Over the next 10 to 20 years, media in the Middle East will become revolutionized, and a clear winner will emerge in the race to become the information headquarters of the region. From Iran to Morocco, Saudi Arabia to Iraq, media expertise and infrastructure will be in ever-greater demand. Abu Dhabi is poised to take the lead in this race, preparing to meet that demand through long-range planning and projects already underway.

Geographically, is in the nexus of a region where media industries are in their infancy. Financially it's in a uniquely advantageous position as well: Unlike, for example, neighboring Dubai, which is famously run as a corporation tightly focused on shorter-term returns, Abu Dhabi can set its sights on much more distant horizons. Its unique petro-dirham-based economy and organizational structure gives Abu Dhabi the luxury of both time and capital.

Indeed, believes the race to provide media and information technologies will be an endurance test: Governments without the will or ability to invest for the long term will fall by the wayside. Left standing will be the only player prepared to compete to the finish. Abu Dhabi plans to be last man standing. Its media-investment strategy would be inimical to most economies. But those economies don't have the freewheeling largesse to needed to make $100 billion investments in media infrastructure with the goal of seeing returns 15 or 20 years in the future.

TANGIERS -Morocco - Set to become the first container port of the Mediterranean and Africa.

TwoFour54, the emirate's media free zone, is an excellent vehicle for this strategy. It was created to free investors of needing a local partner, allowing local content producers and international concerns alike to set up on the fly.

TwoFour54 is working to address the drastic imbalance between English and Arabic content in mainstream media. Its creed: content creation -- turning the region from mere consumer to creator and mediator in global discourse. TwoFour54 has already become a haven for international names such as CNN, Financial Times, Bloomberg News, Thomas Reuters, Viacom and others.

International superbrands benefit Abu Dhabi in two ways. First, they generate business and employment. Second and perhaps more important, their global cachet attracts other businesses. Their logos are excellent marketing devices, and their lure builds support industries around them. As large producers, they cannot exist without smaller firms servicing their physical and expertise needs  from camera repairmen to voiceover artists. The result is the economies of scale that were the driving force behind the industrial revolution, with Detroit becoming the center not just for automobile production but for ancillary services, causing other areas to become uniquely geared to industries like textiles.

Then there is The National, Abu Dhabi's flagship newspaper, staffed by journalists who worked in places like Fleet Street and noteworthy publications like the Wall Street Journal. The National has weathered well the financial problems that have blighted many of its competitors.

Abu Dhabi is operating according to a game plan dubbed the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. Operating on the belief that media and culture are crucial components of a global city, Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 is working improve skills and expertise, improving transparency while maintaining responsibility to culture and values.

It's a delicate balance, but one Abu Dhabi is prepared to strike. With all its gleaming edifices and media investments, Abu Dhabi must also take into consideration tradition and values reflected in media production and expression. There is a traditional tolerance of media  but with limits. A journalist once observed that the sort of people who produce award-winning dramas can sometimes be the sort to run naked down the street after an all-night binge. And that Abu Dhabi cannot and will not allow. So the challenge for Abu Dhabi will be to seek out creative minds while preserving the values of its land and people.

Singapore's experience will provide valuable lessons. In recent years, that country attempted to modernize its media systems on the belief that investment and infrastructure alone would be sufficient to attract the brightest minds. When, after much initial outlay and years of development, the carefully fabricated media zones lay largely empty and devoid of original creativity, research reports were commissioned. It was found that Singapore's sterilized environment was not held in the highest esteem by the non-conformist types needed to power a creative revolution. The result: Singapore was forced to relax certain socio-cultural pre-conditions.

Abu Dhabi is carefully heeding these lessons as it works to strike a balance between ideology and economy. As such, it's in the best possible position to become the media powerhouse of the region.

News by Google

Government investments and increased competition may drive further growth in Morocco's mobile phone sector in 2010.


A third operator and projected three-fold expansion in 3G internet and e-commerce may cause a boom in Morocco's mobile phone business in 2010.

"In 2010 we expect triple-digit growth of 250% to a projected turnover level of 300 million dirhams for e-commerce," Maroc Telecommerce technologies and development manager Samira Gourroum said. Maroc Telecommerce is an online payment platform.

