Why Morocco

After several months off from podcasting from Morocco, I’m back with a bonus episode of Why Morocco. I’m chatting with my friend and author Adrienne Chinn about… Read more "Why Morocco bonus – Author Adrienne Chinn on creative writing and the energy of Marrakech"

For final episode of Why Morocco’s second season, I chatted with one of the people I’m checking in with weekly and that person is my life coach, Ray… Read more "Why Morocco 033 – Life coach Ray Beach on Drift and Design"

For this week’s episode I chatted with MoroccanTapes.com founder Amino Belyamani. Amino, who grew up in Casablanca and now lives in Brooklyn, created the site that brings… Read more "Why Morocco 032 – Amino Belyamani on Moroccan Tapes"

With the third edition of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair kicking off on 20 February 2020 in Marrakech, I chatted with fair founder Touria el Glaoui… Read more "Why Morocco 031 – Touria El Glaoui on the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair"

For the thirtieth episode of Why Morocco, I reached Lonely Planet travel writer Helen Ranger by telephone from my studio in Marrakech. Helen is a friend and colleague,… Read more "Why Morocco 030 – Lonely Planet travel writer Helen Ranger on Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains"

With a new year and a new decade upon us, I sat down with Meryam Demnati, an Amazigh activitist, to chat about a little-known New Year celebrated… Read more "Why Morocco 029 – Meryam Demnati on Amazigh culture in Morocco"

For this week’s episode,I chatted with architect Aziza Chaouni in her Toronto office by telephone. I first learned about Aziza and her work when she was featured… Read more "Why Morocco 028 – Aziza Chaouni on architectural restoration projects in Morocco"

For this week’s episode I met with Nadir Bouhmouch, the filmmaker behind the documentary Amussu. In the film, Nadir takes a collaborative approach to telling the story… Read more "Why Morocco 027 – Documentary filmmaker Nadir Bouhmouch on filming a protest in Morocco"

For this week’s episode I met with architect Imad Dahmani in Casablanca for an architecture tour of some of the modernist buildings throughout the city. Imad works… Read more "Why Morocco 026 – Imad Dahmani on modernist architecture in Casablanca"

For this week’s episode I travelled to Casablanca to meet Justina Tulloch, the Aussie and one half of the duo behind Bondi Coffee Kitchen. A little known… Read more "Why Morocco 025 – Justina Tulloch on living, visiting and doing business in Casablanca"

This week I’ve stepped out of the studio and sat oceanside with Shiraz Ksaiba, a London girl and creative I met while working together on the launch… Read more "Why Morocco 024 – Shiraz Ksaiba on leaving London and pursuing a creative life in Taghazout Morocco"

This week I’m joined by Abderrazak Houdzi, owner of Ateliers D’Ailleurs, a company that encourages its clientele to roll up their sleeves and learn a Moroccan craft… Read more "Why Morocco 023 – Abderrazak Houdzi on learning a craft in Marrakech"

This week I’m joined by Aida Alami, a journalist and contributor to the book Our Women on the Ground, Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World. Aida… Read more "Why Morocco 022 – Aida Alami on reporting from Morocco"

I’m back after a summer podcasting break and reached Richard Hamilton, author of Tangier: From the Romans to the Rolling Stones, by telephone to chat about his… Read more "Why Morocco 021 – Richard Hamilton on writing Tangier: From the Romans to the Rolling Stones"

On this week’s episode of Why Morocco, Rose Button, the first female, non-Muslim guesthouse owner in the holy town of Moulay Idriss near Fez, Morocco, sat down… Read more "Why Morocco 020 – Rose Button on experiencing the holy town of Moulay Idriss, Morocco"

Cris Martinus from boutique travel agency Sun Trails Morocco is back to chat planning a summer vacation in Morocco. Many travellers think it’s too hot to travel to… Read more "Why Morocco 019 – Cris Martinus from Sun Trails on summer holidays in Morocco"

Alice Morrison describes herself as an adventurer and she has just completed an 81-day trek along the Draa River in Morocco’s south. Palm groves, adobe houses, and kasbahs… Read more "Why Morocco 018 – Alice Morrison on trekking along the Draa River"

