I can’t believe it’s already November and I’m posting the seventh episode of Why Morocco. You see, I launched this podcast to capture the conversations with the inspiring and creative personalities I meet while living in Marrakech and it has been so much fun (if not a massive time commitment and learning curve)!

So for this episode of Why Morocco, I was excited when Casablanca-based architect Lahbib El Moumni agreed to chat with me about architecture in Morocco. I first met Lahbib in April when I was writing about the need for architectural conservation of Casablanca’s downtown core for The Independent. He is a volunteer with CasaMemoire,an organization dedicated to raising awareness and safe-guarding 20^th century architecture in Casablanca, and for this particular interview we chatted mainly about art deco, but also neo-Moroccan and neo-Moorish styles that developed as Casablanca grew during the French protectorate era.

We stayed in touch and recently he and Imad Dahmani co-founded Mémoire des Architectes Modernes Marocains (MAMMA), an association dedicated highlighting the architectural and urban heritage of Morocco from the second half of the 20th century. Think brutalist, a style I’m learning to love.

Listen now: https://mandyinmorocco.com/podcast/

And, if you are visiting Marrakech and interested in colonial-era architecture, join us for one of our Tasting Marrakech Gueliz tour as we explore some of the architectural gems in Marrakech’s new city, stop at some of our favourite art galleries housed in art deco wonders, wander through parks and religious buildings that surprise visitors who dare to venture beyond the Marrakech medina. And with some of our favourite buildings disappearing before our eyes, now is the time to experience the new city. We chat history, eat street food and shop.