MERYANNE LOUM-MARTIN
OF SENEGALESE AND WEST-INDIAN DESCENT, MERYANNE LOUM-MARTIN WAS EDUCATED IN PARIS AND MOVED TO MARRAKECH IN DECEMBER 1985 FINDING PASSION IN ITS RICH CULTURE AND HISTORY. FOUR WEEKS LATER, SHE EMBARKED ON HER FIRST DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, DAR TAMSNA VILLAS, WHOSE CUTTING EDGE APPROACH TO A HIGH-END TOURISM LED THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE TO DEEM HER "THE FIRST ONE TO CREATE A NEW TYPE OF TOURISM THAT APPEALS TO AFFLUENT WESTERN SOCIETY.” IN 2001, SHE OPENED THE RENOWNED JNANE TAMSNA, A LUXURY BOUTIQUE HOTEL WITH AN EYE TO CULTURAL AND PHILANTHROPIC ENDEAVOURS INCLUDING SUPPORT OF THE GLOBAL DIVERSITY FOUNDATION.
HER PASSION FOR DEVELOPING OPPORTUNITIES ROOTED INTO CULTURAL HERITAGE AND CONSERVATION, LEVERAGED BY THE HIGHEST INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, HAS ESTABLISHED HER AS THE PIONEERING REFERENCE FOR BOUTIQUE HOSPITALITY IN MARRAKECH. SHE IS THE FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE AFRICAN HERITAGE RESORT DEVELOPMENT ; SHE SITS ON THE BOARDS OF THE MARRAKECH ART BIENNALE, FOUNDED BY VANESSA BRANSON, AND THE OBSERVATOIRE DE LA PALMERAIE. SHE HAS BEEN FEATURED IN INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS INCLUDING THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, AND CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER AMONG OTHERS.
CURRENTLY, SHE IS WRITING A BOOK ON HER JOURNEY THROUGH DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE IN MARRAKECH TO BE PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 2020 BY RIZZOLI PUBLICATIONS. SHE IS THE FOUNDER OF AFRƎECULTURE. ORG, AN INITIATIVE CELEBRATING THE CREATIVITY OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA IN LITERATURE, CINEMA AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE EMERGING CULTURAL CITIES AND WHY?
THERE’S TWO LESSER KNOWN CITIES WHICH I LOVE; OAXACA AND DAKAR. THEY MIX PAST AND PRESENT BY BLENDING THE SOUL OF THEIR UNIQUE IDENTITY WITH THE MODERN QUEST OF GOURMET RESTAURANTS. OAXACA, A BEAUTIFUL MEXICAN COLONIAL TOWN, HAS THE CHARM OF OLD ARCHITECTURE, COURTYARDS AND GARDENS, LEGACY OF THE SPANISH COLONIAL TIMES WHICH WHERE A 100% INFLUENCED BY THE 700 YEARS ARABIC OCCUPATION OF ANDALUSIA. FANTASTIC FOOD, LIFESTYLE, CRAFTSMANSHIP AND A SPECTACULAR CONTEMPORARY ETHNO-BOTANICAL GARDEN ON THE GROUNDS OF A MONASTERY IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN.
I ALSO LOVE DAKAR. IT HAS HISTORY, IT HAS SOUL, IT HAS BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND A SOUND ENERGY. IT HAS WONDERFUL ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN, A REAL VIBE OF HIDDEN PLACES, EXCELLENT FOOD AND THE ENERGY OF A YOUNG COUNTRY MIXED WITH OLD COLONIAL BUILDINGS; ESPECIALLY DURING THE BIENNALE, IT IS TRULY HEAVEN.
TELL US ABOUT A CULTURAL PROJECT WITH GREAT POTENTIAL FOR SOCIAL IMPACT.
I AM WORKING ON ONE IN MARRAKECH WITH THE ARCHITECT AND LCD AMBASSADOR KULAPAT YANTRASAST WHO IS REDOING THE ROCKEFELLER WING AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IN NEW YORK. IT IS TOO EARLY TO GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS BUT IT IS LIKELY TO BE THE FIRST PROJECT ON THE CONTINENT WITH SUCH A SOCIAL IMPACT.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE RECENT CULTURAL EXPERIENCE?
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HAS CREATED A BLUR IN MY MIND. FOR ME, IT IS NOT ANYMORE ABOUT RECENT THINGS BUT IMPACTFUL THINGS.I HAVE LOVED GOING TO LCD IN BERLIN IN MARCH 2020, BECAUSE OF ITS GLOBAL APPROACH ON CULTURE AND CULTURAL DESTINATIONS, AND THE QUALITY OF THE CASTING ( BOTH MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL SPACES BUT OF THE GUESTS TOO AND THE SPEAKERS ! ). I HAVE LOVED GOING TO JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL A FEW YEARS AGO. THE LAUNCH OF MACAAL THE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN CONTEMPORARY ART IN MARRAKECH IN 2017 WAS FANTASTIC AND IT WAS COUPLED WITH THE FIRST 1:54 ART FAIR ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. I HAVE LOVED CREATING A CULTURAL POP-UP EVENT AT MY HOTEL JNANE TAMSNA. TITLED AFREECULTURE, IT CELEBRATED THE CREATIVITY OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA IN LITERATURE AND FILM. I AM CURRENTLY DEVELOPING THIS PROJECT FURTHER, INTO AN AFREECULTURE SALON TO BE LAUNCHED SOON.
DESCRIBE THE PERFECT CULTURAL DAY OF THE CITY YOU LIVE IN.
I LIVE IN MARRAKECH. I LOVE GOING TO PLACES THAT TRIGGER DREAMS AND FANTASIES OF PREVIOUS LIVES. I WOULD FIRST GO TO THE EL BAADI PALACE, WHERE THE ARCHITECTURE AND SCALE ALWAYS BLOW MY MIND. I LOVE THINKING ABOUT THE HISTORY THAT TOOK PLACE THERE, IMAGINING THE SUMPTUOUS COSTUMES OF PREVIOUS ERAS. THEN I WOULD WALK THROUGH THE OLD MARKETS FOR A GOOD 45 MINUTES AND HAVE LUNCH IN THE MUSEUM DAR EL BACHA WHICH HAS THE MOST ATMOSPHERIC AND DELICIOUS LUNCH SPOT. IN MARRAKECH, APART FROM THE YSL MUSEUM NO MUSEUMS WERE BUILT TO BE MUSEUMS, THEY ARE FORMER PALACES WHERE SULTANS WOULD LIVE WITH THEIR FAMILY, OFFICIALS AND STAFF.. IT HAS LEFT AN INCREDIBLE HISTORY AND SENSE OF PLACE TO ALL CULTURAL PLACES. AFTER LUNCH, I WOULD MAKE MY OWN ARCHITECTURE TOUR, MIXING COURTYARD VISITS WITH SECRET GARDEN, ANTIQUE AND ART BROWSING, IN THE OLD MEDINA. I HAVE BEEN LIVING IN MARRAKECH FOR 25 YEARS. THE OLD MEDINA REMAINS FULL OF EXCITEMENT AND SECRETS AND MAKES FOR A PERFECT SPECIAL DAY MIXING CULTURE, ART, HISTORY, GOURMET MEALS AND SHOPPING.