TALIM

Background

The April Seminars are an annual event conceived by Museum President Dr.  I.William Zartman  (School of Advanced International Studies - SAIS).  Whenever possible these two conferences take place on both sides of the Moroccan holiday of April 9 commemorating the speech of Mohammed V in Tangier when he called for an end to the French Protectorate. 

Both seminars are held under the patronage of His Majesty Mohammed VI who is the honorary president of the National Council for the Rehabilitation of the Historic City of Tangier.  The April Seminars have been successful in attracting local, national, and international attention to TALIM and to international issues of concern to both Morocco and the United States.

April Seminars 2000

Dr. Zartman was responsible for organizing the World Bank Seminar, April 8 and 10, sponsored by the National Council for The Rehabilitation of the Historic City of Tangier under the honorary presidency of His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, with the Tangier Medina Foundation and the Museum.  From Washington, Dr. Zartman arranged for Mr. Christian Delvoie, Director for the Maghrib at the World Bank, to deliver a major speech to an overflow audience at the Museum on “The Washington Consensus on new Approaches to Development and the Reduction of Poverty.”  His Majesty sent a long and detailed message, personally delivered by former minister of Finance and Royal Counselor, Mohammed Kabbaj, in which the Legation, the Tangier Medina Foundation, and the National Council were explicitly recognized and American participation commended.
 

The World Bank seminar was reported several times on Moroccan television that evening and the King’s message appeared in its entirety with banner headlines in the national press the following day.  On the final day of the seminar architect, Hanae Bekkari, gave a talk on “The Urbanization of a Myth” dealing with the impact of the city’s growth on Tangier’s environment.  There followed a sort of town meeting, with Tangier’s mayor and other officials engaging in lively debate with concerned residents of Tangier.  An effort is now underway to prepare a list of environmental and cultural issues to be sent to His Majesty. 

April Seminars 2001

For a second year in a row, TALMS President, Bill Zartman, worked his uncanny magic to conjure up and preside over a high profile media event at the Museum—“the April Seminars”—once again under the patronage of His Majesty Mohammed VI.  On April 08, we hosted a seminar on:  Participation in Development: NGOS and the Private Sector in the Moroccan Economy.  World Bank Director for Private Sector Development, Wafik Grais, arrived from Washington to give the keynote address.  Charles Redman, senior Vice President of Bechtel International, flew in from London to speak on Global Infrastructure Development.  And coming from Rabat, Minister of Finance, Economy, and Tourism, Fathallah Oualalou, made a presentation on the development strategy of the Moroccan government.  This event received wide television and press coverage in Morocco. 

On April 10, the second part of our April Seminars was held at the Museum dealing with conservation and urban renewal issues.  Jamila Binous, an urban historian from Tunisia and founding member of the Association for the Preservation of the Tunis Medina, gave the major address.  She was followed by Fouad Serrhini, Director General of the agency for the rehabilitation of the Fez medina.  Again this year, a lively debate ensued.  Bill Zartman and I are now seeking ways to jump-start specific renovation projects in collaboration with Moroccan government agencies and private foundations. 

A week later, the Museum co-hosted another two-day international conference for 100 Spanish students from the International School of Anthropology at the University of Granada.  The conference was organized by the AngelGanivetCenter for  Ethnological Research, a cultural institution dedicated to the notion that “Eastern Andalusian people have a special cultural link with the Mediterranean Sea and with the mountain ranges associated with it.”

The Grenada province two-day program, which was covered by the Moroccan media, featured eminent anthropologists from Spain and Morocco and culminated in the presentation of a medal to the noted American anthropologist David Montgomery Hart by the Granada province research center.  The president of Grenada province, Jose Rodriguez Tabasco, attended the concluding ceremonies and expressed to me his hope for continuing cooperation with the Museum. 

(Note: The April Seminars 2002 were cancelled)

April Seminars 2003

 (May 30-31, 2003)

The theme at our first conference in 2003  was "The Impact of the Free Trade Accords on Economic Development."  Our three speakers were:  Omar Akalay, President of the National Council who gave a presentation on the historic antecedents of free trade; Cheri Loustaunau, Director of the Middle East Office at the US Department of Commerce who spoke on "The Advantages and Progress of the Moroccan-American Free Trade Agreement" and Sherman Katz, President of the International Business Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who spoke on “Free Trade Between Countries at Different Levels of Economic Development:  advantages and challenges." 

