Yes actually, it's Nabil who was in Boston a while ago. Nabil El Medioni's grandfather.

Building walls using salty water is like building them under the sea.

Even Mosque Hassan 2 is cracking because of the salt's impact.

I don't know how they can get away with that.

Adnane:
dima l3ame zine:). Say is it the same el Medioni Family that we know? I meant Nabil El Medioni

On another note, I thought this website is interesting. Some US Air Force veterans who were stationed in Saidia Morocco document their experiences there. The best part is they have some photos of the villa they were stationed at and of other areas around the beach. The villa still exists and is one of the wonderful villas on the main boulevard. It currently belongs to El Medioni family.

Ok, so apparently L3am Zin. Ngoulou L3am Zin wanssaktou. Ewa hadi nemshiw nshoofoo Had S3idia kiwallatt. When I think about it, they can do whatever they want, they always get away with it. At least keep the beach FREE, clean, and keep moul Beignet. I'm afraid they will put a ban on Moul Lbeignet just to please the tourists. Rahoum ydirouha douk Lamgharba Lmoussayyirin essghar, even if the King said clearly in his Saidia speech that the tourism project should respect the local traditions and culture.

Rasta, No I didn't come up with that collage, i actually ripped it off from some random place online. I think it was the Spring J Crew catalog which was shot mostly in Morocco. For the front page, if you look at the right side you can find the latest comments. You'll see your link there.

Goulou L3am Zin.

I don't want to seem harsh on the thought of criticizing the project. It is very constructive to find points where improvement is required. And in that regard, I believe the documentary was successful.

On another subject, did you come up with the banner on top of the page. The collage is pretty good.

Also, I posted something yesterday on a very old post (Salma Salma) in music, but I don't think it shows up in the front page. How are the notes chosen for the front page?

choukran

Tout à fait d'accord avec Amine. Le documentaire n'a en aucun cherché à trouver une qualité au projet. Bien au contraire, il transformait les qualités en défauts. C'est sûrement parce que le public n'en n'a rien à foutre des qualités. Le public aime regarder la chaîne qui tire sur tout ce qui bouge. Et celle-ci, afin de le satisfaire, évite de trop parler des choses positives. C'est mon point de vue. Après, à vous de voir.
Au plaisir !
mizmaz

Adnane > Pourquoi tu ne m'as pas accepté sur Google Talk ?

Fadesa did not flee. They went bankrupt because they had construction projects all over the world and the banks could not lend them more money to finish the projects because of the financial crisis.

I don't think people are trying to discredit the documentary because it is French. The discredit duly comes because of it has failed to consider all the elements that could make the project a success or a failure.

Jah bless.

Adnane > Quand ce documentaire a été tourné ?

Adnane > Quand ce documentaire a été tourné ?

Adnane:
Thanx man;) So i'll be seeing you in August ok? don't go hiding on me and get lost in S3idiya:).

Youness, yea I also heard it from third-party ~ congratulations! I'll be in Morocco in August.

For our ska man, I discovered him this year, check out the post on raioo He's M3izi by the way.

When I visited S3idia 2 years ago I was in awe when I saw the project quiet honestly. I was lost in the maze of buildings. They were then still ghost unfinished buildings. Everything was so immense I couldn't wrap my brain around it in one journey. I think my note comes purely from a sentimental perspective, as naive as it is, when I talk about the environmental issues the local scientists bring up and about the project management. Coincidently, the day before I watched the documentary, I had just watched the so-awaited documentary HOME, about the effect of human development on the earth's environment. There is no arguing that the project is creative and may be profitable from a strategic point of view. I think I mentioned that I encourage developing S3idia. My only beef and fear are three-fold:

1. Why did FADESA flee? I am curious to know and I find it disturbing that the company didn't stay to the end.

2. From what I see in the documentary, the representative of the Moroccan new management is unable to answer basic questions. Consequently, he is putting his management on the spot. One cannot help but be suspicious of the future of the project. Is it really going to be the rosy image FADESA painted? or perhaps a lower-quality product prone to little funds to maintain it.

3. I do not buy the idea that big mistakes like the marina structure were made. Or the sewage canals, or construction using salty sea water. I think the management were interested in profit, profit, profit, and made intentikonal decisions to spend less money on study and design; on materials and cared least for the environment. After all, it is just Morocco, a poor country that desperately needs to westernize its beach, offer Golf acres that consume more water than the players that play on it. After all it is just Morocco.