The trend maintains 2009's rapid growth, said the manager, adding: "In 2009, the market saw turnover of more than 104.5 million dirhams from a total of 78,500 transactions."

Telecom market penetration already exceeds 80% in Morocco, but that number may grow with the arrival of a new mobile operator, Wana. The company's launch in late February will pit it against established players Meditel and Maroc Telecom, who already have 25 million customers.

Wana's entry into the market may also expand 3G use in Morocco. Mobile internet exceeded broadband use in Morocco for the first time in 2009, reaching 54% of the country's 1 million internet subscribers. Increased competition among Wana, Meditel and Maroc Telecom may spur further growth.

A 100-million dirham government subsidy is also likely to spur expansion, Casablanca Technopark CEO Omar Balafrej said.

"This is a landmark measure forming part of the sector-wide programme known as Maroc Numeric 2009-2013, which is intended to support the implementation of innovative projects," he added.

The fund, which will subsidise private and public shareholders, will target newly-created companies and firms entering the fields of mobile services, e-payment, security, web design, computer graphics, multimedia and software development.

The emergence of Moroccan-based iPhone applications marks the growth of mobile internet enthusiasm in the region. The emarrakech.info iPhone widget by Point Info is one example.

"The development of mobile applications, in particular on the iPhone, provides an opportunity for Moroccan content to be made international and reach new users and readerships," Point Info manager Tarik Essadi said.

Up-to-date information in French and English concerning the various indicators in the Moroccan information technology market may be consulted on the website of the Agence Nationale de Réglementation des Télécoms (National Telecoms Regulation Agency, ANRT): www.anrt.ma.

Source: By Rachid Jankari for Magharebia in Casablanca

By Tal Barak Harif

Morocco's stocks are laggards no more as the strongest rains in three decades help boost agricultural output in the only emerging-market nation where equities fell in 2009.

Morocco's Madex Index has climbed 5.9 percent this year, beating benchmark measures in Brazil, Russia, India and China as rains lift farm production. The gauge trades at a 19 percent discount to stocks in the BRIC nations, according to price-to- earnings data compiled by Bloomberg, and may outperform this year as stronger wheat harvests boost Morocco's economy, London- based Silk Invest said.

"We strongly believe in Morocco," said Zin Bekkali, Silk's chief executive officer, who manages $75 million in the Middle East and Africa and has invested in those markets for a decade. "Heavy rains have undoubtedly brought back some confidence in the performance of the economy in 2010."

The outlook for farming, which employs almost half the nation's workforce, is improving as concern that China will tighten lending and European nations will struggle to pay their debts drags down BRIC stocks. Morocco's rainfall exceeded evaporation and absorption by the most in 30 years in the month through mid-October, according to the nation's meteorology agency.

Investors are returning to Morocco after the Madex fell 6.6 percent last year, missing the rally that bolstered the BRICs. Brazil's Bovespa index soared 83 percent, Russia's Micex more than doubled, India's Sensex jumped 81 percent and China's Shanghai Composite Index surged 80 percent in 2009 as the world economy rebounded from its first recession since World War II.

‘Relatively Cheap'

The Madex's decline last year dragged its price-to-earnings ratio based on reported profit to 17.4 in December, the lowest since at least October 2006, according to Bloomberg data. The measure trades for 19.4 times earnings, less than the 24 average for the BRICs, 20.9 times for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index of 22 developing nations, including Morocco, and 19.9 times for MSCI's gauge of smaller, frontier markets. "Moroccan shares are relatively very cheap, which makes them more attractive," Bekkali said in a telephone interview.

Agriculture accounts for 15 percent of the country's gross domestic product and is the main source of jobs for the nation's 32 million people, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wheat is Morocco's biggest crop.

Harvest Increases

The nation's soft-wheat harvest more than doubled in the first seven months of the current crop year, climbing to 2.4 million metric tons from June 1 to Dec. 31, the crops office said in a report posted on its Web site last month. That's 71 percent above the five-year average, according to the report.

Morocco's economy probably grew 5 percent last year after expanding 5.6 percent in 2008, according to the Rabat, Morocco- based Statistics Bureau. While that would exceed the 2.1 percent expansion last year in developing countries, growth may slow to 4.1 percent in 2010, the statistics bureau said, less than the 6 percent estimated for developing nations, according to the International Monetary Fund in Washington.

