Avuncular American

Consul McMath's Sentence to Tangier

 

Jesse McMath, US Consul Tangier, 1862-1869

Those shoe boxes full of old photos keep on producing historic gems.  Thanks to Parisian pediatrician, author, and Tangerine transplant Philip Abensur - who had already provided us a rare image of Civil War era US Consul in Tangier James DeLong from the archives of his great great-uncle, Consulate Dragoman or interpreter Moses Pariente - we have yet another American Consul from the 1860s.

Jesse H. McMath, who was US Consul in Tangier 1862 - 1869, was the man upon whom Mark Twain took pity in Innocents Abroad.  This, from Chapter IX:

When we went to call on our American Consul General today I noticed that all possible games for parlor amusement seemed to be represented on his center tables. I thought that hinted at lonesomeness. The idea was correct. His is the only American family in Tangier. There are many foreign consuls in this place, but much visiting is not indulged in. Tangier is clear out of the world, and what is the use of visiting when people have nothing on earth to talk about? There is none. So each consul's family stays at home chiefly and amuses itself as best it can. Tangier is full of interest for one day, but after that it is a weary prison. The Consul General has been here five years, and has got enough of it to do him for a century, and is going home shortly. His family seize upon their letters and papers when the mail arrives, read them over and over again for two days or three, talk them over and over again for two or three more till they wear them out, and after that for days together they eat and drink and sleep, and ride out over the same old road, and see the same old tiresome things that even decades of centuries have scarcely changed, and say never a single word! They have literally nothing whatever to talk about. The arrival of an American man-of-war is a godsend to them. "O Solitude, where are the charms which sages have seen in thy face?" It is the completest exile that I can conceive of. I would seriously recommend to the government of the United States that when a man commits a crime so heinous that the law provides no adequate punishment for it, they make him Consul General to Tangier.

I am glad to have seen Tangier--the second-oldest town in the world. But I am ready to bid it good-bye, I believe.

We have no futher indication that McMath felt as sorry for himself as Twain did for him, and his relatively long tenure certainly involved more than a few occasions which broke his routine.

The Library of Congress website has a facsimile of McGrath's congratulatory letter to Abraham Lincoln after his re-election during the Civil War - "which gladdened the hearts... of the friends of human liberty, progress, and good government throughout the world."

And the Legation's walls display McGrath's handwritten announcment of the "lamentable news of the death by assassination of Abraham Lincoln..." written a bare four months later.

Most notably, on May 31, 1865, on behalf of "His Excellency the President of the Republic of the United States, Jesse Harlan McMath, Esquire, his consul general near his majesty the Sultan of Morocco" signed the Cap Spartel Lighthouse Convention.  The lighthouse, on Africa's northwest extremity, continues to watch over the strategic Strait of Gibraltar.  This treaty, considered by many to be the forerunner of the League of Nations and eventually the UN, was negotiated at the American Legation in Tangier, presumably by McMath.

Jesse McMath's "weary prison" had at least a few high moments. 

Gerald Loftus 

Moroccan Marathons: Runners for a Cause

Note: because they are going to run their heads off for good causes, we're providing space here for some of our friends to share their news on the two upcoming fundraisers in Morocco - next month, the "Marathon des Sables," which takes its participants (victims?) through the desert, and June's "Marathon des Cèdres," which, though it will be in cooler cedar forests, will be over grueling mountainous tracks.  We hope that you'll support these worthy efforts.

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Marathon des Sables

First, there is Mina from the UK, who from her website, tells us she is "training to run 151 miles over 6 days in the Sahara desert this Easter, carrying all of my own equipment! I signed up for this bonkers challenge for so many reasons; for the sheer joy of challenging myself to do something that is sure to take me close to my limits, to do something that is both terrifying and wildly exciting at the same time, but most importantly to participate in an event which provides me with a huge opportunity to raise a substantial amount of money."

"I have recently had the honour of being asked to be a trustee of New Hope Rural Community Trust (an amazing charity I spent some time working with last summer in India, registered UK charity no. 1002694). After a great deal of thought I have decided to raise money for a very specific reason, to buy a piece of land which will, in turn, provide future security and a vital piece of independence for 14 children. I am fully funding all of the costs involved for this event myself and so any money that I receive in sponsorship will go directly to help the children at New Hope. The acre of land costs £8575, each sub-divided plot is £612.50, making it just under £2 per square yard. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about what I am doing, I would be massively grateful for any sponsorship, however big or small."

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Marathon des Cèdres

From Jamil and David: "We will be running in the Marathon International des Cedres (21-24 June 2012), a 54-mile (90K) four-day stage race in the Atlas Mountains.  Our goal for this race is first to raise money for the High Atlas Foundation.  Our goal is to raise $10,000 for HAF through our fundraising website which is hosted by another non-profit organization, Razoo."

"One of our fellow Olmsted Scholars has also created a facebook page which we are using to advertise the run as well as HAF.  As students of language and culture who live in foreign societies and travel extensively, we are especially driven by opportunities to give back to those who have made us welcome."

