Think Forward.

Journal de voyage #4: Côte est Australienne en minivan 2292

Antoine, 8 mon.
Comme je l’ai dit a la fin de l’article précédent, le voyage a été long, environ 35h, incluant 2 escales de 5h à Addis Abbeba et Singapour pour arriver à Melbourne. Nous avons prévu 3 nuits d’hôtel avant de louer un minivan pour notre road trip le long de la côte est Australienne. En plus du dépaysement arrivant dans une grande ville moderne en arrivant à l’hôtel, un perroquet blanc à crête jaune perché sur lampadaire nous montre qu’on est quand même loin de chez nous. Pendant notre repos nous prenons le temps de visiter Melbourne et de retrouver un collègue d’il y a presque 10 ans. Une superbe journée passée ensembles à visiter un musée, la bibliothèque, boire un verre en terrasse sur un toit et surtout bavarder! Il y a des personnes que l’on retrouve après des années avec la sensation qu’on s’était vu la veille… Le jours du départ du road trip est arrivé, nous prenons en main les clés de notre maison et moyen de transport pour le mois qui vient. C’est un minivan avec un petit étage couchette, ce qui permet a mon fils d’avoir un lit. C’est plus cher qu’une tente mais beaucoup moins pénible à transformer tous les soirs que de déployer une tente et ranger le lendemain. Et puis vu la réputation de l’Australie en tant que territoire assez hostile à l’humain, nous serons plus à l’aise dans le van qu’au sol. Les lits s’avèrent très confortables. Nous commençons par longer la côte au sud-ouest de Melbourne nommée Great Ocean Road. Elle porte bien son nom. Les bords de mer sont vallonnés et donnent des vues plongeantes magnifiques sur l’océan d’un bleu vif époustouflant. Dès le lendemain nous faisons connaissance avec la faune locale lors d’une randonnée à Kenneth River : koalas, wallabies et kangourous. En continuant sur la Great Ocean Road, nous visitons les falaises vertigineuses des Twelve Apostles. Nous repartons ensuite vers l’est de Melbourne pour passer deux nuis au Wilson Promontory. C’est une montagne en bord de mer, dans un parc national. Une randonnée relativement physique de 1h30 de dénivelé positif corsé nous offre une vue panoramique sur le parc. La côte alterne entre Montagnes et plages. Encore un point de vue à couper le souffle. Décidément nous sommes gâtés. Mais ce n’est pas que notre vue qui est stimulée, depuis le début de notre road trip, en traversant les forêts d’eucalyptus, l’odeur qui s’en dégage est très agréable. Après les deux nuits dans ce parc, nous trouvons en dernière minute un petit bar/bistro qui accepte les campeurs gratuitement en arrière sur son terrain: le Bellbird. Nous y faisons de belles rencontres. Le propriétaire, Gary, et un couple de personnes assez âgées voyageant en caravane (lui a 78 ans). Nous buvons une bière tous ensemble et sympathisons avec le couple. En retournant vers notre campeur pour faire notre souper, ils nous offrent d’ouvrir une bouteille de vin, un shiraz 2022. Il est délicieux, complexe, pas trop tannique. Nous partageons nos plans de voyage, nous voulons aller vers Canberra et faire une dégustation de vin. Ils sont justement à la fin de leur voyage de 3 mois et rentrent chez eux le surlendemain, en banlieue de Canberra. Ils nous offrent de nous héberger. Nous acceptons et en échange je leur cuisine le repas. Nous passons une très belle soirée avec eux. C’est une sensation très bizarre et agréable en même temps d’être autant à l’aise avec des gens que l’on connaît si