Rising agricultural production, increasing consumer spending and a stable government make Morocco, a constitutional monarchy headed by King Mohammed VI, "an extremely attractive trade," said Johan De Bruijn, who helps oversee $13 billion in emerging market equities at Arlington, Virginia-based Emerging Markets Management.

Relative Value

Companies including Maroc Telecom, the Rabat-based phone and internet company controlled by Vivendi SA, and Douja Promotion Groupe Addoha SA, the nation's biggest publicly-traded real-estate firm based in Casablanca, are most likely to benefit from the agriculture boost as local consumption increases, Bekkali said.

For some investors, Morocco isn't cheap enough. When the Madex is valued on analysts' 2010 earnings estimates, it trades at 16.5 times projected profit, more than the average 14.5 times for the BRICs, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Moroccan stocks are more expensive than other markets in the region, including Egypt, that offer faster economic growth, said Nathalie Wallace at Boston-based Batterymarch Financial Management Inc. Egypt's EGX 30 Index trades for 11.9 times analysts' earnings estimates, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Egypt's government has said the economy may expand more than 5 percent in the fiscal year through June 2010.

Faster Growth

"We don't invest in Morocco because companies are too expensive," said Wallace, who helps manage $6.5 billion in emerging markets. "In terms of valuations we prefer faster growth in the region of Africa and Middle East."

Morocco's economy is also benefitting from tourism and foreign investment.

Tourists visiting the nation rose 7 percent in the first 11 months of 2009 to 7.7 million, the tourism department said in December. Morocco may have attracted 8.7 million visitors last year and aims to increase that to 10 million this year, according to the department.

Morocco expects foreign direct investment to climb to $5 billion in 2010 after dropping to $3 billion in 2008, and $2.27 billion in the first nine months of 2009, Nizar Baraka, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister in Charge of General and Economic Affairs, said on Nov. 23.

Foreign companies are moving to establish a foothold in Morocco. BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, said last month that it's starting a wealth management unit and TomTom NV, the world's biggest maker of car navigation devices, said last week that it plans to start selling products in Morocco, citing the country's "great potential."

"Morocco is a country with real opportunities," De Bruijn said.

With assistance by Omar Er-Rouch in Casablanca and Tony Dreibus in Chicago. Editors: Alan Mirabella, Eric Martin
To contact the reporter on this story: Tal Barak Harif in New York at 212-617-3026 or tbarak@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Papadopoulos at 212-617-5105 or Papadopoulos@bloomberg.net

Source:

The World Bank (WB) has granted Morocco a loan of euro 133 million to support the financial sector.

The loan, whose agreement was signed on Monday in Rabat, aims at propping up government's efforts to promote long-term savings and strengthen financial supervision.

It is also intended to facilitate households and small and medium enterprises' access to funds, besides maintaining the stability of the financial system.

The agreement was signed by Morocco's Economy and Finance Minister, Salaheddine Mezouar, and the WB Regional Vice President for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region, Shamshad Akhtar.

 By CMC

Circle Oil (BUY, £0.80) (COP, 31.75p, ▼ (2.31%)) announced that Circle Oil Maroc Ltd ("COML"), its wholly owned subsidiary, has signed a Petroleum Agreement with the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines ("ONHYM") for the Lalla Mimouna area covering the Exploration and Exploitation of Hydrocarbons for the Lalla Mimouna North and Lalla Mimouna South exploration permits situated in the Rharb Basin, Morocco.

The permits cover an area of over 2,200km2 and are issued for an initial period of 8 years with the right of automatic conversion to a minimum extendable 25 year exploitation period in relation to areas where it is agreed that commercially exploitable hydrocarbons have been discovered. Under the terms of the agreement the percentage interest in the permits is COML 75% and ONHYM 25%

Comment: The newly signed acreage is adjacent to the Company's current exploration licence in Morocco and the Company indicated its intention to acquire this open acreage in June last year. This is a highly prospective acreage with a similar play to the one drilled very successfully by Circle Oil in 2008/2009 and has the potential to create a lot of value for its shareholders.

Petroneft Resources (PTR, 21.5p, ► (0.0%)) announced that Arawak Energy Limited has exercised its option to acquire a 50% interest in the Ledovy Licence (Licence 67). The Ledovy Licence area is located west of the Ob River in the main oil bearing part of the Tomsk Oblast and has an area of 2,447km2.

