Let’s not discuss silly political calculations. I don’t want to hear about any considerations which turn human beings into real monsters.
All my mind thinks now is that Benazir Bhutto was a brave woman, and her assassination is the manifestation of utter cowardice.
May Bhutto’s soul and those of the other victims rest in peace.
Inna lillah wa inna ilayhi raji3oon
How helpless you feel when the fact is there; unchangeable, irreversible.
How foolish those doctors seem, when they think that their decade-long studies give them the right to pronounce death sentence against your dear one;
How numb your mind feels when it has, and no choice is there, to acknowledge that there’s such a thing called The End, and that it is approaching;
How wrong your calculations seem, when you suddenly realize that what you’ve been building away from your loved one simply has no foundations;
How worthless that passion you followed seems, when you discover that you have deprived yourself of true passion.
My full support and compassion to all those who have known, by bitter, ruthless scientific evidence, that a dear one is leaving soon.
Sorry but I saw you that way today. Just a flash ... quick but clear enough to make me shiver. You’ve grown old! That white colour you sometimes forgot, or of which you stubbornly denied the existence did conquer your hair… or what remained of it in fact. On that thing you were right fifty years ago when we were merrily walking down that street and you said, with cynical certainty, that this is the fate of all men.
You are here, not as strong as I last saw you. Life is strange and is capable of making the closest people strangers. I know you never wanted this to happen, but I did realize that time dared and left its traces on your face! Traces that show clearer and deeper when you smile; although you seldom smiled since you came in. You didn’t talk much either. You didn’t flood me with questions as you always did; maybe because you no longer have patience to deal with my endless, sometimes playful reticence to answer. But you had just to try, you know. Because I did change as well. Years have taught me a lot and one of the lessons I learned is to say what I need to say as long as it is possible for me to do it. Because if I don’t, I might have to wait half a century to get the chance to say – and it will be too late.
How endless were the times I imagined our improbable meeting. I would be stronger then; I wouldn’t silence my anger or hide my disappointment. Why be afraid? You’re gone anyway. I would shout, throw my anger at you, break, kick, and walk away. I would shake you and leave you speechless. Things you used time as a buffer to avoid. Doesn’t time bring forgiveness as they say? Doesn’t it bring oblivion? Wisdom? Or more probably doesn’t it take away power, determination, and courage?
Sorry, but I did see your trembling hands. Not of emotions but of age. You never trembled of emotions, even when you had to announce your departure – for good. You didn’t tremble or I simply didn’t see you tremble; just like you didn’t see me cry although my eyes were dry. Ah! Silly me! You probably didn’t tremble at all in fact, because you had that gift I never had: the gift of believing in the perfection of your soul.
I’m so sorry, for myself now, because when I did see you again, all I got from you is a bouquet of flowers, not even the kind I like – you don’t remember anyway, and an ocean of speechless tenderness showing from your eyes… but I doubt I will dive in it. I don’t know how to swim, you remember? And honestly, I can’t be sure that you would come to rescue me if ever I drown. You did let me down one day fifty years ago, and I’m not ready to risk my life again… my life which is ending soon, very soon anyway, because when you came today with your flowers and your ocean of tenderness, I was already getting ready to leave – for good. At last I got that chance I dreamt of for so long until I lost hope. You, standing there again, and I being the first to say it this time…
Goodbye.
Having marked the first birthday of my blog, and having received some sweet wishes from you, I have just got an idea. Being the writer of this blog, I have been probably speaking a lot during this year. You have been posting comments but I feel that I need to listen to you more than I did. So the thought was: Why don’t I try to get your impressions about what the blog offered during its first year of existence?
So here are my questions to you: What was the post that you liked most, and why? Was it the style? the subject? Or the effect it had on you? And what was the post you disliked most and why? Did you feel that the style was poor? The content was unimportant? Or did it probably revive in you bad memories or negative feelings? I hope you will specify your choices.
It’s OK if you haven’t been following the blog from the beginning. The floor is very wide and open, and you are welcome to express your opinion about the posts you have read.
Please share any ideas that cross your mind. Just say what you think… I’m all ears :)
Picture: Majd BiltajiA beautiful resort
I won’t talk much about the “academic” content of the forum (workshops about building youth capacity, STDs, youth participation in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, social challenges etc.) but will tell you how great it was to meet such a lovely and lively crowd of young Arabs. The young people I met came with loads of ideas and initiatives – all meant to serve a particular social (or in less numbers political) cause. Women, children, the environment, youth, education, health, etc… the projects contained associations, networks, websites, but also blogs / publications and arts performances.