peu. Nous continuons le lendemain en direction de la côte. Arrivés a Sydney, sur conseil de nos nouveaux amis, nous établissons notre camp de base dans un camping un peu en dehors de la ville. Il y a des bus nautiques efficaces et à un prix dérisoire comparé au prix des stationnements. Nous arrivons donc en bateau au centre ville juste à côté du fameux opéra. Nous faisons un tour dans le quartier se situant a l’ouest pour cette première journée. Le lendemain, nous revenons au centre ville mais la météo est un peu moins clémente. Il pleut. Nous en profitons pour visiter le musée Hyde Park Barracks qui explique comment les premiers forçats on construit ce bâtiment ainsi que les premiers édifices et routes de la ville. Nous faisons quelques tours dans les boutiques et croisons beaucoup de monde, nous n’y étions plus habitués. En vérifiant sur nos téléphones, nous réalisons que c’est le Black Friday! Après ce bain de foule, retour à la nature pour une randonnée dans les blue mountains au nord ouest de Sydney. Ces montagnes sont en fait plutôt des falaises surplombant un canyon. Nous avons de très beaux points de vue, et observons des perroquets qui y planent. Nous retournons ensuite vers la côte, au nord de Sydney. Nous longeons la côte pendant 3 jours entre ballades, baignades et campings au bord de mer. Nous arrivons finalement à Byron Bay. C’est une destination très touristique mais qui mérite sa réputation. Malgré un centre-ville un peu surfait, les plages sont splendides, bordées par des roches formant des petites baies qui permettent d’être à l’abri des différents dangers de la mer: requins, méduses, baïnes etc. Nous en profitons pour faire du kayak en espérant rencontrer des dauphins. Pas de chance pour les dauphins mais nous avons surfé des vagues en kayak ce qui est quant même exceptionnel. Ensuite direction Brisbane où nous nous arrêtons juste une demi journée. Nous appliquons la même méthode qu’à Sydney. Comme une rivière longe la ville, un ferry servant de transport en commun nous amène aux points d’intérêts. Prochain arrêt : la plage de Noosa Heads pour un cours de 2h de surf, toute la famille s’y met et on s’amuse comme des petits fous à essayer de tenir debout sur la planche. Une des meilleurs nuits de sommeil du voyage s’en est suivie. Nous n’étions pas censé aller beaucoup plus au nord que ça mais avons décidé de dépasser le budget pour aller voir la grande barrière de corail. Il y a un départ de Bundaberg, qui est à 3h de route. De là un petit avion de tourisme nous amène à une île nommée Lady Elliot. Il y a juste la place pour une piste d’atterrissage non goudronnée qui traverse l’île et la coupe en deux. D’un côté quelques bungalows et un petit restaurant pour les chanceux qui y passent quelques jours, et de l’autre un lagon où nous faisons de la plongée en masque et tuba. C’est le tout début de la grande barrière de corail à cet endroit et quelle splendeur. Des coraux de toutes les couleurs et littéralement des centaines de poissons de couleurs étincelantes. Pour finir ce road trip, nous avons 3 jours pour retourner à Brisbane et rendre notre campeur. Nous faisons par petits bouts, malheureusement la météo n’est plus vraiment avec nous. Des journées nuageuses avec beaucoup de pluie. Nous arrivons quand même à visiter quelques villes côtières et nous baigner malgré le temps. Après tout, il va falloir s’habituer un peu à l’humidité, c’est c’est la saison des pluies à notre prochaine destination!
Antoine

