Rabat was selected by the Earth Day Network to host one of the world's premier Earth Day Celebrations this year. A week of activities and awareness building throughout the country led up to a big celebration on April 24th in Rabat. Morocco's King and government are pushing a serious campaign to raise awareness of ways to protect the environment. I have seen commercials on TV, a green band on water bottles with a message on the environment, banners and signs around the city. In honor of earth day, the King announced an unprecedented National Charter for Environment and Sustainable Development, the first commitment of its kind in Africa and the first in the Arab World. Morocco is such an ecologically diverse country with mountains, desert, valleys, Atlantic ocean and Mediterranean Sea coast. Such a beautiful country and I'm impressed with the commitments being made here to protect its beauty and nature.
After a sluggish day with all of us feeling a bit under the weather, Imad, Younis and I ventured to the big Earth Day party, mind you a FREE event. Some of the big name performers and speakers that we didn't stay long enough to see included Seal and Jesse Jackson. However, we did see some great music and speakers. One of the first acts which I enjoyed included a bunch of well known Moroccan singers who showcased their individual styles. One singer named Oum is a sort of jazzy, hip hop, folksy style that I love. Here's a link to her website to listen to some of her music www.oum.ma. Another fun group was Hoba Hoba Spirit which combines the sound of traditional Moroccan Gnawa music and other sounds with reggae, ska, funk. Here's a link to one of their songs from their latest album: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E5CK_gYi3k&feature=related.
We took a little break to hop in a taxi and grab a sandwich then head back up to listen to a little more music. Imad's parking luck was in full force (some of you know what I'm talking about), so we found a perfect spot and didn't want to lose it going to grab a bite to eat. This morning, out of the blue Younis says, "taxi ride, eat french fries". I love when he remembers things that have happened in the past and talks about his experiences, so adorable. And he does these amazing hand motions to go with it.
Another cool side note. Imad's brother-in-law was hired to make the podium, boxes and stools on stage and the logo on the side here. He's done more work with individuals on a smaller level, so exciting to get a job like this on a larger scale for future opportunities.
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