andnew. Some of our positive impressionswere a new Autoroute, with dividedhighway and the start of a Tramwaysystem in Rabat. Muguette’s brother,Maurice Goufrani of the PompidouCentre in Paris, asked us to make surewe covered Festival Gnaoua ( Gnawa)Essouira, a unique musical experience,June 24-29, 2009. This event is high onour agenda and is in the Venues WorldEdition, now available for download atwww.africa-ata.org/venues.pdf/Known as the “windy city,” Essaouira isMorocco’s wind-surfing capital, wherethe sky is ablaze with multi coloredkites from dawn to dusk every day.Flashback 2002Here we are, basking in the noonday sun onNorth Africa’s Atlantic Coast at Essaouira,Morocco, following a journey of discoverywhich began in the Imperial City of Fès andcontinued via Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech.In a few days, we will drive southto the resort city of Agadir, with its luxurybeach front hotels and lavish casinos, cateringto the jet set of Europe, Africa and MiddleEast. Most North Americans have yetto really discover Morocco’s coastal resortcities - and that’s a prime opportunity forour magazine, read by travel professionals10 Africa Travel Magazineand their clients.We are enjoyinga nautical viewof Essaouira’shistoric seaport,once known asMogador, fromour dockside tableat “ Chez Sam.”Highly recommendedby locals in the know, this charmingwaterfront restaurant is surrounded by fishingboats and marine activity. Men repairing fishnets,shucking shrimp and sorting sardines,looming skeletons of boats under constructionadd to the scene. The interior of Chez Samreminds me of Trader Vic’s, once a popularhang-out in our home port of Vancouver, andIvar’s in Seattle. The fresh seafood, decorand atmosphere are magnificent and the impressivegallery of celebrity photos; Louis‘Satchmo’ Armstrong, Stevie Wonder andothers, attests to the fact that the owner comesfrom the world of jazz. Sam and his huge, jetblack dog Nikita joined our table a few dayslater, and thanks to that rendezvous, I wasable to learn the history of this outstandingrestaurateur and the origin of the Essaouira(Mogador) seaport’s most popular eatery.Freshness is the order of the day, every dayat Chez Sam and also at the many outdoorstalls, perched side-by-side along the dockarea. Each offers visitors fresh caught

ESSAOUIRA GNAOUA ET MUSIQUES DU MONDEproducts from the sea to the table and eachcompetes vigorously with its neighbourfor our attention. Barkers, menu boardsand tempting displays of fresh catch fromthe Atlantic is their marketing approach.I enjoyed a generous portion of sole filletand fresh salad for less than five dollarsU.S. My two colleagues split a large crabfor a similar tab. Overhead a flotilla ofsea gulls was dipping and diving against abackground of crashing whitecaps, rockyoutcrops and rugged remnants of the centuriesold Portuguese fort that marks the city’splace in history. Some call this the “city ofwinds ... and when we visited Essaouiraearlier this same week, a minor storm wasbrewing. Gusts swept the area clear of surfers,bathers, wanderers and beachcombers.A few lonesome camel drivers still tendedtheir stalls near the far end of the crescentshaped beach, and the waves grew evenmore fierce as they pounded the shore.But today, near the end of December, theweather is as balmy as any spring afternoon,and the buyers and browsers are outin force, filling the Medina with its dozensof shops and stalls. We found an excellentCyber Cafe right by the entrance and aregetting our dozens of e-mail letters ready tosend around the world. It’s a great way tostay in touch, which is why we always carryour ‘portable office - a reliable Macintoshlaptop computer.Arabian Nights On New YearsEve in MoroccoOne of my favorite meeting places inEssaouira is the 5-star Sofitel Mogador,located on the main promenade facing thebeach. Here’s where we spent one of themost enjoyable New Year’s Eve celebrationsin years. It started with an invitationto a Fashion Show, which continued intothe wee hours. For starters, the hotel’s diningroom staff were all decked like Aladdin(of the lamp), and the entire ballroomlooked like a scene from Arabian Nights,complete with belly dancers, mariachiswith their Spanish guitars, Magicians andspecial visual and musical effects. Theentire evening was unforgettable. We thenmoved to the hotel’s beach side restaurant,where the music was going full tilt. Oneof local girls modeled Muguette’s bottle-green gown with shoulder wrap- oneof several gifts we received from ourfriend and former Tourism Minister, Hon.Sylla Diakite of Conakry, Guinea. TheMoroccan Khaftan fashion segment of theevening proved highly popular.Doors of HospitalityAnother friendly, convenient place to meetis the Hotel des Isles. Next to the Medinaand offers a full range of services. Sincewe spent almost two weeks in the immediatearea, we are pleased to recommend astay in Essaouira to any traveler lookingAfrica Travel Magazinefor something different. Photos courtesy:Thierry Mareschal and the Essaouira CulturalCenter.Olive Branch ToursOwner Benachir Akli, a friend and ATAsupporter for many years, helped makeeach of our events in Morocco an outstandingsuccess. Office: 35 Rue El OraibiJilali,2000, Casablanca, Moroccotel. (212) 2 22 0354 / (212) 22 261416, fax(212) 22 260976/ (212) 22 203679, e-mail:benachir@olivebranchtours.co.mawww.olivebranchtours.comMistral Travel Ltd.A tourist transport company for TravelAgents sending clients to Morocco. NewToyota Land-Cruisers, latest model FordTransit 14 seat Mini-Buses, 32/46 Coaches.Tours and accommodation arranged alsoAirport Transfers. Business clients welcomed.Contactus for your requirements.Tel/Fax: (00 212) (0) 44476129E-Mail: mistral@yahoo.co.ukWeb Site: www.mistraltravel .comGeorge David Cook, Directeur, Essaouira,Maroc .Tel/fax 212 0444 76129.For more information on Essaouira,visit our web site at www.africa-ata.org/mag.htm or www.africa-ata.org/venues.pdf11