Antoine

I am the CTO and co-founder of Bluwr. I love designing and writing scalable code and infrastructure.


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Moroccan Policy in Africa: An Engaged and Unifying Dynamic 90

Aziz Daouda, 8 h.
Under the reign of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco pursues a proactive and inclusive African policy aimed at strengthening its economic, political, social, and cultural ties with the continent. This strategy favors pragmatic bilateralism, promoting African economic integration, south-south cooperation, and strategic partnerships. Agreements have been signed with over 40 African countries. Morocco’s return to the African Union in 2017 marked a major turning point in this strategy and became a true accelerator. The Kingdom is also interested in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a growth driver. Among key projects in this perspective is the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline, stretching 5,600 km. It will connect West Africa to North Africa and transport around 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. It will improve energy access for no less than 400 million people across 13 countries. This project fits within Morocco's energy transition strategy. Estimated at more than 25 billion dollars, it heralds major benefits for energy security and regional development through complementarity. Morocco is also strongly committed to education and skills training, offering nearly 15,000 scholarships annually to students from 49 countries. About 20,000 African students are welcomed each year in fields such as engineering, medicine, finance, and social sciences, thanks to the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI). This ambitious program aims to train a new generation of leaders and strengthens scientific and cultural exchanges. The Moroccan economy is well established in Africa, with over 1,000 companies active in banking, real estate, telecommunications, agriculture, and infrastructure sectors. Attijariwafa Bank, BMCE Bank of Africa, and Groupe Banque Populaire operate in more than 26 countries, generating hundreds of millions of dirhams in Sub-Saharan Africa. These institutions, with 45 subsidiaries and 4 branches, realize about 23% of their turnover on the continent, facilitating project financing and regional financial integration. Wafa Assurance and the Saham Group also strengthen this presence in numerous countries. The Moroccan health system, known for its modern infrastructure and skilled personnel, attracts thousands of Africans annually for various treatments, reinforcing human ties. Morocco also develops projects in sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, vocational training, and infrastructure, supported by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Sustainable Development. More than 60% of Moroccan foreign direct investment (FDI) targets Africa. Morocco’s trade with Africa remains modest compared to its total foreign trade: around 7 to 8%. However, this margin for growth is very large and promising. Trade volumes have significantly increased. In 2023, total trade volume between Morocco and African countries reached 52.7 billion dirhams, representing a 45% rise compared to 36 billion dirhams in 2013, with an average annual growth of about 10%. Maroc Telecom, active in 10 countries, serves approximately 54 million customers, contributing to digital integration. Groups such as Ynna Holding, Alliances, and Addoha lead major projects in several countries, notably housing and hospital construction. In agriculture, OCP Africa operates in 18 countries, training over 1.5 million farmers and providing fertilizers tailored to local soils and farming types. Its Agribooster program facilitates access to inputs, financing, and markets, boosting productivity and food security. OCP also invests in fertilizer blending and storage units across several countries and collaborates on innovative projects with USAID and the World Bank, including green ammonia production. SOMAGEC, a major Moroccan port operator, carries out projects in Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Benin, and Djibouti, employing thousands. Africa Motors, a subsidiary of Auto Hall, develops automotive production and distribution in partnership with Dongfeng for several African markets. Sport is also a cooperation lever: the Royal Moroccan Football Federation has signed more than 43 partnerships with African federations. Through its companies and projects, Morocco consolidates its key role in African development, based on solidarity, economic integration, and shared prosperity, eliciting both jealousy and recognition. Moroccan cooperation in Africa is a strategic pillar built on sharing expertise, economic development, and strengthening cultural ties. Thanks to its geographic and historic positioning, Morocco plays a major role in regional integration, supporting infrastructure, training, and innovation projects. This cooperation is characterized by a lasting commitment to promote peace, security, and sustainable development across Africa. The proposed opening-up of the Sahel countries through the future port of Dakhla will undoubtedly accelerate this integration for the benefit of hundreds of millions of Africans. The idea to build ports like Dakhla relies heavily on Morocco’s strategic geography. This is evident on the map: Morocco has a coastline of over 3,500 km, facing Europe, West Africa, and the Americas. Dakhla, in particular, lies halfway between Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, making it a natural maritime waypoint. Morocco’s Atlantic coast is on the route linking the Mediterranean (via Gibraltar) to West Africa and the Americas, capturing a portion of global logistic flows. Morocco is less than 15 km from Europe at Gibraltar and simultaneously connected to West Africa. The port of Dakhla fits this logic: serving as a logistical and industrial hub between the two continents. The Dakhla area offers favorable natural conditions: deep waters and low swell, allowing the construction of a port capable of accommodating large ships, a rarity on the West African coast. With the Continental Free Trade Area, a port like Dakhla will allow Morocco to be an entry point for commercial flows to West Africa and beyond to Mali, Niger, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and more. Morocco has understood this, as have its African partners. The future will be bright, hand in hand.

