Meteorite Hunters in Morocco | Al Jazeera World

09/14/21 • 46 min

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Meteorites may be the only truly extra-terrestrial items it is possible to find, buy or own on Earth.

Their rarity has created a global trade, fed by a fascination with these dark rocks from outer space. Most meteorites on the market come from Morocco, where the inky-black rocks are easier to spot in the arid mountain landscape.

Nomads welcome these "gifts from the sky" and sell them to dealers and researchers.

However, the prices obtained by Moroccan nomads in the High Atlas Mountains are a fraction of those in the fashionable rock and crystal shops in Europe.

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The Story Behind the Scenes | Al Jazeera World

An action movie with global stars, fast cars and an exotic location is nothing new.

But the politics behind the scenes of The Misfits, a recent high-octane movie release, reveals its own story - one of producer power struggles, money, influence, politics, and an apparent attempt to tarnish the reputation of a country.

Production on the film began while Qatar was under a blockade by four of its Arab neighbours, including the UAE. When a new Abu Dhabi-based producer took over financing The Misfits, the story, location and focus shifted from a Caribbean crime caper to one involving Qatar and a "terror" plot. Then real political events overtook the fiction, so a watered-down version of the movie was hastily made and released - still with some lingering Qatar references.

This investigation explores the lengths taken to try and alter the public perception of Qatar through the production of an adventure movie. It asks: Why was so much money and effort spent on this project? Who was really behind it? And how much damage can a film like this - even in its revised version - inflict?

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Literary liaisons of iconic North African writers | Al Jazeera World

While writing is normally a solitary profession, occasionally literary connections between great authors spark fiery, creative tension and sometimes storytelling brilliance.

This film is the tale of two such connections, both in North Africa in the mid-twentieth century.

The first is about the French writer, Jean Genet, and the Moroccan novelist, Mohamed Choukri.

Both were brought up in dysfunctional circumstances, devoid of life’s advantages, but managed to overcome their troubled early lives.

They met in Tangier where both rose to become leading, modern literary figures and lifelong friends.

The second tells the compelling story of the conflicting lives of Nobel laureate Albert Camus and author Kateb Yacine, set against the violent backdrop of the Algerian War of Independence.