Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Marry off their daughters over the age of nine (June 9th 2012)

Abderrahim El Ouali the Moroccan social writer on political and environmental issues has published an article on IPS News stating that Morocco is still divided over marriage of minors. In the article, El Ouali states “The widespread practice of marrying minors continues to be one of the most incendiary legal and political issues in Morocco today, causing open confrontations between hard-line Islamists and moderates throughout the country. …30,000 minor girls are married every year – roughly 10 percent of the 300,000 marriages recorded… A campaign to gather one million signatures to forbid the marriage of minors is already in progress, sparked by the death of Amina Filali, a 15-year-old girl who committed suicide after being forced to marry her rapist. …Sheik Mohamed El Maghrawi, a well-known Moroccan Muslim scholar, published a Fatwa reiterating families’ right to marry off their daughters over the age of nine. His position provoked a major scandal but the scholar suffered no consequences. …El Maghrawi even expressed his attachment to his position, “based on the Quran and the words of the Prophet ” according to him. However, opposition to this particular reading of Sharia’a law has become widespread. “All the laws that go against the dignity of women must be amended or even abolished “, said the president of the Chamber of Councilors in Moroccan parliament.”

Inspired by ips news ow.ly/bk67E image source Twitter ow.ly/bk67f

People are really voicing their own sovereignty (December 25th)

Carson Chan the 31 year old architecture writer and curator has been featured by Alexander Forbes in an interview for Artinfo Berlin about the fallout from the Arab Spring protests on the Moroccan ‘Marrakech Biennale’, which had been “forced into a state of adaptation, rolling with the ever-changing context of the region … [Challenging and reassessing] post-colonialism, and why it’s important to break the rules.” In the interview Chan states, “The context of North Africa right now is that it’s a tumultuous area of the world. The people there are really voicing their own sovereignty, their own ambitions, and it’s really exciting to be there… More importantly, I think, is how a post-colonial identity has affected people in Morocco. It was a French protectorate from 1912 to 1956, so French as a language was installed, certain codes of how to operate, what to show, what culture is being expressed was dictated by the French for a long time.”

Inspired by Alexander Forbes http://ow.ly/82McW image source artiffexbalear http://ow.ly/82Mks

Red line that should never be crossed (October 20th)

Michel Neyret the 55 year old French ‘Super-cop’, the deputy police chief of Lyon, France’s second largest city, has been charged with associating with criminals and supplying drugs to informants. Neyret, while highly respected for his effective methods in reducing violent and drug crimes, is renowned for his glamorous social lifestyle. Neyret admitted he may have been just “imprudent” when accepting a trip to Morocco and the use of a Ferrari from significant crime figures. Neyret claims that he is not corrupt but just portrayed that way, but is now suspended from duties and remanded into custody after phone taps related to international drug investigations suggested otherwise. Neyret is accused of corrupt activities including drug trafficking and associating with criminals. Five other police officers are also under investigation raising larger issues of ethics within the National Police Force.

Inspired by Tony Todd http://ow.ly/6TuYL image source rtl.be http://ow.ly/6TuIB

Claudio Bravo the Chilean hyperrealist painter passed away at the age of 74 years at his home in Taroudant, Morocco due to heart and epilepsy attacks. Bravo is considered one of the most prestigious Chilean painters renowned for his mastership of light, constantly seeking the best lighting locations for his paintings, with a work ethic to match his skill for hyperrealist creations. Bravo represented Chile in the 2007 Venice Biennale with his work exhibited at the Museo Diocesano. At the age of 19 he danced professionally with the Compañía de Ballet de Chile, and by his early 20’s had established himself as a society portraitist, painting many prominent political and social figures. However he earned his name as ‘the master of light’ primarily for his depiction of objects and shapes.

Inspired by William Grimes ow.ly/5hdQD image source riadzany.blogspot ow.ly/5he1i