Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Back to al akhbar... in English!


I was really glad to get the news: Morocco is again having an English language newspaper: The Casablanca Analyst.

Those of you who used to read the online newspaper Morocco Times (and those who didn’t as well) will be able to get news about Morocco in English, but in a different form this time: the newspaper is published on hard copy. The first issue (Year 1, No. 1, May 2007) is already available for sale.

It is probably too early to talk about the paper’s future plans, but I think it would be interesting to consider launching an online version sometime in the future. (During its less than two-year life, Morocco Times received Moroccan and non-Moroccan readers from over 20 countries).

The 16-page Casablanca Analyst is an independent weekly, but is temporarily published once a month. Written in good English (it is launched and managed by two university professors), the paper is made up of many sections: Nation, World, Interview, Opinion, Language and Communication, Literature, Culture and Arts, etc.

My reaction on the new paper might be subjective somehow, especially that I worked one challenging but enjoyable year as a journalist in Morocco Times, and that I sadly saw it agonizing last October. But I think the Casanalyst, as the editors call it on one of its pages, will be successful if it is provided with the needed resources and if it is taken seriously by its managers.

My sincere wishes of a long life and continued success for the new-born newspaper!

14 comments:

issam ourrai said...

Youppi,
esperant que ce journal marchera mieux que morocco times, et que surtout il aura il plus grand durée de vie ;)

SABA said...

Yeah, wish them a long and happy intellectual life, and many many readers!

Anonymous said...

Achno lqiti l pseudo wla mazal :)

Very interesting indeed. We deserve an english speaking newspaper in this country after all.
All the best Casablanca Analyst !!

Kaoutar said...

Issam & Saba >>> InshaAllah, hadchi li bghina ;)

Anonymous said...

ah many many readers ah um ah um !! mdr...many ach? many readers! many ach?....(just to remind you of MT team craziness) missed that time REALLY ! walakin bini w binek dakchi ban li tooo (on the occassion of...within the framework of...) tu vois ce que je veux dire? um uh um

Kaoutar said...

Mr S >>> La houa li khaso yelqani :P

Ana >>> LOOOL I do miss those day too!!

Aji, editih?? (ah edititih??) :D

HeyMorocco said...

Just curious, do you know what was the reason behind the disappearance of Moroccotimes ?

Kaoutar said...

Welcome to the blog Sean.

To be honest, even those who used to work in Morocco Times did not get clear enough explanations concerning the decision of the "Maroc Soir Group" to stop the newspaper. But I think it was rather due to financial reasons.

(By the way Morocco Times was just one of three newspapers of the same group which were closed down almost at the same time. The two others are "La Manana" (Spanish) and "Maroc Soir" (French).)

HeyMorocco said...

Thanks for your quick response.

Kaoutar said...

Sean >>> That's why the internet is there;)

Adilski said...

This is interesting. Good news indeed. I found out it was started by two guys, one of them was my previous teacher of Stylistics.

Kaoutar said...

Adilski >>> Mr7ba bik.

I honestly don't know how the newspaper is doing now months after it was launched. I hope that it's getting better and stronger.

By the way your nickname reminds me of a friend of mine. Didn't you study English in Mohamed V University (Rabat)? (I'm asking although I guess that if the professor who launched the newspaper taught you, u must have studied in Casablanca).

Anonymous said...

Good for people to know.

ziad mo7amed said...

is there anyway we could read the paper online?/