High Atlas Foundation - HAF works to establish development projects in different parts of Morocco that local communities design and manage, and that are in partnership with government and non-government agencies. The over-arching purpose of the High Atlas Foundation is grassroots development in predominantly rural disadvantaged communities in Morocco. HAF was founded in 2000 by former Peace Corps Volunteers as a way to build upon the relationships and knowledge gained during their years of service for the continued benefit of the Moroccan people. For example, HAF has planted 320,000 fruit and nut-bearing trees benefiting approximately 30,000 people and provided clean drinking water, thus helping reduce infant mortality by one half. HAF is a U.S. 501(c)(3) organization and a Moroccan association, and since 2011 has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Marathon International des Cedres (21-24 June 2012) – This four-day marathon traverses 54 miles (90K) of cedar forest and trails in the Atlas Mountains. Coupled with the summer heat, the race is characterized by challenging altitudes ranging from 5250-6890 feet (1600-2100 meters). Your encouragement will be needed indeed!"

Gerald Loftus

Islam, America, and Anouar Majid

 

TALIM hosted Dr. Anouar Majid of the University of New England, back in his native Tangier to move forward his plan to establish a UNE center in the city.

For the very respectable Friday evening crowd of academics, students, and bookworms, Dr. Majid provided a summary of his latest book: Islam and America: Building a Future without Prejudice (2012, Rowman & Littlefield).

Though in his preface Anouar Majid modestly states that the book "is not meant to be a scholarly contribution to the fields of Islamic and American studies," he has packed in a mighty amount of historical information in a thoroughly researched 170 pages (he even used TALIMblog.org as a source!).

 

The director of UNE's Center for Global Humanities, Majid is a longtime scholar of Muslim-Western relations since 1492, and the author of several books (We Are All Moors: Ending Centuries of Crusades Against Muslims and Other Minorities; A Call for Heresy: Why Dissent Is Vital to Islam and America) which delve into the long history of problematic relations between his original homeland and his adopted America.

Readers seeking diatribes against America should look elsewhere.  Majid's approach is singular, and he is likely to seem heretical to fundamentalists of all stripes.

His inspiration is Thomas Jefferson:

An enlightened nation stands when it is divided in opinion and faith--however misguided these faiths might be--not when it is united by unproven certitudes.  We could all stand to learn from the man who charted the history of modern freedom.

Majid appears to be less concerned about the lot of Muslims in America - he deflected a question about "normalization" of Islam as a religion in the US, where building a mosque is still problematic, and where in 2010 hate crimes against Muslims increased by 50% - and focused on how the American experience can positively influence Muslim nations.  And vice versa: Chapter 3, "How Islam Shaped America," recounts some little-known influences dating back to our earliest days.

Majid's struggle against "unproven certitudes" is tricky territory, both in the United States of 2012 and in the shifting sands of the post-Arab Spring Muslim world.  But engagement in lively debate with this man of letters is very fulfilling, and we look forward to further sessions with him at TALIM.

Gerald Loftus

Arabs Studying America

To be precise, it's actually Moroccans studying the Moroccan-American relationship, through history, in the present, and into the future.  That's what the Morocan American Studies Lab is about, part of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities at Hassan II University, Casablanca (Ben M'Sik).

 

Students & Faculty of the Moroccan American Studies Lab

Ben M'Sik - a city-within-a-city, part of sprawling Casablanca that started as a shantytown barely 30 years ago - is itself the subject of a program run by the Moroccan American Studies Lab. The Ben M'Sik Community Museum (BMCM), in cooperation with Kennesaw State University near Atlanta, is one of the most practical manifestations of cultural cooperation in the field of Moroccan-American studies, and is a way of the university creating links with its surrounding community.

TALIM has embarked on a program of community theater and storytelling with the Moroccan American Studies Lab, in cooperation with the Stories Exchange Project, part of a Fulbright Senior Specialist grant.  The Ben M'Sik students will work under the supervision of Robbie McCauley, American playwright and performance artist, with the women of TALIM's Arabic literacy program.

The Moroccan American Studies Lab has embarked on an ambitious program, organizing a conference in Marrakesh, December 5-8, on "Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Arab Spring and its Implications for American Studies in Arab Universities."  The CFP is here: Download TALIM American Studies Marrakesh CFP.

The conference organizers aremotivated by

the growing conviction on both sides that there is an urgent need today, more than ever before, to know “the other” better and build bonds of trust and channels of cooperation between Americans and Arabs.

The Marrakesh conference comes at a particularly interesting time; post-Arab Spring, there is a growing interest in study of the Maghreb and the rest of the Arab world.  How appropriate then to look at the other side of the coin; Arab universities' programs in American Studies.  As the American Overseas Research Center for Morocco, housed in the first American diplomatic representation in the Arab world, American Studies by Moroccans and other Arab scholars have a natural home in TALIM.

