jun 15, 2001

Morocco 2001 - the party is going on !!!

Text: Oliver Becker

Some people, who have been on the new years party "Morocco-2001" in Ouarzazate, said it was a nice party in an amazing wunderful desert aerea, but it was a terrible organisation. People who never have organised a festival, don´t know how many work this is,..., specially in an arabic country, where never been a trance-party before.
Anyway, the new years party in Ouarzazate was the key to open Morocco for a new kind of tourism, the party-tourism.
With the new young King Mohamed VI. the politic has been changed. The country is much, much more open than before and they are looking for new ways to bring tourists into Morocco, because this will be the way to lift up the broken economy .
They did saw many, many people coming and what´s even more important they did saw open minded people coming, who have talked to them like brothers and sisters. They are not stupid and they know that there are different kinds of tourists.
In generally there are three kinds:
1. The old European people, travelling in rented caravans and stay away from the Moroccans. (they are afraid, because they read in travel-guids: be carful, be carful, be carful)
2. The package tourism, like family or "ballerman" (sex-tourists) who go in europe in a travel-agency and pay there the food included hotel (witch are mostly owned by an European, so the Moroccans get nothing from it - they only can sell some souveniers)
3. The open minded people, who do like to have contact to the Maroccans, traveling with old caravans or local busses, doing camping or stay in small moroccan ownerd hotels.
In this case, the most help for growing up the economy is the young "open-mind-tourism". And - what is an important reason, too: the open minded people don´t drink much alcohol.
They already have stopt the police-controll for touristst - like it was happend a few years before. It´s an order from the top, to let every tourist in peace! They do respect there guest from all around the world, however they look like. If they stop a car, they only ask for the papers. Just now, there is even less controll than in Europe. This is valid in the Rif-mountains, too.
Now, after many talking to high people in North-Morocco, we do have the authorization to open a camping-place, the "RIF-BEACH-CAMPING"
The location is a very lovely 700 meter long, 250 meter wide beach and a second 100 meter long beach near Stehat in North-Morocco. Around is the beginning of the Rif-mountains and in the morning you will have an amazing sunrise coming out of the mediterranean sea.
The aerea is for european tourism total undeveloped. For example: in this aerea is a other camping-place, which have started two years ago. But they never have in this time only one guest from Europe. Nothing! It´s very strainch, because Europe (south of Spain) is only 123 km on the street (+ 13 km on the ferry) away. On clear days you even can see Spain.
Of cause, with the "RIF-BEACH-CAMPING" the aerea will be change and everyboby who come here, take a little bit of the responsibility that it goes in the right direction.
We all have to take care, that the new investment follow a "save the earth" way. We are interestet to hold the nature clean. There is a clean river between Stehat and Bo Hamed and all around are very lovely plants are growing. It´s also posible to go by muli or horse to Ketama, witch is a very cool trip about 10 hours.
If we grow up and the aerea develop well, we do like to build up new (private) schools, but a new kind of them, too. The kids will learn many different languages, natural things - like growing organic food, breathing technique, all around a health life, new technical things and many more. Young intelligent people is allways the best base for a good economy, a "save the earth economy"!!! We try to build up an excellence example for all african countries.
The official opening for the "RIF-BEACH-CAMPING" will be on 18. of August 2001. We do have for this party only one DJ: Goa Gil will play one of his famous marathon sets. He was in Goa one of the first DJ´s and this is the reason why he will be our first official DJ. If you like to come before the official opening - you are very welcome to help us with fixing the location.
The camping-place will be open the hole year and we try to do one (maximum two) party per week, like in Goa all for free and on different locations, around the camping place. Of cause in the begining the parties mostly on our camping place.
The "RIF-BEACH-CAMPING" will be also one of the most cheapest camping-places in Morocco - even in the world. Each person only 10 Dirham (ca. 2,- DM) per night and each tent or caravan the same, only 10 Dirham. We try to make everything cheap as posible, and we all like to have clean showers and tolilets,....
Independent soundsystems are also welcome, but if you bring it, you have to know that we don´t want to have loud and smelling generators. So indepenent soundsystems are only allowed when they are powered by solar, wind or other alternativ energy.
From 28. of September to 7. of Oktober 2001 we will have a special 10 days festival, the "RIF-BEACH-TRANCE" .
For this 10 days we like to do something very special. A non-profit festival, limited by 3.000 Goa-fraggles and very, very friendly for small kids. On the beach, 2 km from there, will be a second professional secured kids-location, like our second camping-place (open hole year, too), with free boat-transfer and kindergarden:
We will have a very international line-up and for this 10 days the towards expenses will be 1500 Dirham (150,-US - kids free) - including camping, all vegan food in many different variation, fresch natural fruit juices, mineralwater, fruits,...
One third of all money we will use for the food (mostly made by local Maroccans), one third for DJ and Live Act booking (flights, fee and accommodation) and the last third for renting a huge soundsystem, insurance, tax, promotion, special showers and all the small things coming together by organising a party.
If we do earn money, we likke to spend it for building up the first international language school in this aerea.