Serica Energy (SQZ, 69.5p, ▲ (0.72%)) announced that it has secured the use of the Ensco 80 jack-up rig for drilling an exploration well on the Conan prospect in the UK East Irish Sea Blocks 113/26b and 113/27c. Mobilisation of the drilling rig to the East Irish Sea is expected to commence in April 2010.

Source: stockopedia.co.uk 

Morocco is currently aiming to create an environment which will facilitate stronger agricultural trade with the UK.  For the first time this year the Moroccan fruit and vegetable products were showcased in London at the ‘World Fruit and Vegetable Show' which took place at the ExCel Centre on 21-22 October.

The country's presence at this international event was organised by Maroc Export, the
Moroccan Centre for Export Promotion, in partnership with the Moroccan Embassy in London.

Moroccan exporters are presently seeking to establish contacts with British buyers, with a view to building long-term trading relationships.

With the quality and diversity of its agricultural products, Morocco has an important part to play in developing the exportation of its natural produce to the UK. In 2008, the value of Morocco's exports to the UK was measured at MAD5,220,652, representing 3% of total export value and making the country Morocco's seventh biggest customer, according to the Moroccan Exchange Office.

A forum on Moroccan agriculture held at the conference was addressed HRH Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui, Ambassador for H M the King of Morocco in London; Mr Aziz Akhennouch, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Ahmed El Hajjaji, Director of the Agricultural Development Agency and Mr Saâd Benabdallah, Managing Director of Maroc Export.

H R H Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui told the meeting: "Under the guidance of H M King Mohammed VI, Morocco has embarked on a path of major development of its economy. The agricultural sector is by far one of the most important ones."

The Ambassador said that the country had always put agriculture at the forefront of its national economic policy and that the sector was now contributing some 17 percent of GDP.

Encouraging world classification Morocco is classed as:

-2nd worldwide exporter of citrus fruits
-6th worldwide exporter of oranges
-2nd worldwide exporter of clementines after Spain
-10th worldwide exporter of tomatoes and unchallenged product leader in terms of Moroccan truck farming
-2nd worldwide exporter of French beans
-11th worldwide exporter of strawberries, of which several varieties are known for their precocity (Chandler, Gariguette, Douglas,
Osso Grande and Selva)
-12th worldwide exporter of melons.
Essential contribution to the economy
-The fresh fruit and vegetable sector represents 20% of industrial exports
-Share of GDP: 16 to 20% depending on the year
-72 % of citrus fruit exports are intended for the European Union, as well as almost all early fruit and vegetable produce.
-Truck farming exports: 53 % intended for Russia, 34 % intended for the EU.
-Organic produce: Morocco's organic produce is concentrated in the Souss region.

Europe is the main importer, in particular France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Moroccan agriculture boasts the most important region in terms of arable and
irrigated lands. Its temperate and semi-arid climates, combined with a very long growing season, allows Morocco to produce a wide variety of fruit and vegetable produce.

The long growing season enables Morocco to have a vast agricultural system and a high level of agricultural production.

Morocco's top five export categories, which make up one fourth of all Moroccan exports, include: fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh and prepared fish, olive oils, spices, nuts and dried fruits, pre-prepared dishes (made from fruit and vegetables).
The country boasts an advantageous infrastructure, social and economic environment. Its transportation and communication systems, along with its low cost labour force, offer significant comparative advantages for Moroccan agribusiness. Indeed, the excellent roads, ports, railways and airports serve both industry and tourists.

A special programme exists to make state owned agricultural land available to private entrepreneurs with the goal of ensuring crop supply locally, and growing export potential.

In addition, government subsidiaries are made available for certain sub-sectors, including cereals, fruit and vegetables.

In addition, Morocco's agricultural system is extremely open to innovation and has the capacity to effectively adopt new methods or practices.

