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Morocco World
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Independence & Interdependence
The Moroccan–American Treaty of Peace and Friendship (The Treaty of Marrakesh) was negotiated and signed in 1786, establishing diplomatic and commercial relations between the United States and Morocco. Unbeknownst to many Americans at the time (the population of the U.S. was just over three million), the treaty represented the first formal diplomatic treaty between the U.S. and any African or Muslim nation. It remains in force today, 239 years later. The treaty, negotiated by American diplomat Thomas Barclay and his Moroccan counterpart Tahir Fannish in Marrakesh, was conceived by visionary leaders guiding a new and untested republic across the Atlantic as well as a Moroccan sultan, Mohammed III (Mohammed ben Abdallah), who is often credited with forging the modern Moroccan state. History often finds larger meaning for seemingly modest events. This is likely the case for the enduring Morocco-United States relationship. In December 1789, President George Washington, having only been in office for several months, wrote to Mohammad III to acknowledge the sultan's August 1788 diplomatic letter to the US and to explain the delayed response from the newly formed nation. Washington thanked the Sultan for his nation's friendship and for his proactive diplomatic steps that '… make a deep impression on the United States and confirm their respect for and attachment to Your Imperial Majesty.' Over the next 230-plus years, the two nations would find themselves at the center of critical global events—a world war, recurring regional conflicts, the upheaval of the Arab Spring, a global health pandemic and a post-Cold War order that presents ongoing challenges to a global superpower like the United States and new opportunites for a regional power like Morocco. The 239-year relationship endures in ways large and small, from American Peace Corps volunteers teaching English in dar shababs to Moroccan financiers in New York and Moroccan actors in Hollywood. The $7 billion annual trade relationship includes citrus and automotive exports to the U.S. and animal feed and aerospace exports to Morocco. Security & Soft Power On security, the relationship is quite iconic. During the Roosevelt-Churchill summit in Casablanca in January 1943, US General George Patton made this entry in his diary about a car ride he shared with Sultan Mohammad V following a summit dinner held in the sultan's honor: 'I rode with Sultan and Grand Vizier to house of latter. On way Sultan said, 'Truly your President is a very great man and a great friend of myself and of my people'.' In 2025, the security relationship finds meaning across several domains, from combatting transnational drug trafficking to the 2020 Abraham Accords. The yearly African Lion military exercises held in southern Morocco have created a template for Maghreb regional security, and they represent U.S. Africa Command's largest regional annual exercise. For over a decade, Morocco has also established itself as a critical regional security partner to Europe. Following the November 2015 ISIS-inspired terror attacks on several public venues in Paris, French security services utilized critical Moroccan intelligence information to locate key members of the responsible terror cell. A week after the attacks, French President Francois Hollande received King Mohammed VI in Paris in part to thank him for Rabat's critical help. Late last year, four French nationals who were employees of the French Directorate General for External Security (DGSE) were freed from detention in Burkina Faso thanks to discreet intervention by Mohammad VI. The London School of Economics recently noted the approach of Morocco's OCP Group (the nation's phosphate enterprise) within Africa and how it differs markedly from previous models of foreign economic investment that were heavy on sales and light on cooperative knowledge sharing. The result is new agro-business investments, customized fertilisers and sustainable agriculture practices as the continent grows hotter and soil challenges mount. As America celebrates its independence this week, the global uncertainties of 2025 are perhaps more perplexing than those that existed in 1786 when the Treaty of Peace and Friendship was negotiated. That year, the U.S. Constitution had yet to be written and the newly formed United States possessed not a single naval ship, having disbanded the navy following the end of the Revolutionary War. The future had yet to arrive. For both nations, tumultuous and uncertain times demanded visionary leaders like Mohammed III, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. For Morocco and the United States, the benefits of an enduring friendship are, thankfully, still accruing. Tags: Morocco and US relationsUS and Morocco relations
Gulf Today
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Anatomy of healing: Efie Gallery diagnoses curative power of time
