Podcast: Roots and Traces of Contemporary Cultural Life in Tangier

By: George Bajalia and Aida Alami In this discussion at Youmein 2021: Roots and Traces, anthropologist George Bajalia and journalist Aida Alami explore the roots and traces of contemporary cultural life in Tangier, especially as they relate to northern Morocco’s border regions.  From questions of diversity and difference to the roots of present debates around … Read more Podcast: Roots and Traces of Contemporary Cultural Life in Tangier


Podcast: Ibn Rushd, Ecotheology, and Morocco’s Environmental Policy by Austin Bodetti

Ecotheology, a new academic discipline and social movement, focuses on the relationship between nature and religion. In a number of Muslim-majority countries, proponents of ecotheology have argued that the Quran, the Hadith, and other religious texts impose a unique obligation on humans: because God placed humans in charge of the environment, they must care for … Read more Podcast: Ibn Rushd, Ecotheology, and Morocco’s Environmental Policy by Austin Bodetti


Women’s History Month: TALIM’s Literacy Participants Visit a Unique Art Exhibit الشهر العالمي للمرأة: نساء برنامج محو الأمية بالمفوضية الأمريكية يزرن معرضا فنيا فريدا

Today, Tangier Medina women beneficiaries of the ​Arabic and Economic ​literacy program of TALIM paid a visit to Mahal Art Space‘s current exhibit: “Tangier: Facets of a Mediterranean Intersection.” This unusual exhibit offers visitors tools and materials to reorganize the photographs according to their taste and conception​,​ “that leads them” says Nouha Ben Yebdri, director of Mahal Art Space, “to unconsciously reach a … Read more Women’s History Month: TALIM’s Literacy Participants Visit a Unique Art Exhibit الشهر العالمي للمرأة: نساء برنامج محو الأمية بالمفوضية الأمريكية يزرن معرضا فنيا فريدا


Centering the Peripheries: Haratin and Southern Moroccans as Nationalists in Casablanca

In this talk, Moyagaye Bedward of Rutgers University examines Moroccan nationalism from a subaltern perspective. In contrast to previous historiography, nationalism in northern, urban sites such as Casablanca was also supported by southern Moroccans influenced by their pre-colonial experiences. Moyagaye discusses ordinary Moroccans, and in particular the Haratin, within the decolonization process, and demonstrate the … Read more Centering the Peripheries: Haratin and Southern Moroccans as Nationalists in Casablanca


RIP Ana Gabriela Da Silva Araujo Bonnet (1930-2020)

Rest in Peace, Ana Gabriela Da Silva Araujo Bonnet, who passed away peacefully last week in Tangier. Ana Gabriela was a fifth generation “Tangerina” — her great-great grandfather Felix A Matthews served as the US Consul in Tangier in the 19th century. This lovely photograph by Tessa Codrington of Ana Gabriela in front of a … Read more RIP Ana Gabriela Da Silva Araujo Bonnet (1930-2020)


Diplomatic note on the “Lamentable News of Death by Assassination of Abraham Lincoln”

On the Eve of Juneteenth, we share with you a copy of the 1865 diplomatic note that hangs in the Legation’s Museum (a gift of the Forbes family): Consulate General of the United States of America, Tangier28 April, 1865. Gentlemen: — The lamentable news of the death by assassination of Abraham Lincoln, President of the … Read more Diplomatic note on the “Lamentable News of Death by Assassination of Abraham Lincoln”


My Search for the First American Consulate and the Original Mount Washington

By Lawrence Peskin, AIMS Fellow/Morgan State University Most discussions of the U.S. presence in Tangier do not really go back before 1821. This is readily understandable. Everyone wants to know about the interzone years and the fascinating flock of “accidentals” (Elena Prentice’s term) who arrived here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Additionally, … Read more My Search for the First American Consulate and the Original Mount Washington


January 23-25: Three Busy (and Rainy) Days at the Legation!

Sundays are usually well-earned rest days at the Legation, especially after perhaps 3 of our busiest days in recent memory. On Thursday and Friday, January 23-24, we hosted our first — but we hope not our last —  symposium on “Movement and Migration between Morocco and West Africa,” which addressed a broad range of themes … Read more January 23-25: Three Busy (and Rainy) Days at the Legation!


Peace “Corps-ner” Display at the Legation

In anticipation of our 2021 Bicentennial year, we added in 2019 to our Museum a “Peace Corps-ner” display honoring the different contributions made by a previous occupant of the Legation, the United States Peace Corps, whose volunteers and Moroccan staff, under the leadership of then Morocco Peace Corps Director Richard Holbrooke (diplomat and Negotiator of the … Read more Peace “Corps-ner” Display at the Legation