The author took time off to wander the Medina in the city of fes, Morocco, to watch the artisans at work.

Taking to the streets of Marrakech by wheelchair

“Which would you prefer, a limited experience or no experience at all?” The question is put to me by Daniella Johnson while we’re taking a coffee on the terrace of the Café de France, watching the goings on in the beautiful chaos that is Jmaa el Fna, North Africa’s most exotic and vibrant square, the heart and soul of Marrakech.

Marrakech  / Morocco Board News--  Despite being a sporting work of art, Kamal’s footballs are never likely to see a football pitch. “Most people buy them for decoration or as gifts. One of my best customers is a friend who owns the restaurant A Moda in Bergamo in Italy. He orders fifty at a time and sells them to his clients. But I like it when an older man buys one because it reminds him of when he played football as a boy. I’ve got an original pair of 1930s boots on display and sometimes people tell me what it was like playing in them. Heavy and uncomfortable, by the sound of it!”