Close links with Europe and the Middle East
- Strong partnership between Morocco and the European Union - the country has been in the food processing and agricultural sectors for many years now.
- A number of free trade agreements exist with the following partners: European Union, USA, Turkey and Arab countries (Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt). These agreements ensure duty-free access to the above markets for various food products.
- Several large multinationals are present in Morocco today, including Nestlé, Kraft Foods, Coca Cola, Danone.
Green Plan

Morocco recently adopted a "Green Plan" as a new national strategy designed to implement an ambitious agricultural development policy. The aim is to make Morocco's agricultural products internationally competitive.
The Green Plan is based on two pillars:

Pillar 1: Drive for an agricultural system that offers both added-value and high productivity:
• 10 billion dirhams investment for aggregation projects
• A global outlook
• Accelerated land management
• Plan for 2015:
   - 400 000 operators targeted
   - 110 - 115 billion dirhams investment
   - 700 - 900 projects

Pillar 2: Supporting smallholders
• Wave of social investment
• Targeting investors
• Efficient water use
• Modernisation of distribution
• Plan for 2015:
   - 600 - 800 000 operators targeted
   - 15 - 20 billion dirhams investment
   - 300 - 400 projects

 Source: english.globalarabnetwork.com

A number Moroccan and foreign information technology (IT) experts have called for the integration of cyber security norms in the Moroccan law, to ensure a rapid response to the growing threat of cyber-attacks.

During a conference held on Friday at the Al Akhawayn University in Ifran, participants stressed in their final declaration the importance of cyber-security and the harmonization of the country\'s cyber security norms with the international ones, in order to be able to fight cyber-attacks.

They also called for the establishment of training programs on cyber security for judges, lawyers, policy makers and the key stakeholders, as well as the launching of awareness raising campaigns and the integration of cyber-safety lessons in school curricula in Morocco.

These experts thus drew up a road map aiming to take up the challenges of cyber security and guarantee free and safe communication and information exchange between individuals and organizations.

In response to this call, the president of the AL Akhawayn University, Driss Ouaouicha, said that his institution will launch an academic program on cyber security which \"will play a major role for Moroccan decision makers.\"

Organized on January 22-23 by the ministry in charge of industry, trade and modern technology and the Al Akhawayn University, the conference was attended by a number of experts and government officials who voiced their resolve to follow up the recommendation made in the declaration.

It also saw the participation of a number of international organizations and institutions, namely the World Bank, Carnegie Mellon University (USA), the French commission for information and liberties (CNIL), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Council of Europe and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

Source: MoroccoBusinessNews.com

Morocco's National Commission for Business Climate has presented its 2010 action plan for the improvement of the country's business climate ahead of the creation of the Moroccan-EU free zone in March 2012.

The action plan was presented on Thursday 21 by the Minister in charge of Economic and General Affairs, Nizar Baraka, in a conference organized jointly by the ministry, the General Confederation of Moroccan Companies (CGEM) and the World Bank.

Baraka thus stressed that the commission has four main objectives: the simplification of administrative procedures and the reinforcement of their transparency; a better treatment of business disputes; and the reinforcement of dialogue and communication about reforms.



The commission has determined a number of actions to concretize these four objectives. The action plan envisages the codification and publication of procedures, the simplification of enterprise creation procedures, the reinforcement of the ease of information exchange between administrations, and the fight against administrative abuse.

The commission, which is part of the country's industrial emergence pact, also intends to tackle the legal aspect, through revising laws of limited companies and procurement contracts, updating the investment charter and constantly modernizing the business law.

Concerning business disputes, the promotion of mediation and arbitration, and the improvement of the judicial procedures in force will be the priority.

The conference saw the presence of a number of a number of officials, professional federations' representatives, as well as other economic shareholders.

Participants put much stress on the public-private partnership approach to take up the challenges facing the Moroccan economy ahead of the year 2012.

Source: MoroccoBusinessNews.com

Joujouka, a village nestled in the foothills of the Rif mountains in northern Morocco, has been attracting enlightenment-chasing subversives and sonic novelty-seekers for decades. They are drawn by its Sufi trance music, played by the Master Musicians of Joujouka on a pipe called the rhaita and a drum called the tebel. In the 50s, Paul Bowles and William Burroughs visited, and the latter concluded: "We need more diabolic music everywhere." Timothy Leary proclaimed the Master Musicians to be "a 4,000-year-old rock'n'roll band". And in July 1968, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones dropped in to record the village's Boujeloud - or Rites of Pan - festival.

