A quick portrait from Marrakech’s Djemaa el Fnaa made at sunset just over four years ago. The sitter – a friend whose name has been lost to time and distance – was a constant fixture at the public square and recognized me from many, many visits.
Category: Morocco
Gentleman at a performance – Sacred Music Festival, Fes, Morocco
Life Skills Class – Sidi Moumen Cultural Center, Casablanca, Morocco
The Hot 8 Brass Band – Sacred Music Festival, Fes, Morocco
Return to Sidi Moumen Cultural Center – Casablanca, Morocco
A few of our new friends at the Sidi Moumen Cultural Center in Casablanca, Morocco. We recently made our second visit to the center and look forward to visiting again in the future.
Buddy Guy Closes Fes Festival With The Blues And Wicked Humour – Sacred Music Festival, Fes, Morocco
Buddy Guy, a blues legend of the ilk of BB King, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters, who has influenced great blues-rock musicians such as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, strolled nonchalantly on stage in a black and white polka dot shirt, with dots as in your face as the whomping bass line that accompanied his entrance.
A musical journey with two vocal masters – Sacred Music Festival, Fes, Morocco
Last year at the festival Columbane Mint Ely Warakane wowed the audience with her powerful earthy voice. Now in a return performance she took the crowd on a musical journey with another powerful singer, India’s Raza Khan.
Fes Festival Sufi Nights ~ A Joy to Witness – Sacred Music Festival, Fes, Morocco
Wednesday evening’s Sufi Nights at Dar Tazi was a treat to all concertgoers in attendance. Families, teens and visitors piled in early to grab choice real estate close to the stage, all hoping to be closer to Meknes’ Group Rouh. Yassine Habibi, the group’s director, took the stage and lead the ensemble through a set showing their command of songs adored by the audience.
Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane and Ambassador Dwight L. Bush, Sr. – Rabat, Morocco
The Moroccan head of government and the U.S. Department of State Ambassador to Morocco at the U.S. Embassy Rabat, Morocco national day celebration.
Mohammed examining and enjoying his mint tea – Fes, Morocco
I have visited Mohammed – a shop owner in the Fes medina – and his sister Coca countless times and have enjoyed getting to know him and his family better throughout the past two years. We have battled numerous times over “universal prices” on his rugs and blankets, though we always part on good terms and are happy to see one another on my return trips to Fes.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addressing bilateral audience – Rabat, Morocco
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry swearing in new Peace Corps volunteers – Rabat, Morocco
Sunrise in the Erg Chebbi – somewhere near Merzouga, Morocco
Late last year V and I packed the rambler with her parents and snacks and hit the road for a white-knuckle trip from Rabat past Rissani and back, covering multiple mountain passes in order to catch the sunset and sunrise in the desert before racing back north. The journey took us through snow-capped mountains, cedar forests filled with monkeys, switchback passes (guard rails? not always) and ultimately into the desert between Rissani and Merzouga. We missed the sunset by minutes (and I admittedly beached the car near the dunes and was bailed out by a crew of Bedouin teenagers), though…
A Blessing, pt. II – Rabat, Morocco
Once again, I must thank my buddies for showing me around the Rabat medina a few weeks back. Y and K were fantastic guides and introduced me to neighborhoods that I have never walked through before. I go to the medina often, though a walk with a native of Rabat is a heck of a different experience and I look forward to our next adventure. We walked through a small souk near the corniche filled with, well, stuff. This souk – right around the corner from the shops catering to the early morning fishermen – was a totally different experience…
A Blessing – Rabat, Morocco
I recently took a walk through the medina with my friend Y and a new buddy, Kareem, from Club Le Troisième œil, a Rabat-based photography club that Kareem helped start. I have been a fan of the club since I arrived here in Rabat and it was a pleasure to walk through the medina with Y and Kareem. I normally approach photography as a solo endeavor, though it was nice to walk through the medina and oudayas with the guys. Walking around with two natives of Rabat was a very different experience than I would have had otherwise and I…
Joel Dowling Photography. 