Green March, Algerian Plots, and International Diplomacy: The Sahara at the Heart of Contemporary History 137

Aziz Daouda, 15 h.
The Moroccan Sahara, which became a Spanish colony in 1884, was liberated following the Green March, an unprecedented peaceful mobilization initiated by King Hassan II. The Kingdom had grown weary of the fruitless démarches undertaken at the UN before the Fourth Committee since its independence. Once the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice was obtained, recognizing the existence, at the time of colonization, of legal ties of allegiance between the Sultan of Morocco and the tribes living in the Sahara territory, Morocco took action. From November 6 to 9, 1975, 350,000 volunteers, armed only with the Quran and the national flag, marched toward the Sahara, symbolizing the popular will to reintegrate this territory, historically an integral part of Morocco’s sovereignty, just as the part attached by France to postcolonial Algeria. Several citizens from various nations took part in this epic. Since Kadhafi and Boumediene viewed this liberation, which reinforced Hassan II’s stature in Africa and worldwide, with hostility, they sponsored the Polisario, a movement claiming to liberate a supposed Sahrawi people. Quickly, the Polisario was heavily armed and supported by the pro-Soviet and communist regimes of the time, in the name of peoples’ liberation. The term “Spanish Sahara” disappeared, and even “Moroccan Sahara” vanished from discourse. Through clever propaganda, the duo imposed a new terminology: “Western Sahara.” In reality, Algeria sought to remove from the border dispute with the Kingdom the part of the Sahara it occupies. It must be recalled that during colonization, some areas of the Sahara were administratively attached to French Algeria. These originally Moroccan territories, called by France the “Southern Territories,” were not part of the three traditional Algerian departments: Algiers, Oran, and Constantine, but were under military administration. They were gradually taken from the Sharifian Empire’s territory. From 1902, these "Southern Territories" grouped several Saharan regions under French military control. This special arrangement lasted until 1957, when departmentalization was extended, but the Sahara remained under distinct management. These areas, administered within French Algeria, included all the regions now forming part of the Algerian Sahara. Morocco, refusing to negotiate border issues with France, had an agreement with the Algerian government-in-exile for the restitution of these zones after independence. Those who took power in Algiers at liberation dismissed the agreement outright. Thus, from 1975 onwards, a war, logistically supported by Kadhafi, Boumediene, Cuba, and others, was waged against Morocco, which was caught off guard by the enemy's army size. The UN then intervened, claiming to maintain peace in the region. True peace was only achieved in 1991 when Morocco reversed the power balance and captured thousands of Algerian soldiers and officers, including the well-known Said Chengriha. They were released thanks to mediation by Egypt, led by Hosni Mubarak, himself a former prisoner of the Moroccan army in 1963, sent by President Anwar Sadat, and above all due to Hassan II’s generosity, who never wanted to humiliate his defeated neighbor. The UN then created the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), with Morocco providing a demilitarized zone for its operation. Several envoys of the Secretary-General succeeded each other with the mission of bridging positions. All failed because in this matter, there is mostly bad faith, jealousy, intent to harm, and financial interests. In short, an artificial conflict. All resigned and went on to enjoy peaceful retirements. Since France abandoned Algeria to its fate, North Africa has never been peaceful. There was the Sand War against Morocco, led by Algeria and a coalition of Arab military regimes, and also the Algerian military invasion from the east where part of the Tunisian Sahara was taken. Hassan II told De Gaulle at the time that Algeria would become Africa’s cancer. This country was built on the blood of its martyrs, but their sacrifice was usurped by a military junta that endures and revels in perpetuating conflicts, notably regarding Morocco’s southern territories and, recently, with Mali. The last UN mediator, Staffan De Mistura, perhaps facing a deadlock, reportedly proposed an anachronistic solution: partition of the territory between Morocco and the Polisario. An idea that ignores the political, legal, and diplomatic reality, now largely consolidated in favor of Morocco. One wonders on which foot he got up that day. He could not have ignored that Morocco will never accept partition nor the establishment of a country under Algeria’s influence on its southern flank. Already forced to recognize Mauritania, Morocco will not make the same mistake again. Staffan De Mistura’s idea is totally out of step with international consensus. Three permanent members of the Security Council, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, Spain, the former occupying power, as well as nearly 120 other countries, have officially recognized Moroccan sovereignty over "Western Sahara." Some have even established consulates there. This support is no accident but the result of a coherent diplomatic strategy, recognition of the Kingdom’s right to defend its territorial integrity, and successful efforts to integrate these provinces in a perspective of development and regional stability. Boutros Massad, special advisor to President Trump, unequivocally reminded Mr. Staffan De Mistura that only the Moroccan solution is acceptable. Proposing a partition amounts to circumventing this consensus by giving credit to a “mercenary” movement composed largely of foreigners and supported exclusively by Algeria. Rather than fostering peace, this approach perpetuates the status quo and risks a direct conflict between Morocco and Algeria, weakening the UN’s legitimacy as guarantor of respect for international law. Morocco has presented a credible alternative to this artificial conflict. Initiated in 2007, this project offers inhabitants wide political, administrative, and economic autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. This is already the case: almost all administrative and representative responsibilities are in their hands. The Polisario today faces a decisive turning point: accept this plan and hope to play a role, yet to be clarified, or reject the offer and risk isolation and disappearance without political gain. As for Algeria, it has already lost everything: billions of dollars and a losing cause. Its leaders will have to answer to the Algerian people.

