Back From Casablanca

I got back from Casablanca (Morocco) last night, after a very busy couple of days.

I was there to participate in the “Maghreb Citizen Journalism Workshop” organized by IREX and MEPI.

The event went really well, with some really great presentations, input and discussions from the panelists and participants. I personally talked about “Emerging Technologies for Citizen Journalists”, touching on stuff like micro-blogging, RSS, mashups, and social networking.

It was awesome to meet so many interesting people in one place, some I had already met before, others I only knew online, and of course some I was introduced to for the first time.

Due to the tight schedule, I didn’t really get to go anywhere in Casablanca, other than the old souqs of Bab Marrakech. I really wanted to visit the Hassan II Mosque at least, but wasn’t able to. Hopefully I’ll get to do that in another visit to Morocco.

Casablanca, to me, felt like a cross between Tunis and Damascus. Tunis because of the architecture and the people, and Damascus because of the full streets and the mad driving.

My flights in and out of Casablanca were aboard Royal Air Maroc, the Moroccan national carrier, and based on some feedback I heard, I was really expecting the worst, but it turned out a lot better than I expected. In all aspects, it’s a lot better than the Air France flights between Tunis and Paris.