The theme of the second conference on May 31st was "The Tangier Medina: Diagnosis of a Work Site."  Our three speakers were: Mr. Rochambeau from the French firm Amendis, the firm responsible for electricity and water distribution in Tangier. He spoke on the challenges of renovating and/or replacing the sewage system in the old Medina.  Two architects, Hanae Bekkari and Nacer Berroho, gave a presentation on "Renovation of Public Squares:  An Expression of Democracy." Chakib Darraz, a professor and researcher from the Faculty of the Mohammed V satellite university in Tetouan, gave a slide presentation on the "Nature and Physical Environment of the Medina."

April Seminars 2004

Impact for American Interests   This year’s seminar on free trade agreements occurred as the U.S. free trade delegation arrived in Morocco for further negotiations. This year’s seminars attracted a varied audience-- from representatives of local medina associations to the dean and vice dean of the Faculty of Law & Economics in Tangier (9,000 students) who were accompanied by several faculty members and a delegation of their students. 

The Secretary General of the Tangier Wilaya attended both conferences.  The President of the Tangier City Council, Abdelhaq Bakhat, offered a lunch on Friday for members of our medina foundation (Tanger Al Madina) as well as the speakers and visitors from the American Embassy in Rabat.  On the eve of these seminars, Dr. Zartman and myself met with Tangier mayor Bakhat to propose the twinning of Tangier with Annapolis - Baltimore.  Bakhat told us that he intends to write to the Mayor of Annapolis to encourage the twinning. (Zartman and I visited the mayor’s office in Annapolis in April to promote this twinning with Tangier) 

At the end of the  second conference, The Tangier Medina Foundation unveiled a marble plaque depicting historic sites in the old medina, which we had affixed to the wall of one of the principal gates into the old city.  Also, we visited the fountain renovation project, still under construction that is being financed in large part by a grant from the American Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. (Ambassador Thomas T. Riley attended the inauguration of Place Progresso in 2004) 

April Seminars 2005

The fifth edition of the annual TALM event, The April Seminars, took place April 8 and 9 under the patronage of His Majesty, King Mohamed VI, and the oratorical baton of TALMS president, Dr. I. William Zartman.   Dr. Zartman arranged a speaker program related to this year’s theme: the impact of the new 1 billion dollar port complex (under construction near Tangier) on the economy and environment of the North.   This year’s April Seminars were supported by a grant from the American Embassy’s Middle East Partnership Initiative fund (MEPI).  Both Seminars attracted an attentive audience from business, local associations, and university students.    

On the Moroccan side, our efforts were crowned with success with the participation of  Driss Benhima, Director of the cabinet-level Agency for the Promotion of the Development of the North and Said El Hadi, President of the board for the new port (TANMED). 

The second theme of this year’s seminars— preserving the heritage and environment of the North —“un avenir a construire, un patrimoine a conserver”--was a great success.  On the U.S. side the eminent American archaeologist, Professor Mark Leone from the University of Maryland, made presentations both days about conducting archaeological excavations in the historic center of Annapolis. Dr. Nadia Erzini gave an interesting presentation on her efforts to preserve a 19h century Koranic school in Tetouan that will be opened as a museum. 

 Dr. Mustapha Bennouna, the head of higher education institutions in Northern Morocco, announced a new masters degree program in conservation at Abdelmalik es SaadiUniversity in Tetouan. Professor Mohamed Habibi addressed the urgent need for an “urban archaeology policy” to preserve archaeological sites at risk in the wake of rapid and unregulated urban development. The Assistant Director of the National Institute of Archaeology and Conservation, Omar Akerraz, spoke on ways to harmonize  development and conservation objectives. On the eve of the April Seminars, I appeared with a panel on Moroccan Radio (RTM) for a discussion of our April Seminar objectives.

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Seminars Photo Album