Efie Gallery, Dubai, has announced 'time heals, just not quick enough...' an exhibition curated by Ose Ekore featuring works by contemporary artists across generations — Samuel Fosso (b. 1962), Aida Muluneh (b. 1974), Kelani Abass (b. 1978), Abeer Sultan (b. 1999) and Sumayah Fallatah (b. 2000). The second exhibition to take place in the gallery's new Alserkal Avenue location, the group show of film and photography (June 1 – July 30) offers visual narratives that encourage reflection on healing, growth and understanding, through the passage of time. Sumayah Fallatah's work weaves personal and family narratives with broader themes of race, migration and the African diaspora in the Arab world. In 'I became you, so I lost myself' (2024), she layers family photographs, archival images, indigo-dyed textiles and red thread, to reflect on the emotional toll of cultural assimilation and the grief of migration. Unfolding Layers 2 by Kelani Abass. Her video 'Fruits of Meditation' (2023) revisits a childhood memory of her father's meditative ritual — reciting fruit names while making squeezing motions — captured through two parallel videos: one of her father selecting fruit in deep meditation and the other of Fallatah attempting to understand his practice. Abeer Sultan's 'Agua Viva' explores marine life through personal history, inspired by her family's migration from West Africa to Saudi Arabia in the 1930s. Using self-portraiture, she constructs a new narrative, intertwining hidden geographies and overlooked histories. Through collages, photography and moving images of jellyfish, corals and shells, Sultan creates fictional artifacts and lost data, shaping a new mythology for future generations of the African diaspora in the Arabian Peninsula. Kelani Abass merges history, memory and technology, drawing influence from his father's letterpress printing company. His mixed-media works layer photography, text and found objects, blending mechanical processes with traditional painting techniques, to explore time's passage and identity's fluidity. Abeer Sultan's A Poem Broken by a Breath. Samuel Fosso challenges identity and representation through experimental self-portraits embodying various personas. On view are 20 works from his 70's Lifestyle series (1974 – 1978). The artist's first exposure to photography outside the Central African Republic came through magazine images brought by visiting American Peace Corps volunteers. Captivated by the fashion and style of African Americans and West African music icon Prince Nico Mbarga, he sought to channel both influences through stylised self-portraits in his studio. Aida Muluneh's photographs subvert conventional representations of African women through a bold, signature visual language rooted in surrealism and Ethiopian cultural motifs. Her striking compositions, often rendered in vivid primary colours, employ face painting, masks and ceremonial garments, to explore the intersection of personal and political narratives. Muluneh reframes narratives of womanhood and underscores photography as a powerful tool in reshaping Africa's global image. Ose Ekore said that 'in an era shaped by urgency, 'time heals, just not quick enough...' invites viewers to slow down and reconsider their relationship with time. The curatorial direction emerged organically, guided by the themes the participating artists have been thoughtfully exploring in their practices.' Curator Ose Ekore (left) and Aida Muluneh He is a Nigerian curator based in the UAE, whose practice explores the intersections of African histories, contemporary art and public engagement. His work serves as a platform for investigating and documenting the relationship between public art and community, fostering inclusive and accessible cultural discourse. Ekore has collaborated with a wide range of artists and cultural institutions to commission and produce exhibitions, publications, public programmes and artist residencies. Central to his curatorial approach is a commitment to accessibility, ensuring that art remains open and engaging to diverse audiences. He is the co-founder of Bootleg Griot, a community-driven public library project currently in-residence in Efie Gallery's Rekord Gallery, and a curatorial assistant at Sharjah Art Foundation. 'The term contemporary African art,' says Wikipedia, 'implies a particular kind of art that has conquered, or, as some would say, has been absorbed by the international art world and art market since the 1980s. It was the time when the world became aware of art made in Africa by individual artists, thus breaking with the colonial tradition of assuming collective 'ethnic' origins of so-called 'tribal art'. Efie Gallery is a contemporary art gallery based in Dubai, specialising in the representation and advancement of artists of African origin, both from the African continent and its global diaspora. Since its inception in 2021, the opening of its permanent space in 2022 and its relocation from Al Khayat Avenue to Alserkal Avenue in 2025, the gallery has established itself as a global platform for some of Africa's most significant artists. Sumayah Fallatah (left) and Samuel Fosso's 70s Lifestyle, 1974-1978 Efie Gallery's mandate is to enable and support cross-cultural exchange between Africa, the Middle East and beyond. In addition to its wide-ranging roster of artists and exhibitions, it operates a residency programme that facilitates collaborations with local artists, institutions and community members, supporting artists in the narrative and vision of their work. Part of Dubai's Al Quoz Creative Zone, a global hub for creativity and entrepreneurship, Efie Gallery aims to create a vibrant ecosystem for contemporary African art in the UAE. Its space also displays the gallery founders' collection of rare vinyl and shellac records from around the world, celebrating the intersection of art and music. Efie is the Twi word for 'home', addressing the notion of belonging and how it can be determined by culture, history and identity for communities across the world. Founded by Ghanaian family Valentina, Kwame and Kobi Mintah, Efie Gallery's vision is to foster dialogue between African artists and the wider world.
