Flower Cafe, a coffee shop opening soon in Tetouan is making headlines. It will be the first female-only cafe in Morocco and is a huge milestone in the kingdom’s historically male-dominated cafe scene. In speaking about the inspiration for the cafe, employee Oumima Arif said the owner Mrs. Ikram Ben El Khalil had been deciding on the location for 4 years. Previously the space chosen was a wedding hall and not making a profit. She imagined purchasing it and turning it into a place for women to “feel comfortable.” Unique to the shop will be a no camera policy. The intention is for women to feel like they can even “take off their headscarves” and feel like they are at home. In addition to the inviting environment, the cafe will also host inspiring salons to promote the exchange of ideas about women’s issues.
Tetouan is located in Northern Morocco, 63 kilometers from Tangier. Its 15th-century history reaches back to Granada and is why Spanish is widely spoken in this region.