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A Member’s View: Fes, Morocco, FCEM President’s meeting
There were three of us from the UK at the meeting: Arline Woutersz, Tanya Hine who were official, and me, Meribeth Dayme, who was purely an observer. The first day we enjoyed the sun and heat, especially after the cool spring we have experienced. That was a day of respite before the conference began. For the President’s committee, there were many meetings, for the observers (about 200), there were planned activities such as trips to the Medina with its 9000 streets, and excursions to areas surrounding Fes. Also we could elect to sit in on some of the open meetings.
Our hosts, the Moroccans were welcoming, well organised, gracious and generous and made us want to return as soon as possible. The artisan exhibition created for the conference was comprehensive and outstanding with handicrafts and objets d’art from ceramic and metal work to beautiful jewellery, weavings and rugs. Our guided trips through the Medina also included the co-operative where the ceramics and embroidery were created. There were so many things to choose that many of us lingered longingly hoping to get as much as possible for our money. It was fascinating to watch those who liked bargaining and those who found it difficult.
 After walking what seemed like miles in the Medina the first day, I elected to attend some of the open meetings and sit in on small group discussions afterwards. This gave me a chance to understand the inner workings of FCEM. I will leave the discussion of those meetings for those who issue official reports. However, I did take away one personal conviction - and that is, the importance of women in the role of the guardians of the ethics and integrity in business. With CEOs being held criminally libel and high level businesses beginning to have major problems because of fraud, misleading information and mismanagement of resources, including people, then we as women need to be an example of leaders who do it differently. We have a big mission and we need to answer that call.
One morning was devoted to a discussion of the role of cultural roots for women in business in Africa. Each woman on the panel of four, testified to her struggle with finding a suitable outlet and business for her talents. In each case it came back to using her
background and culture to create a business that became a passion. Several of the panellists were teaching young and old to help in their businesses or to start new businesses for themselves. They found that exporting their culture to other parts of the world was not just a business, but also a mission.
Four of us remained for three days after the conference. And, I must say, we saved the best till last. We went back to the Medina with a guide who promised to amble at our speed and honour our requests. What a time we had! One of our favourite places was the Alternative Pharmacy (see picture) where we were treated to an excellent talk about the different cures, oils and spices. The pharmacist held up different items and asked us which of those interested us.  As we choose, he then had us sample the various items. We left with multiple aromas emanating from our arms and packets of saffron, musk and one or two delectable oils that appealed. The oils were very light and used as a base for natural perfumes. Several of us also left with an amazing sinus and throat remedy consisting of a special tree bark that you put in a bag, rub firmly, and then sniff. My long-suffering sinuses smiled for the first time in months.
The next day we embarked on a trip to the mountains and Ifrane, an alpine village that even has a restaurant named Chamonix. It gave us a chance to see the beautiful scenery surrounding Fes and to enjoy the countryside and the cedar forest. Of course, no journey is complete without looking in wayside shops and doing a bit more bargaining. This time we were seduced by the sellers of local natural minerals and fossils in the form of carved statues and animals.
Throughout our stay, we had remarked on the beautiful skin of the Moroccan women. We had a chance to find out how they achieved it on our last day there. One of our Moroccan hostesses treated us to a local (as opposed to a tourist) hammam our last morning. There we were watered down, scrubbed within an inch of our lives, soaped, covered with mud and shampooed and then treated to a yogurt after we were finished. To my surprise, my skin was smooth and it had no holes in it. I was convinced that I would be wounded for time to come from the scrubbing - far from it. We returned to London as the cleanest ladies on the plane.
Meribeth is a personal performance coach, Director of Free Chocolate Cake Ltd, speaker, and author of the ebook Creating Confidence which can be found at www.fccake.com
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