DISPATCHES FROM NORTH AFRICA - INTRODUCTION

For two weeks we'll be exploring the northwest coast of Africa, delving into the far corners of a pair of the smallest countries in the populous continent, stopping off on Spanish islands a few hundred miles from the mainland and ending in one of the most romantic desert hideaways in literary history. Along the way we'll meet fishermen and farmers, shopkeepers and historians and take an up-close look at a pair of environmental issues damning all of Africa (overfishing and desertification). The most intriguing discovery we'll make? Pyramids in the Canary Islands "discovered" by Thor Heyerdahl? Muslim men in Morocco campaigning for Hillary Clinton? Or salt farmers working a pink lake outside Dakar? Follow along for an unusual glimpse inside the lesser-seen corner of the planet's most mysterious continent.

CASABLANCA photos: Fiona Stewart