As we’re gearing up for Ramadan, I sat down with Assim, one of my valued Tasting Marrakech guides, to chat about travelling to Morocco during Ramadan. Many… Read more "Why Morocco 017 – On visiting Morocco during Ramadan"

On this week’s episode of Why Morocco, my friend and fellow art-deco architecture lover David Packer stopped by in between the opening of his show at Anima… Read more "Why Morocco 016 – Fulbright Scholar David Packer on Moroccan ceramics"

On this week’s episode of Why Morocco, I had an opportunity to interview artist Christo during the opening of his exhibition Femmes at the Yves Saint Laurent… Read more "Why Morocco 015 – Artist Christo on his Femmes exhibition at the Yves Saint Laurent museum in Marrakech"

On this week’s episode of Why Morocco, British-Moroccan author Saeida Rouass stopped by the studio following her TEDx Marrakech talk to chat writing her first book Assembly of the… Read more "Why Morocco 014 – Author Saeida Rouass on historical fiction and her Moroccan-British heritage"

On this week’s episode Sarah Kchirid stopped by the studio to chat about the tradition of storytelling in Morocco. Sarah’s first memories of the tradition started with… Read more "Why Morocco 013 – Storyteller Sarah Kchirid on the tradition and how it helped her understand her culture"

On this week’s episode I met with pop artist Hassan Hajjaj at one of my favourite art galleries in Marrakech where he was preparing an installation in… Read more "Why Morocco 012 – Pop artist and photographer Hassan Hajjaj on his art and identity"

On this week’s episode I traveled to the Sahara Desert to visit fellow Canadian Michelle Fletcher and her partner Kamal Yassine at their sand castle – Kasbah… Read more "Why Morocco 011 – Michelle Fletcher on slow travel and building a sand castle in the Sahara Desert"

On this episode of Why Morocco I’m chatting with Cassie Karinsky, co-owner of +61, Marrakech’s own Australian restaurant. Cassie’s an entrepreneur and has owned a few business… Read more "Why Morocco 010 – Cassie Karinsky on opening a restaurant in Marrakech"

On this episode I’m chatting with my dear friend Dana Elemara, the owner of Arganic, 100% pure organic argan oil from Morocco. Dana’s passionate about what she… Read more "Why Morocco 009 – Dana Elemara on entrepreneurship and argan oil"

For the eighth episode of Why Morocco, I reached Lonely Planet’s Destination Editor for the Middle East & North Africa Lauren Keith by telephone from my studio… Read more "Why Morocco 008 – Lauren Keith on Lonely Planet’s Morocco pick for 2019"

For the seventh episode of Why Morocco, I reached Casablanca-based architect Lahbib El Moumni by telephone from my studio in Marrakech. I met Lahbib through CasaMemoire, an organization… Read more "Why Morocco 007 – Lahbib El Moumni on brutalist architecture in Morocco"

For the sixth episode of Why Morocco, I headed out to the Montresso* Foundation to meet with artist Hendrik Beikirch, the artist behind the Tracing Morocco project… Read more "Why Morocco 006 – Hendrik Beikirch on Tracing Morocco"

For the fifth episode of Why Morocco, I stepped out of the studio and into the musée Yves Saint Laurent marrakech where I met with Mme Christine… Read more "Why Morocco 005 – A step inside the musée Yves Saint Laurent marrakech"

For the fourth episode of Why Morocco, my friend Willem Smit and I sat on the sofa of my apartment mansion and chatted about some of our… Read more "Why Morocco 004 – El Fenn’s Willem Smit on design in Marrakech"

For the third episode of Why Morocco, I reached blogger, chef and cookbook author Nargisse Benkabbou by phone at her home in London in advance of her… Read more "Why Morocco 003 – Nargisse Benkabbou on preparing Moroccan cuisine"

What happens when you have a fabulous idea and come to Morocco hot off a research trip around Europe ready to set up shop? On the second… Read more "Why Morocco 002 – Sophia Bentaher and Annabel Atger on when to quit"

For the first episode of Why Morocco, I’m sitting down with Cris Martinus from SunTrails Morocco, a boutique travel agency based in Marrakech. We’re discussing trip planning… Read more "Why Morocco 001 – Cris Martinus from SunTrails Morocco on trip planning"