Gerald Loftus

All Women, All Week

 

International Women's Day, at least in Tangier, looks more like Women's Week.  Today, of course, March 8, is the official day.  But things started here on Tuesday, with the Cinémathèque launching a Nadia Kaci film retrospective, then her one-woman show "Ladies In(tro)spection," part of a trilogy involving views of women in Morocco (the woman in the couple), Algeria (woman and work), and Tunisia (woman in politics).

Yesterday, the women of the TALIM/FTAM literacy program were treated to a showing of "Where Do We Go Now?" the latest Nadine Labaki (Caramel) film, a tragi-comedy particularly relevant in a context of social change, with its themes of religious co-existence (or loss thereof), the aftermath of war, and women's ultimate power to drum sense into men's heads.

Today, at the Legation, we hosted two showings (just to get everyone in!) of Mokhtar, Halima Ouardiri's short film which was featured at the Moroccan National Film Festival.  Ouardiri, a Montréal-based Swiss-Moroccan film maker with EyeSteelFilm, had wanted to be with us, but her travel schedule didn't permit.  Her thought-provoking film, with its portrayal of rural life among the Tashalhit-speaking Berbers of Morocco's Sousse region, shows the enduring power of superstition, no surprise to people who live in isolated regions all over the world.

The idea was to mark International Women's Day with an encounter, around Mokhtar, of the women of our literacy program (many of whom speak Tashalhit, part of the rural exodus to Tangier's medina), with the women of Tanger Accueil, a Francophone group of Moroccan and expatriate women who provide newcomer services and are active in a wide range of charitable activities.

To round it out, we invited several young women from the King Fahd School of Translation, part of Tangier/Tetouan University.  They too speak Tashalhit, and helped the group navigate between Berber, Arabic, and French.  The discussion was followed by tea and cakes, and the Legation resounded to you-yous when the teachers received presents.

Moroccan radio carried special programming today, and while many of the interviewees lauded the work of women throughout the Maghreb active in the cause of women's rights, many regretted what they saw as a regression in Morocco, with only one woman minister in the new government.  Reports from across the region highlighted a common concern: violence against women, ranging from general harassment in public places to physical violence at home.

Our little event - well-attended, by women from widely varying walks of life - was a chance to honor the people, staff and volunteer, who make the women's literacy program possible.

Gerald Loftus

The Andalusian-Maghrebi Cultural Bridge

 

The village of Gaucín 

 

Ronda

A week spent on the Andalusian coast, looking south, meant that Morocco was never out of sight.  So too it seemed further inland, where the whitewashed hilltop villages look much like they must have looked before the Moors were expelled from Spain half a millenium ago.

Based in Estepona, our best excursions were inland, to places like spectacular Ronda - a much-visited outcropping on the edge of a high plateau.  Ronda, where you can visit La Casa Del Rey Moro, with its "secret water mine" of endless steps through a fortified staircase down to the town's water supply.

Our day trips took us over the Ruta de los Almorávides y Almohades, retracing the steps of those Muslim dynasties who ruled Spain for centuries, and whose legacy is still very much a part of what has been called "the Soul of Spain."

What is fascinating is this modern embrace of the Moorish past, once reviled to the point where St. Michael's foot on a devil-dragon looks very much like the head of a Moor.  Blas Infante of Casares - called "the Father of Andalucia," and executed by Franco's Falangists during the Civil War - did much to turn this around.  A plaque in his hometown quotes his honoring of "our brothers, the exiled Moriscos."  Blas Infante, in his recognition of Spain's Muslim past, may have been ahead of his time, but then again, Franco too successfully recruited Moroccans to fight on his side in the Civil War.

 

Casares, birthplace of Blas Infante

Gaucín, Ronda, Casares, and Istán - like the Spanish language itself, where close to a third of all words have an Arabic origin - are redolent of this past which continues to influence modern Spain.  Google "Andalusia and Maghreb" and you'll like come up with a bunch of results celebrating the musical and culinary crossover that centuries of common culture have created.  But the ties go much beyond that.

In the past week in Tangier, as we were returning from Tarifa - where the Muslim conqueror Tariq ibn Ziad landed 1,300 years ago, lending his name to nearby Gibraltar - on our car ferry, the closing ceremonies were being held for a conference on that same Andalusian-Maghrebi historical link.  Attended by academics and religious thinkers from Spain and Morocco to Scandinavia and Iraq, the Tangier conference was another reminder of the need to look at the Iberia and the Maghreb in a holistic fashion.

Much like the Spain-North Africa Project - SNAP - "a scholarly initiative to encourage the study of the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghrib as a unified region" among American universities.  In Spain, there is the Fundación Tres Culturas, which seeks to underscore the common ground among the three religions - Islam, Christianity, Judaism - which shared historic Andalus.  

We laud such efforts, and participate in our own way, hosting students from CIEE's Sevilla program, and welcoming Spanish and other researchers availing themselves of TALIM's rich library.

Europe is a continent away from Africa, but in these parts, Spain and Morocco are just the next mountain range across the water.  Long gone are the days of the land bridge between the two continents, but they're culturally much closer than many would place them.

From Istán, you can see Gibraltar and Morocco beyond, clear weather or not.

Gerald Loftus

 

Istán