The Moroccan group was the largest in number – but no need to tell you that Moroccan Arabic was the least spoken there :s A real problem of communication arises when it comes to our language. But this being said, no need to worry about Moroccans and their culture ;) : almost all Arab participants went home with a very Moroccan reflex: replying “tiwliwla” every time they hear “TIKCHBILA” :p
It’s clear now: the atmosphere combined serious work and crazy attitudes. What would you expect when you gather hundreds of young people in one place? :D We particularly enjoyed the cultural day when all participants wore their countries’ traditional clothes. An experience which increased my pride of the Moroccan Caftan with all its kinds ;)
The Moroccan flag didn’t miss doing its job there. While having dinner one evening, we were approached by a Moroccan couple who happened to spend their honeymoon there, and, a few minutes later, by another Moroccan lady who works at a nearby hotel. At Khan El Khalili we were attracted by the red and green sportswear of three men who turned out to be members of the Moroccan team who participated in the Pan-Arab Games in
Whether I made some tourist activities during my stay in
Picture: Mohamed Ezz Aldin
the forum’s program was too full to allow us to reach
But this wasn’t everything! We didn’t manage to visit the Pyramids, but we did visit other places in
At Khan el Khalili, shopping is not much different from that in Moroccan bazaars and medina shops: The golden rules is: Always bargain and propose a price less than half what the seller asks for! I must say that three Egyptian friends - Tammam, Amira and Khaled - did their best to send us back satisfied with our shopping and the whole visit to
On our way back to the hotel, we were all tired and hungry and the solution was a couple of delicious sandwiches of Ful and Taamya :D
Now three days after my come back, I’m still tired and sleepy - and I’m back to the bitter reality: work!!- but I don’t regret having gone for the experience. I’m also glad that the trip went fine lhamdullah – no luggage loss, no major complications in the airports, … and no plane crash :p
One year ago, I decided to start this blog. I still remember that Sunday afternoon when I decided to cross the line and become a blogger. A lot of things happened since then. I learned a lot, made news friends, gained things, lost others, went through ups and downs, said things, self-censured others… Both me and my blog grew one year older.My thanks to all of you have been following the blog, encouraging me, bearing with my absences, reading my posts and sharing your opinions during this whole year. I hope this blog will be able to offer you beautiful things in the future…
I never could understand the strange tendency of football supporters in
Now it has become a custom: every time a match is announced, we hear team staff and journalists "remind” the supporters that they are welcome to stadiums as supporters, not destructors! A real pity!!
It’s a pity also because, for the first time in
P.S/ You might say that this kind of problems happens everywhere in the world. True. But this is not an excuse. And it can turn very bad.
Saba et Imane ont eu l’idée, m’ont invitée, et je n’ai pu que répondre présente !! Aujourd’hui, les blogueuses ont décidé de rendre hommage à la beauté masculine, et poster les photos de ceux qu’elles considèrent particulièrement … beaux :p
A part moi même et Imane, Saba a invité:Y en a plusieurs, mais 2 me semblent suffisants :p
Pierce Brosnan. (je dis bien Pierce Brosnan et non pas James Bond;)
After the collective “Aie!” (ouch)
When the list of the new government members was announced, some names were disappointing, others were expected, and some were quite surprising. One of the positive surprises, for me, was the appointment of Latifa Akherbach as a Secretary of State to the Minster of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. A brilliant woman who, only a few months ago, moved from the position of Director of the High Institute of Journalism (ISIC) to that of the director of the Moroccan national radio.
Another surprising name was that of actress Touriya Jebrane, who is now the Moroccan Minister of Culture. Quite a surprise from a rather discreet artist and apparently politician! But I hope that her being an artist originally will make her decisions closer to the expectations and needs of her fellow artists; because they definitely need decision-makers and politicians who know what it is to be an artist in Morocco.
And then there was the appointment of Ahmed Akhchichine at the head of the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, Staff Training, and Scientific Research. Akhchichine, who has been the General Director of the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication since its creation in 2002, was never cited (as far as I know) among the expected candidates for this Ministry – quite a problematic department.
The decision to put Ahmed Taoufiq Hejira (Minister of Housing, Town Planning and Development) and Karim Ghellab (Minister of Equipment and Transport) in charge of the same departments they had in the previous government was wise in my opinion. No matter how problematic the situation of these sectors might be, the elections came at a time where Hejira and Guellab were engaged in huge projects, and where changing ministers would inevitably block or at least delay some projects. And then, we must say it, Hejira, Ghuellab and Adil Douiri (Minster of Tourim in the previous government) have been the Istiqlal Party’s “golden trio” which probably played a role in the success of their party in September’s elections.
Anyway, to all the 34 members of the new government: my wishes of good luck… and hard work!!
Des retrouvailles, des rires, des chuchotements, des sourires, du thé, des jus et des gâteaux, des gens qui nous manquent en prennant des photos, je me vois déjà à leur place, le téléphone qui passe de main en main, de petites doses de ta voix partagées par tout le monde, mais jamais assez pour faire oublier ton absence, des voitures et des maisons, des familles réunis – disons, des phrases dites et redites, des vœux et des prières...
Eid mubarak said …