That gruellingly intense annual night of music, magic and fertility still takes place every year, though the village has changed since Jones's visit: it now has electricity and a mobile phone mast that dwarfs the minaret of the mosque. Much, however, remains medieval: there is no running water, and the climate and landscape still dictate how life is lived.

When Jones's recordings were released posthumously in 1971, as The Pipes of Pan at Joujouka, the village gained a new level of fame - the guitarist was followed by more musicians, including Ornette Coleman - and Jones himself gained a new status in the village as a near-saint. Last July, I was among 40 or so westerners who went to Joujouka to mark the 40th anniversary of his visit. I often heard the Master Musicians chanting "Ah, Brahim Jones, really stones" as they worked through a rhythm.

The idea to commemorate Jones's trip came from Frank Rynne, a frequent visitor to Joujouka since he stumbled on its music at a Burroughs-related event in Dublin in 1992. "Brian Jones is so revered here that I felt the anniversary of his visit should be marked," Rynne says.

However, the festival long predates Jones. Its origins lie in the legend of the goat-man Boujeloud bestowing the gift of music on the village in return for the hand of one of its women. Every year, the festival pays homage to Boujeloud in order to guarantee the village healthy crops and purposeful procreation. Much has been made of the magic and transcendence associated with this ancient fertility rite, but its real purpose is to heal. "Yes, the music makes people go into a trance," Master Musician Mohamed el Attar tells me, "but it also heals souls. Psychopaths get better when they hear it. That is the secret of this place."

As the ceremony begins, I follow the nine magnificently attired Masters - resplendent in yellow hats, white collarless shirts and dark, one-shoulder robes - as they make their way down a long, dusty track to a gently lit corner of the village square, where some 120 villagers and visitors are gathered. Without realising it, I perch upon the same rock Jones sat on 40 years ago, as the Masters hit their transcendent stride.

A group of watching youths, some dressed in baseball caps and logo-emblazoned T-shirts, bounce boisterously in front of the bonfire. Women huddle in the shadows. When the rhaitas, sounding something like a herd of aroused elephants, nudge up a semitone, the tingle factor really kicks in. A trick long favoured by a generation of superstar DJs is, it seems, as old as time itself.

Then out hops the sprite-like Boujeloud. Hours ago, he was the soberly attired master of the house where I slept. Now, this apparition in a straw hat and goat-skin is mad-eyed and rubber-necked; he thrashes me with a pair of olive branches. My fertility apparently secured, at least for another year, I leap to my feet and join in this primal scream of a party. For five long hours, these rhythms and rituals play out against a backdrop of spitting bonfires, screams and the endless high-jinks of Boujeloud. At about five in the morning, it winds down. "Boujeloud" is back in his bum-freezer jacket and handing out cups of mint tea to the small handful of us who have survived this exhilarating, extraordinary but exhausting musical endurance test.

When Brian Jones returned to London in August 1968, he spent hours in the studio doctoring his tapes with psychedelic effects (mainly phasing), in an attempt to accentuate the far-outness of an experience he likened to "an incantation to those of another plane". Many later sonic adventurers, working in jazz or rock or experimental music, have drawn inspiration from the music of Joujouka. Even the Stones milked what Mick Jagger admitted was "a tenuous musical connection" by using the Master Musicians on their 1989 Steel Wheels album.

Since that time, artists from the village have travelled to the west - drawn as much by the financial as the spiritual rewards - to perform music from Joujouka and the surrounding region. As we drive off at dawn the following morning, the first of the day's five calls to prayer ringing in our ears, I wonder whether I have just witnessed a long, loud, final blast of a tradition that's now staring extinction in the face. But Rynne is more optimistic. He says the event has brought enough money and supplies to the village to keep the place thriving until the winter - and that's before the cash from a planned CD/DVD release rolls in.

"You saw the young men last night," he smiles, referring to the mass outbreak of Boujeloud-inspired mayhem. "It's impossible to my mind that those boys, growing up in the houses of musicians, won't one day be picking up drums themselves."

Maybe so. But whether they'll stay put in Joujouka rather than try their luck on the international stage is, of course, another matter.

 The 2009 Master Musicians of Joujouka festival runs from 5-7 June. Details: joujouka.net

Source: (Guardian.co.uk)  http://tinyurl.com/ylb7owu 

Upcoming Joujouka Event: http://tinyurl.com/yk7kxvf