Gematria 581

Tupan, 5 d.
Gematria is a system of alphanumeric substitution in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is assigned a numerical value. This allows words and phrases to be translated into numbers, and those numbers can then be compared, analyzed, and interpreted to reveal hidden meanings, symbolic relationships, or mystical insights. Gematria is a central technique in Kabbalistic thought, where it serves as a tool for uncovering the deeper structure of sacred texts, especially the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh). The term "gematria" is believed to derive from the Greek word geometria, or possibly from a conflation of gramma (letter) and metron (measure), reflecting the art of measuring letters through numerical equivalence. Although most closely associated with Jewish mysticism, gematria has parallels in other traditions, such as Greek isopsephy and Arabic abjad numerology. In the Hebrew system, the 22 letters of the alphabet are assigned values, and with them, any Hebrew word can be reduced to a numerical sum. The word for "life" (chai, חַי), for example, is composed of Chet (8) and Yod (10), totaling 18. This is why the number 18 holds special significance in Jewish tradition. Gematria becomes especially powerful when words or phrases share the same numerical value. For example, the words Elohim (אֱלֹהִים) and HaTevah (הַטֶּבַע, "the nature") both sum to 86, suggesting a mystical identity between God and the natural world. Such equivalences are not considered accidental; rather, they are believed to reveal the hidden architecture of divine creation encoded in scripture. There are several forms of gematria: Standard Gematria: Using the basic letter-to-number values. Mispar Gadol: Adds the value of final forms (so-called "final letters") as their own distinct higher values. Atbash and Albam: Ciphers that replace letters based on alphabetic inversion or shifting, creating additional layers of interpretation. Ordinal Gematria: Assigns numerical values by sequence (Aleph = 1, Bet = 2, etc., up to Tav = 22). Kabbalists use gematria not merely for intellectual exercise but as a form of theurgical meditation. By contemplating the numerical relationships between divine names, commandments, and sacred texts, they seek to elevate their consciousness, reveal veiled meanings, and harmonize with the divine structure of the universe. In modern esotericism and Hermetic traditions, gematria has been adopted into systems of Western occultism, especially within Hermetic Kabbalah, the Golden Dawn, and Thelema. Practitioners often compare Hebrew, Greek, and English gematria to examine words and magical formulae, aiming to unlock multidimensional significance in magical texts and ritual language. Gematria is both a science of sacred number and a spiritual art. It unifies language and number, matter and spirit, exegesis and revelation. Through its perspective, letters cease to be mere symbols—they become vessels of divine energy, revealing a universe where nothing is random, waiting to be uncovered.