Home / Global exchanges
The wife of the Moroccan ambassador to China is a fitting representative for a country known for its hospitality. Tracie Barrett speaks with Nouria El Alami about her home and her time in Beijing.
When one asks Nouria El Alami what makes her home country, the Kingdom of Morocco, special, her first response is the hospitality of its people. Citing a recent report by the World Economic Forum on the world's friendliest countries for tourists, the wife of the Moroccan ambassador to China is proud that her country is third on the list.
"The people are used to playing host to many people from many countries," she says. "In our history, Morocco is a melting pot, so we are naturally very friendly with foreigners."
El Alami, who has spent more than 30 years supporting ambassador Jaafar Ali Hakim to represent the North African country, which is also known for its beauty, moved to China with her husband and two children in early 2009. She treasures the memories and friendships she has made here and as an artist finds much in China to stimulate her creative process.
El Alami studied Chinese brush painting for five years while the family was posted in Seoul, South Korea, and earlier this year painted with Chinese master Liu Dawei at a China World Peace Foundation event in Beijing. She says she is a learner beside Liu, but finds the style fascinating.
"Can you imagine," she says, with a sense of wonder, "from black and white, they can create 100 nuances."
"I always try to take inspiration from the country where I live," she says. "For me, it's very important to have friends, Chinese friends. Because, in the diplomatic life, you have of course many nationalities, many countries, but when you have Chinese friends, you will enjoy living in China more, because you will understand more.
"My friends explain to me many things - the food, the traditions - so I enjoy it a lot."
El Alami says since she arrived here she hasn't had any rest. "All my friends, all my family, like to come here, and sometimes they come more than once. They are impressed by China, by the history, the culture."
She finds her Chinese friends are equally interested in going to Morocco, which they call Moluoge, meaning "brother country".
"Even though the country is not as big as China, you can experience all four seasons at the same time. You can ski, and you can swim in Agadir, and you can go to the south of Morocco and have a safari in the Sahara, in the desert. And you don't need to travel four hours by plane. From Marrakech to Agadir it only takes two to three hours by car," she says.
When people visit Morocco, she says, they too usually want to return.
"You like to go back and back and back. For the nature, for the tradition, for the culture, for the saveur (flavor), the aroma, but also for the people."
The two countries have had diplomatic relations for more than 55 years, El Alami says, but have been trading for much longer. Morocco was China's first overseas market for green tea, which Moroccans drink with fresh mint five to six times a day in a ceremony that has similarities to the tea ceremony of China.
A 14th-century Moroccan traveler named Ibn Battuta also spent several years in China, where he served as an adviser to the emperor. While here he kept a journal, which is well-read in Morocco, El Alami says.
"He wrote everything. He was talking about the plates, about the porcelain, about tea. He described everything - the houses, the cuisine, the architecture and the traditions."
She compares Ibn Battuta to another early visitor to China - Marco Polo: "Marco Polo was a trader but Ibn Battuta was a judge and he wrote about history. He traveled not for business or for trade, but to discover."
El Alami, whose doctorate is in biomedical discovery, looks at life, like her 14th-century predecessor, as a voyage of discovery and views herself as a constant learner.
"If we don't learn every day, we don't exist," she says.
The couple's son and two daughters, aged from 19 to 34, are all currently studying in Paris and, while El Alami misses them, she has plenty to keep her busy.
She is planning an exhibition of her art at the 798 art zone in Beijing this year, helping to organize the annual diplomatic bazaar and will again this year take part in the Asia Art Expo from May 9 through 12, which she says is the largest such event in Asia.
Contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.
 |
|
Nouria El Alami, who moved to China in early 2009 with her ambassador husband, finds much in China to inspire her creative process. Photos Provided to China Daily |
 |
|
Moroccan ambassador to China Jaafar Ali Hakim and his wife, Nouria El Alami, at a Moroccan Food Festival in Beijing. |
 |
|
Nouria El Alami enjoys the spring foliage in China's historic city of Yanzhou, Shandong province. |