Look, they could have built a decent hotel, a marina and a few buildings and residences without compromising the wonderful nature of the region. They could have built high quality Tennis courts, and baptized a yearly Saidia Tennis Tournament that coincides with the Saidia Music Festival. That alone can be a good start to attract tourists and Meditteranean cruises. I think they went bezierk with the project. Why can't we start small? Look at Tunisia's Port Qantawi. It is a beautiful coastal beach and marina that works. Greece has small coastal resorts that work. Small equals charm, easily maintained and scalable.

I do not want to discredit the doc just because it is French. At the end of the day it is a media report loud and clear about the gray aspect of the project. Perhaps the doc is meant to strike Morocco's tourism and is a biased piece, however, it is not false. In fact, I wish it was longer with more research and data points.

As for my mention of where the Kind is in the midst of all this, I am not putting him on the spot. I am merely hoping he is aware of the situation and is an integral part of making things better. The doc brings a subtle point. The King is expected to inaugurate the marketplace or something like that. Because the market place was nothing close to a finished product, the management seem to order patchworking, putting a few things here and there, make it all look good just to avoid upsetting the King perhaps. Now, why can't the management realize the project needs more time, reassess what needs to be done, how much it will cost, and update the King on when it would be reasonable to perform a proper inauguration. If we have management that does not think along these lines then I don't kid myself; my pessimist side takes over.

guys: this is not related to this topic but since i'm typing here and i don't feel like searching for the proper topic for what i'm about to write.
THIS GUY IS NUTS and a great artist all figuiguies should be proud of him. His name is deux-zach and here is his website:
http://deux-zach.skyrock.com/
Adnane, Amine lemme know what you think?

One has to ask why the french media " France5" aired its documentary on a Sunday only 5 days before the king M6 inaugurate S3idiya? Are they really wanna shade the truth? Or are they waving a war on this project because it becomes a real threat to their famous-well-know french riviera ( cote d'azure)?l If you look at it i'll go with the second one, first of all because S3idiya is cheaper than any place in cote d'azure. Second S3idiay is close to lot of small cities and villages like berkane, chefchawe and much more so, for some one who wants to visit in one day he can do it with very cheap price tag. And you can go ahead and finish this sentence....

Hey Amine:
yes you are right i'm getting "smaked" on that day man:). Well i was gonna tell you sooner than today but you know the Figuigui protocol:) we always have to go through a third or fourth party to get the news crossed:) Actually i was hoping that you guys gonna surprise me:) on other note there is gonna be "la3lawi" just in case you wanna check it:)

Younes: I heard you're getting the lock-down in July 4 :) you never told me!! I had to hear news like this from third party? Congratulations... I wish we could have stayed a bit longer... nkhelfouhalek :)

I agree with Hamza. The French media, like any other, tends to leave objectivity on the side and emphasize the drama. I was there during the last two weeks, and I think Saidia has become an amazing destination. Maybe some romantic feelings remain about the old s3idia, but I challenge anyone who can tell me that s3idia in the late 1990's and early 2000's was better than s3idia of the 1980's, the one we grew up loving.

The new s3idia is larger, which is natural. The population going to S3idia is larger and so it cannot fit between the 3 main boulevards of the town. Now there is space for people to walk, drive, and swim. It fits everyone's budget and taste.

Perhaps the French are worried about tourism revenues being diverted into Morocco! S3idia is now the third largest marina in the Mediterranean, this means cruise ships can now dock in the town for the day, allow their passengers to have a nice day of golf and other activities, and then continue on to other Medi destinations. Excellent planning.

I salute Hamza for his well thought-out response.

Jah bless

Moi, j'ai tendance à dire que les chaîne française prennent un malin plaisir à mettre les défauts en gros plans et qu'il ne faut pas qu'elle nous influence. Donc, Adnane, je pense qu'il serait plus judicieux que tu viennes et que tu voies par toi-même où en est ce projet. —Pour ma part, je trouve que c'est une réelle réussite—.
En gros, il ne faut jamais se forger une opinion en regardant les médias.
Il y a certes eu quelques erreurs. Ce qui est normal pour un aussi gros projet. Mais ce n'est pas pour autant qu'il faut dire qu'ils ont détruit Saïdia...
En plus, la française avait l'air vachement satisfaite. Donc bon...
Tout ça pour dire qu'un média ne doit jamais influencer nos opinions. Et qu'il faut voir les deux côtés et delà, se forger son propre jugement. ;)
A la revoyure ! :)

Hello Adnane:
how are you? say where did you get this info? and don't tell me from a documentary made by France 5. Because Mehdi ( i think you still remember him don't u?:)) was there for the inauguration by the king M6 and he told me that it's amazing what Moroccan have done to the place. And this project was managed by the king him self so there was some mistakes of course all mega projects have mistakes but at the end it was a success. Say are you gonna be in Morocco on the 4th of July?